World Predator Classic 2015 official magazine

E ENGIN! Y R U MERC TOP PRIZES P H 5 1 1 R PLUS! ADS OF OTHE & LOA

PACKED INSIDE YOUR WORLD PREDATOR CLASSIC MAGAZINE Page 5 Welcome to the 2015 edition of The World Predator Classic from Ross Honey, Event founder and organiser.

Pages 6&7 World Predator Classic Event Team Presentation Pages 9 Welcome to the World Predator Classic from Title Sponsors Shimano and Rapala.

of Dreams: Chris 38 Field Leibbrandt interviews Mark

Fisher, well known American tournament angler and Rapala’s Director of Field Operations in the USA

Pages 44-46 Let’s Go Kayak Fishing: The rise of the plastic, fantastic machines

Pages 47-50

Find a new Hobie: The fast growing world of Hobie Kayaks.

Page 51 The WPC Kayak Competition participants

Pages 54-56 Willem Stolk: All about keeping on keeping on…

Pages 58-59 Official World Predator Classic Competition Map

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2014 WPC Champions Luc Coppens and Jeremy Staverman take time out to chat to Chris Leibbrandt.

Honour

2014 Roll of

Pages 18-19

Everyone a Winner: The incredible Event Prize Table

Page 63

The WPC Street Fishing Competition participants

Page 88 WPC Leaderboard 2015, how cutting edge technology is ready to re-write history

Page 65

Pages 92-95 Larysa Swytlik,

Welcome from the mayor of Hellevoetsluis

Pages 66-68

in The Netherlands

American TV and angling personality is ready to unleash her angling prowess on the WPC

Welcome to Hellevoetsluis: Angling Capital of The Netherlands Page 96 The WPC Team Competition participants 2015

Pages 20-27

Mercury and Nitro: A Winning Combination of power and performance

Pages 28-29

98

Pages 30-31 Rapala: History in the Making, the timeline of success, from the original Finnish Minnow up to the present day

Pages 70-71 Citta Romana

Rapala Shadow Rap: The bait that stays in the strike zone

Pages 34-35 The WPC Boat Competition participants

Pages 36-37

The WPC Itinerary: what’s happening, where? Details of the three day tournament

the unique holiday resort that is the WPC Official Event Accommodation

Page 74

Everything you need! A look at the local tackle shop.

Pages 76-81 Feature on Marianne Husky, American professional tournament angler tells us that getting to the top is all about the climb.

Pages 82-83 Andy Chambers tells us all about Life as the Head Marshal

Big in America: Christien Biereth visit the Bassmaster Classic to see how it’s done ‘over there’

Pages 102-103 WPC Official

Global Event Partners and Sponsors

Pages 104-105 The world of

Wiley-X, what sets them apart from the competition

Page 107 The fishing academy: Involving the next generation of anglers Pages 108-110 Hironi Kitade, the man behind the lure fishing brand North Craft tells us about fishing for the legendary akame Pages 112-113 Getting the Right Formula, Ross Honey talks about his vision of the future of the WPC Page 114

Jean Claude Bel, President of EFFTEX

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

INSIDE..

Page 85 Wim de Vries: Fishing

Ralph de Kock: Why he is: Proud to be a Street Fisher

Pages 10-15

Pages 16-17

Pages 60-62

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A WELCOME FROM EVENT FOUNDER ROSS HONEY

Welcome..

to the 2015 World Predator Classic

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to the World Predator Classic. The fantastic location of Hellevoetsluis and the Haringvliet, both of which are steeped in history, extend a warm and friendly welcome.

Hellevoetsluis was the port from which the greatest ever Admiral of the Netherlands fleet sailed his way into battle. Perhaps it is now appropriate that there will once again be a tremendous battle on the water, involving anglers from all over the world.

Although last year’s event was the inaugural competition, its success already bears the status and hallmark of a long-established event. In fact, it had such an impact that Hellevoetsluis was acclaimed as The Angling Capital Of The Year 2014, for which I pass on my heartfelt congratulations.

Success breeds success, but more importantly for the event, it breeds confidence and as a result of that, I am delighted to welcome VMC and Plano to join the already extensive list of apex companies backing the World Predator Classic. These top companies and the event’s global partners, Rapala and Shimano, have enabled us to provide a truly amazing prize table.

We can reveal a fabulous boat based prize package: an awesome, custom-made Nitro boat from the USA shas been sent over as one of the top prizes, thanks to SWAT Germany, the distributor for NITRO Boats in Germany. Mercury will be providing an incredible 115 EFI to accompany the boat: The Highest Displacement Engine with Advanced FourStroke, fuel-efficient performance. Ray Marine will be providing the full electronics package including top specification navigation and fish-finding features and they will also be providing the VIP boat and Head marshals boat. Holland based company, PEGA, will be providing a custom made trailer for the Nitro boat.

Navionics will be providing the event with vital, platinum+ sonar navigation charts, because, quite literally, we would be going absolutely nowhere without those! Citta Romana will be the host for providing event accommodation and the site will be the hub for the captains’ briefings and the official event accommodation.

It is fantastic to have established such a great relationship with the Dutch National fishing and local angling associations, who have been incredibly helpful and accommodating.

This year, I am pleased to announce that the Event HQ, Registration, Captains’ Briefing and Prize Giving will all be conveniently located adjacent to the marina where the boats will be moored.

My vision for this event was like no other that I have founded…this event is the Formula One of angling and that is evident by the amazing boats, fishing machines and equipment that will be used in the event. I wanted to introduce truly cutting-edge technology that linked many things together to be

used in a way that had never been done before and thanks to the hard work of a very skilled team, we have achieved this.

In the future, The World Predator Classic will expand to include qualifying events all over the world. To have had so many countries represented in the first event highlights the fantastic opportunity there is to grow and establish this as a major competition in the global sporting calendar.

So many doors opened so much faster than I had anticipated, and that allowed me to add lots of the elements to last year’s event that I had only aspired to and planned for in future years. These include the schools initiative – involving an angling academy – teaching respect for the environment and best practice catch and release angling. The whole tournament experience also includes the World Predator Classic Streetfishing event, for which Hellevoetsluis is the arena, and the World Predator Classic Kayak competition. Along with all of those elements there is also fund raising for a cancer charity.

Over the four days of the event, all of these elements will come together to ensure that there is something for anglers of all ability and ages. Huge media attention will once again have Hellevoetsluis, the Haringvliet and the Netherlands in the spotlight.

I am very proud of the great team that I have been working with to ensure that this world-class event is a resounding success, creating fantastic memories and friendships that last a lifetime.

TOURNAMENT FOUNDER

‘‘

In the future, The World Predator Classic will expand to include qualifying events all over the world ... and establish this as a major competition in the global sporting calendar

Event Founder

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

‘‘

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I am proud to present to you my team, the hard working individuals who are involved in the staging of the World Predator Classic. As you can see, there is an amazing range of skills required to stage an event of such magnitude. I place my utmost faith in my team to ensure that this World Class event merits its title. It has taken a tremendous amount of hard work by everyone involved to bring the vision that I had to reality. I would like to thank each and every one of my team for their dedication and involvement.

WORLD PREDATOR CLASSIC 2015

Ross Honey

event TEAM

Head of Event Organisers

Marianne Guillois Andy Chambers Event Director

Event Head Marshal

Event Support & Co-ordination

Richard Engelkes Event Communications

Dean McNeill

Event Logistics/ Boat Marshal

Social Media, Photography

Glenn Jeffrey

Event Social Media

Desmond Maddocks

Event Photographer

Stage Presence

Sophie & Victoire Honey Luna De Kock

Parade & Prize Giving Assistance

World Predator Classic: meet the event team Event Marshals

Dave Richards Event Manager

Ralph De Kock Street Fishing Co-ordinator

Ron Van Den Bergh Event Technology

Gero Priebe

Kayak Co-ordinator

Debby De Kock

Erwin Marwat Head Marshal Assistant

Boudewijn Stolk

Ron Cuyten

Michel Luijendijk

Wim van Amen

Guido Merlijn

Event On-Site Co-ordinator

Jarno De Vries Event Technology

and Official Event Magazine Syste van der Harst Event Media

Chris Leibbrandt Magazine Editor

Lucy Allsopp

Koen Lemmens Johan Adriaans

Art Director

Robert Kiss

Event Media Director

Dorien van de Kuilen

Event Photographer Joost Holleman Ronald van Loenhout

Other Event Organisers

Mark Traas

Wilbert Mosterd Fishing Academy Co-ordinator

Jaap Iversen Wellantcollege

Event Catering

Terry Greenhouse Chef

Dinus Herrewijnen Wellantcollege

Ron Keene Sous Chef

Henk van Klaveren

Ruud Reinders Dirk Schonenberg Maurice Vollebregt Pieter Heenvliet Special thanks goes to those who have contributed to this magazine: n Chris Leibrandt as Magazine Editor n Lucy at Bang the Drum Designs n Everyone that provided photographs & articles

SPONSORS’ WELCOME:

It looks like it’s going to be a true battle between all top predator anglers from Europe. With top anglers, massive engines, fast boats and sophisticated fishing skills this year’s event is set to be incredibly exciting. As fishing such an event is hard work, needs a lot of dedication, skills and water sense it will follow that the winner has all of these attributes and more.

As main sponsors Shimano and Rapala recognize the great value and importance of the event.

The sponsorship of the World Predator Classic is an initiative to give

something back to the sport. The sport and passion we, as anglers ourselves, hold so close to our hearts. From humble beginnings to a world leader who better than Shimano and Rapala to support one of the most exciting fishing events of recent years.

We truly hope the WPC, the friendly battle, fairplay and great atmosphere will inspire anglers all over the globe to become part of the impassioned cult lure fishing is.

We would like to wish all the participants in the boat, street and kayak events all the best of luck and that friendship, fairplay and passion may be the spirit for all.

Again from Shimano and Rapala: Good luck, enjoy and have a great event.

Shimano/Rapala

‘‘

who better than Shimano and Rapala to support one of the most exciting fishing events of recent years

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

‘‘

On behalf of Shimano and Rapala we’d like to warmly welcome you all to the World Predator Classic 2015. This great event will be very exciting again as last year and we are really looking forward to it.

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THE POWER AND THE

GLORY WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

Chris Leibbrandt, editor of the WPC magazine 2015, caught up with the defending champions, Luc Coppens and Jeremy Staverman, during a brief respite in their busy year’s itinerary…

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Chris L:Well, first of all, congratulations on the victory, I know it was down to hard work and preparation, does that level of preparation always outweigh being lucky?

instead of first. So the guys who also finished high in the rankings always have my respect as they know what they are doing and are serious candidates to win the event.

Luc: Well Chris, it’s difficult to judge, in my opinion, preparation is important, but having a wide range of techniques available to use and being flexible when there are different circumstances is more important, an angler who is used to fish on many different waters and have the skills is dangerous on this venue.

You can prepare as much as you want, but in a competition things change: you may see the water changing after one or two days as the competition goes on, maybe your favourite spot (and we had this happen) was hammered two days before you start to fish it and it can be completely dead.

Then you need to understand this and adapt, don’t put too much time into that spot as time is very important in this tournament, as you start every day with a clean sheet! I think luck is something you need when it comes to losing fish etc. , you might lose a big fish just in front of the net, or it throws the hooks just when it’s netted, that’s when you know you have luck on your side! But I don’t think someone can win this game purely with luck, I will never say that. Luck needs to be your friend, that’s a fact, otherwise with the high level of this competition you can maybe end up second or third

Chris L: You’ll forgive me for asking this, but you two guys seem to have been around for ages (despite your youthful good looks), so, how many years of fishing experience do you two guys have between you, and how many as competition anglers?

‘‘

When people point to you as one of the favourites, there is a lot on pressure on your shoulders, if you like it or not

Luc: Well, thanks for the compliment, I’ve a lifetime fishing experience from when I was a kid, it was a big passion then and it’s never changed.

As competition anglers I can say about a good 12 years, but I was always very competitive in my fishing and I need the challenge, like for example, when I have a lure that is catching well I mostly stop using it to search for something else if I can find something equal or even better. It’s the same with a good spot, many times I leave a good spot after catching some fish to find more good spots, I don’t want it too easy.

JEREMY: I came a little later to the competition scene, we’ve been competition partners around three years now and I’ve been lucky to learn plenty of the trick’s and techniques Luc was using. Since teaming up we’ve won a lot competitions so we’re both very thankful for the way it has gone!

Chris L: It’s not all sunny weather and flat calm water, I know how tough it was, as I was there. The wind plays a big part on such a huge water, have you any tricks of the trade that use the wind for your benefit?

Luc: Wind can be a disturbing factor on the big lakes in Holland, we don’t like it , but we have to face it. To be honest, we never get used to it, but we have no choice, we try as much as possible to adjust to the wind and use it to drift the boat so that we can reach the spots where we like to fish, controlling

2014 WPC CHAMPIONS: LUC COPPENS & JEREMY STAVERMAN

POWER AND THE

GLORY

the boat with as little use of the electric motor as possible. Many anglers ask us how we work with the wind and we say: “Don’t fight against the wind, try to use it and it will not be that bad.”

Many anglers here in Holland use drift sock’s and drift anchors (drogues), we didn’t use one in last year’s competition, but maybe we will next time, depends how we want to target the spots we want to fish.

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

Chris L: You did well on both day one and two of the competition, how did you cope with the pressure, because, you must have known you were seen as favourites. Did that add to the tension or do you sleep like babies before a big day?

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Luc: This is a question I wanted to ask the USA pro’s for long time as their results are even more important, but I tell you I slept very badly, almost no sleep.

Like you say, when people point to you as one of the favourites, there is a lot on pressure on your shoulders, if you like it or not.

First, you have the huge pressure that you need to handle, after the first day we were in a good position and the adrenaline is pumping, you need to compete for another two days with the knowledge that you still can lose your good position you owned on the first day. That’s a feeling weighs heavily, but I like it so much, this adrenaline.

This is a drug you cannot buy and it’s something that maybe comes or not, but when its there its very intense and it gives me a lot of energy! Instead of sleeping I was laying in my bed and thinking about the tactics for the next day, counting the minutes to start again, I don’t like that sleepless feeling but it’s something I have to deal with.

Chris L: We’ve changed the format for this year, now there are just two zones and the lengths of fish are being turned into points, do you see that you’ll fish differently this year?

Luc: I think it’s more or less the same, the fair deal is that you have to start every day with a clean sheet, I think that the formula from the two zones gives a few more possibilities for the guys who don’t know the lake so well, so this could give us a complete new winner this year, whatever happens the guys who’ll win, will be an angling team who knows what they are doing.

Chris L: Moving on from that, as your main prize, you won a fabulous Nitro Z6 fishing boat with a 115 Mercury engine that’ll certainly get you out of trouble, but how does this boat perform in the choppy water, is it the superstable fishing platform that it looks?

Luc: The Nitro is fantastic boat, that’s for sure.

We tried to use it on choppy water and it can handle those conditions with no problems, the Mercury motor is one that stands out, it has a lot of power, in fact, I just changed my two year old motor from my own boat to a Mercury as I was so impressed by the performance from the Mercury !

Chris L: You also won a heap of Navionics and Raymarine technology, we all know it helps to find the fish, but the skill is in the catching, right? Do the fish on big waters like the Haringvliet behave differently from small water predators?

Luc: Technology is very important these days as most anglers have access to it and

‘‘

Many anglers will go to our spots from last year .. the simple outcome that the spot will be dead fished before the event starts

2014 WPC CHAMPIONS: LUC COPPENS & JEREMY STAVERMAN

understand they need it, finding fish is not easy wherever you fish big or small waters, but being able to recognise structures, bottom depths, and having the skills to interpret all this information can give you a good idea where to fish under given circumstances.

To me, it is not really a difference if it is a big lake or a small lake, big lakes just need for more time to investigate .

Chris L: With the GPS tracker following every centimetre of your fishing route and particular fishing locations, how do you feel you are at a disadvantage this year as other anglers will be able to look at your angling ‘history’ for the event and maybe get into the best places before you?

Luc: I thought a lot about this and I see no difference with other competitions, the anglers who follow others to find success will always come to the best areas second, the thing is, spots are good for a reason, it can be anything or everything: wind, temperature, water clarity, clear, stained, it changes all the time, if you’re

not flexible and don’t understand this, then you won’t have a change!

It’s obvious that many anglers will go to our spots from last year, with the simple outcome that the spot will be dead fished before the event starts, so those anglers who have that in mind will not be the winning the WPC! But, like I said before being the most flexible with the right techniques for any given day will be the one who wins through! For ourselves, We have several plans in our heads and only on the day itself is when we’ll decide what we’ll do…

Chris L: Most of us who have been lure angling a while (and in my case it’s been a long while) have too many lures and probably too many favourites! If you had a choice of three lures without giving away too many secrets, say a crankbait, soft plastic and spinnerbait, to use for the competition, what would they be?

Luc: most asked question I would say, I have too many lures with me, that’s for sure and will have too many with me this time as well. For me it also depends on the situation, but I can

tell you I use all the ones you name here. I just cannot say right now what it will be, will the fish feed on the bottom or suspend along the weeds, will rocky structures play a big role here this time?

I use a mix from all these lures and mostly it’s different on each spot, so I can’t be really specific. That’s also why this game cannot be won with one lure only! Some years ago, by the way, we had a big one lure competition here in Holland, that was fun too, before the event started we could choose one lure and that was it for the rest of the day!

We chose the right (soft lure) for that river and used it in the right places and we won, but on somewhere as big and diverse as the Haringvliet, I can’t see that working!

Chris L: Part of your winning prize was a visit to Finland and the amazing Rapala factory, what were the biggest surprises for you during that visit?

2014 WPC CHAMPIONS: LUC COPPENS & JEREMY STAVERMAN

Chris L: You must be going into the event as favourites to hold onto your title, what would it mean for you to win the event for a second time?

Proud as punch: Jeremy with a beautifully marked, hard fighting Dutch pike

POWER AND THE

GLORY

Luc: We haven’t enough words for that, we really were treated as VIPS and I was very surprised about the professionalism and passion this company put in their work. So, we would like to use this article to thank all of the Rapala people once again for a few fantastic days.

We were really impressed how open they were, they showed everything, the capacity and dedication from every employee from the factory floor up through to the engineering department was truly amazing. After all that, the day after the factory visit we went fishing with the guys from the Rapala team and had a great time, a good memory that we cherish forever! So, to continue we’d also like to say a big thanks for all the people who participate in making this great trip happen!

Chris L: Has winning the WPC opened doors for you to become full-time professional anglers? For example, I guess you’re in demand for appearances, writing, consultancy and sponsorship deals?

Luc: We will fish as hard we can and be very focused. To win a second time would be fantastic, but very difficult, like I said the level from the participants is high and being part of this event is great on its own! You never know, if the gods are with us this time, we will be ready and won’t let them down …

Chris L: Based in Belgium, you have a better understanding of the fishing trends in mainland Europe, is there an increase in professional competition predator anglers in Europe? Can you foresee the development of a Europe wide professional ‘tournament circuit’?

Luc: I can’t see a big change yet, although, the big Streetfishing events and kayak events are attractive for many people, I see the potential.

There is a nice competition circuit in France and there is more in Italy and Spain, but at the moment there is nobody who is bringing this all together, I guess this is a challenge for people like Ross Honey who started this and I’m very much wondering who will be the driving force for this, whoever it is, this guy will be in the history books!

There is a lot potential that’s for sure! n

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

Luc: We have to go a long way to have full time professional anglers here in Europe! I follow a little what’s happening in USA and they have the right structure, but it did not happen overnight.

Ross Honey is in my eyes the first one who gives it a real try! It’s quite simple, you can only win if there are more competitions and to become a professional angler you need more competitions and valuable prizes; to be a professional angler you have a lot of expenses. We have the sponsor deal with Wiley X, the fantastic polaroid glasses and we have now a good deal with Mercury and Westin in Scandinavia who will also sponsor our entrance to the event this.

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WINNERS 2014

WORLD PREDATOR CLASSIC

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM 16

The 2014 Inaugural World Predator Classic tournament built over the three days to a fascinating and exciting finish. The venue was divided into three zones and every day, there were zone winners. Every category, boat, kayak and street fishing was close, culminating in a last day of action and excitement. The massive prize table was divided up into the numerous categories, where winners were proud to be part of this sensational tournament. The coup de grace, was the winners picking up their extraordinary boat and equipment prize totalling well over â‚Ź70,000!

2014 Kayak Champion: Jan Liska

2014 Street Fishing Champion: Netherland’s Mark Lubbarts

WORLD PREDATOR CLASSIC 2014: ROLL OF HONOUR 2014 Top 3 Standings 2014 CHAMPIONS POSITION

REF NAME

1st 005 Luc Coppens Jeremy Staverman Sponsor: TOTAL: 1112 2nd 028 Gregor Pauly Rene Lehrheuer 968 Sponsor: Nitro TOTAL: 968

2014 Runners Up: Top left, in second place, Gregor Pauly and Rene Lehrheuer. Above third placed Marku Tiusanen and Anti Antilla.

3rd 013 Markku Tiusanen Antti Anttila 938 Sponsor: Rapala TOTAL: 938

2014 TEAM WINNERS POSITION

TEAM SPONSOR/ NAMES

1st

RAPALA 3 Markku Tiusanen - Antti Anttila Arnaud Briere - Laurent Vrignaud TOTAL: 1702

2nd

NITRO 2 Gregor Pauly - Rene Lehrheuer Soren Panse - Florian Berger TOTAL: 1551

3rd

NITRO1 Christian Biereth - Thomas Bohringer Helmut Schoddel - Mathias Trapp TOTAL: 1212

2014 BIGGEST FISH POSITION

REF NAME

1st 040

Eugene Vanhaute Philippe Neuville Sponsor: Mercury TOTAL: Zander 88.0

2nd 027

Soren Panse Florian Berger Sponsor: Nitro TOTAL: Perch 52.0

3rd 012

Alexander Katkov Andrey Donskov Sponsor: Rapala TOTAL: Pike 116.0

2014 KAYAK WINNERS In the Zone: The huge

POSITION

NAME

TOTAL

venue is divided into three zones, each with daily winners, who are proudly presented with their trophies at the prize giving ceremony that closes the tournament

1st

Jan Liska

140

2nd

Brad Smudzinski

129

3rd

Chris Fowler

128

2014 STREETFISHING POSITION

NAME

TOTAL

1st

Mark Lubbarts

100

2nd

Simon Plaetinck

95

3rd

Michael Schaefer

92

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

Top prizes from world top names ..

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We are delighted to have such a massive, high-quality prize table for this year’s event, thanks to the fantastic sponsors and event partners that we have.

The prize table has been extended this year to include competitors in the Top Ten places, the Top Three Teams, Daily Zone winners (‘Kings (or Queens) of the day’), The biggest pike, zander, perch, the biggest fish of the event and a new category, the Sportsmanship award, all winning a share of the prize table.

The overall winners will be presented with a host of prizes, including a fully equipped custom made Nitro boat and trailer package.

The boat, built in the USA, was sent over as one of the major prizes thanks to SWAT, who are the distributor for Nitro Boats in Germany.

This amazing prize really does have it all...with its sleek fibreglass hull, specifically designed for speed when on the move, it cannot fail to impress. However, where tournament boats are concerned, speed is one thing, stability is another. The Nitro Z6, excels in all aspects, both at high speed and when in fishing mode. Not only is the Nitro Z6 incredibly stable in fishing mode – providing high-level comfort in all conditions for those aboard – its superior design provides all manner of additions to facilitate the angler. With a large array of storage space in its water-tight lockers, ranging from live-wells, secure tackle and rod storage, safety and boat equipment plus other, very useful compartments, any time spent aboard the Nitro Z6 is assured to be enjoyable and comfortable.

And that’s not all ...

The Nitro Z6 that you will all be competing for, has custom paintwork that will no doubt cause heads to turn. With the words ‘World Predator Champions’ emblazoned on its hull, along with the iconic WPC logo and event branding, it is sure to catch the eye. Looks aren’t everything, we know, but this particular boat not only looks the part, IT IS!

And there’s more ...

To complement this already fantastic prize, Mercury will be providing an incredible 115 hp engine to accompany the boat. Full specs on Page 22

And more ... UK based company,

Ray Marine will be providing the full electronics package including top specification navigation and fish-finding features, plus, Holland based company, PEGA, will be providing a custom made trailer for the Nitro boat to complete the package.

Boat Event Overall Champions n 2 trophies & World Predator Classic Champions title and Champions Shirts. n Nitro Z6boat & Mercury 115 HP engine n Pega trailer: Plus Xi5 MotorGuide (2 anglers) n Raymarine equipment n Navionics chart plotter n Wiley X glasses and Fladen life jackets. n Rapala factory visit including flights: Winners will receive a 100 of their own designed and coloured lure which will become the official lure for WPC15.

One day’s fishing with a Rapala pro guide. n Shimano Stella reel + line n VMC Products, Plano products n A featured review: Your year as champions in the 2016 Official event magazine.

WORLD PREDATOR

PRIZE 2nd Overall

n 2 trophies plus Rapala lures, Shimano reel, rod & line (2 anglers) n Xi5 MotorGuide n Raymarine equipment: 2 Navionics chart plotter + Navionics prizes. n 2 WileyX glasses, VMC and Plano products

3rd Overall

n 2 trophies plus Rapala lures & Shimano rod, reel and line (2 anglers) n Xi5 MotorGuide n Raymarine equipment: 2 Navionics chart plotter + Navionics prizes. n 2 WileyX glasses, VMC and Plano products

4th Overall (2 anglers)

6th & 7th Overall

n 2 trophies plus: Rapala lures; VMC Products; Plano products and 2 Navionics prizes.

8th, 9th & 10th Overall

n 2 trophies plus: Rapala lures and 2 Navionics prizes.

Team Event Ist Place (4 anglers)

n 4 trophies and World Predator Classic Team Champions title n Plus: Rapala lures & Shimano Sport Camera; Raymarine equipment, 4 Navionics chart plotters + 4 Navionics prizesl; 4 WileyX glasses; VMC and Plano products.

2nd Place (4 anglers)

n 2 trophies and Rapala lures & Shimano rod, reel and line plus ..

Navionics prizes; 2 WileyX glasses; VMC and Plano products.

n 4 trophies, plus .. Rapala lures; 4 Navionics prizes; 4 WileyX glasses; VMC and Plano products.

5th Overall (2 anglers)

3rd Place (4 anglers)

n 2 trophies and Rapala lures & Shimano rod, reel and line plus .. VMC Products, Plano products and Navionics prizes.

n 4 trophies, plus.. Rapala lures; 4 Navionics prizes; 4 WileyX glasses; VMC and Plano products.

WORLD PREDATOR CLASSIC 2015 PRIZE TABLE Street Fishing Event

Overall Winners

n 1 trophy, World Predator Classic Kayak Champions title and Champion’s Shirt n Plus: Rapala lures; Shimano rod; VMC Products; Plano products; Wiley X glasses and a featured review of their year as champions in the 2016 Official event magazine.

2nd Overall

n 1 trophy n Plus: Rapala lures & Shimano rod; Wiley X glasses; VMC and Plano products.

3rd Overall

n 1 trophy plus .. Rapala lures & Shimano rod; 1 Wiley X glasses; VMC and Plano products.

4th Overall

n 1 trophy plus .. Shimano Tackle bag; Wiley X glasses; VMC and Plano products.

5th Overall

n 1 trophy plus .. Shimano Tackle bag; VMC and Plano

products.

CLASSIC 2015

TABLE Longest Catch Overall

For the Longest Pike, Zander and Perch caught n 1 trophy per angler, plus .. Rapala lures; Shimano reel and line; 1 Navionics chart plotter and Navionics prize; 1 WileyX glasses; VMC and Plano products for each winner.

Kings Of The Day

Winners of Zones A & B n 1 trophy per angler n Plus: Navionics prize.

Day Three Winners

n 2 trophies each day (2 anglers) n Plus: Rapala lures; Shimano Tackle bag and Navionics prize.

Best Sportsmanship n 1 trophy n Plus: Raymarine prizes.

Biggest Fish of the Event n 1 trophy n Plus: Navionics prizes.

Kayak Event

Overall Winners

n 1 trophy, World Predator Classic Champions title and Champion’s Shirt. n A Hobie Kayak; Rapala lures; Shimano rod, reel and line; VMC and Plano products. n Raymarine equipment; Navionics chart plotter and Navionics Prize. n Plus: Wiley X glasses; Entry in the V Hobie World in China*; Fladen life jacket and a featured review of your year in the Official Event Magazine.

2nd Overall

n 1 trophy plus .. Rapala lures; Shimano rod and clothing pack; Raymarine equipment; 1 Navionics chart plotter +Navionics Prize; 1 WileyX glasses; VMC and Plano products.

3rd Overall

n 1 trophy plus .. Rapala lures; Shimano Tackle bag and clothing pack; Raymarine equipment; 1 Navionics chart

plotter +Navionics Prize; 1 WileyX glasses; VMC Products and Plano products.

4th Overall

n 1 trophy plus .. Shimano clothing pack; 1 Navionics chart plotter +Navionics Prize; 1 WileyX glasses; VMC Products and Plano products.

5th Overall

n 1 trophy plus .. Shimano Tackle bag; Navionics prize; VMC and Plano products.

6th & 7th Overall

n 1 trophy plus ..Navionics prize; VMC and Plano products.

8th, 9th & 10th Overall

n 1 trophy plus .. Navionics Prize.

Kayak Team Event

Ist Place

n 2 trophies and World Predator Classic Team Champions title n Plus: Raymarine equipment; 2 Navionics chart plotter + 2 Navionics prizes; 2 WileyX glasse; VMC and Plano products.

2nd & 3rd Place

n 2 trophies plus.. 2 Navionics chart plotter + 2 Navionics prizes, 2 Wiley X glasses, VMC and Plano products.

6th & 7th Overall

n 1 trophy plus ..

VMC and Plano products.

8th, 9th & 10th Overall n 1 trophy per angler n Plus: Sponsors’ prizes.

Street Fishing Team Event Ist Place

n 2 trophies and World Predator Classic Team Champions title n Plus: 2 Wiley X glasses; VMC and Plano products.

2nd Place

n 2 trophies plus.. 2 Wiley X glasses; VMC and Plano products.

3rd Place

n 2 trophies plus.. 2 Wiley X glasses; VMC and Plano products.

MERCUR Leading name in tournament-tested

It’s small wonder that Mercury Marine has been a dominant force for decades at the highest levels of tournament fishing.

Mercury’s dedication to performance, durability and fuel economy speaks for itself in conditions where the motor frequently plays a key role in winning or losing

Whether it’s in the raw torture-test environment of an offshore kingfish tournament or the high-pressure demand of the Bassmaster Classic – where 9 of the past 11 winners have been powered by Mercury outboards – the Mercury family of motors is truly tournament tested.

In fact, Mercury is an official engine sponsor of the three largest bass-tournament associations in North America, and is a leading engine sponsor in saltwater tournaments as well. Not only does Mercury build highperforming engines that shine in the world of competitive angling, Mercury also provides world-class service at hundreds of tournaments.

If you’re an avid angler, you might think, “Just give me the biggest, baddest, fastest engine and propeller that money can buy so I will beat my competition to the best fishing spot!”

That’s not always appropriate for everyone, according to the experts at Mercury Marine.

Different boats call for different engines, and different engines require different props to maximize performance. Mercury gurus recommend you evaluate several factors when selecting an outboard motor and corresponding props – everything from the type of boat you have and how you will use it.

We asked Jim Hergert, 18-year veteran with Mercury Marine in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, U.S.A., what are the most important elements in choosing an outboard. Jim says: “Selecting the right engine is extremely important to ensure that boat and motor packages perform safely and properly.”

“Generally speaking, there are two types of powerboats: displacement hulls and planing hulls. Displacement hulls are designed to push

URY

MERCURY NITRO: PERFORMANCE A WINNING COMBINATION CHAMPION’S BOAT: AND THE WHOLE PACKAGE

motor performance

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a boat through the water, that is displacing water.

These boats often require more horsepower.

Planing hulls are engineered to glide on the water’s surface where there’s less friction and less resistance.

“Planing boats need enough power to push the boat to the top of the water and keep it there,” said Hergert, who recommends selecting an engine at or near the top – but not higher than – the boat’s horsepower rating.

Another factor that affects outboard selection is load i.e. what you’re actually putting ON the boat. Load includes items such as fuel, passengers and gear.

“It gets very heavy very fast,” Hergert maintains. “You need to give a lot of consideration to the overall weight of the package.”

Distance also matters. If you travel far to

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MERCURY AND NITRO: A WINNING COMBINATION

reach a desired location, select an outboard that offers more speed. If, however, you own a small boat and fish lake systems, speed might not factor and the maximum-rated horsepower might not be necessary.

You might decide to add a smaller ‘kicker’ motor, particularly if you troll, where the speed of the boat and lures is of critical importance. Using a lower-horsepower engine intended for trolling will allow you to tailor the boat’s speed. This is where Mercury’s 9.9-horsepower outboard, the standard by which all small four-stroke motors are measured, is perfect. It is lightweight and portable (only 83 pounds!) to suit small boats. However, it packs a wallop of power via Command Thrust (CT), which delivers the level of thrust, power and control that bigger, wider, heavier boats demand.

With CT, a taller gearcase puts the prop deeper, below turbulent water, for improved performance, while a low 2.42:1 gear ratio delivers the thrust and manoeuvrability that big loads demand. An oversized antiventilation plate prevents air from being drawn into the prop, which increases efficiency. Using a 20% larger prop increases control, especially at low speeds. Mercury’s 9.9 with a four-blade prop allows anglers to finitely control boat speed and keep the boat running at the pace that’s right for the fishing conditions,.

Selecting the right propeller is a vitallly important step in ensuring performance for your motor. Too often, people select a prop solely to make the boat go faster. That can be a mistake, according to Mercury experts. Boats are frequently over-propped, which can cause a boat to run sluggishly and damage the engine’s gears. Dirk Bjornstad, brand director for Mercury Propellers is forthright when it comes to prop selection: “Determining the correct pitch is the most important thing,” Bjornstad says. “It’s crucial to performance. For best performance, pay attention to factors such as pitch, diameter, blade geometry and the number of blades i.e. three or four. Three-blade props are typically good for general purpose, providing decent acceleration and good top-end speed, while four blades enhance acceleration and midrange handling and get the boat on plane faster.”

Mercury 40-60hp Mercury’s 40 – 60hp outboards feature compact, single overhead cam designs and long piston strokes that produce more lowend torque for excellent acceleration, even when pushing a heavy load.

The 60hp Command Thrust matches the acceleration and fuel efficiency of other manufacturers’ more expensive 70hp outboard model, and Mercury’s stateof-the-art Electronic Fuel Injection (EFI) delivers reliable turnkey starts, improved fuel efficiency, instant throttle response and protection against low-quality fuel problems.

Mercury 75-115hp Tuned for maximum acceleration and throttle response, Mercury’s 75, 90 and 115hp

Mercury FourStroke 115 EFI Prize n Model: Fourstroke 115 EFI

n Starting: Electric

n Horsepower: 115 hp (84.58 kw)

n Gear ratio: 2.33:1

n Dry weight:181 kg

n Fuel type: Gasoline

n RPM: ranger 5800-6400

n SmartCraft:Yes

n DisplacementL: 1732 cc

n Engine technology: 4 strokes

n Cylinder layout: In-line

n Steering: Remote - Big tiller optional

n Number of cylinders: 4

n Fuel requirement: Unleaded 90 RON min.

n Alternator system power: 630 watt

n Trim positions: Hydraulic Power Trim and Tilt

n Alternator type: Fully regulated Belt-Driven

n Induction system: 4-valve dual overhead cam design

FourStrokes deliver incredible power in a lighter frame (the 115 weighs 20 pounds less than its closest four-stroke competitor).

Less weight and high displacement mean Mercury’s 75, 90 and 115 FourStrokes generate abundant torque and immediate power. Because they don’t have to work as hard as heavier engines or those with lower displacement, these engines make boats plane faster, accelerate better and provide optimal fuel efficiency at cruising speed.

“You need to take time to think about the way you use your boat, weather, wave conditions, humidity and the water size and type, freshwater versus saltwater. You must also consider whether you need aluminium or stainless steel.

“As a general rule, outboards of 150hp and above should have stainless steel props, while those below 150 can typically run safely on aluminium. Stainless props are significantly more expensive than aluminium, and customers often choose aluminium, a choice that can be detrimental to the engine’s performance.

“So take your time and get expert help to make sure you match performance and power to suit your fishing.”

Mercury 150hp FourStroke These motors are simply stronger, lighter and more durable than other engines in their class, with massive displacement for the lightest four-stroke in its class.

This engine’s compact, lightweight design fits most transoms, including those with narrow engine wells and tight motor spacing, making this the perfect motor when you repower your boat. The 150 FourStroke, which was introduced 2011, has been an extremely popular engine for competitive anglers.

Mercury 200-350hp Verado No matter how you define ‘performance’, Mercury Verado supercharged FourStroke engines (175 - 350 hp) create a whole new set of standards.

Verado handles all conditions temperature changes, humidity, and elevation fluctuations aren’t a problem in an outboard that turns harsh conditions into pure, all-season power. Verado delivers superior torque and acceleration across the entire performance range that tournament anglers demand, from hole shot to top end, and all with less fuel.

The Electric Outboard Trolling Motors ..

The Motorguide Xi5 is designed to exceed the expectations of today’s discriminating customer. It’s engineered to be reliable every day - and durable over the long haul.

Unlike competing brands, the new Xi5 includes wireless capability ‘right out of the box’.

Anglers can command precise motor and steering control from anywhere on the boat. A wireless foot pedal is standard with freshwater models and a hand-held remote is standard with saltwater models. Plus, we’ve made it stealthy quiet and silky smooth. And you’ll also see thoughtful details that make it safe and easy to use.

MotorGuide’s proprietary Pinpoint® GPS technology is available to purchase already installed onto the Xi5 trolling motor, or purchased separately as an easy upgrade to this model.

Pinpoint® uses an ultra-precise GPS receiver and precision control algorithms for incredibly accurate performance. A compact, easy-touse remote, controls these Pinpoint® features: Anchor and Jog, Heading Lock, Route Record & Playback, and Cruise Control. Go to motorguide. com for a complete review of product options and feature summary.

Like Mercury’s outboards, Nitro Boats’ Z Series is a powerful force on the water. But it’s not just about how fast it gets on a plane and how fast it’ll go when pushed to the max ... Steve Mason, Freshwater Product Development Manager, explains how NITRO Boats take a different approach when defining how a boat performs

‘‘

There are a lot of things that make the boat perform,” Steve Mason, Freshwater Product Development Manager, points out. “It’s things like top end, of course, holeshot, turning and fishability. All things under the ‘performance’ umbrella that we strive to achieve, not just top end.”

Fishability, he explains, is everything the boater needs to have the most success while fishing, including how the boat tracks while trolling, the maneuverability on the decks and in the cockpit, the stableness of the platform and the ability to access gear and accessories inside.

Lance Williams, Senior Product Engineer for NITRO Boats, backs that up when pointing out that NITRO boats are fishing boats first and foremost. So, when designing a performance boat, they don’t look at just speed, holeshot and handling.

They also consider safety, comfort, the dry and soft ride and more. All to provide an enjoyable experience on the water.

So, in an industry where numerous performance boat brands are vying for anglers’ attention, what sets NITRO apart from the pack?

The hull designs, Mason says, which feature a combination of innovative touches to provide NITRO boats with a smoother, dryer ride, better stability and faster holeshots, among other benefits to the anglers onboard.

The Nitro Boat .. the perfect match The Z9 measures a staggering 20 feet 9 inches, with an incredibly stable 8-foot beam and motor capacity up to 300hp. Industry-leading features include Nitro’s exclusive Rapid Planing System to cut through the mightiest inland chop and launch you onto plane in an instant.

NITRO

The most powerful force

MERCURY AND NITRO: A WINNING COMBINATION Deadrise The first of the key aspects of the NITRO performance boat design is the variable deadrise hull design.

While a boat that has a very flat deadrise will run super fast, it will be exceptionally difficult to drive and produce an extremely rough ride. On the other hand, an extreme Deep V design will result in a soft, nice ride, but slower top end.

The sweet spot is 16 degrees at the bow that transitions to 10 degrees at the keel.

While most of the bass boats are designed with those measurements, the Z-6 numbers vary slightly, while still keeping the basic ariable design. The combination produces a soft, dry ride, while still allowing for exhilarating top-end speeds.

Extended Pods Also at the rear of the boat, take note of the “pods” extending past the transom.

They add extra flotation to counteract the heavy motor on the transom, while also adding buoyancy to create level flotation.

This way, the boat floats more level and won’t rock as much when anglers are moving around. It also allows anglers to reach areas other boats can’t.

“You can trim that motor up and get into super shallow water,” Williams says.

The fact that NITRO boats sit more level at rest means they present less “sail area.”

When the winds are heavy, there isn’t as much boat above the water to get blown around, so the boat tracks and controls better with the trolling motor.

Concave Design If you look at a NITRO bass boat from the front, you’ll notice how the hull is cupped, or concaved, on either side of the deadrise.

This design results in aerodynamic lift, getting the boat farther out of the water while running and adding to the boat’s topend abilities.

“That’s what makes building bass boat hulls and high-performance boats so difficult,” Williams explains. “When you do airplanes, it’s all air. But when you do boats, you have two mediums—air and water.”

It’s a unique set of features that has been engineered and perfected through years of development, testing and input from

‘‘

Rick Emmitt, Manager of NITRO Angler Programs/Pro Staff, is a 28-year veteran of Tracker Marine Group, and one of the few who has driven every NITRO model built. He talks about how the hulls have evolved through the years.

“I drove the very first NITRO Pro Series boat after we [TMG] purchased the company in 1989. The hull was 18’ 10” and very fast, but pretty tricky to drive,” Emmitt says. “I used to have to go out in the field and teach customers how to drive their boat. We realized we needed to re-design the hull and make them more stable for the average customer. Over the years we have developed a hull that features tremendous all-around performance—good holeshot, smooth and dry rough-water ride, good top-end speed with stability and easy

I get a kick out of the expression on the passengers’ faces .. they look at the trail and the helicopter pushing the boat around, and it’s a bit scary at first

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Z9

e on the water

a variety of sources, including the NITRO Professional Fishing Team.

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MERCURY AND NITRO: A WINNING COMBINATION

Patented RPS System

The RPS transom breaks up the vacuum of the hull, allowing for a quick holeshot.

The port and starboard pods add flotation aft to counteract the weight of the motor, allowing for even flotation and better tracking.

Another contributor to the renowned performance of a NITRO boat is the Rapid Planing System (RPS) transom, a patented design originally developed for the MAKO 18 LTS bay boat.

The engineering and design team realized it was a perfect fit for a NITRO performance hull, and worked it into the design.

“The boat has a natural vacuum to it that wants to pull the boat down,” Mason explains. The stepped design of the RPS transom breaks up that vacuum by letting in air and helping the boat lift at takeoff. The result is a quicker holeshot, less bow rise and better planing in shallow conditions.

are impressed. He takes passengers in NITRO boats on photoshoots through the Florida pigtrails, where the waterway is only a foot or so wider than the boat, and not much more than a foot deep.

“I have to have total trust in the handling of our boats. The trails have sharp turns, and the NITRO responds quickly to keep the boat tracking in a straight line,” he says. “I get a kick out of the expression on the passengers’ faces when we first start to make these runs. They look at the trail and the helicopter pushing the boat around, and it’s a bit scary at first. Once they see how the NITRO performs, though, they become relaxed and enjoy the exhilarating ride.” n

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handling. We may not be the fastest, but our overall performance is difficult to beat.”

So, how does one go about crafting the ultimate performance hull?

First, the boat is computer designed in-house to achieve certain performance characteristics.

Then, a plug” is made. The plug is ultimately what the mold for the final boat will be made from. The mold is made, and testing begins.

“The test method we use to validate what we’re doing is key,” Williams says. “Some people call it trial and error, but it’s actually scientific method.”

The team spends months working on the boat, testing it and making changes to maximize its performance abilities. Deadrise, pad angle, transom angle and more are all looked at and heavily evaluated. And it’s not controlled conditions the boats are tested in.

Instead, the team takes the boats to Lake of the Ozarks, a Missouri lake with a range of “attitudes,” including heavy winds and chop.

Williams says the team tests every boat in best- and worst-case scenarios to ensure optimal performance in every condition, from an Elite tournament to a weekend outing with family. It’s a challenge to achieve perfection, but one that pays off for the anglers who depend on NITRO. Professional angler Edwin Evers is definitely impressed with his boat.

“When I’m in a tournament, I know I have the total package. I have speed. I have shallowwater floating ability. A great rough-water ride.

Organized storage where everything is at my fingertips. The best livewells. The most fuel capacity.

“I have every advantage possible fishing tournaments in my NITRO bass boat,” he says.

Emmitt says it’s not just the professionals who

27

Jerkbait that stays in the strike zone A sneak peak to the official WPC 2015 Rapala lure: a hard bait with a patent pending action that mimics a dying minnow’s last struggle

At day’s end, a shadow doesn’t die, it slowly fades away. So it is with Rapala’s new slow sinking jerkbait, the Shadow Rap. Combining a horizontal struggle with a vertical fade, it perfectly mimics a minnow’s last moments before its end of days.

The Dying Minnow Action compliments Rapala’s already comprehensive offering of hard bait actions: the legendary Wounded Minnow Action and the recently introduced Escaping Minnow Action featured in the Scatter Rap series.

Dying Minnow’s Action ..

Unlike other jerkbaits, the Shadow Rap kicks almost 180 degrees when twitched and given slack line so it can be fished nearly in place with very little forward travel. This keeps the flickering fade of the Shadow Rap right in the strike zone for extended time.

While most jerkbaits follow a forward trajectory

with each twitchw of the rod tip, the Shadow Rap’s action stands out. Not only will it dart side to side, but with a quick, sharp twitch followed immediately with slack line, it will spin around almost 180 degrees to take a look at its adversary.

Shadow Rap’s moves are not limited to horizontal darts – it moves vertically too. It will dive down, then move up. After a twitch the lure will flicker and then settle to a head down posture like a dying minnow, and then starts to slowly fade and sink down.

The combination of quick darts, look-back turns, flickering and slow-fading fall on the pause will draw bites from all predators in all conditions.

All-Season Lure ..

In cold water conditions the Shadow Rap can be fished slowly, maximizing its time in the strike zone – still with a lot of flash and roll combined with the

slow fade-away. In warmer conditions and more active fish it can be fished more aggressively with quick darts combined with the look-back turns and dying quiver on the pause – a combination no predator can resist.

Featuring a minnow body, flat sides and a metallic finish with textured scales, the Shadow Rap is designed to target gamefish in 0.5–1 meter of water. The Shadow Rap Deep targets fish in 1.5–2.5 meters.

Both models come armed with three No. 6 VMC black-nickel, round-bend hooks and are available in 12 color patterns: Albino Shiner, Blue Back Herring, Blue Ghost, Bone, Bud, Clown, Ghost, Ghost Shiner, Moss Back Shiner, Olive Green, Silver and Yellow Perch. Each measures 11 cm (4 3/8 inches) and weighs 13 g (7/16 oz).

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RAPAL The original Finnish Minnow...and more

1936-64

Original Floating 11 1951: Original Floating 9 1953: Original Floating 13 1964: Original Floating 7

1965 Original Floating 18

CountDown 7, CountDown 9, CountDown 11, Saltwater Minnow 18, Jigging Rap 3, Jigging Rap 5, Jigging Rap 7, Jigging Rap 9

1965: Countdown

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1966-71 CountDown 13

30

CountDown 13cm Saltwater 1967: Original Floating 5, CountDown 5 1969: Floating Magnum 16, CountDown Magnum 18 1971: Floating Magnum 13, CountDown Magnum 13

The world’s favourite lure maker has launched over 280 lure models since the introduction of the Original Rapala Floating in 1936

A lot has changed in fishing since 1936 when Lauri Rapala, a Finnish fisherman carved his first lure out of pine bark – and changed the way we fish today.

The Original Floater was soon changed to a balsa body, and it has evolved quite a bit over the years with improvements in the production and finishing technology.

For the first decades of lure production, the selection Rapala offered to the fishermen of the world was two models – Original Floating and CountDown – in two colours: silver and gold. Today Rapala offers over 3500 different lure models, size and colour variations worldwide.

Rapala started life as a balsa bait company, and balsa-bodied lures with their unmatched responsive action are still the core of the Rapala hard bait range. Back in 1936, there was no way Lauri Rapala could have even conceived the modern materials used in the present-day lure manufacturing. Today, the engineers at Rapala also embrace all the design opportunities, like neutral buoyancy and translucency, plastic built lures afford them.

Today’s Rapala lure range covers all kinds of fishing situations from ultra-light freshwater to offshore saltwater and from topwater popping to deep water trolling.

This timeline of Rapala lure introductions shows how the lure range has expanded and also how lure fishing has evolved over the years. Many of the lures are now part of history, but surprisingly many still in the range, including the Original Floater.

1993: Super Shad Rap

1972-76

Deep Diver 9 1973: Deep Diver 7,Vertical Jigging 45 mm, Vertical Jigging 65 mm 1974: Jointed 9 1975: Jointed 11 1976: Jointed 13

1969: Countdown Magnum

1977 Husky 13 Fat Rap 5, Fat Rap 7

1978-79 Shallow Fat Rap 5 Shallow Fat Rap 7, Vertical Jigging 50 mm 1979: Mini Fat Rap

1980-81

1982-87

Shad Rap 7

1983-87 Shad Rap 5

Shallow Shad Rap 5, Shallow Shad Rap 7, Countdown Magnum 9 1984: Rapala Pilkki, Jointed 13 1985: Sliver 20, Shallow Shad Rap 9, 1986: Countdown Magnum 7 1987: Sliver 13

1988-89

Rattlin’ Rapala 7 1979: Mini Fat Rap

Countdown Jointed 7

1989: Rattlin’ Rapala 5, CountDown 3

Countdown Jointed 9, Countdown Jointed 11 1981: Floating Magnum 11, Floating Magnum 14, CountDown Magnum 11, CountDown Magnum 14, CountDown

1990-94 Squid 9

Squid 11, Shallow Shad Rap 8, Shad Rap 8, Rattlin’ Rapala 6 1991: Rattlin’ Fat Rap 4, Rattlin’ Fat Rap 5, CountDown Magnum 10 1992: Rattlin’ Rapala 4, Rattlin’ Fat Rap 7 1993: Jigging Rap 11, Weedless Minnow Spoon 7, Minnow Spoon 7, Down Deep Rattlin’ Fat Rap 7, Super Shad Rap 14 1994: Weedless Minnow Spoon 6, Weedless Minnow Spoon 8, Minnow Spin 3, Down Deep Rattlin’ Fat Rap 5, CountDown Magnum 8, CountDown Magnum 22

1995: Husky Jerk

1995 Minnow Spin 2

Magnum 18

1988: Rattlin’ Rapala

Minnow Spin 5, Weedless Minnow Spoon 5, Minnow Spoon 5, Husky Jerk 12, Husky Jerk 14

LA

RAPALA LURES: HISTORY IN THE MAKING 2008-09 X-Rap 6

X-Rap Shad Shallow 6, X-Rap Shad Shallow 8, X-Rap SubWalk 15, X-Rap Saltwater 8, Dives To 14, Dives To Fat 1, Dives To Flat 9, Glidin’ Rap 12, Clackin’ Rap 8 2009: MaxRap 13, Flat Rap 8, Flat Rap 10, DT Thug, Trolls To Shad 15, Trolls To Shad 20, Trolls To Minnow 15, Trolls To Minnow 20, Clackin’ Rap 6, X-Rap SubWalk 7, X-Rap Walk 9, X-Rap Walk 11, Glidin’ Rap 15 2009: Max Rap

2010-11 Clackin’ Minnow

Clackin’ Minnow 11, Clackin’ Crank 52, Clackin’ Crank 74, Clackin’ Rap 7, Clackin’ Rap 9, MaxRap 11, MaxRap 15, MaxRap 17, X-Rap 4, X-Rap Magnum 10, Trolls To Minnow 10, Trolls To Shad 10, Crankin’ Rap 3, Crankin’ Rap 5, Crankin’ Rap 8, Crankin’ Rap 10, Crankin’ Rap 14, Flat Rap 6, Flat Rap 16 2011: Rippin’ Rap 5, Rippin’ Rap 6, Rippin’ Rap 7, Clackin’ Minnow 7, Clackin’ Crank 55, X-Rap Pop 7, X-Rap Prop 11, X-Rap Magnum 5, Ultra Light Minnow 4, Ultra Light Minnow 6, Ultra Light Shad 4, Jointed Deep Husky Jerk 8, MaxRap 5, MaxRap 7, Jigging Rap WH Series 3, Jigging Rap WH Series 5, Jigging Rap WH Series 7

2011: Rippin’ Rap

2012: X-Rap Countdown

2012 BX Swimmer 12

BX Minnow 10, Jointed Shallow Shad Rap 5, Jointed Shallow Shad Rap 7, X-Rap CountDown 5, X-Rap CountDown 7, Ultra Light Crank 3, Snap Rap 6, Snap Rap 8, Clackin’ Magnum 20, Jointed Deep Husky Jerk 12, Clackin’ Crank 610, Shad Rap 4, Shad Rap 6, Jointed Clackin’ Rap 14

2013

Scatter Rap Crank 5

1996-97 Minnow Spin 7

Minnow Spin 7, Husky Jerk 6, Husky Jerk 10 1997: Minnow Spin 9, Team Esko, Floating Magnum 7, Floating Magnum 9, Risto Rap 7, Risto Rap 9, Husky Jerk 6

1997: Team Esko

1998-99 Risto Rap 5

Risto Rap 8, Minnow Chaser 3, Minnow Chaser 5, Minnow Chaser 7, Skitter Pop 7, Skitter Pop 9 1999: Skitter Pop 5, Risto Rap 4, Down Deep Husky Jerk 12, Shad Rap RS 5, Shad Rap RS 7

2000 -2001 Tail Dancer 7 2001: Tail Dancer 5, Jointed Shad Rap 5, Saltwater Skitter Walk 11, Skitter Walk 11, Long Cast Minnow 10, Long Cast Minnow 12

2002 Dives To 10

Dives To 16, Jointed Shad Rap 4, Long Cast Minnow 8, Skitter Walk 8, Saltwater Skitter Walk 8

2003 -2004 CountDown 1

2004: X-Rap

Glass Shad Rap 4, Glass Shad Rap 5, Glass Shad Rap 7, Jointed Shad Rap 7, Deep Tail Dancer 11, CountDown Super Shad Rap 14, Dives To 6 2004: Dives To 4, Glass Fat Rap 5, Glass Fat Rap 7, X-Rap 10, X-Rap Saltwater 10, Jigging Shad Rap 5

2005

Lauri Rapala 100th Anniversary Lure

X-Rap 8, X-Rap Saltwater 14, X-Rap Magnum 30, 2005 X-Rap Jointed Shad 13, Dives To Flat 7, Dives To SureSet, Dives To Flat SureSet, Twitchin’ Rap 8 Barra Magnum 11, Shallow Tail Dancer 7

2006 X-Rap 12 2001: Jointed Shad Rap

X-Rap Saltwater 12, X-Rap Deep 10, X-Rap Walk 13, X-Rap Magnum 15, X-Rap Magnum 20, Dives To Flat 3, Minnow Rap 9, Deep Tail Dancer 9

2003: Deep Tail Dancer

Scatter Rap Shad 7, Scatter Rap Minnow 11, Scatter Rap CountDown 7, BX Jointed Minnow 9, BX Jointed Shad 6, Clackin’ Magnum 10, MaxRap Fat Minnow 9, MaxRap Fat Shad 5, Rattlin’ Minnow Spoon 8, XXX Rap 10

2013-14 Scatter Rap Crank 5

Scatter Rap Shad 7, Scatter Rap Minnow 11, Scatter Rap CountDown 7, BX Jointed Minnow 9, BX Jointed Shad 6, Clackin’ Magnum 10, MaxRap Fat Minnow 9, MaxRap Fat Shad 5, Rattlin’ Minnow Spoon 8, XXX Rap 10 2014: BX Waking Minnow 13, Shallow Scatter Rap Crank 5, Deep Scatter Rap Crank 5, Scatter Rap Shad 5, Scatter Rap Jointed 9, Ultra Light Rippin’ Rap 4, Snap Rap 4, Weedless Shad 8, Shad Rap Magnum 12, XXXRap Cast 14, XXX-Rap Cast 12

2015 Shadow Rap 11

Shadow Rap Deep 11, Scatter Rap Tail Dancer 9, Scatter Rap Shad Deep 7, Max Rap Long Range Minnow 12, X-Rap Long Cast Shallow 12, X-Rap Long Cast Shallow 14,Ultra Light Pop 4, Husky Magnum 15, Rapala Flat Jig 6, Scatter Rap CountDown 05, Scatter Rap Crank Shallow 7, BX Minnow 7, X-Rap Magnum 40

2007 X-Rap SubWalk 9

X-Rap Shad 6, X-Rap Shad 8, X-Rap Deep 8, Dives To Fat 3, Minnow Rap 7, Minnow Rap 11, Deep Tail Dancer 7, Shallow Magnum 14 2015: Ultra Light Pop

‘‘

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Team Reuben Heaton will also be fishing the event in a bid to become WPC champions with a line-up of high profile British and Dutch anglers

32

EVENT

Reuben Heaton brands and, more Recently, the other brands that Reuben Heaton represents.

Angling events worldwide have always played a vital role in raising awareness of our brands and given us a platform to demonstrate our products to customers.

As a consequence, Reuben Heaton scales are used worldwide for many national and international events as well as being accepted by IGFA for world records.

During the 15 years or so that Ross Honey, Angling Spirit has been developing angling events, he has forged a reputation for innovation and refinement that has resulted in benchmark events by which other European and World events are judged.

Having been involved in the running of these events right from the start with the World Carp Classic in 1998, I have witnessed first hand the constant development and refinement needed to maintain the position of market leader, and along the way Reuben Heaton has been responsible for the weighing and measuring of catches.

From that original template has come the World Trout Open, the World Catfish Classic and now the World Predator Classic.

Each individual event has been further developed in its own right to fill the niche of its respective angling discipline.

This latest predator event reflects recent trends in the European predator angling market which now warrants a high profile event to match the impressive bass tournaments in the USA. Reuben Heaton are proud to be sponsors of yet another groundbreaking European event that will not only offer an opportunity to demonstrate our wider product portfolio to the UK and Europe but also offer us worldwide media coverage.

Team Reuben Heaton will be also fishing the event in a bid to become WPC champions. With a line-up of high profile British and Dutch anglers including England internationals, team Reuben Heaton will be using many of our own RH branded lure products in a bid to claim this year’s title.

HORIZON During the 158 years of its existence, the firm of Reuben Heaton has forged an enviable reputation for quality and performance within the angling trade and been responsible for many landmark designs and patents in angling, some of which are still in evidence many years later.

‘‘

By constantly developing and refining those products to meet with the changing needs of anglers, Reuben Heaton continues to set the benchmarks by which other products are judged.

As business owner I have a responsibility to maintain the high profile of the Heaton name and I am always on the lookout for ways to achieve this goal both for the

ANDY RACE

Owner of Reuben Heaton

WORLD PREDATOR CLASSIC

PARTICIPANTS 16 countries, 46 teams and countless memories ... welcome to the World Predator Classic and let’s make this a fair and exciting battle to remember

Austria WPC REF WPC15-028 CAPTAIN Roman Konopitzky VICE CAPTAIN Rene Himmelbauer SPONSOR Bass Boat Germany

Finland

Belgium

WPC REF WPC15-006 CAPTAIN Markku Tiusanen VICE CAPTAIN Antti Anttila SPONSOR Rapala

DEFENDING CHAMPIONS WPC REF WPC15-001 CAPTAIN Luc Coppens VICE CAPTAIN Jeremy Staverman SPONSOR Mercury/Westin

WPC REF WPC15-013 CAPTAIN Mika Vornanen VICE CAPTAIN Elias Jaasjskelainen SPONSOR Mercury

WPC REF

WPC15-010 CAPTAIN Benoit Degraux VICE CAPTAIN Nancy Saucin SPONSOR Shimano

France

WPC REF WPC15-012 CAPTAIN Jean-Marc Brison VICE CAPTAIN Johnny Kindt SPONSOR Mercury

WPC REF WPC15-008 CAPTAIN Arnaud Briere VICE CAPTAIN Laurent Vrignaud SPONSOR Rapala

WPC REF WPC15-015 CAPTAIN Robbie Smeets VICE CAPTAIN Danny Damen SPONSOR Mercury

WPC REF WPC15-014 CAPTAIN Christophe Huwarts VICE CAPTAIN Philippe Neuville SPONSOR Mercury

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

WPC REF WPC15-026 CAPTAIN Chris Boxberger VICE CAPTAIN Marc Hoeben SPONSOR Citta Romana

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WPC REF WPC15-025 CAPTAIN Frederic Julian VICE CAPTAIN Sven Vervloesem SPONSOR

WPC REF WPC15-027 CAPTAIN Nicolas Boldo VICE CAPTAIN Jimmy Pletinckx SPONSOR Mercury

Germany

CZ Republic WPC REF WPC15-034 CAPTAIN Roman Matej VICE CAPTAIN Jan Mestek SPONSOR Rapala

Denmark WPC REF WPC15-005 CAPTAIN Franz Bodum VICE CAPTAIN Morten Beck Nielsen SPONSOR Rapala

England

WPC REF WPC15-003 CAPTAIN Jurgen Hease VICE CAPTAIN Dustin Schone SPONSOR Shimano

WPC REF WPC15-019 CAPTAIN Christian Biereth VICE CAPTAIN Enrico Di Ventura SPONSOR Bass Boat Germany WPC REF WPC15-020 CAPTAIN Helmut Schoddel VICE CAPTAIN Matthias Trapp SPONSOR Bass Boat Germany WPC REF WPC15-021 CAPTAIN Soeren Panse VICE CAPTAIN Florian Berger SPONSOR Bass Boat Germany

WPC REF WPC15-017 CAPTAIN Chris Leibrandt VICE CAPTAIN Marcel Asbroek SPONSOR Reuben Heaton

WPC REF WPC15-022 CAPTAIN Gregor Pauly VICE CAPTAIN René Lehrheuer SPONSOR Bass Boat Germany

WPC REF WPC15-023 CAPTAIN Martin Mook VICE CAPTAIN Ronald Wallrabe SPONSOR Bass Boat Germany

WPC REF WPC15-018 CAPTAIN Gary Palmer VICE CAPTAIN Nick Clarke SPONSOR Reuben Heaton

WPC REF WPC15-024 CAPTAIN Roger Unsenos VICE CAPTAIN Jan Koll SPONSOR Bass Boat Germany

WPC REF WPC15-011 CAPTAIN Jan Porter VICE CAPTAIN Daniel Brackley SPONSOR Shimano

Germany WPC REF WPC15-030 CAPTAIN Ralf Klement VICE CAPTAIN Markus Kleen SPONSOR WPC REF WPC15-031 CAPTAIN Ulf Stürmer VICE CAPTAIN Stephan Gockel SPONSOR WPC REF WPC15-033 CAPTAIN Stefan Blum VICE CAPTAIN Detlef Ploemacher SPONSOR Nippon-Tackle /

DEKA-Boats WPC REF WPC15-036 CAPTAIN Markus Brill-Heck VICE CAPTAIN Gerrit Broders SPONSOR

Latvia WPC REF WPC15-040 CAPTAIN Ugis Gross VICE CAPTAIN Guntis Riekstins SPONSOR Lucky John

Lithuania WPC REF WPC15-046 CAPTAIN Evaldas Skablauskas VICE CAPTAIN Ivan Vanpraet SPONSOR

World Predator Classic: LIST OF 2015 COMPETITORS

Netherlands

WPC REF WPC15-037 CAPTAIN Volkmar Strikkers VICE CAPTAIN Hendrik-Jan Verheij SPONSOR Raymarine

WPC REF WPC15-043 CAPTAIN Mark Tigchelaar VICE CAPTAIN Arnold Bilijam SPONSOR

Poland WPC REF WPC15-038 CAPTAIN Robert Policha VICE CAPTAIN Tomek Krysiak SPONSOR

Romania WPC REF WPC15-032 CAPTAIN Claudiu Tofan

Constantin VICE CAPTAIN Andrei Georgescu SPONSOR

WPC REF WPC15-039 CAPTAIN Cristian Albu VICE CAPTAIN Dorian Dubovoi SPONSOR WileyX

Russia

Sweden WPC REF WPC15-007 CAPTAIN Mathias Holgersson VICE CAPTAIN Jonatan Backlund SPONSOR Rapala

USA WPC REF WPC15-016 CAPTAIN Larysa Switlyk VICE CAPTAIN Patrick Crawford SPONSOR Bass Boat Germany/

Livingston Lures

WPC REF WPC15-044 CAPTAIN Willem Wigboldus VICE CAPTAIN TBA SPONSOR Reuben Heaton

WPC REF WPC15-009 CAPTAIN Dmitry Matveev VICE CAPTAIN Had van der Stel SPONSOR Rapala

WPC REF WPC15-029 CAPTAIN Plano VICE CAPTAIN Plano SPONSOR Plano

WPC REF WPC15-045 CAPTAIN Nico van Lopik VICE CAPTAIN Gerjan van Lopik SPONSOR Navionics

WPC REF WPC15-042 CAPTAIN Andrey Donskov VICE CAPTAIN Peter Holter SPONSOR Rapala

WPC REF WPC15-041 CAPTAIN Marianne Huskey VICE CAPTAIN Greg Stawczyk SPONSOR

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

WPC REF WPC15-002 CAPTAIN Willem Stolk VICE CAPTAIN Chris Bloemert SPONSOR Shimano

WPC REF WPC15-004 CAPTAIN Herman Schuurman VICE CAPTAIN Jan Boomsma SPONSOR Shimano

WPC REF WPC15-035 CAPTAIN Bart van de Walle VICE CAPTAIN Rocky van

Duijvenvoorde SPONSOR Biwaa

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14.00- 18.30 Competitors Registration: l Boat and kayak (Droogdok) l Partners & sponsors site familiarisation at leisure (Droogdok) l Partners & sponsors invited to setup stands structure only in sponsors arena

Wednesday, June 24th n

09.00- 14.30 Competitors Registration: l Boat and kayak (Droogdok) l Partners & sponsors invited to setup stands structure only in sponsors arena

n 14.00- 14.30 Partners & sponsors briefing (Droogdok) n 15.00- 15.50 Official boats participants briefing (Droogdok)

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

n 16.00- 16.30 Official participants Kayaks briefing (Droogdok)

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n 18.20 Boat and kayak parade (Hellevoetsluis canal) n

19.30 - 20.00 l Flag parade (Limani to Cannons) l Flag parade (Limani to Cannons) l Official picture (By cannons) l Official opening (By Cannons)

n 20.45 Welcome meal (Droogdok)

Thursday, June 25th n 07.00 Daily event boat & kayak check commences – see participants’ pack (Marina Cape Helius) n 07.30 Start of competition for kayaks (From zone start line) n 07.45 Boats Zone B allowed to leave berth (Marina Cape Helius) n 08.20 Boats Zone A allowed to leave berth (Marina Cape Helius) n 09.00 Start of boat competition (Droogdok) n 15.00 Daily end of kayak competition and return - see participant’s pack (Droogdok) n 17.00 Daily end of boat competition and return - see participant’s pack (Marina Cape Helius) n 21.15: Results Daily results announcements (Droogdok)

ITINERARY

n

WORLD PREDATOR CLASSIC

Tuesday, June 23rd

This three-day battle will push the limits of anglers from all over the world ... but don’t panic, if it all gets too much, there’s always a good excuse for a party!

Friday, June 26th n 07.00 Boat Checks: Daily event boat & kayak check commences (Marina Cape Helius) n 07.30 Start of competition for kayaks (From zone start line) n 07.45 Boats Zone B allowed to leave berth (Marina Cape Helius) n 08.20 Boats Zone A allowed to leave berth (Marina Cape Helius) n

n

09.00 Start of boat competition (Droogdok) 15.00 Daily end of kayak competition and return - see participant’s pack (Droogdok)

World Predator Classic: KICKING OFF WITH A BANG!

n 16.00- 20.00 Street fishing registration (Droogdok)

n 07.30 - 08.45 Street Fishing Start of Street fishing registration

n 17.00 Daily end of boat competition and return - see participant’s pack (Marina Cape Helius)

n 07.45 Boats Zone B allowed to leave berth (Marina Cape Helius)

n

20.15: Results Daily end of kayak competition and return - see participant’s pack (Droogdok)

Saturday, June 27th n 07.00 Boat Checks: Daily event boat & kayak check commences (Marina Cape Helius) n 07.30 Start of kayak competition (Droogdok)

n 08.20 Boats Zone A allowed to leave berth (Marina Cape Helius) n 09.00 Start of boat competition (From zone start line) n 09.00 Start of street fishing event (Entrance to canal) n 10.30 - 15.00 Angling Academy Childrens’ Angling Academy (Droogdok) n 12.00 - 13.00 Street fishing lunch (Droogdok) n 13.00 -17.00 Street fishing start of afternoon session (Droogdok)

n 15.00 Daily end of kayak competition and return - see participant’s pack (Droogdok) n 17.00 Daily end of boat competition and return - see participant’s pack (Marina Cape Helius) n 17.00 End of street fishing event and return to (Droogdok) n 19.30 Closing Ceremony Closing Ceremony meals (Droogdok) n 21.00 Prize Giving Giant prize giving for boat, kayak and street fishing (Droogdok) n 22.00 Onwards Party time hels at the Droogdok

Going for it:

Eponymous Mark Fisher knows the trade from all angles, he’s a man with a mission, Mark heads for the mark at a recent tournament

THE BIG INTERVIEW: RAPALA’S MARK FISHER

FIELD OF

DREAMS Chris Leibbrandt, editor of the WPC magazine 2015, caught up with Mark Fisher, Director of Field Promotions of Rapala USA and well known tournament angler to ask him about life, lures and the development of predator competitions in Europe and beyond…

THE BIG INTERVIEW: RAPALA’S MARK FISHER FIELD OF

DREAMS Chris L: Mark, it’s been a long while since I first met you on a Rapala trip to Finland, I remember we didn’t do very well with fishing, but did OK on the beer front. How did you get to work for the World’s biggest lure fishing company?

MARK: Classically, the right place at the right time. Tom Mackin President of Rapala USA, has been a longtime friend.

In his previous position as VP of Marketing, he one day asked if I would be interested in coming to work for Rapala… I responded by asking how soon I could get started! 15 years later we’re still good friends and having the time of our lives.

Chris L: I guess many people think you have a dream job, not only do you get to sell Rapala lures, you get to use them too, you’re a regular competitor in tournaments in the USA, do you think that deep understanding makes a difference to selling fishing tackle?

MARK: In my current role at Rapala, I actually assist with the development of lures.

Certainly time on the water and talking with fellow anglers has made a big difference in how you approach the challenges fishing offers, whether you are trying to catch them or trying to develop a new lure concept.

Good days on the water as well as the frustrating days are all meaningful… you just have to stay focused and solve the puzzle.

MARK: It’s hard to say exactly how many here in the USA, however, we typically use 20 million lures sold worldwide as our benchmark.

The USA has a mix of freshwater fishing in lakes, rivers and streams, including saltwater inshore and offshore. Certainly, a wide variety of species create a need for many types of lures designed for specific uses, time of year and chosen methods whether casting or trolling, it’s what makes developing new lures such a good fun and challenging occupation.

Chris L: Most of us who have been fishing lures for a long time in Europe, still think we have a lot to learn from the USA, do you see the skill gap in lure fishing tackle and techniques shortening?

MARK: Great question Chris. I have fished with some very good anglers in Europe and they, like us in the USA are driven by three things… passion, willingness to learn more and to simply have fun enjoying the outdoors.

Techniques are learned and skills need time on the water to be developed. I think the spirit in anglers creates the need for finding new ways to catch fish. No, I really don’t see much of a gap any longer. I do see the modern angler of today becoming exposed to more opportunities than ever before, in terms of venues and species.

Chris L:Lures fishing has gone crazy in the last ten years, probably because more people are trying it and finding out just how much fun it can be, catching more and trying harder, success breeds success, but do you see other factors that have caused this growth?

MARK: Absolutely, anglers are more demanding today and have become better informed about what’s out there and what really works. They want to catch fish and they want to feel good about what lure, line, rod and reel they chose to fish with. Lures in general or those created for specific needs, must function correctly and catch fish.

That’s our real mission: to make that angler feel good about our products and have confidence using them. Which in nearly every case is about quality and quality control, something Rapala has in its DNA. Chris L: The inaugural World Predator Classic had as a main prize, a fabulous Nitro Z6 fishing boat with a 115hp Mercury engine and a host of Navionics and Raymarine technology. To most of us in Europe, owning a boat like that is a dream, but it’s an essential part of USA competition angling.

Owning boats like this, is it the biggest leap forward we can make to compete?

MARK: What a great prize package!

These respected brands are no strangers to competitive fishing. They totally understand what it means to the competing anglers by showing their support to the WPC. Certainly, having a quality boat package is critical not only for the performance aspects at these type of events, but for safety of the anglers, care of the fish and the dependability of returning at the end of the day.

Chris L: It seems to me that many of the big competitions are held on enormous (well, for a Englishman, anyway) waters.

Does fishing these vast expanses successfully rely a different set of rules on say, weather, barometric pressure, water temperature and topography?

MARK: I think most anglers enjoy the challenges that a ‘big water’ offer.

One end of the system can fish entirely

‘‘

Fishing is the easiest part of being a professional angler .. Professional tournament anglers are some of the hardest working people you’ll ever meet

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

Chris L: As a matter of interest, just how many Rapala lures are sold in the USA? Is there a spread right across all of the states, or are there hot spots for certain lures, say Florida or Hawaii for sea fishing lures?

CHRIS LEIBBRANDT

Chris has been a predator and lure fishing angler since the age of seven and that’s longer than he cares to admit! Best known for pike and lure fishing, although a bit of an angling all rounder, Chris is a former General Secretary of the Pike Anglers’ Club of Great Britain, and the Lure Anglers’ Society where he is a life Vice President. With over twenty years in the tackle trade, Chris describes himself as a marketeer, designer, writer, angler, sage, raconteur and wit.

41

THE BIG INTERVIEW: RAPALA’S MARK FISHER

‘‘

Spreading out tournament locations is always refreshing and something that will attract anglers from varying locations and angling backgrounds Chris L: USA competition anglers, look a lot like racing drivers when they’re getting ready to fish, how much of a pro-anglers time is spent working the crowds, rather than working the lures? I guess it’s not all glamour and fast boats.

MARK: It’s all part of the deal… passion driven. These anglers are a direct connection to the companies they represent. That professionalism comes with a lot of preparation and personal sacrifice that nobody ever sees, and yet they make time to do it all.

Chris L: Part of the long-term future of the WPC is to engage the USA angling community and get them to come and compete in Europe, and once we have established that, to come and try our hand in the USA. A kind of Ryder cup of predator angling, how do you think the American anglers will view the competition?

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

MARK: The concept is interesting and certainly presents some unique opportunities.

I personally like the twist of the multi-specie format. Spreading out tournament locations is always refreshing and something that will attract anglers from varying locations and angling backgrounds.

42

FIELD OF

DREAMS

differently from the other. A variety of species can be found throughout the system, leaving isolated areas to hold better quality fish.

Certainly, weather always plays a huge role, as can water temperatures in certain times of the year, particularly to move the fish around or hold them back to a specific location.

Chris L:The USA seems to have hundreds of TV fishing channels, does this level of exposure lead directly into the prize money and the ability of anglers to turn pro, or is it just a part that includes,writing,appearances, sponsorship, PR and consultancy?

MARK: Fishing is the easiest part of being a professional angler. Professional tournament anglers are some of the hardest working people you’ll ever meet.

The perception of what goes on at a tournament or viewed on a TV show is a small segment of their daily life duties and commitment. Making a living with skills on the water alone won’t make ends meet. Developing working sponsorships and exposing yourself to promotional opportunities as they arise, can keep you on the water fishing.

It’s understanding that there is a balance where the fishing is the cream on the rest of the milk, you can’t have one without the other.

Chris L:As someone who’s been in the trade for a fair while, I have always admired the fact that there is a fishing levy or tax on tackle sold in the USA that goes back directly into the angling environment, waters and fish stocking etc. We are a long way off that enlightened approach in Europe, how can we make progress towards implementing that?

MARK:This was a joint venture of concerned anglers, manufacturers and government agencies striving to responsibly maintain and preserve a way of life for future anglers to enjoy.

Chris L: Mark, I’d like to thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to answer a pesky journalist, it has certainly be enlightening, and I am looking forward to the day when we see you over here showing us how it’s done!

So, my final question, which is once again about the future. I have always seen a future in a Europe wide professional ‘tournament circuit’, we have bass in France, Italy, Spain and a few other countries, pike (Northerns) right across the continent, zander and perch too. If we got the infra-structure right, with sponsorship, venues and prizes, would any of the USA pro-anglers be tempted to come and show us how it’s done?

MARK: I’m sure you could get some good feedback from a few anglers here. Basically, the greatest hurdle is the availability of time and conflicts in scheduling. We all would enjoy the challenge and opportunity to compete in such a great event as the WPC. Best of luck again! n

RISE OF THE PLASTIC

FANTAS MACHINES

IAN ‘DIZZYFISH’ HARRIS: LET’S GO KAYAK FISHING!

STIC ‘‘

It wasn’t such a long time ago, if you said you were going fishing in a kayak, people would have thought you were mad. Over the past 10 years, the rise in popularity of the humble fishing kayak has been phenomenal.

The advances in features incorporated into the kayaks themselves, as well as the technology attached to them, has also come on in leaps and bounds. Now everyone it seems, wants to be a kayak fisherman…

In the beginning there was DIY..

The Technology Revolution ..

The advances in wearable technology have also been matched by hardware on the kayak.

Hobie introduced their new Vantage seat in 2015. This brings comfort to a new level.

For a sport where you spend most of your time sitting down, the advantages of a fully adjustable, comfortable, lightweight yet tough seat are obvious.

To the casual observer, watching someone moving at speed in a Hobie kayak, must be a strange sight. Most people are used to seeing kayaks being powered by a traditional paddle.

When you show them the mirage drive system, most people are slightly amused, but at the same time fascinated by the engineering and efficiency of the system. It’s exactly this sort of technology which can be a real discriminator when you are faced with a new expanse of water in a kayak lure fishing competition.

Possibly the most exciting, and dare I say, interesting advancements are in the domain of marine electronics. Many leading edge lure fishing styles have come about as a direct result of advances in sonar technology.

High definition down imaging and chirp technologies have allowed kayak fishermen to not only find the fish, but also to actually target individual fish using vertical jigging techniques. The advances brought about by side imaging technology have allowed us to seek out fish holding areas of structure.

With the advent of wireless technology, and high speed mobile internet access, a new generation of gadgetry has appeared, much of it directly applicable to kayak fishermen.

I have been using a wireless transducer box as well as side imaging technology on my 2015 Hobie Outback kayak. The Vexilar SonarPhone T-Box allows me to use my iPad (in a waterproof case) as a fish finder and chart plotter. The iPad runs a Navionics app which displays your position on a Navionics nautical chart. But perhaps the most amazing aspect about this little box of tricks, is that it can create a detailed contour map of a new or existing area as you paddle (or pedal) around.

This detailed “sonar chart” is shown on the Navionics Boating app overlayed on top of the existing Navionics chart in real time.

Kayak Fishing has evolved ..

With all of these advances in technology, you could be forgiven for thinking that kayak fishing is easy.

The truth is, that technology only helps when you know what you are looking for. You have to be able to use it, and there is no nt

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

When I first started kayak fishing, if you wanted to add a gadget to the kayak, even a fish finder, the chances were, that you would have to fabricate something yourself.

This led to the acronym BPS or Bog Pipe Special. All manner of accessories and add-ons were fashioned from PVC piping including kayak carts, rod holders, fish finder mounts. It was a veritable feast for the DIY enthusiast. Luckily for the rest of us, things have changed for the better. It started in the States, with companies springing up to cater for the boom in kayak fishing, providing everything from customised carts to slotted rail track systems to mount your gear on. At the same time ‘ruggedized’ technology was also taking off, with items like waterproof high definition action cams suddenly becoming common place.

The kayak revolution: Side imaging Sonar, wireless transducers and tablet based chart mapping and sonar (main picture) are all part of the modern kayak fishing scene as is The Hobie Fishing Worlds (above) – a truly global event involving 20 countries but everyone talks a common language - Kayak Fishing!

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IAN ‘DIZZYFISH’ HARRIS: LET’S GO KAYAK FISHING! RISE OF THE PLASTIC

FANTASTIC MACHINES

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

Catch a ride: The author Dizzyfish (above) proving that the kayak really can make your dreams come true and (below) Hobie HFE 2014 Champion Daniel Van Der Post with a nice lure caught zander

46

substitute for good old fashioned ‘watercraft’. You still need to know the species, their behaviour and the correct lure to present to them under different conditions. The top anglers are nearly always ‘thinking anglers’. They will use technology to help them, but they will also use their knowledge and constantly change their tactics. Current Hobie European kayak fishing champion, Daniel Van Der Post, is one such person. Competition kayak fishing is a passion for him and he lives for it.

Whilst it’s true that you make your own luck, it’s also fair to say, that sometimes you just need to be in the right place at the right time. The kayak allows even the most challenged of anglers to reach the spots that other anglers cannot reach, and we have stealth on our side. And sometimes, even duffers like me are able to show just how effective the kayak can be…

Kayaks across the ocean ..

So, where is kayak fishing heading? Well, the internet has made the world a much smaller place.

Now it’s possible to join forums and online kayak fishing groups across the world. This in turn has led to a global awareness and interest in kayak fishing tackle and techniques.

Fuelled by YouTube and Facebook, we are all eager to get our fix of the latest methods from every part of the globe.

Competitions such as the Hobie Worlds have allowed kayak fishermen from all over the world to compete against each other and share their ideas. I have been fortunate to have fished 3 Hobie Worlds events in Texas, Australia and Holland. This year, I am lucky enough to be travelling to China to take part

in the Hobie 2015 Fishing Worlds. I have met some lifelong friends at these events. When you get 50 kayak anglers together from over 20 countries, only good things can happen.

The World Predator Classic is another such competition, with the added bonus that kayak fishermen get to mix with both street fishermen and boat fishermen. That’s an interesting dynamic to say the least, but one which worked really well last year. Again, it was great to make new friends, and the cannon launch was very cool!

I am really looking forward to taking part in WPC15 with my team mates Rob ApplebyGoodberg and Matt Boast. I can’t wait to meet up with Ronny, Manfred, Lars, Ronald, Daniel, Herve, Dan and the rest of the gang.

The question we are all asking, is who is going to replace last year’s WPC14 kayak fishing champion Sebastian Kummerer ?

Let’s go kayak fishing and find out! n Ian “Dizzyfish” Harris

‘‘

The kayak allows even the most challenged of anglers to reach the spots that other anglers cannot reach, and we have stealth on our side

find a new

hobie With its popularity firmly established in the US and Australia, Kayak fishing is rapidly becoming one of the fastest growing and most exciting forms of angling in Europe and Hobie are delighted to have found a European Qualifier for the Hobie Worlds ... the World Predator Classic Kayac Open event Good to have a Hobie: Making their presence known At the 2014 World Predator Classic event

HOBIE: THE FAST GROWING WORLD OF KAYAK FISHING

It’s safe to assume that anglers in the arctic region experienced the same when they were out hunting on their inland lakes, rivers or coastal waters around 4000 years ago. So what is the reason that kayak fishing has become a global success just recently?

Kayak fishing has grown exponentially in Europe in the last couple of years and has become a serious sport among predator anglers.

Most of this growth is thanks to Hobie Kayaks and the introduction of Hobie´s revolutionary MirageDrive in 1997. Hobie´s pedal powered propulsion system was a game changer for the sport. Not only because it’s a new way to kayak, by pedalling instead of paddling, but also because

the MirageDrive allowed anglers to manoeuvre a kayak while fighting a fish for the first time. The simplicity and efficiency of the MirageDrive has made it much easier for a broader range of anglers to go on the water. One does not need a good paddling technique, or to be an athlete to cover a big body of water. The quiet pedal power enables kayakers to achieve good performance without putting in a lot of effort.

With further development and improvement, the Hobie range of kayaks have become more fishing friendly and have evolved to become the most popular and advanced fishing kayaks in the world. Beyond cup holders and the rodstorage compartments, the fishing kayaks are equipped with handy watertight tackle storage sections in front of the seat. On top of that, the expanded range of ‘hands free’ Mirage kayaks are built with transducer holes and attachments to fit Lowrance´s extensive range of fish finders.

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

Whether you are fishing a stream, a river, a lake or even an ocean, kayak fishing is just a great way to catch fish, as well as get outdoors, catch some sun on the water and spend some quality time, all while getting just the right amount of exercise.

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Pedal power: Kayaks lined up ready for action at Hellevoetsluis last year

FIND A NEW

HOBIE

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

With all of the growing interest, the kayak fishing scene began to grow equally rapidly.

Today there are hundreds of thousands of kayak anglers worldwide. With the inception of local clubs, forums, and information portals on the internet and its social media network, kayak anglers from all over the world can get connected, not just to share their experiences and expertise, but also to meet at events or to compete against each other in local and international kayak fishing tournaments.

Hobie Cat Worldwide and its fishing departments have spent untold hours establishing Hobie Fishing tournaments that are now part of the lifestyle package for kayak anglers around the world, all by adding a social and competitive aspect to a recreational and leisure pursuit. The first ever World Championships in Kayak Angling, The Hobie Fishing World Championships, held in Australia in 2011, laid the foundation for several events and created a framework for more events to come. The Hobie Worlds simply inspired a lot of the present day’s kayak tournaments. In 2012, the Worlds moved to Texas and in 2013, returned to Australia, thereafter followed by the Netherlands being the host nation in 2014. This year´s Hobie Worlds are going to be held in China, Hobie Kayak Europe is delighted to have found a European Qualifier for the Hobie Worlds: the World Predator Kayak Open event.

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Events like the World Predator Classic Kayak Open or the Hobie Fishing European Championships will ensure that the European Tournament scene will grow and some events are already on their way to catching the events in Australia and the USA, bearing in mind that the tournament environment in Europe is still from what´s happening overseas.

Due to the above mentioned global network of liked minded people, all of whom share their great passion worldwide, through all kinds of social media platforms, they are able to stay in the loop – in real-time if they want – about what´s going on in the USA or Australia. These events and tournaments are now in reach of European anglers, making them a part of the global network. The European Tournaments are already growing to a well-respected tournament scene among kayak anglers worldwide.

Because this type of fishing is the fastest growing and most exciting form of angling, and tournaments have the advantage of bringing together the best of the best in kayak fishing, the industry started to pay attention to the new sport. Like any form of competition, tournament fishing is the perfect environment for innovation. This applies to tournaments in general, and to Kayak Fishing Tournaments in particular, since this is a brand new concept.

The industry is already embracing this new sport by customising their new product development to provide the right tackle and electronics that every kayak angler demands.

Kayak Tournaments are close to perfect if you are searching for a fishing tournament concept for everyone, with the potential of becoming a mass sport. Simply everyone

who has a kayak can attend the events. It can be done quite simply on your own and doesn’t require much preparation, it’s a very direct style of fishing, and catching fish adds considerably to the excitement and experience. It’s green, it doesn’t require fossil fuels and most importantly, you catch more fish and you are almost free to go anywhere you like. The only thing an angler has to do to if he wants to fish a tournament is start travelling with a kayak on his roof rack and meeting some friends.

The sport of kayak fishing isn’t growing rapidly just because of the winning and taking part in tournaments, it’s more about bringing together and uniting people from different countries with a common passion. It´s more a matter of sharing and friendship, that brings people together and motivates them to travel thousands of kilometres to a new fishery or tournament venue.

To sum it up, the reason for the recent success of kayak fishing is because of and cultural differences. There is also special kindred kayak fishermen spirit among kayak anglers which is definitely a driving force for the growth of this great new sport. n

‘‘

Simply everyone who has a kayak can attend the events.

It can be done quite simply on your own and doesn’t require much preparation..

Kayak event rules Sportsmanship..

Anyone caught cheating could receive punishment by law and receive lifetime bans from other kayak fishing events and tournaments.

Safety..

Each angler must have a valid fishing license for the days they will be on water.

All participants must wear their life vest through the duration of the competition. At the morning Check-in the competitor will be issued with a numbered key tag that will be the anglers starting and competitor number for that day only. Anglers will be issued with a different tag number each day. All competitors MUST return their key-tag to the tag board when they return to the event site at the end of the fishing day regardless of whether they are measuring fish or not.

In the event of an angler not returning their key tag to the board by the specified finish time, the event organisers will commence a search for the missing competitor/s.

KAYAK OPEN

PARTICIPANTS

Please maintain high standards of sportsmanship on and off the water and respect others launching or fishing in similar areas to you. It is the angler’s responsibility for the well-being of the fish.

Belgium WPF REF

COMPETITOR

WPK15-020

Ronny Helaers

England WPF REF

COMPETITOR

WPK15-001 WPK15-015 WPK15-016 WPK15-017

Matt Boast Ian Harris Rob Appleby-Goudberg Chris Butler

Kayaks..

Anglers must be fishing from a non – motorized Kayak. All competitors must make their way to their desired spots by pedal or paddle-power. Only sit on and sit in kayaks are allowed. All anglers are eligible to enter with any kayak.

Briefing..

Attendance at the Competitors Meeting (June 20th) and daily briefings are mandatory for all competitors. See event Information sheets for briefing times.

Check-in..

Exact check-in times will be announced at the Competitor Meeting. ALL competitors must collect their key tags before the start of each day and must have their key tags on the board by the nominated finish time.

Failure to do so will result in time penalties at the rate of 1cm per minute late (or part thereof) and disqualification of the bag for returns over 15 minutes late.

Fishing.. n Competitors must abide by all of the

state fishing and boating regulations. Be prepared to show your current fishing licence (Vispas) at registration and have it with you all times while fishing. n ALL events are expected to start at 10.00 am and finish at 04.00 pm. n All fish must be taken with a fishing rod, line and hook on the day of the tournament. No other methods are permitted. n ALL three species must be the minimum state legal length. Fish below the minimum size should be immediately be released alive. No pictures to be taken, no points of score. The legal length are as follows: n Pike: 45cm, Zander 42 cm, Perch 22 cm n 3 Zander, 3 Perch, 1 Pike will be the daily target and species. n Only 1 rod may be used at a time n Cast-and-retrieve only – Lure fishing only – no live baits, no dead baits and no trolling. n Any indersized fiah will be disqualified from the angler’s bag.

Digital photography n Participants may only use mobile phone cameras. n Internet access is requierd to enter the ranking. n Do not digitally alter or enhance them in any way. n Entrant must load up the picture to the official

online leaderboard to score. n Anglers are responsible for a proper internet connection to ensure that their photos may be uploaded – No upload, no scoring! n Judges have full discretion on open mouth and where the tail lies. If there is a questionable photo, judges can ask tournament director to make final ruling.

France

Netherlands

WPF REF

COMPETITOR

WPF REF

COMPETITOR

WPK15-014 WPK15-018

Herve Martin Francois Schmitt

WPK15-004 WPK15-025 WPK15-026 WPK15-027 WPK15-028 WPK15-029 WPK15-030

Robin Van Gils Daniel Van der Post Ronald Traas Willemijn Schonenberg Marco Nieuwenhuize Tim Hogervorst Radjiv de Waal

Germany WPF REF COMPETITOR

WPK15-002 WPK15-005 WPK15-006 WPK15-007 WPK15-008 WPK15-009 WPK15-010 WPK15-011 WPK15-012 WPK15-013

WPK15-019 WPK15-033

Lukas Schoddel Michael Weber Adrian Prus Jens Heubes Marc Gehret Danny Thomas Marco Drewer Felipe Esser Thorsten Klein Sebastian Kummerer Defending Champion Manfred Gerg Rob Staigis

Norway WPF REF

COMPETITOR

WPK15-003

Dan Andre Aarsvold

Slovakia WPF REF

COMPETITOR

WPK15-023 WPK15-024

František Zderka Vladimír Sprušanský

Sweden WPF REF

COMPETITOR

WPK15-021 WPK15-022

Lars Lundberg Manuel Dahlberg

USA WPF REF

COMPETITOR

WPK15-031 WPK15-032

Brad Smudzinski Fil Martinez

Scoring: size does matter! n The event uses catch-photo-release scoring

determined by the length of each species (Pike, Perch, Zander), combined in the case of an “Aggregate”. Each angler will be issued a “uniform measuring device” and unique scoring marker.

n Fish must be photographed in or on the boat and

on the provided measuring device, clearly showing the length of the fish with the scoring marker and boat visible. Fish must measure above the state minimum to count. n Fish must be lying flat, facing left to right, with mouth closed in a natural resting position centered

against the vertical portion of the Trough. The fish must appear in a natural state. Any manipulation of the fish will result in a disqualification of that fish. The tail will be measured as it lies. n Only the anglers’ hand can hold the fish down on the board. Use of bands, grips, stringers, etc… Will result in a disqualification of that fish. n Competitors may enter seven (7) fish per day into the tournament, with a total aggregate number of centimetres of 1 Pike, 3 Zander, 2 Perch. A minimum of 1 target fish species is needed for the ranking.

A NEVER ENDING

STORY Shimano consultant and lure fishing guru, Willem Stolk, talks us through the ups and downs of fishing last year’s World Predator Classic and looks forward to this year’s competition…

‘‘

Fishing is for me, a never ending story. To be on the water is always a ‘one of a kind’ experience.

For many of us, predator fishing is a passion – and a lot more then just casting a lure. Personally, I enjoy the hard days when it is really tough. Fishing for me is being part of the elements of nature.

Using the best tackle and gear was a dream when I was a kid. I’m proud to be part of Shimano and help to develop the best fishing tackle, something that helps us all to enjoy the fishing experience more.

Changing face of Predator fishing Ten years ago, it was normal to focus on just one species. We had groups that targeted pike, zander or perch. Nowadays, the average skills to be seen are really high.

With help of social media’s information, this experience and knowledge is often easier to access. Also we share more (and faster) information, because with the modern technologies this is easy to do.

During a fishing day we like to use different techniques for the several different predators we target. Therefore, we need species specific tackle when using different techniques. This makes the story more interesting, and that’s the reason that I like it.

During my guiding trips, I fish with people from all over the world. This is also an opportunity for me to learn, because, as they say, all roads lead to Rome.

I like to see how other anglers fish and the way they catch fish. Often there are small details that make all the difference.

This can mean that a certain method or way of manipulating the lure can be effective.

Double Act! It’s only rock n’ roll, but they like it!

Recently, I learned that fishing with small spinnerbaits can be extremely effective for perch in the shallows. It wasn’t that the spinnerbait was that new for me, but it was the speed of retrieve that made the difference.

My guests from Russia caught several nice perch between the weeds. Again, this is not always an everyday catching method, but another technique for me to use when other techniques won’t work.

Flash Back to WPC 2014 During last year’s WPC, it was a huge challenge for Jan Porter and me to fish together for a very special reason. Jan’s cancer was, at that time, still a problem and after months of heavy treatments, we made it our goal to fish the whole three days.

It was a huge human challenge and to be honest, for me, it was an experience I will never forget. I am pleased that we did

WILLEM STOLK: you have to keep on going

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM 55

‘‘

A NEVER ENDING

STORY

I think we’ll be the underdogs and maybe a little humble, because there are so many good, skilled participants to compete against

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

What a pair! Willem with a superb 1metre + pike and 2015 boat partner Chris Bloemart with a zander

56

it. It was hard and more than a bit stressful.

In our practice sessions, two weeks before the WPC, we found many spots, but during the start, a strange feeling came over me. It was the human aspect that was more important than the catching.

So, one part of me wanted to move fast and get totally focused, but at the same time it was Jan that was in my head. I had a split mindset, a difficult time, but at the same time wonderful one.

Now, as I’m writing this article, Jan is once again going to the hospital for surgery – and I hope with all my heart that it will be OK with him so he can join us all at the WPC 2015. When everything goes well, Jan will join WPC with Daniel Brackley from Shimano UK.

Looking to WPC 2015..

This year I will fish with Chris Bloemert.

We have both known each other for many years and together we fished in a lot of matches.

I think we’ll be the underdogs and maybe a little humble, because there are so many good, skilled participants to compete against.

The difference for us as a team, is that

we can both be 100% focused during a match. We both can handle the boat, sonar, GPS and know the area well. But, with all the practicing we did, we also learned that fishing is fishing and to get the three perch, zander and one pike – we must work hard. Together we will go out training and get our mindset right.

Naturally, we both have a winner mentality – and we’re not just joining for the fun of it. We are aware of the fact that we must take risks, and fish our own match. This can be hard – and will be hard with all those skilful participants.

Find the fish ..

The thing is, fish swim and migrate in this river delta! So one day they can be at spot A, and the next day they can be at another spot. Sometimes, when fish are in shallow areas, the help of sonar is not always reliable and nothing is visible on the screen.

Therefore sometimes it is a gamble and you know what could happen with gambling … so it is not always good to know the water too well, because sometimes it is better to think out of the box.

This is our main focus, to be careful of getting in an automatic mode. We always try to think that there is another

spot, method, lure and approach. But we always try to think positive. Once the fish are found, then it’s still not certain that they’re catchable, but finding them first is goal number one. So this means, more moving and searching for them instead of just keeping the lures in the water.

This year we will try to stay focused and also use our sixth sense. Work as a team with our other team member, even though this can sometimes be difficult. We’ll just go out, explore and do all we can. Try to fish like we fish always, that is maybe the best approach. Often keeping it simple is by far the best policy.

Adapting the rules ..

From the beginning a group of pensioned (steady on! - Ed.) fisherman were involved in getting the WPC to work in the right way.

The WPC must be for the participants – and not the other way around. This year, there are changes being made to let participants get into the right mode.

For example: after catching a fish they must be measured by marshals. This is more convenient and also cut out any fraudulant claims for fish. Catch & Release can then be monitored and also some nice film content can be made during measuring.

The other positive change is the sections are reduced to just two bigger ones. Day one A – day two B and day three one whole section. This will give more excitement – and more options to make more strategic plans.

At the end is fishing, a never ending story. This passion we all have that connects us all the world over… n WILLEM STOLK

OFFICIAL World Predator Classic EVENT MAP

URBAN LEGENDS Street fishing brings a new cool to town

‘‘

Five years ago, the name of how I was fishing all my life was finally introduced: street fishing!

It was introduced in the Netherlands and finds its origin in France or more precisely, Paris.

As there is only one river in Paris to fish you won’t have any other choice as a youngster to fish than the Seine.

So street fishing was born! Fishing for predatory fish in the centre of a city with lures only.

All my life, I was a little ashamed to tell others that my passion was fishing.

Others thought that this was something that elderly people did when they stopped working, but street fishing is different.

Nowadays, I’m proud to tell others: “I street fish!” Most of them don’t know what street fishing is and when I explained it to them, they looked at me with an amazed blank face.

Amazed, because they didn’t realise that there are fish in the canals and rivers that run through the centre of town. Amazed because of the finesse techniques used, amazed about the size of predatory fish that are caught

Putting the word on the street: Street Fishing enthusiast, Ralph de Kock

right in amongst the shops and offices, amazed about the number of fish caught, amazed!

Since its introduction to the Netherlands and the rest of Europe, street fishing is trending, it’s the fastest growing category of fishing since I can remember.

Why? You don’t need to load the batteries or fill the tank of your expensive boat, you don’t need to plan three weeks in advance.

All you need is a rod, reel and a little bag of lures. Wherever you live in the

Netherlands you can catch pike, perch and zander less than five minutes walking or cycling from your home.

This is why street fishing is growing so rapidly. It’ll only costs a small investment in money and time to go out fishing. More and more fishing associations are organising street fishing events and getting a lot of fresh new and enthusiastic members.

The techniques used are modern and offer far more finesse. Some professional street fishers have perfected their techniques and tackle and are real crack operators in the street fishing world.

They fish with the best and newest tackle and lures on the market.

The fishing tackle trade is already developing new rods and lures for this kind of fishing. Some of them even have a street fishing brand in their product line up.

The skills of some street fishers is that good that they can easily switch from street fishing to boat fishing if they want. Therefore street fishing is now

RALPH DE KOCK: PROUD TO BE A STREET FISHER

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM 61

RALPH DE KOCK: PROUD TO BE A STREET FISHER Streetfishing rules n Streetfishing is CPR (Catch Photo Release) and every fish caught must be handled with care. n You must fish with artificial lures only and

flyfishing is not allowed.

n Competitors will be coupled randomly but each competitor fishes for himself. A scorecard for each competitor is held by the other competitor. n You may have two rods, but you may not

fish them both at the same time and you must not fish two or more lures at one rod.

n Couples need to be together during the

time of fishing and must keep an appropriate distance between eachother.

n Always contact a referee if there are any

disputes or problems (phone number is on the scorecards).

n The length of the fish in cm (if bigger than

the legal size) and that is the number of points the fisherman will get. If the length of the fish is smaller than the legal size it’s worth 5 points.

There is a quotum of 15 perch There is a quotum of 10 zander There is a quotum of 10 asp There is a quotum of 5 pieces of other fish caught n There is NO quotum for pike. If the

number of fish with a quotum (zander and perch) is more than the quotumnumber then the fish caught above the quotum is 1 point per fish (also if its more than the legal size) Example: 20 perch of 25 cm are caught.

Total points (15 x 25) + (5 x 1) = 380 points.

The competitor who has most points wins the event.

n All legal size fish need to be photo-

graphed with the fisherman and his scorecard.

Legal length: Perch 22cm; zander 42 cm; pike 45 cm; asp 0 cm; ide 30 cm; ruffe 0 cm; trout 25 cm; catfish 0 cm; seatrout 40 cm. Fish that fall on the ground is 0 points.

n Fish must be alive when they are re-

leased. n The score of a undersize fish can be written on the scorecard by the other competitor of the couple. The score of a legal size fish needs to be written on the scorecard by a referee. n No alcohol and/or drugs n It’s not allowed to fish during lunch. n It’s not allowed to walk on boats n Respect the property of others n Do not fish outside the marked track

Mark Lubberts: Street fishing champ, fast, funky, urban, relevant and with tons of street cred: awesome!

URBAN

LEGENDS becoming an important stepping stone for predator boat fishing in general.

An event like the World Predator Classic Street Fishing Open 2015 is growing in size with more competitors than last year. In 2014 there were about 80 competitors, this year we will easily exceed the 130, even so, registration is still possible, so don’t miss out!

Last year, it was difficult to find and catch the fish. Probably because of the weather.

Wind from North and a temperature of 25 degrees are not good ingredients to make the fish active in Hellevoetsluis. Nevertheless, the street fishers that were focused and concentrated until the last second were rewarded with some nice zander and pike.

This year I expect to see some competitors fishing with completely different tactics. Tactics for a big event like this are very important.

The winner of the World Predator Classic Street Fishing Open 2015 will definitely have planned tactics and stuck to them during the event. You need to study the venue in advance and imagine the mindset of other competitors and the predatory fish.

Believe in yourself, your skills and tackle and you’ll get your reward. I know because I have been rewarded several times myself.

I wish all of you a successful event with a lot of fish and good fishing weather.

I’m proud to be a street fisher! n RALPH DE KOCK P.S. Check out this movie from the 2014 event at: https://vimeo.com/125606822 or scan this QR code:

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event details..

Saturday, June 27th 07:30 Street Fishing registration 09:00 Start of Street Fishing event

at entrance to canal 12.00 Lunch at Droogdok 13:00 Start of Street Fishing

afternoon session 17:00 End of Street Fishing event

and return to Droogdok 19:30 Closing Ceremony

and meal at Droogdok or

Hellevoetsluis theatre 21.00 Street Fishing, Boat and

Kayak Prize Giving

at Droogdok followed by

Party Time

‘‘

The fishing tackle trade is already developing new rods and lures for this kind of fishing

STREETFISHING

PARTICIPANTS Germany

Netherlands

REF

NAME

REF

NAME

REF NAME

018 020 036 037 039 040 041 042 043 044 049 050 051 052 053 058 059 060 061 062 063 065 066 067 068 069 071 072 073 078 079 080 081 082 083 084 085 086 088

Andreas Falk Andreas Volz Dustin Habener Dennis Siever Alexander Woitschischin Eduard Reicherd Vadim Metzger Oleksandr Karmelyuk Valentyn Ledovskykh Igor Grinberg Johannes David Jacobi Katja Hover Meicel Borchert Tom Grobecker Lyonnel Makosso-Taty Alex Stebner Sammy Tibold Steven Harenz Markus Geier 1 Markus Geier 2 Patrick Marrable Rudi Viktor Piotr Gorski Florian Engelke Pascal Wessel Sebastian Jaschinski Sören Schemaitat David Miller Christian Rakowski Tobias Schiller Arne Ringeltaube Dietrich Mantel Viktor Gersch Florian Postmeier Kevin Paradowski Torsten rühl Viktor Knaub Alexander Kostrzewa Eric Korczakowski

089 090 091 097 098 099 101 102 104 105 106 111 112 114 115 116 117 118 119 121 122 123 124 127 128 129 130 135 136 137 140 141 146 147 152 153 154 156 157

Sascha Heuter Philipp Aust Robert Nieten Nicolas Volber Jens Auerbach Jurgen Willig Kevin Woidtke Nikola Ivanovic Heiko Sander Mirko Pischke Alexey Astashin Heister Bon Jaralve David Brückner Julian Krause Eugen Veretenov David Winter Kai Kuschmierz Michael Bongers Andre Philippi Eric Korczakowski Nils Becker Richard Ruhnke Vadim Fur Sascha Weidner Luca Johann Martin Wydra Dennis Berg Philipp Barthelmess Dmytro Akshyyakov Anton Akshyyakov Alex Nemov Nikolaj Nemov Stavros kotanidis Marcel Niessner Andreas Wolfram Kurt Kuznetsov Leonid Mike Förster Dennis Kellputt

001 002 003 004 005 006 007 010 015 017 019 023 024 025 026 027 031 032 033 034 035

Italy NAME

REF

NAME

142 143

Giacomo Pozzi Tommaso Bargellini

144

Enrico Bernaroli

REF

NAME

REF

NAME

008 009 011 012 013 014

Adrian walker Stephen Collett Thomas colloff Lee Garner Nick Marlow 1 Nick Marlow 2

021 022 064 092 131 132 158

Dan Sissons Adam Kirby Andrew Mytton Philip Medhurst Stuart Johnson John Wheeler Matthew Hills

REF

NAME

REF

NAME

133

Andrei Calinescu

134

Zorn Sabrina

REF

NAME

REF

NAME

103

Matus Svec

113

Lubos Benus

REF

NAME

REF

NAME

148

Robert Szczepanski

149

Karol Wojcik

England

Austria

REF

NAME

028 029 030

Laurent Petit Sebastien Piazza TBA

070 100

Olivier Geyer Joshua Idi

Slovakia

Poland

Belgium REF

NAME

REF

NAME

048 075 076 138

Lars Van Den Eynden Ward De Corte Simon Plaetinck Ivo crabbe

139 150 151

Bram Verhelst Cedric Goossens Manu Vankeirsbilck

Switzerland

Ukraine

REF

NAME

REF

NAME

016

Arnaud Maye

045

Andrii Yehorov

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

NAME

Gerrit Van Dijk Dennis Horvath Peter Visser Cecile Knoppen Marcel van Oudheusden Arjan de Jong Sander van ‘t Hof Haakon Nadorp Niels Muijs Johannes Elzinga Bas Bouwman Jan-Jaap van Heiningen Eric Beck Henrik Sellies De Harry Mike Weijsters Wout de Vries Arthur Langstraat Jeroen Dirkzwager Jelle Visser

REF

France REF

Mark Lubberts 2014 winner Mischa Van Den Boom 038 Rico Stougie 046 Rocky Van Duijvenvoorde 047 Jeffrey Van Duijvenvoorde 054 Willemijn Schonenberg 055 Anja Becker 056 Marcel van der Zwan 057 Robert De Gruijter 077 Pascal Kyek 087 Rutger Sellies 093 Dominique Kleiwegt 094 Michael Schaefer 095 Jantina Vaandrager 096 Manuel Romunde 107 Henri Jean Nijenhuis 108 Aldo Schaap 109 Corne Ouwehand 110 Willem Boersma 120 Rik Bekema 125 Robert Fox 126

63

A WELCOME FROM THE MAYOR OF HELLEVOETSLUIS

movie carrying his name, which was the blockbuster success in Dutch cinema in the first part of this year.

Within our city walls, we have a number of interesting museums, such as the National Firefighting Museum and the local history museum the ‘Stadsmuseum’. Also, since last year, Hellevoetsluis has created its ‘Koningskade’, or ‘Royal Quay’. On this quay, at the city end of our port, our main historical maritime attractions have now been moored together. These are ‘De Buffel’ (a Navy war ship) , ‘De Noordhinder’ (a floating light house), and ‘The Bernisse’ (a minesweeper formerly in use by the Dutch Navy). This is all near Jan Blankens Dry Dock, the largest double dock in the world. There are tours available, and we will make sure that all of the options for visits are presented to you. After your visit, you can dine in one of our fine restaurants ’in de Vesting’ near the port.

Please consider spending some extra days around the event. What about hiking and cycling in a picturesque landscape? Or would you prefer more

Since last year’s tournament, Hellevoetsluis has been voted ’Dutch Angling Capital of 2015’. The vote was organized by VISMA, the annual large angling exhibition and fair in Ahoy’ in Rotterdam. Perhaps you have voted, making Hellevoetsluis the clear winner of this contest.

For all participants and visitors, Hellevoetsluis offers the ideal starting point for a wonderful stay near the Dutch end of the North Sea. You can choose between luxurious furnished holiday homes, well equipped camping sites or stay on your boat in one of our harbours. Hellevoetsluis is part of the isle Voorne Putten: an area with dunes, nature reserves, many historic places and, of course, water!

Hellevoetsluis is not only an interesting fortified town, but also the former homeport of the Dutch Navy. Celebrated naval heroes connected with this old port are Michiel De Ruyter, Maarten Harpertszoon Tromp and Piet Heyn. All left their unique mark on Dutch history, and Michiel de Ruyter has just been honoured with a mainstream

excitement and action? There are many sports to choose from: kite surfing or water skiing, especially spectacular when done with the backdrop of the largest port of Europe. You can also relax at one of the beaches in Rockanje after your intense battle on the water, or visit our historic neighbour city, Brielle.

We wish the organisation Angling Spirit, and Mr Ross Honey in particular, and all of the participants of the World Predator Classic a great tournament and a pleasant stay in Hellevoetsluis. You are very, very welcome!

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

‘‘

Dear participants and visitors. Welcome to Hellevoetsluis! I am very proud that after last year’s inauguration, our city can, once again be the host to 2015’s World Predator Classic. This looks like the beginning of a great tradition which I hope we will keep alive for many, many years.

65

WELCOME TO

HELLEVOE WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

ANGLING CAPITAL OF THE

66 8

Hellevoetsluis is not only the number one location for anglers, but also the number one choice for the WPC tournament. Its unique location, transport links, facilities and fishing make it the Angling Capital of The Netherlands

Hellevoetsluis, fortified town at the Haringvliet, welcomes for the second time, the World Predator Classic.

Thanks to the active local angling association and the World Predator Classic Hellevoetsluis became angling capital 2015 of the Netherlands. Is there a better place to organize such a big event as the World Predator Classic? Hellevoetsluis offers its anglers and other visitors a wide range of beautiful sites and inspiring places.

The fortified town with its historical harbour (the Haaven and the Groote Dok) was the naval centre of the Admirality of the Maze in the 17th century. Admiral Michiel de Ruyter left here with his flagship the 7 Provinces. The boats of the World Predator Classic will follow in his footsteps every morning when they leave the harbour to catch the winning fish. Until today big and small sailing ships find their way to the beautiful marinas of Hellevoetsluis.

The fortification of Hellevoetsluis is an interesting place to be. Here you experience the life of the soldiers who had to defend the ramparts. The big cannon 24IJ – the only original cannon of this size on its original place in Europe – is one of the most important remains. But also the Barracks Haerlem and the various casemates dating from the 17th till the 20th century are very interesting to visit. This whole part has been restored from 2010 to 2014.

Recently the Royal Quay (Koningskade, in honour of our King Willem Alexander) has been officially opened. You will find three interesting historical ships: the Buffel, AMS de Bernisse and the Lighthouseship 12 Noordhinder. When you walk on you will arrive in the Drydock Jan Blanken, headquarters of the WPC2015! This drydock is the first built in stone. You can make a tour around the harbour and enjoy a beautiful view on the the National Firefighting Museum, corn mill ‘De Hoop’, the old marine school ‘De Veste’, the Prinsehuis (office of the executive board of the municipality of Hellevoetsluis) , the monumental iron bridge and the protestant church with its golden lamb on top. Around it you will find various nice terraces to enjoy a cold beer.

Hellevoetsluis combines old with new.

Around the harbour monuments stand next to newly designed houses. It all fits well as we try to relate everything we do to the naval history of our town.

Outside the historical wall you will find a very modern city. The big shopping mall called Struytse Hoek is a good place to spend some time buying groceries, clothes or presents for home. On Saturdays, you will find the very lively market with various stalls.

Look at the beautiful flowers, the delicious

fruits and the typical Dutch ‘stroopwafels’, try the ‘herring’ or taste our lovely cheese.

Dry Dock Jan Blanken ..

WPC Headquarters This year the WPC will have its headquarters in the Workshed of the Dry Dock Jan Blanken, this unique spot in Hellevoetsluis is the oldest stone dry dock in Europe and still in use.

It is a so-called double dry dock which consists of two docks next to each other.

Each of them can be used independently.

One part is called the keel dock, where

HELLEVOETSLUIS: A TOWN WITH SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE

TSLUIS NETHERLANDS 2015!

Beaches, water parks and culture await ..

Hellevoetsluis has two lovely beaches.

The small beach next to the lighthouse is a nice place to enjoy with toddlers and little children.

They can play on the pirateship in the sand. The big beach called Quackstrand offers possibilities to walk and swim. The Aquapark Splash is a real water paradise Hellevoetsluis is an ideal place to spend your holiday. History, culture, nature, water, beaches, shops… there is something for everyone! ships could be repaired and the other part is called the carpenters’ dock which was used to build new ships. There is one main entrance – a beautiful preserved bateauporte (made of iron), a big ship door which can be moved by pumping the water out to let it float and move away. This is always a spectacular view! It is possible to arrange guided tours In the underground corridors and visit the aquaducts. In 2011 the Workshed was built to host the exhibition about Jan Blanken, offices and space for the radio amateurs and a group of mental challenged youngsters who built ship related objects like portholes. The

Dry Dock works with a lot of volunteers, enthusiastic men and women who love this place and are eager to tell you all about it. The Dry Dock Jan Blanken is an excellent place, near the marina and the boats. The restaurant Fortezza is housed in a replica of the old Pump House. Here you will find a floating terrace and excellent food. By the recently inaugurated Royal Quay you can go by foot to the restaurants and terraces of the Kerkstraat, a perfect place to sit down with your team and share and reflect on your experiences of the day. Eat some nice food and meet the ‘Hellevoeters’, the inhabitants of Hellevoetsluis.

Welcome to Voorne Putten ..

Hellevoetsluis is one of the towns on the island of Voorne Putten. They all offer interesting sites for the visitors.

Visit Brielle for its old town centre with many nice shops or enjoy the beaches and nature of Oostvoorne and Rockanje. Nissewaard is the biggest town. Instead of history or nature you will find modern buildings, new architecture and the famous Boekenberg (library).

These towns and the whole area of Voorne Putten work together to promote the beauty of this part of the Netherlands.

MARINA HELLEVOETSLUIS: HISTORY IN THE MAKING

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THE QUAY TO

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SUCCESS A boat venue with everything you’ll ever need and a friendly welcome too!

Marina Hellevoetsluis is one off the most attractive marina’s in the south of Holland, directly connected to the Haringvliet and within an hour of the North Sea. It is located behind the historical revolving bridge, in the heart of the Vesting. This is the Dutch name for the fortification walls around the centre of Hellevoetsluis.

The marina was first located on the south side but early this century the Arie de Boom owned Marina relocated to the other side.

After ten years of reconstruction of the South Side Quay, it was baptised as the ‘Museum Quay’. An attraction for young and old where you can find the Museum vessel De ‘Buffel’, Lightship the ‘NoWord Hinder’ and the mine sweeper AMS ms Bernisse.

Together with the Ddry-dock ‘Jan Blanken’, and the very popular

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‘Vestingdagen’ in August, the Vesting is gaining international appeal as historic holiday destination.

Marina Hellevoetsluis is contributing to this by organising events for our own berth owners, and to assist with other events like the World Predator Classic for the benefit of the town of Hellevoetsluis.

This has been such a success that it has been decided to adapt the layout of the marina to include a special pontoon for events and to connect the existing quays to create more of a sense of community.

These enhancements will be made in May 2015 and will surely add to a pleasurable summer.

We are very pleased to welcome everybody taking part in the WPC and hope that everybody will enjoy their stay in Marina Hellevoetsluis.

Ancient and modern: the fantastic facilities of Marina Hellevoetsluis: the best of both worlds.

it has been decided to adapt the layout of the marina to include a special pontoon for events and connect the existing quays

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WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

A couple of years ago, we first met Ross Honey, founder of the World Predator Classic, who was giving his exciting presentation at the Town Hall of Hellevoetsluis about the possibility of organising ‘a fishing event’ in the town.

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Little did we realise just how big this event was going to be and over and above that, we had no idea that fishing could be so exciting.

After the first event, and another year of organisation and preparation, we now know that this is not just a fishing event, but so much more ... this competition is a big and exiting international affair that has positive effects for the whole region of Rotterdam!. The inaugural event last year definitely helped our town to become the Angling Capital of The Netherlands, an accolade we are all really proud to have accepted!

An event named the World Predator Classic means some of the best predator anglers from all over the world pouring into our historic town of Hellevoetsluis to participate in the event. Naturally with an event like this, it’s necessary to have world class accommodation for the participants and sponsors. We are very proud that Ross and his team selected Città Romana. Our resort is now the Official Event Accommodation, meeting the high demands expected by the organisation, their participants and sponsors.

The excellent quality of our holiday homes and central facilities of the resort, just a few minutes from the marinas and docks all make Città Romana the ideal choice. Not only was the accommodation itself crucial in their decision, but also the flexibility of how guests can book their holiday home per night along with the wonderful friendly staff have all contributed to the final decision.

So, what can you find in Resort Città Romana?

The Resort is spread over 16.3 hectares with little lakes running in between the holiday homes. There are five types of holiday villas, two of which have thatched roofs.

Furthermore, every holiday home has its own free Wi-Fi and free satellite TV with 100 + (inter) national channels. In the central building of the resort you will find our reception, a heated indoor swimming pool and a private sauna, beauty salon and a massage studio, a cosy pub, and the restaurant Duinhoek, with a beautiful terrace next to the water.

We are proud and excited that the World Predator Classic has chosen us as its official accommodation partners and we look forward to looking after you when you stay with us. We wish you all a happy and successful tournament and a wonderful stay with us at Resort Citta Romana!

HOME SWEET HOMES

Great reception: and that’s not just the free wi-fi! The superb facilities of the resort make it the first choice

CITTA ROMANA: OFFICIAL EVENT ACCOMMODATION

venue for visiting anglers and WPC competitors to relax after the tough days of the tournament.

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predator fishing has definitely increased in Hellevoetsluis.

More and more people find the joy, pleasure and of course, sheer excitement in fishing for predatory fish

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THE LOCAL

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beautiful graphics on the sides, they certainly added a lot of colour as they found their way on the Haringvliet.

It was fun to see the street fishers running around on their way to find the best fishing spots. So many people were involved and we know it is going to be even busier with even more competitors this year, we can’t wait!

The kayak event was also very exciting because you could watch the competitors from shore.

It was incredible to see how much gear that they could carry on their kayaks, some with many great modifications, but perhaps the most exciting thing was how fast they were!

Since the WPC last year, predator fishing has definitely increased in Hellevoetsluis. More and more people find the joy, pleasure and of course, sheer excitement in fishing for predatory fish.

Because of this direct benefit from the WPC, our stock collection of lures has got bigger and bigger.

We ourselves have now become very enthausiastic about predator fishing.

We’re spending more and more time on street fishing and fishing with lures. We even purchased a small boat for ourselves to fish on the Haringvliet. We even got lucky a few times catching some nice pike.

Predator fishing season is closed now from April until the end of May, but we can’t wait to go back on the water again to catch some of the predators, a specially a massive perch, of which we have many!

Another nice thing that has happened since the WPC is that our lovely town of Hellevoetluis was nominated for ‘Fishing Capital of the Year’...and of course we won, that really is so good for us!

We are really looking forward to Ross starting the event with a bang by firing the town’s great cannon and welcoming you all to the shop and the town.

Here’s hoping to see you all!

Mario and Mirabel

TALENT ‘‘

Mario and Mirabel: Happy to see you and lend a knowledgeable helping hand. The outside of their big and well stocked shop within easy reach of the venue.

Our shop is located in the heart of Hellevoetsluis, surrounded by the local moats and directly on the harbour of the Haringvliet.

We are very happy that the World Predator Classic is coming to our town again this year! Last year we had a wonderful time during the WPC. We met a lot of the participants from all over the world joining the event and it was great fun to be a part of it.

The World Predator Classic really does make our city vibrant and lively, bringing with it all the anglers who then spend time visiting the town. One of our favourite parts of the event is the the boats leaving the harbour and of course the canon firing, going off with such a bang! Just amazing. We could have never dreamed of such a great fishing event in our home town.

The amazing fishing boats were a treat to see, each one seemed to be even bigger and colourful than the next. With

OFFICIAL TRAILER OF THE WORLD PREDATOR CLASSIC

MARIANNE

HUSKY Professional angling is all about dedication, passion and preparation, so we asked Wisconsin-based Professional Walleye Angler, Marianne, about her background, her climb and what had brought her on this journey

As a child I was very determined to do things on my own. At the age of six, living in Charlevoix, Michigan, I was blessed with my first fishing trip on the mighty Lake Michigan with my father and grandfather in his 26 ft Sea Ray. That day, we were headed out for yellow perch. Using a simple spinning reel, bobber and a hook tipped with a worm. I remember it as if it were yesterday. Poppy tried to help me put the worm on the hook, however I was determined to do it myself. Once my bobber went down for the first time and I landed my first yellow perch I was ‘hooked’.

It was as if fishing was a poison that had entered my blood and filled it with toxin that would never leave my body! In the years following, I would set sail with Poppy to fish Lake Michigan for salmon, perch, lake trout and brown trout.

In 1997 I met my first husband who introduced me to ice fishing, our first trip together on the St. Mary’s River. The River borders the USA and Canada and is well known for walleye, perch, pike, musky, whitefish and salmon. On a Saturday with a short rod of 26” in length, I caught my first

walleye. This was the exact moment in time when my obsession began for walleyes. I became very curious, even obsessed with anything and everything walleye.

From 1997 to 1999, my time on the open water was spent in an 18’ Lund Alaskan boat powered by a Mercury two stroke motor, in 1999 I purchased a larger used Lund powered by Mercury 150 hp motor.

This would allow me to extend my fishing area a little further. For the next 10 years, I focused on walleye patterns during all four seasons. I studied barometric pressure and how it affected walleyes during the summer warm water months versus the winter months fishing through the ice. I kept a log book on ice thickness, ice density, pressure, when the bite was best, when the bite was terrible.

I also began to compete in some small bar / tavern tournaments. Most anglers signing up at the local bar and heading out for five or six hours. Each angler would put $10 into a hat and the winner would take all. Soon it was time to take my urge for competitive angling to the next level.

MARIANNE HUSKY: IT’S ALL ABOUT THE CLIMB

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MARIANNE HUSKY: IT’S ALL ABOUT THE CLIMB

MARIANNE

HUSKY

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

I signed up for a local walleye club and began to fish grassroots team tournaments. During the years as a grassroots angler my highest placing finish was 5th place. Spending those 10 years on the St. Mary’s River proved to be incredibly valuable to my future.

The river system runs from Lake Superior to Lake Huron with a lock system in Sault Ste. Marie Michigan. You can fly fish for trout and salmon, fish for big perch all year round, fish for king salmon using down riggers, catch whitefish with cane poles using mayflies that you have collected, target huge musky that measure 50” in length or bigger, cast for great lakes pike or you can fish for walleye. The St. Mary’s River experience gave me an opportunity to learn almost all of the presentations needed to be a well versed professional angler.

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One of the most important things I learned was boat control. With river currents running as fast as 12mph in the upper river you need to be able to control the boat and hold position using the electric motor on the bow and fish at the same time.

Each and every year I would try to learn a little more about a new presentation such as jigging, rigging, trolling, using lead core and pitching jigs.

I also paid very close attention to my electronics. In the beginning electronics were barely used by any of the anglers that I knew.

They would talk about their favourite fishing spot and give directions to another angler simply by telling them to line up the big birch tree with the big red barn located on shore. As the years passed lining up big red barns and birch trees did nothing but frustrate me and encouraged me to start my education on marine electronics.

Another part of my education was to spend many hours reading books written by professional walleye anglers and paying closer attention to the Professional Walleye Trail (PWT) which had the best walleye anglers competing for huge cash prizes after spending countless days on the water. I remember seeing pictures of the professional anglers in their tournament shirts with all of the sponsors logos attached, and dreamed I would someday wear a fully sponsored professional angler shirt of my own.

In 2008, with my son Gunnar, reaching the

age of 15, I made the decision to continue to a higher level of competition. My goal was to fish the Cabela’s Master Walleye Circuit. This is a team format tournament with each boat bringing in their best five fish each day. Surprisingly, I was given advice by others to take another path. One of the PWT anglers said: “Marianne, this is not for you. You are ready to go to the top, to the professional level or ProAM format. You must take this step in order to learn the proper angling techniques. It will allow you to learn more techniques at a faster rate.

You will be making all of the decisions in a ProAM format and you must perform on your own rather than with a partner. You are ready.”

I considered his advice for the next month and in September of 2008 I decided to begin my life journey as a pro angler: ‘the climb’. The next six months were designated to preparation. Each and every day I would send out letters to bait and tackle companies for both open water and ice fishing hoping to catch the interest of someone and begin negotiation on sponsorship. Over the next few months I was able to get confirmation for sponsorship for Optima Batteries, Off Shore Tackle and the local building company.

I was about to begin a career in professional angling and felt it was necessary to purchase a larger Lund fishing boat that would have more storage and a larger Mercury motor to get me to

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“You must continue to fish! This is the only thing that will carry you through. You will find your strength on the water Marianne. Don’t give up now.”

my spots quickly. I headed to the Lund/Mercury dealer close to home and sat down with the owners telling them of my plans to become a professional walleye angler. Both owners were very supportive and suggested with their help I may be able to work with Lund boats and Mercury motors as a pro staff member. A few weeks later I received the news from both Mercury and Lund that I would become one of the newest pro staff members. Working hard for and with my sponsors means I still run a Lund boat and a Mercury motor, in fact a Lund 2075 Pro V powered by Mercury 300 Verado fitted with two Garmin GPS 7612xsv touch screen units and the two Garmin GPS 7610xsv touch screen units along with the latest Garmin Panoptix all seeing sonar.

As 2009 approached, I joined the National Professional Anglers Association or NPAA and became a very active member. Since then I have helped with all of the Youth Clinics to provide rods, reels and teach the children more about angling in their area.

In April 2009, I was finally headed to my first professional walleye tournament. The PWT had folded at the end of 2008, however, there were still two professional walleye tournaments that used the PRO-AM format. My choice was clear, I chose the AIM Pro Walleye Series, using the

Catch, Record, Release format. I also knew the best anglers in the country were competing and I wanted to try my hand.

The first tournament took place in my home state of Michigan on Saginaw Bay. I spent seven days practicing and preparing for the three day tournament. With all of the hours, over years on the water, nothing had prepared me for this. Not only was the competition good, but also fierce with the other anglers having so many more years of experience and knowledge. I finished in 43rd place. I believe every angler has a moment or two when they are humbled. This was my first humbling moment of many to come.

The following week, on a Sunday morning while at my parents’ summer home with my son, I received a phone call that would change my life. My husband had been in an accident and was in a fatal state. We rushed to the hospital and he passed away the next day. Time seemed to stop and the last thing on my mind was fishing. I received many calls, cards and flowers from people in the fishing industry, I will always appreciate their kind words. My parents came to stay as we picked up the pieces. We moved to the lower part of Michigan and be closer to my family.

However, one thing was said to me I will never forget: “You must continue to fish! This is the only thing that will carry you through. You

will find your strength on the water Marianne.

Don’t give up now.”

Two months later was my next professional tournament, and with lots of support I decided to compete. More exhausted than ever, I fished the tournament along with the remaining four tournaments finishing in the mid 40’s for the 2009 Angler of the Year race.

In 2010 I moved to Wisconsin and met my current husband Matthew Pikka. In 2010 I was asked to travel with two of my mentors Mike Gofron ‘Mr. Consistency’ and Mark Brumbaugh.

We were joined by Scott Duncan, and we’ve been travelling together to tournaments ever since.

At the end of 2010, during the National Professional Anglers Association conference, I was awarded the ‘Dave Anderson Sportsman of the Year Award’. This was by a vote of over 100 of her peers. The award is given to the angler who has done the most to promote the sport of fishing and has portrayed the best example of professionalism in competitive fishing. I have a passion for, and involvement in charity, youth and educational events through organisations like VFW, Christmas for the Children, The Make a Wish Foundation, Fishing Has No Boundaries, Walleyes for Tomorrow, and the NPAA Youth Clinics.

MARIANNE HUSKY: IT’S ALL ABOUT THE CLIMB MARIANNE

HUSKY Another year of tournaments followed, and by the end of 2011, I felt as if the last three years of professional angling had been more than just a ‘climb’, it had been very challenging and maybe too challenging. During this year I had lost my grandfather ‘Poppy’ who I began my fishing journey with so many years ago at the age of six. There are times in all of our lives that we look back and reflect. At this time I was wondering if the fishing poison that infected me as a six year old child was beginning to leave my veins. I expressed my thoughts on ending my professional walleye career to Scott Duncan.

Once again, I received some of the best advice of my life: “You cannot quit now! You must keep going, this is who you are!”

to compete against all men in a Pro Angling Format, Marianne Huskey is crowned Angler of the Year” I then understood what he meant by “There can only be one”. This was one of the happiest days of my life. I hugged my husband, Mattew Pikka, took to the stage thanking my husband, family, friends and sponsors for all of their support. I then dedicated my Angler of the Year Award to my grandfather on that very day August 18th, 2012: his birthday.

After this AOY experience I truly understood what it meant to be a professional angler. This is not just a title that can be added in front of your name. This is a title that must be earned! Since the 2012 Angler of the Year title I have wondered on many occasions. What would be the next part of ‘the climb’ in my fishing career?

In March of 2015 I was told that I will have a chance of a lifetime to compete in the World Predator Classic in Europe. I am so proud to have such a great opportunity and continue the climb. n

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After this AOY experience I truly understood what it meant to be a professional angler.

This is not just a title that can be added in front of your name .. this is a title that must be earned!

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

The first tournament of 2012 took place on my home body of water. The St. Mary’s River.

This was more than just a Pro-Am format tournament is was a CAN-AM, Canadians versus the Americans. This was the first time in six years that the American walleye anglers would compete against the Canadians. Six years prior the CAN-AM was held on Canadian soil and now I was fishing against the Canadians on my home body of water.

The tournament took place over three days. After the second day I was leading the tournament ahead of Scott Duncan. On the final day with horrible weather condition including wind gusts to 40 mph, rain coming down sideways and cold temperatures I didn’t have a single fish measured with only 20 minutes to fish. My heart was racing as the clock kept ticking. I knew Scott had measured at least three fish, finally one of my Off Shore Tackle planer boards went back and it was ‘game on’.

I managed to catch seven fish in 20 minutes before having to head back to the check point.

I finished in 2nd place and became the highest placed woman in history to compete against all men in a top professional angling tournament.

At ICAST in 2012, while in line to purchase a cup of coffee, I met Greg Stawczyk from Matzuo America. Greg described a new hard bait that was being introduced that year, the Kinchou Minnow. I was truly intrigued by the life like flared gills on the bait and the nervous action it produced in the water. Since then, I have been working with Matzuo to develop new colour patterns for the Marianne Huskey Kinchou Minnow Series.

For the remainder of the 2012 season I finished 15th, 48th and 14th. At the last competition on Lake of the Woods in Baudette, Minnesota, I was leaving the gate in 2nd place for Angler of the Year race. Everything would be decided at this last three day tournament.

Day one was cancelled due to high winds and large storms moving into the area. Day two proved to be a good day for me returning into the check point with a large recorded weight of fish. Day three was August 18th 2012. This was my grandfather’s birthday. I was so nervous, I couldn’t stop pacing back and forth waiting for the tournament director to announce who would be named the Angler of the Year. At that point, I had no clue who it would be, as a friend of mine said: “There can only be one!”

I had no idea what this meant as the tournament director began his announcement: “For the first time ever in history, the first woman

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Be Prepared n One or more paddles or oars.

Appropriate anchor for your boat properly secured to the boat with a minimum 30m of rope n A foghorn or acoustic warning device n A bailer or manually operated pump n An approved dry-chemical extinguisher n An emergency ignition shut off device n A towing rope with pulling strength of 500kgs and a fixed towing ring n 10 litres of spare fuel n A first aid kit n 2 litres of water n Sun protection in the form of a cap or hat n Life jackets to the correct CE standard for each angler

MARSHAL

I am really looking forward to the event at Hellevoetsluis in June. I have now visited twice and am really impressed with the venue and the fishing, which really is world class, with huge pike, zander and perch, it has everything for the predator angler.

What is also great about the event is that the main boat competition, the kayak and street fishing competitions are all going on at once, three competitions all culminating in a huge prize giving and celebration on the Saturday evening at the end of the tournament.

My team of marshals and I want to ensure a fair and safe competition for all.

The team of marshals that we have are vital; I could not undertake the task without them.

We have recently held our first marshal briefing in Hellevoetsluis, where I met the whole team, I know they will do a great job.

As Head Marshall, one of my main tasks is to ensure that the rules of the event are correctly followed by all competitors, I will not make any apologies for the fact I will enforce them strictly: to the letter of the law, in fact. All competitors are given a copy of the rules, so my main piece of advice is: read them as many times as you need to, understand them in every detail. There will be no excuses for not knowing them. I have had competitors in previous events trying to say they didn’t think this or that was important: wrong! If it is in the rules, it’s important!

So, just a few points that I will bring to your attention. First and foremost, is safety whilst afloat, it goes without saying that the water can get very rough and very dangerous, very quickly. Your boat needs to be up to the job and have all the correct safety equipment on board, this will be checked every day before the competition and you will not be allowed to leave the harbour if anything is missing so make sure you have the following:

YOUR HEAD

HEAD MARSHALL: ANDY CHAMBERS

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

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Hello, my name is Andy Chambers and I am the Head Marshal for the 2015 World Predator Classic.

I have a fair bit of experience at this line of work, having already been Head Marshal for seven World Carp Classics and two World Catfish Classics.

The experienced marshalling team have a very important role in the success of the event and will be on hand to help all participants

Yellow Cards

Just a small reminder on the last point, and that is I have given and seen more yellow cards given for this particular rule more than any other, and I am sure it will happen this time around.

The system for penalties is slightly different this year, so there will be two yellow cards issued before a final third yellow card leads to a red card and disqualification. I would hope this does not happen, but I am more than happy to send anyone home if it gets to this stage. So with a three yellow card rule there will be no warnings, you will be carded straight away if you are one knot above any speed limit, or one metre inside any no fishing zone! Oh, and don’t forget that a second yellow card will also mean that your two largest fish for that particular day will also be disqualified as further punishment! So it really is not in your interest to collect any yellow cards from me or my marshals.

Cheating Cheating is something I do not tolerate, so be warned - I will be watching very closely, I will be doing spot checks and boarding boats, as will my marshals, to ensure fish wells are not being used to cheat. Of course, it goes without saying that if I find anyone

ANDY CHAMBERS: LIFE AS THE HEAD MARSHAL

Safe and sound: The marshals will check your boat safety equipment every morning, so make sure you have everything required and on show

cheating they will be immediately banned from the competition and publicly named and shamed in all the angling press.

Now, something that struck me whilst looking at last year’s results and the fish caught, was that it was very apparent there was a large variation in the quality of the pictures that were submitted to HQ recording the angler’s captures. This I found quite staggering, as competitors you have spent a large amount of time and expense to enter the competition, yet seem to take so little time to ensure the picture you take of the fish with the measuring board is of good quality. Just a little extra time taken to ensure the picture is composed correctly, that you are not taking the picture into the sun, that both the head and tail are visible and that the accurate length of the fish can be seen is the least I would expect. Just one small careless mistake and you could have a fish disqualified which could mean the difference between being a champion and coming runner up. So, I would ask each and every one of you to take just a few more seconds when taking your pictures and get it right, it is for your benefit.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a great and enjoyable competition, respect the water, respect other competitors, respect the fish you catch and respect the marshals and don’t forget to read the rules!

Picture perfect ..

Wrong: Both head and tail must be fully shown in picture

Very wrong: Treat the fish with respect ... there should be no blood

Right: It’s not that difficult!

WIM DE VRIES: FISHING IN THE NETHERLANDS

Cheap thrills! Dutch fishing will be the envy of the world The Netherlands is among the most inexpensive countries in the world for fishing, and the options are countless.

Many participants of the World Predator Classic will regard the Dutch fishing permit system with some envy, because almost nowhere else in the world is fishing priced lower. It is possible to become a member of a fishing club and receive the VISpas (Fishing pass) for a limited price, and thus fish in about 90% of all of Dutch waters that are rich in fish.

We are very proud of the fact that the World Predator Classic will visit the Netherlands. It will provide plenty of publicity for our beautiful fishing waters and angling in general. In addition, the WPC is an extremely innovative competition that can be easily followed via Internet TV thanks to digital reporting, which will yield plenty of additional enjoyment and attention!

Organised angling Sportvisserij Nederland promotes the interest of angling both nationally and internationally.

In the Netherlands, seven federations are connected to Sportvisserij Nederland, including Sportvisserij Zuidwest Nederland. The latter is involved in the organisation and coordination of competitions, fishery management and supervision in the provinces of Zeeland, Noord-Brabant and Zuid-Holland.

Sportvisserij Zuidwest Nederland is the ultimate organisation with knowledge of the fish stock of the competition waters of

the World Predator Classic.

In addition, over thirty special investigating officers, who annually carry out over 15,000 inspections, will oversee the compliance with the Fisheries Act. These inspections will take place at the banks, and they will use three rapid inspection boats to carry out inspections on the water.

Dutch Sportvisdelta The Netherlands are the Delta of large rivers such as the Ems, Rhine, the Maas and the Scheldt. The closer these rivers come to the sea, the broader they become, and the Haringvliet is almost 4 kilometres wide at some places, providing plenty of room for fish and anglers!

Rivers used to flow directly into the sea, but this is no longer the case as a result of the Delta works. Using dams and movable dykes, the water is drained away ingeniously, preventing floods and keeping waterways navigable.

Competition venue During the World Predator Classic, fishing takes place on the ancient Haringvliet and Hollands Diep inlets; fishing waters which today are fresh and teeming with fish. These waters are favourites among boat fishermen and in particular among predator fishermen because of the healthy stocks of zander, perch and pike, and fish measuring over a metre are not uncommon. In addition, these waters are fished from the banks for other species of fish, such as carp.

VISpas The Sportvisserij Zuidwest Nederland fishing waters are included in the Gezamenlijke Lijst van Viswateren (Lists of Fishing Waters) as part of the VISpas.

The VISpas is proof of membership of a fishing club associated with Sportvisserij Nederland. In general, membership is no more than 30 to 45 euros a year. Members are allowed to fish with two rods and use all legally allowed types of bait in all waters of the Gezamenlijke Lijst van Nederlandse Viswateren. In addition, members can fish the waters of their fishing club.

So: going fishing? Always bring your VISpas!

Sportvisserij Zuidwest Nederland has made an exception for the participants of the World Predator Classic by issuing a special permit.

Legal rules and conditions: Fishing and angling is regulated in the 1963 Fisheries Act. In order to fish inland waterways, every angler – irrespective of age – has always required a written consent by the person who has the fishing rights of the water in which they want to fish. Sportvisserij Zuidwest Nederland has hired the fishing rights of the Haringvliet and the Hollands Diep, in addition to many more waters where (limited) commercial fishing also takes place.

Fishing Dutch Polders The Dutch polders are also perfect for fishing pike, carp, and other species. The Kanaal through Voorne and the Bergsche Maas are famous for their good bream catches in spring. In addition, the beaches on Walcheren and the Maasvlakte are good options for sea fishing and bass, sole, young cod and garfish can also be caught here.

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WPC LEADERBOARD 2015: RE-WRITING HISTORY

When it works ... Leading the way, the Bassmaster Classic in the USA is the benchmark in angling tournament technology

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A TIME FOR

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CHANGE

In a perfect world…WPC’s resident techno guru, Ron Van Den Burgh, tells us how we’re taking the lead in European event technology...

‘‘

A few days ago I watched a TV quiz show.

During the small introduction talk the quizmaster asked one of the competitors about his hobbies, for instance if he liked history. The competitor answered “no”, which I found strange.

Surely, isn’t 99% of quiz questions about history, things in the past? But what does this have to do with the leaderboard? Well, the good thing about history is that we can learn things from it.

For last year’s World Predator Classic and World Carp Classic the leaderboard app was introduced. Unfortunately it became clear that mobile network providers were not able to do what they promised in their advertisements. Although they claimed to offer complete coverage, internet was not usable at all time. No internet means no insertion of catches, which means no

leaderboard. At least, the leaderboard was not always up to date like we wanted.

Since the introduction of the leaderboard app, we received several requests to make it available for tournaments by third parties.

Last year it would have been possible technically, but the app was not exactly user-friendly, mainly because the developer (i.e. me) was the support system.

The dependence of both internet and support was Achilles’ both heels. The easiest solution was to rebuild the whole leaderboard app, which is exactly what we did. The app is now able to work in a worst case scenario: no internet! Jarno de Vries (mygpstracker.nl) re-created the app in a way that it now can be used in places where there is no internet. Front- and backend screens have been rebuilt completely, which enables use by third parties.

Another issue that appeared last year was the variety of phones. Contestants needed to use their own phone which was not always compatible with the app. To solve that problem, the organisation simply decided to provide all the phones.

As you probably understand by now, the app will deliver the same data, perhaps

in a slightly different form. The significant changes are mainly in the field of technique.

Not very visible, but very important.

Every caught fish must be inserted into the app, it will then appear immediately in the personal caught-fish-list. The app will send the fish automatically to the server, if that is successful, it will be visible in the caught-fish list. If there should be any disturbance on the internet, the app makes sure it will try every minute to send the data as long as necessary. During this whole process the contestants can keep fishing.

If they catch another fish, that one can be inserted, even though the previous catch has not been confirmed yet.

The back office will check the data they receive. When the data has been approved and confirmed, the catch will be visible on the leaderboard.

In the worst-case scenario of “no internet at all” inserted catches can be downloaded by using a USB-cable. This way the back office will receive all data as inserted in the first place, no data will be lost.

History told us to make some changes....... and we did!

Ron van den Bergh

UNLEASH ‘‘

THE BEASTS The start of the 2014 event for us began with our first stop in Brussels, Belgium for EFFTEX. Our title sponsor for the event was Livingston Lures, so we came over early to help with the booth at the show and to bring over something very important to Ross.

Ross had the WPC Champion rings made in America and entrusted me with the critical job of delivering them in person, so I got a chance to see them before he did. I have to admit after getting that sneak preview made me want to win the event and wear that ring even more.

What most people don’t know about Patrick and I, is that even though we fish often, we don’t specialise in this type of predator fishing, in fact, neither of us had ever caught a zander, perch, or pike before! But that didn’t matter, we were up for the challenge and we knew we could figure it out.

Thank God for great people like Livingston Lures, Eagle Claw, and Bass Boat Germany. Without them we would have been in trouble.

Christian Biereth made all the arrangements for us to have a boat at the event. Livingston Lures ensured that we had all of the tackle that we would need to be competitive in a realm of fishing we had never even tried. Besides all the TroKar and Eagle Claw hooks we could use, Eagle Claw set us up with Wright & McGill ‘Flats Blue’ rods and reels that definitely made just as much of a statement as our Team USA fishing jerseys from ValleyFashions.com.

Ross Honey always goes above and beyond the call of duty when it comes to a fishing tournament. I’ve competed in three World Carp Classics and one World Catfish Classic for Team USA, but the World Predator Classic had a couple of unique elements the others couldn’t have: the boat parade with all the competitors waving their national flag and the firing of the cannons to start the fishing tournament off, both of which were my favourite parts.

Day One We started early with a long, wet ride to our fishing zone. The game plan was to catch 3 zander first because during pre-fishing practice we learned their bite slows down in the afternoon. We found a ledge close by and started fishing right away. Some 15-20 minutes into it I hooked up on a zander! A small fella, but he counted. He was exactly 42 cm and that is better than no fish! I was happy to get him on the board and in this tournament there is always room for an upgrade.

We moved to another spot and started working another ledge.

I ended up hooking up on another zander, this one was bigger and measured 61 cm! Zanders hit hard, but once hooked it almost feels like bringing up dead weight, not much of a fight after the first hit.

Our plan was working, however the spot slowed down and Patrick looked at me and said, “Let’s make a move.” I started reeling up my lure only to see him reeling his in fast – a huge pike came out of nowhere and engulfed Patrick’s lure right next to the boat! We

If you’re aware of her actionpacked website, larysaunleashed.com, then you’ll know there’s no limits to Larysa Swytlik’s passion for unique fishing adventures – from exotic to freshwater, offshore, inshore and fly fishing, there’s virtually no style she hasn’t taken on ... until the World Predator Classic came along!

LARYSA SWYTLIK: A FIRST FOR EVERYTHING

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM 93

LARYSA SWYTLIK: A FIRST FOR EVERYTHING UNLEASH

THE BEASTS scream “Holy sh*t, huge pike!”, but then started freaking out because we realised there was no steel wire on his set up! We didn’t want the pike’s teeth to cut the line, which was a high possibility without the steel leader.

I quickly grab the net and Patrick’s yelling at me, “Don’t mess this up, you are only going to get one chance at this!” The pressure is on! He brought the pike up, I leaned over as far as I could and scooped up the pike’s head into the net, but the fish didn’t fit! At that moment I realised I had leaned over too far and lost my balance, heading straight for the water. I didn’t care! I had part of the pike in the net. Patrick saw me going and quickly grabbed my belt and pulled me back in the boat along with the pike in the net I clenched onto. We couldn’t help but start celebrating right away screaming our heads off! Patrick’s first pike measured 97cm and we were happy to get that fish logged in! After our mini- celebration it was back to fishing.

We hit another spot and in about 15 minutes of working down a ledge Patrick hooks up on a small zander, but it counts, so now we were maxed out! Now it was time to look for perch.

We found some rocks and decided to try fishing for perch like we would for bass. We know they hang out in shallow water so I started throwing a Livingston Lure wake bait into the rocks and reeling it in while we drifted down the rocks. Bam! A perch hit it. I brought it in to measure and take a photo then straight back to fishing. Five minutes later another one hit and this time it was bigger. Then I hooked another one and Patrick hooked his first. We did two drifts near those rocks and caught three perch each drift helping us upgrade to our three biggest perch! We were maxed out by 2 pm on an area we never fished! We went into it blind, but with some local knowledge and applying our fishing experience and skills, Team USA maxed out day one. We spent the rest of the day trying to upgrade our zander but didn’t get another bite. We ended in 3rd place after day one!

So many people came up to us after that day saying they were shocked how well we fished and they were surprised we even caught fish!

And then they would just say it’s all going to change and that was only day one.

Those comments were just fuel to the fire.

It felt good to show the rest of the competitors that Team USA came here to fish and we were serious about it!

Day Two We felt good going into day two because it was the section we spent most of our time practicing.

We went straight to a zander spot we found our first day of practice – a nice hole in that area holding zander. I ended up hooking a huge zander, but was really nervous about bringing it in when I saw how big it was. I didn’t want to lose it. We got it safely in the boat having caught our first fish in less than 15 minutes of the start of the tournament. After more passes on that spot, Patrick caught two more zander – maxed out on zander in less than an hour!

We moved right onto perch. We worked an area and could see them but kept missing them.

Patrick told me to cast in that direction and I end up hooking a decent one. We kept working the area but couldn’t get them to bite in the bright sun so we made a change and went to a spot

Living proof: the American Dream Team. Larysa and Patrick have been preparing all year and are looking good for the 2015 World Predator Classic

Day Three Day three had arrived and we were in second place. We were excited, but couldn’t let it get to our heads. This final zone had been tough for everyone the past two days and we had no experience fishing this area.

We stuck with our game plan of getting our three zander first. We worked a ledge in deep

water close to the starting line but couldn’t find any takers. We made a move to an area that looked similar to our zander spot from day two. Next to us was another team also working the same drift. We were casting Livingston ‘Howellers’ up to the edge of a grass bed and working them out to deeper water. We looked over and the other team had just caught a zander. We were excited to know they were here.

We worked the area for over an hour and had no luck. The other team left and we left shortly after. It was time to brainstorm and figure out what to do next. We headed to the deepest water we could find right on the edge of the shipping channel. We knew fish were caught here the past two days so we gave it a shot. We worked this area and still no fish.

It was time to change our game plan. We ran over to a set of rocks and started working for perch. I only cast three times before I got a hit on my Livingston wake bait. We landed the perch, celebrated with a quick high five, then back to work. After 30 minutes and no bites I saw a spot where there were a bunch of rock jetties that ran out from shore and told Patrick I wanted to fish it. He always told me to go with my gut and so we headed off to the area.

When we got there it was like a pike and perch dream. I was still working my wake bait near the rocks when I hooked up with a perch after a few casts. The camera crew was beside us and caught it all on film. We were really getting excited now because our plan was working.

Patrick worked the outside grassy areas looking for pike or zander because he calls me the ‘perch queen’ – I out-fish him on perch every time.

Patrick gets a hard hit and I hear him yell “Get the net!”. Right away we can see it’s a huge perch and once in the boat we were jumping up and down as we not only limited out on perch, but also have a serious chance at winning big perch for the day!

Time was running out so we had one thought, if we can’t get our zander let’s spend our last hour trying for pike. I don’t think two people could have cast or worked any harder to catch a fish but we just couldn’t make it happen. We made it across the finish line with one minute to spare. We were not happy with our day, but we are happy with the way we fished and that we never gave up.

My whole experience throughout this competition was amazing. I started this trip slightly out of my element, fishing for species I’ve never fished for before. However, I learned how to fish for perch, zander and pike very quickly. I was proud to get on the leaderboard for Team USA in 3rd place after day one, after an incredible day two, I was thrilled to move into 2nd place. Even though we fished hard on day three we weren’t able to finish as strongly as we started and our luck ran out. We finished 5th place overall and won Biggest Perch of the Day on day three. I’m really looking forward to this year representing Bass Boat Germany and Livingston Lures, considering how well we fished last year with no experience, I know we will rock it this year for Team USA! n

LARYSA SWYTLIK

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

with rocks where I caught my first one a few days before. The wind was blowing hard into the rocks and I was trying for perch while Patrick threw a Livingston ‘Pro Sizzle’ top water for pike. All of a sudden a big pike came up and rolled on the bait, but missed the hook. More than a few dirty words were said by Patrick about this, because pike count for a large part of our total length. We worked the area for about an hour and decided to make a run back to where I caught the one earlier. Patrick positioned the boat and I made a cast into a sandy little alley between the grass and bam! I hook up on Livingston wake bait.

We landed the fish and Patrick worked to keep the boat in position while I measured it. After the release I made a second cast into the sandy pocket and hooked up again. We were pumped that we limited out on perch and zander two days in a row. If only Patrick’s pike had been hooked we would be all set.

We headed back in and patiently waited to find out the results of the day. They made the announcement on stage that we were in second place overall. We moved up another position on the board and were extremely happy but still reeling at the loss of the pike from earlier.

95

WPC TEAM EVENT

PARTICIPANTS

Defending Champions: Markku Tiusanen, Antti Anttila,

Team Shimano 1

Arnaud Briere and Laurent Vrignaud, Rapala Team 3, with their team trophies

WPF REF PLAYER 1 PLAYER 2 WPC15-002 Willem Stolk Chris Bloemert WPC15-004 Herman Schuurman Jan Boomsma

Team Mercury 1

Team Shimano 2 WPF REF PLAYER 1 WPC15-003 Jurgen Hease WPC15-011 Jan Porter

WPF REF PLAYER 1 WPC15-012 Jean-Marc Brison WPC15-027 Nicolas Boldo

PLAYER 2 Dustin Schone Daniel Brackley

Team Mercury 2

Team Shimano 3 WPF REF PLAYER 1 WPC15-010 Benoit Degraux WPC15-034 Roman Matej

PLAYER 2 Nancy Saucin Jan Mestek

WPF REF PLAYER 1 PLAYER 2 WPC15-013 Mika Vornanen Ville-Matti Blomqvist WPC15-014 Christophe Huwarts Philippe Neuville Shimano

Team Mercury 3

Team Rapala 1 WPF REF PLAYER 1 WPC15-009 Dmitry Matveev WPC15-042 Andrey Donskov

PLAYER 2 Had van der Stel Peter Holtes

WPF REF PLAYER 1 WPC15-001 Luc Coppens WPC15-015 Robbie Smeets

PLAYER 2 Jeremy Staverman Danny Damen

Team Reuben Heaton 1

Team Rapala 2 WPF REF PLAYER 1 WPC15-006 Markku Tiusanen WPC15-008 Arnaud Briere

PLAYER 2 Johnny Kindt Jimmy Pletinckx

PLAYER 2 Antti Anttila Laurent Vrignaud

WPF REF PLAYER 1 WPC15-017 Chris Leibrandt WPC15-018 Gary Palmer

PLAYER 2 Marcel Asbroek Nick Clarke

Team Reuben Heaton 2

Team Rapala 3 WPF REF PLAYER 1 PLAYER 2 WPC15-005 Franz Bodum Morten Beck Nielsen WPC15-007 Mathias Holgersson Jonatan Backlund

WPF REF PLAYER 1 PLAYER 2 WPC15-044 Willem Wigboldus Clemens Mulder WPC15-046 Evaldas Skablauskas Ivan Vanpraet

Team Nitro 1

Team Duo International

WPF REF PLAYER 1 PLAYER 2 WPC15-019 Christian Biereth Enrico Di Ventura WPC15-020 Helmut Schoddel Matthias Trapp

WPF REF PLAYER 1 WPC15-021 Soeren Panse WPC15-022 Gregor Pauly

Team Tracker

Team St Croix

WPF REF PLAYER 1 WPC15-016 Larysa Switlyk WPC15-028 Roman Konopitzky

PLAYER 2 Patrick Crawford Rene Himmelbauer

WPF REF PLAYER 1 WPC15-023 Martin Mook WPC15-024 Roger Unsenos

PLAYER 2 Florian Berger René Lehrheuer

PLAYER 2 Ronald Wallrabe Jan Koll

DOUBLE ACT: WORLD PREDATOR CLASSIC TEAM EVENT

it’s all about

teamwork

The Team event in The World Predator Classic adds an extra dimension and an exciting element for the competitors and companies taking part A team will consist of Two boats - which represents four participating anglers - and alongside the main event, they will also be competing in the Team Event for a separate, Team prize and trophy.

Winning the team event will require a lot of hard work and, of course, good teamwork.

Past experience in other events organised by Angling Spirit tells me that the Team Event will be fiercely contested and the bragging rights, for contestants and sponsors alike, will undoubtedly garner a great deal of satisfaction for the winning team.

It will be really interesting to watch the developments over the three days of the event, it all starts at the draw on the first night, a draw that will determine which zones, and in which order they will be fished.

Will there be boats from the same team in the same zone?‌ If they are, how are they going to fish?

Will they be going to fish together or will the tactics be to fish in different areas and then let the other boat know what they are catching?

This will be very exciting to follow as the tournament unfolds, not only for the anglers, but also for the onlookers. Following one boat is fairly straightforward, but following two, simultaneously, whilst tracking their progress against other teams, is sure to be dramatic! With four anglers in a team, all catching fish, fortunes can swing very quickly and we envisage that this event could go right to the wire on the last day.

The eventual winners of the Team Event will be determined by the total combined length of fish caught and recorded by each of the two boats over the three days of the event.

No health warnings will be announced prior to or during the event, so please be very sure that you can endure this level of excitement!

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM 97

BIG IN AMERICA We’re not sure how, but Christian Biereth managed to wangle a trip Stateside to witness one of the most famous Predator tournaments in the US, the Bassmaster Classic, where not only are the anglers treated like rock stars, but they can also make a serious living out of their passion too

‘‘

As with many anglers, my addiction to fishing began early when my uncle bought me a typical tourist fishing combo on a holiday in Spain.

Neither him nor I had a clue how to use the rod and reel, but I kept trying every day without any success.

Back in Germany, I told my mother that I wanted to go fishing and she told me that another uncle is often fishing and that she’d ask him if I can come along with him one day. I caught my first ever trout with him at that time, it was to be the beginning of my passion for fishing.

A few years later, I started to fish only with artificial lures for predators. Those days the tackle and methods

CHRISTIAN BIERETH: PREDATOR FISHING USA STYLE

against other colleges. And for professional anglers there are different leagues with tournaments all over the country. The most famous tournament is the Bassmaster Classic where the top of the top bass anglers are fighting for a huge trophy and for $500,000 US prize money.

After following this event online for about 10 years, I got the chance to fly to the USA this year to experience the event live, so I took it.

My destination was Greenville in South Carolina.

The only flight without too many transfers and at a reasonable rate was one that arrives in the afternoon of the first day of competition, so there was no chance for me to see the first tournament day.

After a literally endless flight, I was welcomed by huge Bassmaster Classic banners at the airport of Charlotte, North Carolina. It was freezing cold and even the girl at the car rental desk had a heater running as the heating of the airport wasn’t built to handle temperatures lower than -10 °C. After taking the wrong shuttle bus to the wrong car parking, going back to take the correct bus to get my rental car, I finally hit the road to Greenville.

It took me about two hours to get there and while on the road I felt the bass fishing spirit as I passed some trucks branded with logos and towing a bass boat. It was evening already, but I drove directly to the arena where the weigh-in was in progress. I just saw the last 10 people bringing in their catch to the huge stage with massive video walls. It’s hard to guess the amount of people in the arena, but I am sure there were more

‘‘

It’s hard to guess the amount of people in the arena, but I am sure there were more than 10,000 people in the stadium cheering for their fishing heroes

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

were very basic in Germany. So I started to look at what was available overseas and what other anglers are doing to see if I can adopt anything for my fishing style. Along with the best fishing tackle, that I found in Japan, I also took a closer look at tournament anglers in the USA. I remember clearly how surprised I was when I saw that there are professional anglers making their living by fishing tournaments. I was even more surprised when I saw that these tournaments were being shown on major sport channels all over the USA. Besides my curiosity about the techniques and tackle they were using, I also developed a passion for fishing as a sport, and not just a method to catch a dinner as it was seen in Germany back in those days.

Needless to say, I sucked up all the information about the different tournaments in the USA, how they were held and how the tournament system was working.

Even with the little information that was available on the internet about 15 years back, I noted that it is similar in many ways to other sports, like soccer.

Depending on the format, anglers are competing for the heaviest fish in a given period of time. Anglers have their fans and for most of the fans it is quite normal to talk about the latest tournament results before they start working on Mondays.

There are a lot of different levels of tournament fishing in the USA. As a weekend angler, you can start fishing local tournaments. If you want to take the next step, you need to fish the State tournaments.

Even for college students there is a system where the best anglers from different colleges can compete

99

CHRISTIAN BIERETH: PREDATOR FISHING USA STYLE BIG IN

AMERICA than 10,000 people in the stadium cheering for their fishing heroes.

For Saturday, the second day of competition, I planned to drive to the lake to meet a local angler who offered to take me out on the lake on his boat. I had doubts that I will hear the alarm early in the morning after the amount of time it took to travel, but fortunately, it turned out that I was awake almost all the night because of jetlag, so it was no problem to head to the lake earlier than most of the others. It was still very cold, but better than the day before. The ice on the docks and the boat ramp indicated less than 0° C when competitors arrived and put their boats into the water. Camera crews are interviewing anglers on the boat dock, loud music is playing from the stage, more and more fans are arriving to see their favourite anglers set-off. Just a few minutes before the start, the national anthem is played and the adrenaline is going nuts, even when you are only watching!

The anglers are getting ready and start their engines before the line up to start. All of them are wrapped up in high performance clothing to face the elements and the unexpected cold.

The fact that it is still winter and that it was very cold, also made the fishing tough, but hey – everybody in a tournament has to deal with the same conditions. After all 55 boats left, we also hit the water to chase a few anglers and see what they were doing. We found out that anglers had very different strategies and we saw some people fishing in very shallow water, but also in deep water up to 12 metres.

After finding a few pros with just their marshal in remote areas, we moved to another area where we spotted many boats. It turned out that it was Mike Iaconelli, who was followed by at least 20 boats. The spectator boats left him enough space and kept watching what he was doing. We also spent some time to see what he was doing and also see him catching two bass while we were with him. He and also the crowd freaked out when he put a good keeper into his livewell. It was obvious that he is in a battle to win. He was standing in 9th position after day one and did his best to climb the top of the leaderboard. It is really impressive to see the pros working and how they approach things.

Casey Ashley, is a local pro who is also followed by many spectators he has a big fanbase in South Carolina. We saw him fishing very slowly with a swimbait and also vertically with a metal jig which is not very popular for bass. We then found my friend Ott DeFoe and his new Nitro Z21 in a creek. He was fishing very shallow and we saw him catching a bass, too. After that, we decided to head back to put the boat on the trailer and drive to town to see the weigh-in. After a 45 minute drive we entered the ‘Bon Secours Wellness’ arena with probably another 20,000 visitors waiting for the professional anglers to come in. In the opposite direction of the day one standing, anglers are coming into the arena with their favourite songs playing and stunning videos on the LED walls. They are sitting in their boats and being towed to the stage.

Each angler can weigh in five fish per day and the biggest weight wins. After Saturday’s weigh-in only 25 anglers can survive the ‘cut’ and fish on championship Sunday, to battle for the 2015 Bassmaster Classic Trophy. Every angler

The American dream: I’m imagining it as I check out Nitro’s new Z21(top), while Casey Ashley lives it as Bassmaster Classic Champion 2015

has the chance to say something about the day on the water, and almost everybody mentioned the support of their families, which I found very impressive as tournament anglers are not home a lot during the season, but many families travel with the anglers from tournament to tournament.

After everyone weighed in, we knew who would be fishing the next day and after dinner I went to bed and slept like a baby.

The plan for the third day and final day of the tournament was to check out the big trade show that is held in the convention centre, but as I woke up very early after being worried to jetlag again, I decided to see the start at the lake first.

Even more people were there on Sunday to see the pros getting ready before the official start of the final day. Local Angler Casey Ashley had two solid days which put him into fifth place, Takahiro Omori from Japan had a great second day and started as leader into day three. Mike Iaconelli and my friend Ott also made the cut and while they started their battle on Lake Hartwell, I decided to head to the exposition to check out new tackle, meet some other pros and also check out the live video broadcast of the tournament.

This year was the first year with a full live coverage, so that people can also follow the event online.

‘‘

What an advantage for foreign fans like me...!

I stopped at the Nitro booth to check out the new Nitro Z21 which Kevin VanDam introduced to me personally. As he did not qualify for the Classic (the first time in his career), he had some time to meet fans at the expo. I can recommend to check out the total new Nitros coming for 2016.

The expo was on two floors and just huge. More than 100,000 people visited the expo during the tournament. Almost every company involved in the fishing industry showed their new products to the public.

According to the unofficial weights that are shown on the live coverage, the local angler Casey Ashley was having a good day, but also Takahiro Omori had a good day dropshotting one big stretch all day long. So everybody at the expo was exited to see the final weigh-in and who was going to be the 2015 Bassmaster Classic Champion. I went to the arena with some of my Japanese friends. Even before the pros arrived from the lake, there was a great show to fire up the full stadium.

Once again, the pros started to weigh-in in reverse order to the overnight standings and it was unbelievably exciting right up to the very end. It turned out that Casey Ashley did have a good day and that there was only one angler left who could beat him: Bobby Lane. After a few dramatic minutes with Casey on the Champions seat it was clear that Bobby Lane couldn’t beat him and that Casey was going to be the 2015 Classic Champion. The arena turned into a huge party and everybody celebrated the victory of local favourite who made history that day.

I have been fishing tournaments in Europe for a few years, but I have never seen anything like the Bassmaster Classic, yet. But I am very happy that the interest in tournaments is growing in Europe and that we now have such a great event with the WPC in Europe. With 46 boats all fighting for the title of the WPC Champion this year and also more than 35 kayaks and 140+ Streetfishers, it will make this a huge event. I hope that everybody is going to enjoy the event and that the interest for competitive fishing will increase more and more over the next few years so we can establish fishing as an International sport in Europe.

At Bass Boat Germany, we are proud to be the official boat sponsor and hand over a brand new Nitro Z6 with Mercury F115 to the WPC champions of 2015. This is our way to contribute to something we truly believe in. Good luck to all competitors! n Christian Biereth

anglers come into the arena with their favourite songs playing, stunning videos on the LED walls and sitting in their boats being towed to the stage

Pedal power: Kayaks lined up ready for action at Hellevoetsluis last year

OFFICIAL GLOBAL EVENT

PARTNERS

The organisers of the World Predator Classic would like to take this opportunity to thank all the Official Sponsors and Support Partners who have helped to make this event possible

Global Event Partner: Rapala

Rapala has been the world’s favorite fishing lure since 1936. Today, Rapala lures, knives, tools and accessories are trusted by fishermen in over 140 countries... “Better than it has to be” is the standard by which we measure our products. www.rapala.com

Official Boat: Nitro

As part of the Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Marine Group family, NITRO Boats takes decades of top-tier innovations, quality and performance and weaves them into every single model to produce a line-up of performance fishing boats absolutely loaded with value. www.nitro.com

Global Event Partner: Shimano

Globally recognised giant, Shimano, founded in 1921, launched the sale of fishing tackle abroad in 1978, from which time the company has earned a worldwide reputation in the world of angling for its superior quality products. www.shimano.com

Official Tackle Box: Plano

Official Hook: VMC

Official Electronics Partner: Raymarine

VMC is a French hook manufacturer and world leader with 100 years experience in hook making. Today, VMC hooks are distributed in over 70 countries to anglers and the world’s most popular fishing lure brands. VMC is a member of the RAPALA VMC Group of Companies. www.vmcpeche.com

Official Trailer Partner: Pega BV

In 1955, on the outskirts of Rotterdam, PEGA began life as small manufacturer.

The company now developes, produces and supplies boat trailers and is now a leading international supplier of boat trailers. www.pegabv.nl

With its roots firmly set in 1923, Raymarine has branched out and over the years to become one of the tallest trees in the forest. Their innovative, high-end quality products have earned the company many glittering awards. www.raymarine.co.uk

Official Chart: Navionics

Official Engine: Mercury

Since 1939, Mercury has consistently emphasized quality, performance, innovation and reliability. Today, that pledge remains as strong as ever. The success of Mercury Marine has not occurred by chance. www.mercurymarine.com

Plano appreciate the passion outdoorsmen possess because we are a company built on that same passion and love for the outdoors. www.planomolding.com

Official Eyewear: Wiley X

WileyX is a global leader of optical technology with 39 different polarized fishing eyeware models with 100% field of vision without any distortion www.wileyx.eu

Navionics changed the way people navigate by bringing to market the world’s first electronic chart device in 1984, called the Geonav. Navionics quickly established an early lead in marine cartography and continues to be a leader in quality, coverage and value. www.navionics.com

Official Weights & Measures:

Founded in 1857 by its namesake Reuben George Heaton, the Englishbased manufacturer produces high quality scales and weighing equipment and other angling products. www.reubenheaton.co.uk

THE WORLD PREDATOR CLASSIC: SPONSORS & PARTNERS

Official Suppliers: My GPS Tracker

Based centrally in Bunschoten, the research for absolute perfection in tracking devices is an ongoing process for us. For our current solutions visit mygpstracker.nl

Official Accommodation Provider: Citta Romana

The spacious resort is sited amid plenty of water and greenery just 15 to 20 minutes by car from the Europoort, Maasvlakte, the Botlekgebeid and the Tweede Maasvlakte. www.cittaromana.com

Yusen Logistics

Providing air, ocean and ground transport logistics worldwide for Angling Spirit. www.eur.yusen-logistics.com

Official Clothing SPonsor

Fishouflage has changed the way that anglers look at their appearance and apparel with its subtle statements about the sport we all love with a passion.

Fishourfalge are proud to be the official clothing sponsors of the WPC. www.fishouflage.com

Official Host venue

The vast Haringvliet inlet has played an important role in the history of Hellevoetsluis; earning it the name of a ‘Fortification town on the Haringvliet’.

The Vesting fortress with its harbours and fortifications is steeped in history. www.hellevoetsluis.nl

Dry dock Jaan Blanken

Following its restoration, dry dock Jan Blanken, more than 230 ships, both historical and contemporary ships have been docked here. www.droogdok.nl.

Aqua Splash Park, Hellevoetsluis

The only open water playground in the Netherlands enjoying overwhelming success in all respects. www.aquaparksplash.nl

Hobie Fishing

Since 1950, from our headquarters in California, Hobie Cat Company has manufactured and distributed an impressive collection of watercraft worldwide. www.hobiefishing.com

Camping ‘t Weergors

P&O Ferries

Hoi4u

– Providing first class cross channel services that remain the premier choice of Angling Spirit. For routes and timetables. www.poferries.com

Hertz Car & Van hire

Providing a wide range of vehicles to meet all of your requirements, Hertz has a worldwide reputation for its premier services that are second to none. www.hertz.co.uk

De Catfish

Hengelsportvereniging Het Voornse Kanaal

A well established tackle shop located near to the Voornse Kanaal, Hellevoetsluis, to meet all of your angling needs. www.de-catfish.nl

We are looking forward to welcoming you in Hellevoetsluis. Our website just gives you a foretaste of everything we have to offer you. www.weergors.nl

Suppliers of professional stage equipment providing the sound and stage equipment for the Hooked on Rock event. www.hoi4u-rental.eu

Sportvisserij Zuidwest Nederland

(Dutch National fishing Federation) promotes national and international interests of sport fishing. www.sportvisserijzwn.nl

Wellantcollage sportsvisacademie

(Dutch Fisheries collage) Providing the vitally important Event Marshaling Team. www.wellant.nl

Local Fish federation

Angling Knots

Chasing big fish with big lures or fly fishing in high mountain streams? You should find the right fishing knots here. www.anglingknots.com

Official Event Marina

Secure mooring in Hellevoetsluis for all participants’ boats. www.marina-capehelius.nl

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wiley THE WORLD OF

Military coup: Wiley X .. built for battle

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Military heritage and protection is the backbone of Wiley X. Built to withstand direct ballistic impact, Wiley X eyewear offers unmatched safety in the field, but with no compromise on style.

In fishing sunglasses you need three key elements: polarization, optical clarity and protection. In the case of many eyewear brands, sometimes only one of these boxes are ticked. However, that’s not the case with Wiley X. With a huge focus on all three of those characteristics and many more benefits, the brand is making a real name for itself in fishing eyewear– and 2015 shows no sign of this stopping.

With a staggering 17 new polarizing models set to be launched in 2015 – bringing the total selection up to an impressive 39 different models – it’s safe to say that Wiley X is an eyewear brand that’s going places. But we can assure you that there’s far more to Wiley X than first meets the eye.

Thomas Wæver explains: “Wiley X is the only premium brand in the world which certifies all products as protective eyewear.

All models are certified as protective eyewear – and ALL meet or exceed standards not normally used in the fishing industry. Some of the models even meet or exceed the US Military’s ballistic tests for impact – the most stringent in the world. This is extremely important because fishermen have lures, flies, spoons and hooks flying in the air all the time, causing facial and eye accidents every day worldwide.”

Wiley X also holds the patent for the removable Gasket System (Facial Cavity Seal™) featured in the Climate Control models. The inner section on the glasses forms a seal around the user’s eyes, protecting them from pollen, dirt, dust and wind. It is also easily removable – allowing you to use the glasses both with and without the foam.

WPC speaks to Thomas Wæver, the European Vice President and Outdoor Director of Wiley X Europe, learning more about what sets Wiley X eyewear apart from other premium eyewear

The system is used and loved by anglers across the world, including Martin Forbak, 2014 Individual World Spin Fishing Champion. Martin explains: “When using the Wiley X glasses with the gasket system your view is clear and direct, focusing your vision without any disturbing side effects. Therefore, you can pay attention to what you really need to see. Another great advantage is their use in cold weather, where the gasket system will not allow the cold into your eyes. I love using this system when boat fishing because the gasket system blocks out any headwind blowing into your eyes during fast-moving situations, which is uncomfortable.”

Thomas adds: “Wiley X offers the best polarizing filter on the market – Filter 8™.

This polarized film layer creates 100 per cent polarization, 100 per cent UV protection and is protected differently from other polarized films as it is layered between two layers of Selenite™ polycarbonate to extend the overall life and performance of the lens.”

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WILEY X: THE ONLY CHOICE OF EYEWEAR

Using the Wiley X premium eyewear throughout this season has really given us an extra dimension in our competition fishing

Superior protection does not come at the cost of style, comfort and performance.

Wiley X sunglasses provide all wearers with innovative features and unique frame/lens combinations that deliver superior vision in real-world conditions. Wiley X glasses offer a level of clarity that matches and often surpasses that of other eyewear brands in the fishing market. This is because they pay particular attention to ensuring a clear field of vision across the entire lens and not just a central area. Prescription lenses are also available and utilise advanced RX lens technology and superior lens-coating options.

Wiley X eyewear is the choice of champions as demonstrated by Jeremy Staverman and Luc Coppens – the 2014

World Predator Classic winners. They say: “Using the Wiley X premium eyewear throughout this season has really given us an extra dimension in our competition fishing.

“We are very pleased with the quality of this high-end eyewear. When you wear Wiley X in dull light conditions it reduces the glare on bright surfaces while enhancing the dark parts – they are simply incredible. Wearing Wiley X polarized eyewear has improved our fishing results. Fish following the lure , but not striking it are now easily spotted. We then know we’re in the right spot and can try a different approach. With our former standard polarized eyewear we would have left the spot thinking the fish weren’t there.

“The high quality polarizer gives us maximum - in depth - water view and the

protective glass makes us feel secure while casting (lead) jigheads. Too often the lead shoots out of the water after pulling out from a snag. Now we know we are safe.”

Should you need fishing eyewear with prescription lenses, look no further. Wiley X offers a state-of the-art prescription lens programme – for both single as well as progressive lenses, allowing you to leave the old cocoons at home.

Thomas concludes: “Anglers across the globe are paying much more attention to optimizing their gear than they did a few years back – and eyewear is a key feature.

When fishing you want to get the maximum out of your time spent at and on the water – Wiley X polarizing eyewear is designed and produced to provide you with just that.

“Tight lines to all participating in the World Predator Classic and may the best team win.”

Proud to be seen: WPC 2104 Champions Luc Coppens and Jeremy Staverman; delighted with the safety and the performance of their Wiley X eyewear.

VISIONALITY: RAYMARINE

SEEING IS

BELIEVING Raymarine goes predator hunting with CHIRP DownVision™

So what exactly is that ... Fish?

Rocks perhaps? A large stand of weed? A wreck maybe?

Interpreting fish-finder echoes can be an art in itself. Years of experience and intimate knowledge of a specific area of underwater topography can take the guesswork out of that interpretation, but what if you are fishing strange waters and unfamiliar species; wouldn’t it make sense to use something to help you ‘see’ exactly what’s under your boat?

Raymarine sees innovation as the key to the highly-competitive Marine electronics market, so much so that the last two years have seen an almost continuous wave of introductions and improvements in both hardware and software throughout the Raymarine range and specifically in the fishing arena.

Last Spring saw Raymarine take a new direction in technology with the launch of the Dragonfly® - a highperformance, dual-channel CHIRP sonar and GPS combination that has taken the fishing world by storm; bringing the power and crisp detail of advanced CHIRP DownVision™ sonar to inland and coastal anglers at a very affordable price.

Dragonfly® utilises an all-

in-one dual-channel CHIRP transducer containing both CHIRP DownVision™ and CHIRP fishtargeting sonar elements in one housing. DownVision™ produces a 60° side-to-side and 1.4° fore to aft beam, enabling anglers to see underwater bottom structure with extraordinary clarity. The second element provides a conical-shaped beam for imaging fish targets.

CHIRP technology continuously transmits across a wide spectrum of sonar signals - the result is much higher fidelity sonar returns in both DownVision™ and fish-targeting sonar modes.

So, a year on from that first introduction, Raymarine has integrated CHIRP DownVision™ capability across the board with new formats and a wider range of transducers; aSeries touch-screen MFDs (multifunction displays) have the technology built-in in the a68 and a78 models; single display or networked cSeries, eSeries and gS Series systems can easily add CHIRP DownVision™ functionality in module form with the CP100 sonar module plugging directly into the network; and the latest addition to the range revisits the original

Dragonfly in a new 7” screen format – Dragonfly7 with a best-in-class 7” widescreen display and the added advantage of optional overhead mounting – ideal for smaller fishing boats.

Casual angler or tournament professional - with display sizes ranging from 6 to 16-inches and many advanced features, there is a Raymarine system for every boat and budget. For the inaugural World Predator Classic make sure you’re using Raymarine – you wouldn’t want to miss out on the winning predator.

Vision on: Raymarine CHIRP fish-targetting sonar captures a pike

World Predator Classic: educating for the future Wellantcollege Gorinchem Sport Fishing Academy As a professional angler you are faced with many different issues...What about the fish and water quality? Which rod and technique is most suitable for fishing in rivers? How do you organize a large sport fishing event? And, what is the most sustainable way to grow fish?

At Wellantcollege Gorinchem we prepare our students with all the training to deal with these issues and more.

Sportsmanship, sustainability, recreation, outdoor activities, nature and the environment, animal welfare, water management, flora and fauna legislation and contacts with people and organizations are our keywords.

This type of training leads to jobs within in three or four years, for occupations that are directly or indirectly related to sport fishing. It is a broad education with

Feeding their imagination: Following on the success of last year, there will be another youth fishing day or fishing academy on Saturday, 27th of June, during the last day of this year’s edition of the WPC (World Predator Classic).

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Carp fishing Feeder fishing Fly fishing Predator fishing Street fishing

There will be stands with loads of fishing tackle and materials for many different techniques of fishing. There will be experienced anglers with a lot of expertise present to give their time, knowledge and instruction.

A treasure hunt will be set out so the children can win different angling prizes.

We will take care of all the tackle needed, but if the children have their own fishing rods and tackle, please get them to bring it along on the day.

Drinks and snacks are also being provided for the hungry and thirsty children.

We promise that it will be a great day for all the young people, we hope to see you there!

Internships..

Students follow internships in various training companies. ‘’Sportvisserij Nederland’’ and other federations offer internships with interesting assignments.

There are also internships at tackle shops, water management, landscaping, culture centres and carp and trout ponds.

There is also the option to follow an Internship abroad. We are delighted that we have a large project in Sweden, with leading Swedish Sport fish academy in Forsagha. We also have a partnership with “ Carp Connections” that offers our participants a foreign internship in France.

Water management..

Wellantcollege Gorinchem already has the training for Sports fishing. With the advent of training Water management and Land, Water & Environment (September 2014) it is our wish to make the area of “water” completely realized. Educationally this may relate to land or water, but also maintenance and quality of fish or drinking water. In short, if you seriously want to get started with water and / or sport fishing, Gorinchem is “ the place to be!”

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Last year there were 60 children in four sessions. It was great to see their enthusiasm, most of the children who participated are still fishing, and some of them even have made it their new hobby. We had a lot of positive responses from parents who where surprised by the interest and patience their children have shown during this day.

This year, there will be an educational clinic in collaboration with Sportvisserij Zuid West Nederland (SNZW) and the youth department of the local fishing federation, Het Voorns Kanaal. This day will be organised in the great environment of the historical Dry Dock.

This day is also so important because of the theoretical side of things where the children are being taught to handle the fish with care and have respect for the environment. The WPC concentrates on the aspects of nature and environment, seeing them to be of the upmost importance, so this is a perfect way to teach the children

about these aspects of the fishing.

We want to get the children acquainted with the theory of not only predatory fish, but also many other species and styles. We will show the children a variety of fishing techniques like:

Practice makes perfect ..

The course contains many practical moments. We cover inventory, reporting, practical resource management, green maintenance, measuring water quality, building cormorant cages etc. Additionally, we also practice different fish disciplines.

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

The youth are our future

a focus not only for sport fishing, nature and water management, but learning that sport fishing is central.

JAPAN

HIRONORI KITADE: THE LURE OF ASIAN FISHING

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A TRUE FISHING PARADISE

Growing up in a small Japanese village with my family, exposed me at a very young age to the enjoyment of fishing. It was my father who really influenced and guided me onto the path of angling, which would later define my life and livelihood. My name is Hironori Kitade, but you can call me KD. I am the founder of a famous Japanese fishing brand known as NORTH CRAFT, which was acquired by Rapala VMC Corporation in 2012, at which point I also joined the Rapala group as the lure designer for North Craft, as well as Storm and Williamson lures in order to inject my rich Japanese expertise into the DNA of these brands.

I am stationed in Japan, where I work on my lure development as Japan is one of the key industry drivers in the world; if it’s new and innovative, chances are it will show here first! Japan is at the forefront of advanced development and technology when it comes to fishing lures and fishing in general.

As a country spanning 2,787km from north to south, Japan experiences multiple climates and different fish species from one town to the next.

The land is surrounded by ocean with tall, steep mountains in the centre of the country from which over 40,000 named rivers run. There are 763 natural lakes and 197 named reservoirs, and together with these rivers and ocean coastline, combine to create a true water world with countless angling opportunities.

Japanese anglers tend to fish any time that they have spare; we fish before and after work on weekdays, as well as on weekends. Japan is very developed as a country so many of our fishable waters run through residential areas making access quick and easy to our favourite fishing spot.

“Akame” – the ultimate goal for Japanese lure anglers ..

The ultimate prize catch for Japanese lure anglers is our local freshwater predator species ‘akame’ (Lates japonicus) or sometime the Japanese Barramundi.

If you asked any Japanese angler “What is the dream fish for you?”, many would reply that they would love to catch akame just once in their lifetime. The akame has a big mouth and caudal fin with a bulging back. Its body shape is beautiful and well balanced which captivates Japanese anglers. The fish is very powerful both in looks and in fighting nature. It is not uncommon to capture an akame in excess of one metre in length with an official record of 137cm, weighing 30kg on rod and reel. There are however uncertified captures of fish longer than 140cm.

Akame fishing is not widely available in Japan as the fish tends to prefer the Pacific Ocean side

Lure designer and innovator, Hironori Kitade, is the founder of Japanese fishing brand North Craft and is a man who describes the waters of Japan that are full of eastern promise

of the southwestern part of Japan; and even then, the fishable areas are limited to Kochi prefecture in Shikoku. Urado-wan (which means ‘bay’ in Japanese) is the most famous akame fishery in Japan along with the feeder rivers that flow into the urban areas of Kochi City. Often visitors come for a chance to simply view the akame from the bridge at night and dream that one day they might be fortunate enough to fight and catch one of these magnificent creatures.

So much mystery and so many questions ..

Anglers love to talk about their catches and share with their friends how great their recent fishing trip was; it is because of this that the akame has become so famous.

Every once in a while someone leaks information of good fishing results and the reaction of anglers is instantaneous as they head to try to catch one for themselves. Even with all of this, it is still not uncommon for a persistent angler to fish many years with zero results - when is the best time? When is the best season? What do they eat? What’s the best lure? Which colour and why?… These questions continue to puzzle everyone and maintain a cloud of mystery over

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It turns out this fish is triggered as the tide comes to its highest and the water becomes slack, and for a few moments after as the tide begins to turn

The ultimate Prize: The akame, looking a lot like the Australian barramundi (Lates calcarifer), is the holy grail of Japanese lure anglers. No wonder he needs a lie down after landing this huge specimen.

the famous akame; that was until a few years ago when Urado-wan peripheral became overly crowded with expert akame anglers year round,.

So, what caused this?

Gaining an understanding ..

I try to interact with many anglers as an integral part of my lure development process.

Of course I will search for the answer as an avid angler myself, though the combined experience of many is far greater than the limited knowledge of one person. To be successful in life you must learn to listen and take experience from others to help you grow both personally and professionally. Fortunately, thanks to the North Craft fans and my fishing friends all over

the world, I am able to easily get great tips that I am unable to obtain on my own. It is with these connections that I have been able to understand a definitive pattern for the akame fish. After many interviews, all of which came to a common conclusion during the process, here is what I have found: usually, predatory fish are triggered to feed by a change in their natural environment - rising water, barometric pressure fluctuations, etc‌ but nobody really understood the akame, as it did not appear to be influenced by these common triggers. It turns out this fish is triggered as the tide comes to its highest and the water becomes slack, and for a few moments after as the tide begins to turn. The theory is that the crabs which inhabit akame waters take shelter during the stronger tidal periods, and

emerge to graze as the tidal flow decreases. I drew a hypothesis that the motion of the crabs flicked the switch on fish to feed as they love an easy meal of crustaceans. As soon as the tide increases the crabs are washed away or go back into hiding and the akame has no reason to remain foraging for food.

New age fishing methods to catch clever fish ...

Braided PE line is the line of choice by most expert Japanese anglers since its explosion into the market many years ago.

The characteristics of braid improve the fisherman’s overall experience and ability to

HIRONORI KITADE: THE LURE OF ASIAN FISHING

JAPAN A TRUE FISHING PARADISE

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Better late than never! Hajimi Murata, above with a huge akame and KD left with a fine lure caught specimen.

detect subtle bites from timid fish. At the same time, rod and reel developments have also greatly improved with particular enhancements to rod capabilities when fishing specific PE lines. Specialist line guides and blank materials combine to increase sensitivity and bite detection as well as increasing your ability to transmit the desired action directly from your hand, down the line to your fishing lure. The evolution of this fishing equipment has caused new revolutions in angling techniques.

Fishermen are now looking at new ways in which they can use their modern fishing tackle now that the equipment of yesteryear can no longer be used; one of these new techniques is known as ‘drift method’.

To perform the drift method, you simply cast your lure up stream from shore or boat and let the lure drift downstream without winding it back in other than to maintain line tension. Keep your rod tip high and watch for a sudden attack.

This is similar to fly fishing. You will be able to manipulate your lure as you wish by jerking or simply letting the current impart action to your lure as it drifts downstream.

Without braided line and today’s technological fishing advancements, you would not be able to realise the benefits of this finesse fishing method.

Best approach to catching big predators at all times ..

The drift method is most effective during the middle of the fishing season, when water temperatures are neither too hot, nor too cold, as this is when baitfish are most active.

During the off season, as temperatures peak or bottom out, the baitfish move away with the temperate waters and akame begin to feed on bottom dwelling crabs as mentioned earlier.

It is during this time when you should consider fishing different methods close to the bottom in order to imitate these feeding crabs.

North Craft Air OGRE and Storm SX-Soft VIB are the perfect choices for variable fishing methods

when using the lift-&-fall technique close to the bottom. Cast the lure out, let it sink and lift your rod slightly to bring it to life, pulling it off the bottom to get the fish’s attention. Let the lure sink back down and repeat. Oftentimes the akame will strike as the lure returns to the bottom during the fall.

As previously mentioned the best time to use this method is just before and after slack high tide in Japan for the best chance. By combining this method with the drift method, you can increase your chances further; fish the lure upstream in little current and bring the lure back with the flow. It is natural for baitfish to behave in this manner so akame will remain calm and more likely to believe your bait presentation is real. This is particularly effective for smarter, larger fish.

The drift method is not limited to akame fishing, but is also effective for sea bass and trout, in fact it’s applicable to all predator fishing. I am certain the technique would be just as effective in other fisheries, and in other countries for different species.

Please try it by all means if you are fishing in medium to high flow areas in Europe, USA, or any other country in the world. n

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During the off season, as temperatures peak or bottom out, the baitfish move away with the temperate waters and akame begin to feed on bottom dwelling crabs

ROSS HONEY:MY VISION OF THE FUTURE

GETTING THE RIGHT

FORMUL When Ross Honey has a vision, it’s never small and always becomes reality ...and his dreams for the future of The World Predator Classic are no exception

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The future of the World Predator Classic is very exciting and is being built on a very firm foundation. From the outset, I wanted to establish a very high profile event that would capture the imagination of predator anglers from all over the world and that all started with a simple idea.

The idea developed and grew and a plan was put together. We are now two years into the plan and the word is out that The World Predator Classic is a special event, one that stands out from others. With three target fish, lots of participating countries from all over the world, a fantastic prize table, a wonderful venue steeped in tradition and history going back hundreds of years, great event partners, tremendous participants and giant fish are just some of the

elements that have been required.

In the original plan, having established the event, the next step was to develop it over a three year period with the introduction of an international qualifying event structure. So that is the base plan…but that is not all. That is only one part of the vision that I have for the World Predator Classic. In fact that is just the start… and this is where it gets really exciting…

It is my intention that the winners of The overall World Predator Classic and several event winning categories will form a ‘European and Rest of the World’ Team to compete against the USA in what will be the equivalent of the ‘Ryder Cup’ in golf for angling. The Ryder Cup as many of you will know, is the biggest event in golf in the World and there is nothing like it in Angling…until now… So, in July this year,

ROSS HONEY:MY VISION OF THE FUTURE

combinations of anglers and boat competing orders as decided by the team captains. Team captains will have their own control centre from which they will be in direct control of their team. Each team captain will be able to see, in real time, exactly where all of the competing boats are and what and where they are catching fish. As you can see, this is going to be highly entertaining to watch with a massive amount of rivalry. This category of the event will be a tremendous international showcase for exciting best practice catch and release angling and I am looking forward to working with my team to turn this from a vision to a reality.

ROSS HONEY Tournament Founder

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The winners of The WPC will form a ‘European and Rest of the World’ Team to compete against the USA in what will be the angling equivalent of the ‘Ryder Cup’

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I will be travelling to the USA to meet with companies and partners to structure the USA side, with the intention of staging the first event in 2017. Now, as for this level of the event goes, competitors will have to win their place in the team, you won’t be able to buy your way in. This event is about pride and honour. Teams will comprise of 14 anglers and a team captain. When the USA team arrives in Amsterdam there will be the red carpet waiting for them, a band playing and they will the be taken by limousine to Hellevoetsluis where the will meet the European team and a big civic reception will await them.

Each team will have their boats identically rigged and wrapped and they will look fantastic. The event will involve various

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

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JEAN CLAUDE BEL:PRESIDENT OF EFFTEX

THE FUTURE LOOKS

BRIGHT

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Jean-Claude Bel, President of EFTTEX is passionate about fishing, the tackle trade and the future of the World Predator Classic

This second edition of the World Predator Classic looks promising. It has once again, brought the loyal support of prestigious sponsors.

As in many sport events, the main sponsors are conscious of the benefits brought to their brand, and if they are back again this year, it is certainly because they saw the benefit not only to their brands and the whole industry, but also because the inaugural event was so successful. It is the only event organized in such a professional and sustainable way, year after year.

It is not only a way to promote and showcase products in the intensely tough conditions imposed by competition where there is no room for mistakes, either in the choice of the strategy, tackle and baits. It is only possible to win with talent forged by experience, only the best have a chance there. It is also a major way to promote the whole industry by spreading information and aspirational images of how exciting fishing can be, and this is done through all possible media.

What is good for the angling community is good for the industry and employment, it helps the trade to go forward, being constructive, and imaginative in terms of products that care more and more about the environment.

It is not only good for the industry and anglers, because such an event, normally organised in a medium or small city also has a big economic impact on the local economy, we are probably looking at over 1.5 million Euros, which can be so important for those venues and communities.

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Business can be fun, and business can also be good for the environment …

The environment and resources are a major issue and the behaviour of the champions at the World Predator Classic could be a great help, by spreading the right messages to help us, industry associations and anglers’ associations to change the mindset of non-anglers and business.

They should not only be seen as examples as anglers, but also as representatives of the community.

In the past, the environment wasn’t the first thought of anglers and competitors, but this is changing, fast. Most anglers respect the environment, and this is particularly important amongst the growing population of young anglers, who are working to change habits to much more sustainable behaviour.

Respect the environment, respect the fish which give you so much pleasure and adrenaline shots, respect the diversity and manage the resource… as the saying goes “Limit your catches...never catch your limits…”

These are some of the numerous messages that an event like World Predator Classic can spread to both the anglers and non-anglers’ communities.

Once again I wish the Angling Spirit Team good luck, but I am sure that the event will be a brilliant success, the quality and effort of the work of the organisers will no doubt bring them the success they deserve. I also wish all the angling teams, who are no doubt already preparing themselves for the tournament, good luck and tight lines!

Jean-Claude Bel President, European Fishing Tackle Trade Association