BACKLASH
Q&A
MICHAEL MATTHEE
Centurion, Gauteng Province, South Africa
michael, you’re the costa fLW
series International division qual-
ifier for the 2018 forrest Wood
cup. has it sunk in yet that you’ll
be fishing for a championship and
$300,000 in august, and repre-
senting south africa on the world
stage?
It’s still hard to believe, but at the
same time I am so very excited. I have
idolized some of these anglers my
whole life, and now my lifelong dream
has come true. I can not only meet
them, but I’m competing with them.
have you made it back to the u.s.
to practice for the cup?
Unfortunately, I have not yet been
back to practice for the Forrest Wood
Cup. I’ll come back this summer to
practice July 14-22.
120
Last fall was your first time in the
u.s. any fun stories from while
you were here?
We made a holiday out of the trip.
We did a bit of traveling; went to the
Jack Daniel’s Distillery on a tour. It was
pretty strange that it was in a dry coun-
ty. We also spent a few days in Nashville
and went to Honky Tonk Highway, as
well as the Johnny Cash Museum.
What’s the biggest difference you
noticed between the u.s. and
south africa?
Obviously, the accent is different.
You have a lot more big trucks, or at
least they’re big compared to what we
normally drive in South Africa. Getting
used to driving on the right-hand side
of the road was a bit of a challenge.
The size of the lakes in the U.S.
compared to South Africa was another
big difference.
I mean, most lakes are smaller than
kentucky Lake, where you fished,
but in general they’re smaller?
Our fisheries are a lot smaller and a
lot more pressured by the anglers. Our
baitfish are different, too. Basically, vari-
ous types of bream or tilapia.
do they also have crocodiles and
hippos?
Oh yeah. I’d say 90 percent of our
waters contain crocs and hippos, and
they most definitely impact fishing.
The crocodiles are not too bad. The
odd one might snatch your fish. The
hippos are very dangerous. They’re
highly aggressive and unpredictable,
and they can do great damage to you
and your boat.
By Sean Ostruszka
What’s it like catching tiger fish?
more fun than bass fishing?
I think every facet of fishing has its
own pros and cons. That said, without
a doubt, tiger fishing is one of my
favorites.
I also hear you’re quite the ocean
fisherman. What’s your favorite
fish to target out on the deep sea?
Anything big. Dogtooth tuna, mar-
lin, saily (sailfish). My ultimate favorite
is giant trevally on topwater.
speaking of big fish, you ever
swim with great white sharks in
south africa? that’s a thing there,
right?
Yes, I am a qualified diver, and I have
completed a few dives with great white
sharks. It’s definitely an exhilarating
experience, not for the faint-hearted.
you’ve hinted at fishing the tour
full time in the u.s. do you foresee
more anglers from south africa
eventually moving to the u.s. to
become professional fisherman?
I hope some South Africans will try
and fish the American circuit. I highly
rate South African anglers. We have a
lot of talented anglers here.
fLWfIshIng.com I juLy 2018