KZN fisherman Dean Reddy bags multiple awards, earns spot in national competition

Richards Bay professional angler Dean Reddy, 39, walked away with multiple accolades at the recent Zululand Shore Angling Association’s awards ceremony, after a consistent performance throughout the fishing year ending June 2024.

Reddy, who was a part of the Proteas angling team in 2018 and 2019, said it was a hard-fought year, but he was glad to have finished in a top position. This, he said, propped him up for the national event at Mossel Bay in February 2025.

KwaZulu-Natal is divided into two regions due to its size. The Zululand Shore Angling Association includes fisherfolk from north of the Tugela River, while everything south of that falls within the KZN Shore Angling Association.

Reddy and the rest of the members from the region were judged based on their performances over the course of 12 months, starting in June 2023 and finishing in June 2024. The awards ceremony was held at the Imvubu Lodge in Richards Bay.

Within that year, Zululand Angling members competed in 10 competitions, made up of a mix of “coastal” competitions and “common venue” competitions.

Reddy, the vice-president of the Zululand Shore Angling Association, won first place in the common venue category and second place in the overall rank, behind club member Chris Visagie.

Reddy also won the award for “most weight” caught for the year, at about 780kg of fish, the Biggest inedible in competition and the Biggest inedible out of competition award.

“Look, as fun as this all was, it was also really intense. Like the level we fish at is not the type where we just go buy bait and go to the beach and hope to catch something. We put in weeks, sometimes more time; just for research and homework into where the fish is biting, and what fish is biting at which area.

“There is a lot of work that goes into competition fishing, but it’s something I enjoy doing since I got into it 18 years ago. This was after a friend, Anand, saw me fishing and asked if I would be interested in it.

“To be selected for the national fishing team is a great accomplishment and something you have to work towards because they judge you based on three years of fishing. It’s not something you just get into. I started doing this 18 years ago but only made the national team in 2018 for the first time, so it’s a lot of work,” Reddy explained.

“It is demanding to compete at such a high level when you have a family. Preparations for events are intense. We actually work in teams to cover more areas.”

But a man who loves the thing that he is doing does not really work at all, Reddy believes, as angling has been a passion of his since he was 4 years old, while accompanying his father on fishing trips.

Now a father to his own two children, aged 7 and 9, Reddy said that he was grateful to his wife for being understanding as he dedicated a lot of his time to the sport. His favourite place to fish is in northern KZN waters.

The manager at MTN said that for him, angling was about passion and personal accomplishments but also ensuring the sport developed further within the Indian community, who do not often dabble in professional angling.

“A large part of it for me is about ticking off species and bettering my personal best. For instance, if I caught a 180kg ragged-tooth shark this month, next month I want to catch a 200kg shark. It’s a bit addictive in a sense that you always want better.

“Fishing is also a great experience outdoors, especially here in KZN because of our close proximity to Mozambique. We have a lot of exotic species in our waters, which makes it all the more exciting.

“Besides that, when I first got into professional angling, it was visibly a white-dominated sport. A lot of Indian people fish, but not professionally. Creating our first Indian angling club in the Zululand district was a great move for us and we have just celebrated our 10-year anniversary."

The highlight of the 2023/2024 season for Reddy was winning the common venue competition because it showed his skill in a level playing field.

Fishing in a common venue competition means that the location and date is set and that contestants are expected to participate within the limits set out for them and are judged based on their performances on the day.

“This is a style of fishing where you go shoulder to shoulder with others. It’s not where you catch a fish and then report your success. This is almost a fight where we can see each other fishing.

“I like that because it gives us a chance to go toe to toe with the best and it also sets the tone for national competition because it’s held in the same format,” Reddy said.

After his stellar performance during the year, Reddy was selected as captain of Zululand A Team at the 2025 nationals, where he hoped to earn another spot on the Proteas fishing team.

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