World predator classic 2017 official magazine.

Official 2017 Event Magazine

Price £10

will you be taking on?

Full Participants list inside UP FOR THE CHALLENGE? Who

26

INSIDE

IT’S ALL INSIDE YOUR WORLD PREDATOR CLASSIC MAGAZINE!

THE BIG INTERVIEW Elite Bass Angler Kevin Van Dam does angling the American way

48 CULTURE CLUB

Streetfishing is the new black ...

Full participants list for 2017 on Pages 52&53

WPC INFO THINGS YOU

36

SHOULD KNOW...

8 MEET THE TEAM

JOHNNY MORRIS He’s a visionary, a conservationist and has earned a lifetime of achievements

Ross Honey introduces the team behind this year’s event

16 2016 WINNERS

A round-up of last year’s leaderboard

FIRST FINS

12 32 MORE THAN A

DEALERSHIP Christian Biereth on why there’s more to Bass Boat Germany than flogging boats

135

THE BIG INTERVIEW Elite Bass Angler Kevin Van Dam copy goes int othis space irer

How a hunger for success drove Markku Tiusanen and Antti Anttila to WPC Championship

113

CHANGING FACE OF LURES Chris Leibbrandt has witnessed the changing face of the sport ... So what’s changed? Pretty much everything!

18 MEAN

MACHINE

Mercury Marine’s 115 Pro XS FourStroke is out of this world!

24 2017 PRIZE TABLE

Over £60,000 worth of prizes up for grabs ..You know you want it!

46 2017 ITINERARY 56 WPC17 PARTICIPANTS

Find out who you’ll be challenging for this year’s title

58 OFFICIAL GUIDE MAP TO THE EVENT

The zones, the sponsors and where the party’s happening

79 KAYAK EVENT PARTICIPANTS

3

WELCOME FROM EVENT FOUNDER ROSS HONEY

‘‘

I’d like to take this opportunity to welcome you to the 2017 World Predator Classic, this is the fourth year the competition has been staged and again we are delighted to again be at the historic Helleovoetsluis and the Haringvliet, in the Netherlands.

Since the competition began in 2014 we have seen its popularity grow beyond all recognition with entries from all over the world making the World Predator Classic the largest predator fishing event in the world with Boat, Kayak and Streetfishing categories run simultaneously.

This year will be no exception as we have over 260 anglers competing in the 3 event categories to battle it out until we have newly crowned champions.

Again, we are honoured to receive a fantastic reception from the town’s Mayor, Milène Junius and its people, it has been truly overwhelming.

Hellevoetsluis was nominated ‘Dutch angling capital 2016’, the unique location of Hellevoetsluis with its historical harbour in Haringvliet is the perfect setting for the World Predator Classic, with the Drydock Jan Blanken serving as the events headquarters.

We are also very proud to be supported by our many sponsors including our official global partners Lowrance, Plano, Bass Boat Germany,

Welcome..

to the 2017 World Predator Classic Friday with the final day on Saturday 24th. We will again enjoy the support and benefits of a magnificent event team and marshalling team.

Because of last year’s success, the street fishing event has attracted a massive international field and it will be very exciting to see who will emerge as the overall champion. The Kayak event category has again proven to be an attractive competition to enter, probably due to the vast arena that has been allocated which proved to be not only a test of fishing skills but a test of human endurance.

I have the great honour of overseeing these competitions and trust me when I tell you, every year I get the biggest thrill seeing so many anglers have such a great time battling it out against each other, I really wish every person participating in the event the very best of good fortune and an exceptional few days fishing. I will be honoured to greet you onto the stage at the prizegiving ceremony.

As for the future, over the last year I have been working to extend this competition even further and will announce an exciting development in 2018. Angling is a brilliant sport that tests people to the limits, both physically and mentally and I intend to take predator fishing to the world stage in the very near future. Just watch this space!

Finally. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to everybody involved and for all their hard work they have put in to making this year’s World Predator Classic a success. Your help ensures this will once again be a very special event.

TOURNAMENT FOUNDER

‘‘

I wish every angler participating the very best of good fortune and that you enjoy an exceptional few days fishing. I will be honoured to greet you onto the stage at the prizegiving ceremony

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

Nitro, Tracker and Mercury. This year we have over thirty-six supporters of the World Predator Classics ranging from hosting the event and supporting with accommodation to suppling safety equipment to the fantastic competition prizes.

My hope for this year is to ensure that everyone involved makes the most of the event to promote their skills, mix with other competitors, talk to our sponsors and check out the latest equipment and technology available and enjoy the entertainment, parties and wonderful location.

I’m really hoping this year we walk away from the World Predator Classic with the buzz excitement that gets you chomping at the bit for our fifth year celebrational anniversary in 2018.

Hellevoetsluis centre will be the focal point for the street fishing once again, and this competition will involve both day and night sessions. Last year it proved to an exciting move and produce some impressive results and again look forward seeing the catch reports for 2017.

The traditional Captains’ dinner at Citta Romana and the pre-event party will I’m sure will be as raucous as usual, with everyone in high spirits. This year we are also meeting up in the town on the Thursday night for the Lowrance sponsored party where everyone is invited for a drink and enjoy live music and party atmospheres to recognise the arrival of the street fishing competitors.

The event format for the Boat and Kayak part of the competition has changed as there will be a day off on the Friday, so it might be a good opportunity to make the most of the Lowrance party night beforehand.

The boat and Kayak competition will be run over three days with day one on Wednesday 21st, day two on Thursday 22nd a rest day on the

5

6

event TEAM

WORLD PREDATOR CLASSIC 2017

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

World Predator Classic: meet the event team Head of Event Organisers

Marianne Guillois Gary Palmer Event Director

Ross Honey

Head Marshal Overall

Event Support & Operations

Event Founder

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 them 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.

Richard Engelkes

Event controller

Ron Van Den Bergh Event Technology

Event Support

Martin Carter Event support

Dinus Herrewijnen Event support

Media and Photography

Rob Hughes Media Presenter

Peter Castle Official Event Photographer

World Predator Classic: meet the event team

Lars Bood

First Response

Christian Biereth Event Adviser

Tina Pieksma Admin

Your Marshals ...

Boat Marshals:

Gary Wyeth Event support

Jason Vorster Event support

Coen Ursern Event Support

Jerome Georgeault

Event technical support

Jan Van derr Knaap

Damien Davies Event support

Syste van der Harst Event Media

Communication Director

Kayak & Street Fishing Event Organisers

Official Event Magazine Bill Allsopp Gero Priebe

Kayak Co-ordinator

Roel Franssen Streetfishing Co-ordinator

Magazine Editor

Ronald van Loenhout

Ronald Van Loenhout Heiko Sauther Christian Winkls Ard Van Den Berg Mark Traas Peter Hillenbrand Johan Boots

Kayak Marshals: Tim Strijbosch Zach Barth

Streetfishing Marshals: Guido Merlijn Nick Littooij David Hoogstraten Job Littooi Mike Schasfoort Harrie van Etten Guido Merlijn Damien Davies Gary Wyeth Martin Carter Jason Vorster

Always part of the family

Lucy Allsopp Art Director

Stan de Vries tragically no longer with us but will always be fondly remembered and will be for ever part of the the Angling Spirit family

A big thank you also goes to those who have contributed to this magazine:

Robert Kiss

Official Film director

Andreas Volz

Social Network & Film Support

Tom LLoyd

Social Network & Film Support

n Lucy at Bang the Drum Designs n Anthony Chmarmy for magazine support n dorien@doruphotography n Everyone that provided photographs 7 & articles

World Predator Classic: SPONSOR’S WELCOME

A HUGE WELCOME TO ALL FROM OUR SPONSORS

T

he 2017 competition marks the fourth edition of the World Predator Classic and it’s all set to be a thrilling year. Our Global event partners in the competition are LOWRANCE, PLANO, BASS BOATS GERMANY, NITRO, TRACKER AND MERCURY MARINE.

These are supported by official host event location Hellevoetsluis.

In addition to these great partners are the official official sponsors , support partners and official suppliers which help make the

world Predator Classic what it is today.

The total prize values and welcome gifts for 2017 are well in excess of £120,000/136,000 euros which help ensure this competition continues to be successful year on year. Anglian Spirit’s aim is to ensure we attract only the best sponsors, for the best equipment and services to make your stay here in Hellevoetsluis the time of your life.

We continue to strengthen the ties of the predator angling community by bring more media attention and new people into the sport.

The World Predator Classic are thrilled to welcome all our sponsors and thank them for the tremendous support during the lead-up to and throughout the competitions.

It is always great to see the innovation they bring to the sport which helps to expand the number of people involved, which in turn makes competitions like this, bigger and bigger. These world leading brands are very much valued by the competitors and the sport of fishing worldwide.

Please welcome our sponsors to the World Predator Classic and may the best anglers win!

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM 9

WPC CHAMPIONS 2016: MARKKU TIUSANEN & ANTTI ANTTILA

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

On the right Tracker ...

2016 WPC Champions Markku and Antti try out their new prize Tracker boat and Mercury engine

10

‘‘

In a fishing competition a win is achieved with the combined effect of fishing skills, local knowledge and competitive strategy. All other things being equal, none of those factors can fail, if one wants to gain the highest podium. We learned a lesson about this in the 2015 WPC. Without it, Antti Anttila and I wouldn’t have been ready to set about winning the WPC 2016 champion title.

HUNGER GAMES

T

he fight to win the World Predator Classic 2015 was extremely close, especially at the start of the last competition day.

The WPC 2014 champions, Luc Coppens and Jeremy Staverman, were in the lead after the first two days - one point ahead of us.

We knew that we had all the qualifications for winning. We had become familiar with the competition area throughout and had practised there together for many days. The

third competition day started well for us, because we caught the pike fast, despite it being hard to catch these in that area. After midday there had been three zanders of a good size measured on our boat and we had rounded up 266cm.

This left us with three hours to catch our perches - but we didn’t succeed in this and, in the end, we wound up in fourth place.

Thinking about it afterwards, I believe that we headed into the final day inadequately prepared and with a wrong tactic. We weren’t ready to win. Coppens and Staverman, on the other hand, kept going with their good, steady

performances and won the WPC champion title for the second year running.

Like the year before, we trained well approaching last year’s competition. We trained for nine days and in this time the placement of the fish, the functionality of different fishing tactics, and good lures to use - all this started to come together, piece by piece. On the eve of the competition we knew that we could head confidently on in the race.

Despite all of the training, fishing skills, good fishing gear and local knowledge one can lose the race before it has even begun. A foul

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

WPC CHAMPIONS 2016: MARKKU TIUSANEN & ANTTI ANTTILA

12

‘‘

The excitement is part of the competition and you have to be able to

WPC CHAMPIONS 2016: MARKKU TIUSANEN & ANTTI ANTTILA

HUNGER

GAMES

Prize catch ... a stunning pike caught by World Predator Champion, Markku

competition plan can ruin everything. This we learned the hard way in 2015 - so now we paid extra attention to our tactics.

Our tactic worked perfectly, as it happened, and everything went just like we had planned from beginning to end.

On the first competition day our scorecard filled up quickly and we were left with almost four hours in which to try and add centimetres to our card. Only one boat caught more fish than us - the Belgians Luc Van Litsenborg and Tom Dieleman.

We headed into the second competition day with the same strategy, it having proved to be efficient on the first day, regardless of the rough weather and shorter competition time.

Fishing is always exciting, but in the competition the feeling of excitement can grow too powerfully. I have taken part in countless fishing competitions, not only in lure fishing, but also in ice fishing, trolling, fly fishing and coarse fishing. And you can always feel the excitement building on the night before the competition, and you find it difficult to get to sleep. The excitement is almost tingling in the departure area before the start, - but, fortunately it usually fades away quickly.

The excitement is a part of the competition and you have to be able to handle it correctly. Properly used excitement can lift the level of your performance. The bigger and more important the competition is, the more nerve-wracking it gets. At least, that is my

personal experience.

I don’t recall that I’ve ever been so nervous before a competition than I was on the second day of WPC 2016. In Finland the WPC is one of the best- known international fishing competitions and so both the Press and social media follow it closely. For three years we had chased the WPC-championship. We had put an enormous amount of time into it, because we had practised on the competition area for many weeks, spanning three years. So expectations were high as we prepared for the second day of the race.

Time felt like it was moving exceptionally fast, while we were trying to find willing fish. Cast after cast brought no catch and the feeling of insecurity and fear of failure grew.

It made itself known as a bitter lump in your stomach and that lump kept growing while the clock was ticking, still without a catch.

Due to the tension and the pressure of the competition contestants can easily try too hard and make mistakes. When the pressure gets hard it is critical to keep a cool head and keep following your original plan. We also decided to trust in ourselves and in our tactic and believe that the outcome would be to our liking.

Finally, after about an hour and a half after the starting point, we hooked the

handle it correctly. Properly used excitement can lift the level of your performance

WPC CHAMPIONS 2016: MARKKU TIUSANEN & ANTTI ANTTILA

HUNGER

GAMES

day’s first fish. And catching our first fish dispelled that huge nervous tension and lifted us up in an enormous joyous feeling of succeeding. The feeling is hard to describe you have to experience it yourself. With every fish we caught the more our nerves calmed down and we could enjoy fishing more and more.

Our competition tactic worked and our scorecard filled up and in the afternoon it was full. We knew, however, that because of the shortened competition time getting the scorecard full and capturing all seven fishes would be difficult. A full card would keep us well up in the competition.

When we arrived on shore, we got to hear that we were the best boat of the day.

After the second day we were leading the

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

Champion’s league ... fireworks and celebrations as Markku and Anttila proudly show off their WPC2016 trophy

competition with 12 points, ahead of Ari Paataja and Ville-Matti Blomqvist who were in second place. Our clear leading position gave us a reason to change our strategy. We calculated that it would be enough to win if we caught only the perches and the zanders. We headed to the final day with what we thought was an assured tactic.

It is no secret that in sport competitions the pressure is on the favourites to win. The same goes for fishing competitions. Even though we were in a clear lead, we definitely weren’t sure to win. A failure on the last day would lead to a plummet in our rankings.

The nervousness was back again - almost unbearable in the morning of the last day. But our scorecard started to fill out quickly.

Because of strong winds the competition time had to be shortened again. By the forenoon the weather was still decent, so we began jigging. We had time to catch all of our needed zanders and perches before the wind got too strong for jigging.

The strong wind and high surf mixed the shore waters cloudy and pike fishing got really hard. On the last day competitors caught only 5 pikes all together. Our pike fishing was missing its finest edge, because we anticipated that our perch and zander catch was good enough to win the competition. However we tried to psych ourselves to a better performance and avoid the feeling of euphoria we couldn’t do it. The hunger had already been satisfied.

15

WINNERS 2016

WORLD PREDATOR CLASSIC

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM 16

2016 was the third World Predator Classic running over three days with three main competitions – boats, Kayaks and Street Fishing. Building on the pervious years success we moved the Headquarters to the Droogdok which proved a fantastic venue.

With 46 boats from 17 countries, 33 kayaks from 9 countries, and 163 street fishing participants from 10 countries there certainly was a buzz about Hellevoetsluis. Every category was close, it was a real ‘nail biter’ right to the end. Finishing with an incredible prize giving ceremony at the end of the three days in the Droogdok itself. The ceremony ended with the winners of the boat event taking their extraordinary boat and equipment prize totalling well over £70,000!

Biggest Fish

Name

Country Species Length

Westin

Luc Coppens Jeremy Staverman Germany Zander 83.0

Hendrik-Jan Verheij Volkmar Strikkers Netherlands Perch 52.0

Mercury/Heaton

Hans Ruigrok Gary Palmer England Pike 125.0

World Predator Classic: ROLL OF HONOUR 2016

Boat Champions

Name

1st Place

2nd

3rd

Markku Tiusanen Antti Anttila

Jan Boomsma Chris Bloemert

Ari Paataja-Ville Matti Blomqvist

Finland 2 1 4 345.0 545.0 190.0

Netherlands 12 9 8 318.0 510.0 0.0

Finland 10 5 15 382.0 439.0 0.0

Country Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Perch Zander Pike

Team Winners Team

Day 1 Day 2 Day 3

1st

Rapala 1 - France & Finland

Arnaud Briere & Laurent Vrignaud Markku Tiusanen & Antti Anttila

44 2

30 1

3 4

84

24 2

14 17

89

13 9

28 8 97

2nd RDK Baits - Netherlands

Debby De Kock & Annick Rodiers Erwin Markwat & Bart van de Walle

11 21

2nd Shimano 2 - England & N’lands

Matt Boast & Stuart Dexter Jan Boomsma & Chris Bloemert

27 12

Overall Kayak Winners

Name

Streetfishing Winners

Name Country Points

1st Place

2nd

3rd

Vitalijs Karpenkovs Dennis Horvath Gatis Malmeisters Latvia 260

Netherlands 249

Latvia 239

Country Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Perch Zander Pike

1st Place

2nd

3rd

Daniel Van der Post

Thorsten Klein

Marcel Stockmann

Netherlands 1 5 7 71.0 435.0 75.0

Germany 4 7 2 0.0 475.0 0.0

Germany 2 9 8 70.0 330.0 0.0

MERCUR

ON ANOTHER PLANET! the

18

URY

MERCURY MARINE: WORLD LEADERS IN MARINE PROPULSION

Mercury Marine’s Pro XS series of outboard engines has long been recognized by freshwater and saltwater boaters as among the best performing, most reliable engines on the water. And as world leader in commercial and recreational marine propulsion and technology, Mercury is raising the bar even higher with their 115 Pro XS FourStroke outboard

B

ased on the popular Mercury 115 FourStroke, the new Mercury 115 Pro XS delivers significantly better performance than any other highoutput 115hp outboard on the market today.

In fact, the new 115 Pro XS is 16 pounds lighter than the twostroke engine it replaces and 18 pounds lighter than the nearest competing 115hp engine. Its 2.1L displacement is higher than that of any competing 115hp engine.

This unbeatable combination delivers higher torque, better performance and greater durability.

Mercury Marine is also the biggest name in freshwater fishing that listens to tournament anglers and provides them the performance, durability and reliability necessary to climb to

top of the leaderboard.

Consider U.S. pro Edwin Evers, a member of Mercury’s Pro Team who won the 2016 Bassmaster Classic in a dramatic come-frombehind finish in March. Fishing on Grand Lake in Oklahoma against 54 of the best freshwater anglers in the world, Evers started the last day of the tournament trailing the leader, then brought an amazing 13.23 kilos of bass to the scales to capture the title, trophy and champion’s money with a commanding win. Including Evers’ recent victory, Mercury Pro Team anglers have won 10 of the last 12 Bassmaster Classics.

“I wouldn’t have had a chance to win the Classic without the durability of my 250 Pro XS,” Evers said of his trusted Mercury outboard engine.

Thanks to feedback from pros like Evers, Mercury has designed

the 115 PRO XS FOURSTROKE

MERCURY MARINE: WORLD LEADERS IN MARINE PROPULSION

Mercury launch new Skyhook Advanced Features Mercury Marine unveiled its new Skyhook Advanced Features – an enhancement for Mercury Joystick-equipped vessels – in this year at the 2017 opening day of the Miami International Boat Show.

Designed for convenient purchase as downloadable content (DLC) from Mercury’s GoFree store, Skyhook Advanced Features provides Joystick vessels with even better positioning control in specific situations.

Boaters who love the way Mercury’s GPS-enabled Skyhook lets their vessel maintain a steady position while waiting for a bridge opening or for vessel traffic to clear will be sure to appreciate Skyhook Advanced Features. Thanks to this new offering’s versatility, users can purchase the exact features they want or bundle them together for the ultimate vessel control experience.

New Skyhook Advanced Features include: n Heading Adjust provides Joystick operators with the ability to adjust the heading lock in 1- and 10-degree increments while SkyHook is active, making vessel control even more precise. n BowHook can be used to unlock heading

and just maintain position, allowing the boat to point in whatever direction the winds and currents dictate. This feature is useful when a locked-in heading is not necessary.

n DriftHook lets the operator maintain

heading and unlock the position of the vessel allowing winds and currents to move the vessel along. Adjustments of 1- and 10-degree increments can be made while drifting when bundled with Heading Adjust.

Skyhook Advanced Features will be available for purchase as DLC through the GoFree Shop starting in late May, 2017.

These features require Mercury’s latest Joystick system and initially, VesselView703 (also available in late May). Boaters will be able to purchase Skyhook Advance Features for VesselView502, VesselView702 and compatible Lowrance and Simrad displays after a software update in late 2017.

The electronic control modules on your Joystick system may need to have firmware updated by your Mercurycertified dealer in order to utilize these advanced features.

‘‘

I wouldn’t have had a chance to win the Classic without the durability of my 250 Pro XS

EDWIN EVERS

and built its Pro XS series engines ranging from 115hp to 250hp to be so powerful and reliable they are the most popular tournament-fishing outboard engines in the world.

115 Pro XS FourStroke Building on its Pro XS heritage, the new 115 Pro XS was intelligently designed to provide consumers exactly what they’ve been asking for – an outboard that is light and second to none in performance.

“Like the other engines in the Mercury Pro XS family, the new 115 Pro XS is conceived and designed to deliver classleading performance and durability to tournament anglers and other discerning fishermen who enjoy the benefits of running higher-rpm outboard engines,” said Larry Teeling, Mercury global category manager. “The 115 Pro XS is the perfect propulsion solution for competitive anglers with aluminum and fiberglass fishing boats in the 5- to 5.5-meter range.”

Here’s what the 115 Pro XS FourStroke delivers: n Fastest top speed: Up to 3 mph faster than its nearest competitor and more than 1 mph faster than Mercury’s standard 115 FourStroke.

The 115 Pro XS FourStroke’s higher rpm range delivers improved performance out of an already-powerful engine. n Quickest acceleration: More than 1 second quicker than Mercury’s standard 115 FourStroke. The ability to run lower-pitch props puts the boat on plane quicker, reducing 0-to-20mph acceleration time by 1 to 2 seconds. This enables anglers to carry more gear onboard and provides an edge in getting back to the tournament dock for weigh-in. n Higher full-throttle rpm: Increasing engine rpm from 6000 to 6300 allows prop pitch to be reduced, resulting in maximum performance benefits.

n Idle-Charge: This new feature provides up to 48% more battery charging at idle speed to support the greater power demands of today’s sophisticated marine electronics and accessories. What’s more, it lets boaters and anglers safely stay out on the water longer.

In addition, the new 115 Pro XS offers the following industry-exclusive options for high-output outboard engine models,” says Teeling. These include: n 25-inch shaft: In addition to the standard 20-inch shaft makes this engine an ideal option to power or repower a wide range of boats, from 17- to 20-foot saltwater flats and bay boats to 17- to 18-foot aluminum

The 115 Pro XS is the perfect propulsion solution for

MERCURY MARINE: WORLD LEADERS IN MARINE PROPULSION

Mercury 115 Pro XS FourStroke Specs n Engine type: 8-valve single overhead cam

n SmartCraft:Yes

n Horsepower: 115 hp (86kw)

n Bore and stroke:3.5 x 3.2 /90 x 81

n Dry weight: 363 lbs / 165 kg

n Steering: Big Tiller Compatible

n Full throttle RPM: 5300-6300

n Shaft length: 20” / 508 mm; 25” / 635 mm

n DisplacementL: 2.1

n Trim system: Power Tilt; Power Trim

n Air induction: Performance-Tuned

n Gearcase options: Command Thrust

n Fuel induction system: Computer Controlled

n Alternator amp / Watt: 35amp / 441watt

n Alternator system power: 630 watt

n Cooling system: Water-cooled with thermostat

n Controls: Mechanical throttle & shift

n Exhaust system: Through prop

n Starting: (turn-key) Smart Start Electric

n Ignition: SmartCraft ECM 07 Digital Inductive

n Gearcase ratio: 2.38:1

n Fuel system: Electronic Fuel Injection (EFI)

n Fuel type: Unleaded Regular

n Gear shift: F-N-R

n Recommended fuel: 87 Octane Minimum

n Compatible with SmartCraft digital technology: Yes

competitive anglers with aluminum and fiberglass fishing boats in the 5- to 5.5-meter range

MERCURY MARINE: WORLD LEADERS IN MARINE PROPULSION

MERCURY MARINE

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

and fiberglass bass boats, as well as aluminum multispecies hulls in the same size range. n The Command Thrust gearcase: This makes the engine compatible with Mercury’s larger-diameter propellers that help the engine deliver improved performance and lift heavy boats onto plane easier and hold them there at lower speeds.

22 10

As a member of the powerful Mercury Pro XS family, the new 115 Pro XS also delivers these unparalleled benefits: n Ease of maintenance: Boaters and anglers can spend less time servicing the engine and more time on the water. n Superior protection against corrosion: Mercury’s industry-leading ultra-low copper content alloys help create an outboard built to withstand the elements. n Mercury’s industry-leading three-year warranty, standard. n On top of that, the new 115hp Pro XS boasts an exciting new look!

“Mercury’s extensive offering of outboard engines, which now includes the 115 Pro XS, makes us the go-to engine manufacturer for the tournament angler,” Teeling said.

VesselView See more, do more ..

In addition to the introduction this year of Mercury Marine’s 115 Pro XS Fourstroke outboard and the Skyhook Advances Features, Mercury has also introduced the next generation of VesselView, the recreational marine industry’s premier multifunction display family: Mercury® VesselView® 703.

Providing precise, reliable control combined with increased clarity, high-definition resolution, wide viewing angles, and enhanced controls for easier operation in all conditions, VesselView 703 incorporates the new Simrad® SolarMAX®

HD display. The bright, high-definition glass touchscreen display has a 16 x 9 aspect ratio for higher visibility, glare-reducing coating, and dimmable lighting. The hybrid touchscreen and button interface allows users to choose the display interaction they prefer to use depending on sea state and weather conditions.

VesselView 703 simultaneously displays information for up to four engines in an easy-to-read interface. The display provides up-to-date information for more than 30 engine parameters, including: Fuel Level & Range, Oil Temperature & Pressure, Battery Voltage, Water Depth, Genset and more.

Built-in features include a 10Hz GPS and chart plotter capability (regional electronic chart cards purchased separately). VesselView 703 also has an integrated echosounder and true dual-channel CHIRP, making it an essential fishing companion. It also can be integrated with all the Simrad accessories for the NSS Evo3 product line, including radar, sonar transducers, fish finder transducers, AIS, VHF, Sonic Hub/ Fusion Link, C-Zone digital switching and more.

A highly expandable system, VesselView 703 has the gateway functionality to allow SmartCraft data to be displayed on NMEA 2000 devices. It supports 16 languages and multiple unit conversions, and also features automatic notification of available software updates through GoFree Wi-Fi, which is integrated into the system. Included in the VesselView 703 kit is Mercury’s VesselView Link, which is required to fully integrate the propulsion system and make the display truly multi-functional. n

‘‘

The hybrid touchscreen and button interface allows users to choose the display interaction they prefer to use depending on sea state and weather conditions.

WORLD PREDATOR CLASSIC 2017

PRIZE TABLE

World Predator Classic 2017: PRIZE TABLE

Boat Event Overall Champions n World Predator Classic 2017 Champions title & 2 trophies and World Predator Classic 2017 Champions shirts n A presentation cheque for 50,000 Euro to be redeemed against the prize boat pkg provided* n Tracker Pro Guide V-175 SC boat with a Mercury PRO XS115 HP* n Pega Tracker Multiliner Trailer n Lowrance 2 x HDS Gen 3 9” n Wiley X glasses and a year sponsorship agreement n Plano products n Ram Mounts and voucher n Quantum Products n Navionics charts n Other sponsors’ products n A featured review: Your year as Champions in the 2018 Official event magazine

2nd Place Overall n 2 trophies n Motorguide Xi5: featuring Variable Ratio Steering n Lowrance 2 x Elite ti -7” n Wiley X glasses n Plano products n Navionics charts n Ram Mounts and voucher n Other sponsors’ products

3rd Place Overall n 2 trophies n Motorguide Xi5 featuring Variable Ratio Steering n Lowrance 2 x Hook 4” n Wiley X glasses n Plano products n Ram Mounts and voucher n Navionics charts n Other sponsors’ products

Team Event 1st Place Overall 4th Place Overall

n 2 trophies n Wiley X glasses n Plano products n Ram Mounts and voucher n Other sponsors’ products

n 4 trophies & WPC Team Champion title n Wiley X glasses n Other sponsors’ products

2nd Place Overall n 4 trophies n Wiley X glasses n Other sponsors’ products

5th Place Overall

3rd Place Overall

n 2 trophies n Wiley X glasses n Plano products n Ram Mounts and voucher n Other sponsors products

n 4 trophies n Wiley X glasses n Other sponsors’ products

6th to 10th Place

For Longest Pike, Zander & Perch n Trophy per angler Per category n Sponsors’ products

n Trophies and sponsors’ products

*(terms and conditions apply)

Biggest Catch

World Predator Classic 2017: PRIZE TABLE

Top prizes for top anglers!

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.

Our top prize up for grabs is the amazing Tracker® Pro Guide™ V-175 SC boat kitted out with the high-performace Mercury 115hp Pros XS Four Stroke engine*!

The TRACKER® Pro Guide™ V-175 SC is a big boat for big water and big fish—and with an outboard capacity of 115 HP, it can get you into the fish and out of the weather in a hurry.

The side-console design leaves plenty of room in the deep cockpit for 360° fishing, and there’s lots of storage for rods and gear.

The Deep V hull has a deep 20° deadrise and a welded-in longitudinal stringer system that unitizes the transom and hull—all this means a smooth and solid ride, designed to keep you and your crew dry and to endure years of pounding choppy water. And it’s backed by the TRACKER Promise—the best factory warranty in aluminum boats.

Combine that with the incredible power, and mind-blowing performance of the Mercury 115hp Pros XS Four Stroke engine and you have a true fishing machine! n Backed by the TRACKER® Promise—the

best factory warranty in aluminum boats

n Side-console design with protective

windshield & waterproof switches/gauges

Street Fishing Event

n 3 folding, movable fishing seats with 6

n 1 Trophy plus World Predator Classic Champions title and Champions Shirt n Lowrance Equipment n Plano products n Wiley X glasses n Other sponsors’ prizes n A featured review: Your year as Champions in the 2018 Official event magazine

n Exclusive VERSATRACK® accessory

seat pedestal bases

n 20° deadrise, all-welded Deep V hull for a

1st Place Overall

2nd & 3rd Place

n 1 Trophy plus.. Plano products Wiley X glasses n Other sponsors’ prizes

4th to 10th Place

n 1 Trophy plus.. other sponsors’ products

Team Event 1st Place Overall n 2 Trophies plus World Predator Classic Team Champions title n Sponsors’ products

2nd & 3rd Place n 2 Trophies and sponsors’ products

drier ride & smooth handling in big water mounting channel in gunnel

n Welded-in longitudinal stringer system &

transom for a unitized hull

n Diamond Coat™ finish for ultimate

durability & long-lasting good looks

Kayak Event 1st Place Overall n 1 Trophy plus Title of WPC kayak champion and Champions shirt n Lowrance equipment n Wiley X glasses n Plano products n A Place in the Hobie Worlds n A featured review: Your year in the Official WPC 2018 Event Magazine

2nd Place Overall n Trophy

Sportsmanship Award.. n 1 Trophy n Sponsor prizes

n Plano products n Wiley X glasses n Other sponsors’ products

3rd Place Overall n Trophy n Plano products n Wiley X glasses n Other sponsors. products

4th & 5 Place Overall n Trophy n Plano products n Other sponsors’ products

Team Event 1st Place Overall n 2 Trophies plus World Predator Classic Team Champions title n Sponsors’ products

2nd & 3rd Place

n Easy-clean vinyl cockpit floor & carpeted

fore & aft decks

n Bow 19 gal. & aft 29 gal. aerated livewells

w/removable bait buckets

n Flotation meets or exceeds NMMA & U.S.

Coast Guard requirements

And there’s more ... the boat is kitted out with the very latest in marine technology from Lowrance. This equipment will really help you to understand the waters that you are fishing.

It doesn’t stop there!

Also Included is an incredible Pega Tracker Multiliner Trailer, giving you safe and secure transport of this amazing boat. With over 60 years of experience you can guarantee this trailer will be easy to use, and with an extremely high-quality finish to help you transport your fishing-machine straight to the water.

n 2 Trophies and sponsors’ products

25

DAM!

HE’S GOOD As a long time lure fisherman who has spent much of his fishing life looking to the USA, it’s not often that I get the chance to talk to a real life American fishing legend. So, when I got the chance to meet with Kevin Van Dam, I grabbed the opportunity to join him on his long drive to yet another competition.

F

or lure and predator anglers who have been living in a cave for the past 20 years, Kevin (KVD) is, quite simply, the most successful Bass elite angler ever, earning more than $5 million throughout his career. Up until February 2012 he had won four Bassmaster Classic titles in 2001, 2005, 2010 and 2011 and seven Toyota Tundra Angler of Year titles in 1992, ‘96, ‘99, ‘08, ’09, ‘10 and ’11.

The Bassmaster Classic is where the best of the best compete and Kevin has competed in 24 consecutive Classics since 1992 when he became a full-time professional angler, the longest run of qualification successes by any angler. In Bassmaster events, Kevin has been in the top 10 over 100 times, with 13 second places and 20 wins.

Kevin, 46, who grew up in Michigan fishing for a variety of species including muskies, pike, salmon, trout and walleyes says: “You can learn a lot about different species in the diverse variety of lakes and rivers we have in Michigan, but bass is my first love.”

I kicked off the conversation with a question about the tackle trade.

WPC: “I’ve been in the tackle trade around 25 years or thereabouts, and I’ve done a lot of product development, I was wondering what’s changed that’s affected your career? In my view, braided line has been one of the biggest deals in the last 20 years, how do you see that?”

KVD: “Well, there’s a lot of things but, no doubt, all of our equipment has got a tremendous amount better, not just the introduction in braided lines but the quality and diversity of lines out there. Fluorocarbon was another huge step in a forward direction for fishing lines to pretty much now 99% of what we use is fluorocarbon and braid in competition in the USA. Monofilament is now used very little any more.

“Electronics have been another huge area of improvement, I work very closely with Hummingbird, you know, I feel sorry for the fish. Of course, you can find them with the equipment, but it’s a different thing altogether to get them to bite. The 360 and side-imaging being one of the biggest advances that I’ve seen in my fishing career, and also down imaging, and then with the advent of GPS with mapping abilities where you can see the actual bottom contours of the lake. It’s also the accuracy of it,

where you can literally mark a brush top or a stump and that can bring you back right on top of the feature.

“In the past you might have been lucky to get within 20-30 yards away. So the advancement in that area is huge, for us to fish big bodies of water accurately, you just couldn’t do it before.

“Along with that, the rods, reels, lures and boats, outboards and electric trolling motors are all better. I’ve been doing it professionally for 24 years now and you just take it for granted how reliable the stuff is and how much easier it makes doing your job as a tournament pro.

Every year I go to ICAST and I am amazed at the new, innovative gear there is and how the manufacturers keep improving. You just can’t imagine how they can improve stuff, but every year they do.”

WPC: “Looking at the engines that drive your boat and the Mercury aspect of this, getting from point A to point B, how much do you notice the advances in that side of the technology of boat fishing?”

KVD: “In the last 10 years the advances made in the performance is the amazing thing. On a bass boat it’s important to have low end torque and good top end speed. How reliable they are is something I don’t even think about - never having an issue with my engine is vital because every minute is so critical - performance is not just speed its the total package and having that unmatched reliability.

“What is stunning is the fuel economy, the two stoke engines where you have gas and oil to think about and the four strokes in the same advancements there too. Unmatched reliability and fuel efficiency and they just get better every year, it’s kind of mind boggling.

“Where I live in Michigan, my brother has a large dealership, and I’ve been involved in the marine sales side for more than 25 years. I’ve been to tech school at Mercury and to the plant many times. What is amazing, is seeing how they are striving to improve things in all aspects, all the time. What they have accomplished, and continue to do in that time is incredible.

WPC: “Looking at the other aspect of what we’re doing from a competition point of view, what do you think the American scene will make of what we’re doing over here?”

KVD: “Tournaments are definitely very mainstream over here and bass tournaments are definitely at the forefront of that, but there is competitive fishing at all levels and all regions of the country. There are a lot of different salt water circuits, redfish, kingfish, offshore fishing

THE BIG INTERVIEW: ELITE BASS ANGLER KEVIN VAN DAM

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM 27

DAM!

HE’S GOOD! circuits, redfish, kingfish, offshore fishing for marlin and sailfish, and there’s also walleye, crappie and catfish. Competitive fishing has really grown from pretty much one or two species and regions to a national thing where there is space now for many species and levels of anglers, from big boat offshore saltwater anglers to bank fishermen, there’s something for everybody.

“I don’t think anybody’s going to be surprised or amazed because it seems like a natural progression of the growth in fishing to us over here in the USA.”

WPC: “So, do you see competition fishing assisting the industry?”

KVD: “Absolutely, without any doubt, competition fishing is what drives innovation in all products from boats, engines, lures, lines, rods, reels and in all aspects. Competitive fishing is the heart and soul of innovation.

That’s the motivation to come up with better equipment, better ideas, better tools, better ways, better patterns, better thinking to catch fish and gain a competitive advantage. I’ve been a part of that my whole career and there’s no question that that is what drives the industry.”

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

WPC: “Looking at what we’re doing with the fishing academy, the children, the school and the environmental aspects of the World Predator Classic, how important do you think it is that we’re trying to get the next generation of anglers to come through?”

28

KVD: “It’s very important, it’s a big deal because compared to other sports, we’re talking about a very precious natural resource in our lakes, rivers, streams and oceans. A very valuable resource and its something that is renewable if we do a good job of taking care of it. It can be improved, a lot, and that is something that is extremely encouraging here in the US. Fishing and fish populations and opportunities have never been better. People talk about the ‘good old days’ and how it used to be 20, 30, 40, 50 years ago, well, the ‘good old days’ are right now. The lakes, rivers and streams are managed better now than they ever have been. We’re a lot smarter from an environmental standpoint, on all aspects, from pollution to bag limits, creel lengths, regulations and seasons, so we’re sustaining these resources and it has never been better in the States than it is right now. It continues to get better because people understand our impact on these fisheries and do a lot of things to enhance them.

The opportunities have never been better than they are right now.

“What I see is that when you have success in managing a certain lake, river, stream or fishery, or any environmental aspect in one area, people in other regions take note of it. They learn from the positive things, but also they learn from any mistakes or things that come up in order to prevent them from happening in the future. We’re doing a much better job of that whole process right now.”

WPC: “One of the things that we are going to be developing over the next few years is a European and Rest of the World team to take on the might of the USA. The winners of the World Predator Classic, and different categories of that, will form the team over the next two years. Then, we’ll have a selection

‘‘

People talk of the ‘good old days’ and how it used to be 20, 30, 40, 50 years ago .. well the ‘good old days’ are right now

process and structure where we identify the USA team to fly across from the States to the initial event in Europe. Then, every two years, the next one in the States so they’ll be alternating between the two continents.

“We’ll have the two captains in their control centres, watching exactly where the boats are all the time and then there’ll be different formats every day, a bit like the Ryder Cup in golf, where the captains decide who will fish against whom. How do you think that will go down when we introduce that… what sort of feedback do you feel there will be from the American team?”

KVD: “I think it will be pretty well received.

There’s a lot of competitive fishing in the States that are team type events, then there’s a lot of individual ones. To me, it makes sense to have that format. One of the most important things is to have that live leaderboard. Here in

THE BIG INTERVIEW: ELITE BASS ANGLER KEVIN VAN DAM

the USA, Major League Fishing, where 24 of the best competitive anglers compete against each other, head to head with live scoring and information, judges and officials have GPS tracking on all the boats. The leaderboards are updated all the time and it’s very intense.

I’ve actually been to a Ryder Cup tournament before and it has that same feeling, every hole is critical and every match-up is really important. It’s so different from a regular golf tournament because of that team format and the scores shifting constantly from day to day. That’s what makes it intense for the competitors and that’s what draws the fans to the event. I think it’s going to be a very big deal, no doubt.

WPC: “The WPC is a multi-species event and I was wondering if there is anything like that in the USA, because I know you’re quite specialised in what you go after. We have bass

in southern Europe, and although that’s not something that is part of our first few events it possibly will be once we move the event around Europe. Would that add a bit of spice to it in that you have to catch say northerns, our version of walleye and our version of perch?”

KVD: “There have been certain events that have been multi-species like that, pike and walleye are quite a bit different, it adds a different element to it. It really doesn’t matter how you set the competition up, it’s the same for all the competitors. The challenge in fishing, over other sports, is that there is definitely a ‘home field’ advantage for the people from the area that know the body of water. That being said, many of the top anglers that I know in the States in the walleye and ice fishing world are that good, it won’t take them long to figure it out. You’re going to have your

‘‘

I’ve actually been to a Ryder Cup tournament before and it has that same feeling, every hole is critical and every match-up is really important

Well I’ll be ...

10 Things You May Not Know About Bass Fishing Pro Kevin VanDam Having just become the fifth pro to win multiple Classic crowns, KVD joins Roland Martin as one of just two anglers to win three consecutive BASS tournaments.

A 22-year-old VanDam burst onto the BASS 1 scene with an impact matched only previously

by Martin. Working in his dad’s construction business and his brother’s sporting goods store, VanDam saved $23,000. “I knew I could fish for a year with that,” VanDam recalled. “Pay my entry fees and expenses and not have to sleep in my truck.”

Finishing third in his first professional tournament in 1990, VanDam won a boat valued at $20,000.

From there, he went on to finish in the money in the next 22 BASS tournaments he entered.

few years after VanDam’s debut, four-time 2 AClassic champion Rick Clunn said: “I think he’s the ultimate student of the sport. He’s had a total commitment from a very early age. I think that’s his strongest point. He’s intelligent. He’s confident.

3

VanDam is one of just four anglers to win three or more Bassmaster Angler of the Year titles (joining Martin, Mark Davis of Arkansas and Tennessee’s Bill Dance).

has a taste for the culinary arts. “I 4 VanDam absolutely love to cook,” he said. “In my family I’m known as the grill master. I love to grill.”

is another passion in his life that rivals 5 There bass fishing. “Most people probably know

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

that I love to deer hunt. But I am a very serious trophy deer hunter to the point where it drives my wife crazy.”

tournament mornings, VanDam sets the 6 On tone for his mindset by listening to heavy

metal and hard rock music, including Metallica, Kid Rock, Limp Bizkit, POD and AC/DC. “That’s one of the things that gets me hyped up and prepared.

I’m pretty high strung in the mornings.”

VanDam lacks business skills. “People don’t 7 4.know what a bad business person I would be without my wife. Sherry does so many things to make me look good, from my clothes to the way I deal with the media and preparing all of my business materials and handling sponsors. This allows me to concentrate on fishing.”

best trait: “Probably that I don’t get too 8 His wound up about anything. I learned a long

time ago to not make knee-jerk reactions to anything. Like bad situations, when you lose a fish.

I wasn’t always that way. But that is something that has come to me with age - to really sit back and think and listen before I make a comment or make a decision.”

worst trait: “All my friends and all of the 9 His other anglers will tell you that everything I do

or have is the best. I’m very confident in that. I can cook better. My tackle is better. My line is better.

My lures are better. Everything that I’ve got or the way that I do it is the only way”

should never expect VanDam to 10 You master a time-consuming technique like

drop-shotting. That is just not his style. “He can out-cast the rest of us,” Davis said. “What I mean by that is, he will make enough casts to productive water, 20 figure out what the fish are doing, and he will just out-cast you. It’s a casting contest as far as Kevin’s concerned.”

hands full, I can tell you that. It’s going to make it fun.”

WPC: “The competition is set up with the three best zander, three best perch and the best pike each day that count. With anglers fishing different zones on different days.

Every day there will be all the information available to everyone about where fish have been caught. We are looking to make it engaging for everyone, from the point of view of the audience, fans and the competitors point of view.”

KVD: “Well, you’re going to create a bit of drama out on the water there, by doing that, giving away anglers locations, they’re very secretive, with the anglers butting heads. It might be good for the fans, but they won’t like that at all!”

WPC: “The anglers will always be 100 metres from each other, so we won’t need to worry too much about that. When a fish is caught it’s measured, photographed and returned.

That photograph automatically updates the leaderboard and goes to Facebook and Twitter. It also provides the exact location of where it’s caught.”

KVD: “Wow, are you planning on having an official on every boat?”

WPC: “No, we have marshal boats in every zone out on the water and when we see via the

If you have a big lead you maybe a little bit more conservative in your risk and reward strategy.

There’s so much more to it, the time of year, where you’re fishing, there are so many variables.

‘‘

THE BIG INTERVIEW: ELITE BASS ANGLER KEVIN VAN DAM

GPS that boats are getting within 100 metres, we can send a warning and move them apart.”

your way there, no doubt. I think that there’ll be a lot of interest in that.”

KVD: “OK, yes that’s good and will save any butting heads. In the bass world we go by weight, and in the Major League Fishing - just google MLF, that’s a series once again sponsored by Nitro Boats and of course Mercury, so we have many of the same support people. In that series, we have an official who weighs the fish and a cameraman in every boat.”

WPC: “So, when you are fishing a massive event and you know you’re doing well, up in the rankings or in the lead, what is the thought process going into the last hour of the event?”

WPC: “Doesn’t that make the boat crowded?”

KVD: “Well a little bit, but there’s only one angler in each boat, it’s not a team event, it’s interesting. It may pay you to have a look at that to see how we are doing things.”

WPC: “Yes, we’ll certainly do that, for the future. Some days, boats will go out with a single angler, some days as a pair, team events and matchplay just like the Ryder Cup. There are lots of possibilities. You won’t be able to buy your way into the team.

There will have to be ways of qualifying for the pride and honour of representing the Stars and Stripes. That’s all something to talk about to officials and administrators of the USA fishing world.”

KVD: “Yes, there’ll have to be a set of criteria that needs putting together, you have to earn

KVD: “Well, when you have a leaderboard like that, you really know what you have to do.

Say somebody catches a really big fish and jumps you, then you know you have to fish more offensively. If you have a big lead you maybe a little bit more conservative in your risk and reward strategy. There’s so much more to it, the time of year, where you’re fishing, there are so many variables. But, the main thing is, it’s always better to be at the top of the leaderboard and not the other way around.”

WPC: “Well, from my point of view, as somebody in the trade, that’s the best news I’ve heard in a long time. Very often we have a bit of an issue getting the USA products into Europe because we don’t understand them too much. I think a product like the WPC and you guys looking at it and deciding on coming to fish it will do the USA tackle trade a lot of good in Europe.”

KVD: “The biggest challenge for US competitive anglers is it’s a big time commitment to make the trip and also

financially it’s a big commitment. Our tournament schedules here make it very hard to do that. It’s very hard for me to have a 10 day window.”

WPC: “That’s a very good point, when would be the best time to organise that for the USA team?”

KVD: “That would probably be in the fall, October, for most of the bass and walleye fishermen, early spring and the summer months are all booked up. It’s a little slower mid-September to October.”

WPC: “Well that would be absolutely perfect to look at that, especially for southern Europe and the fishing is good then too.”

“So Kevin, we’ve taken up plenty of your time, do you have any message for the anglers fishing the WPC?” KVD:“Of course, we want everybody to do well. We’ll definitely be watching over here in the States to see how it plays out. We’re very competitive over here and we’ll be coming to your backyard, and very soon!” n

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

CHRISTIAN BIERETH ON BASS BOAT GERMANY

32

BASS

More than a boat de

From the moment Christian Biereth caught sight of his first Nitro Bass boat, he had fallen for it ... hook, line and sinker.

Realising that it was hard to get hold of these fishing boats in Europe, he set off on a mission and so, Bass Boat Germany was born

T

he passion for boating came early for Christian Biereth, to-day’s owner of Bass Boat Germany.

Indeed, Christian was an avid fisherman since he was six years old and he first came in touch with “real” fishing boats about ten years ago when he had the chance to go fishing with his friend from Italy who owned a Nitro bass boat.

Christian was picked up by his friend from the boat ramp and had fallen in love with the fishing boat at first sight.

BOAT GERMANY

ealership After “flying� to the first spot at something like 100km/h, Christian could not stop smiling for the rest of the fishing trip. He was won over after a few minutes fishing and experiencing the enormous stability and fish-ability the boat offered.

In his imagination Christian had already signed a sales contract, and, at the same time, he began to soak up all the information about boats and boating he could find. He quickly realized that it was not easy to find these fishing boats in Europe at that time and that the regulations to

CHRISTIAN BIERETH ON BASS BOAT GERMANY

BASS BOAT GERMANY

import a boat to Europe were very strict.

There was a lot to learn about what needed to be done if a boat had to be imported from USA to Europe and it could be a complicated and expensive exercise..

After getting in direct touch with Tracker Marine Group, the owner of boat brands like Tracker, Nitro, Mako, Sun Tracker and Tahoe (meanwhile also Ranger, Stratos and Triton), and discussing the possibilities of starting a boat dealership.

Christian was not taken seriously at first by the boat industry, but he managed to get all the needed information from European authorities, as well as a great back-up from Mercury Marine EMEA, and a local dealership in Mannheim, which was willing to help unload containers, rig the boats and mount and run the engines.

These strong partnerships set the basis to start importing the first container of Nitro and Tracker boats. Since that time, Christian, working together with his father, managed to maintain and expand his knowledge and today Bass Boat Germany offers a big selection of boats, each specific to a customer’s needs.

Some things changed, while many stay the same.

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

Bigger is better

34

Speaking about his company today, Christian tells how it has twice moved to new facilities in order to obtain more room to show, rig and service boats. In our facility in Altlussheim, we can do everything in one place.

“We are able to unload containers, mount engines, fit the boats to their trailers – and, in fact, install everything a customer might want. At the same time, with the latest technology, we can let customers experience some of our boats live and in colour, as well as demonstrate the latest technology of fish-finders, trolling motors and such like in our showroom.

“We offer the best-selling fishing boats in the world and we know we can find the right boat for you!

“From what you could call the arsenal of the largest boat-builder in the world, we can supply fishing boats for almost any kind of fishing. Nitro, Tracker, Ranger, Stratos, Triton & Mako are the leading US brands: if you tell us your need and your style of fishing, we will find the right boat for you!”

Always up to date Technology, of course, changes every day and it affects our boating industry, too.

That is why our staff is always up-to-date with the latest technology of the leading brands – such as Lowrance, Humminbird, Raymarine, Motorguide, Minn Kota, Power Pole, Hydrowave and so on. There is almost no boating wish that Bass Boat Germany can’t make come true.

Experts for lithium batteries One of the latest trends in the fishing- boat industry is the use of lithium batteries.

These deliver a lot of power and weigh a good deal less than regular AGM or GEL batteries.

Mercury trained and certified In order to supply the best and most reliable service, we have two trained service technicians for Mercury engines at Bass Boat Germany. They can guarantee the best performance of a Mercury engine on your boat, as well as ensure a secure ride.

We speak the “fishing slang” One important factor of our success is that we are fishermen and that we speak the same language as our customers.

From the input you give us, we can select the best fitting product– no matter if it is the right boat, the right engine or the right technology.

The total package – within your budget!

If you buy a boat from us, you can be sure that you will get a complete package of boat, trailer, trolling motor and electronics.

It’s ready to use and, if you want, we can also put the registration number on your boat so that you can go fishing just a few minutes after picking up your boat from our facility at Altlußheim, in South-West Germany, or after we have delivered your new boat to your door.

The result ..

Happy customers! Some of our customers drive 600 km and more in order to get their boat serviced by our team, or to get some upgrades on their rides. I think that is the best feedback one can get. Don’t follow – LEAD! Come and try us!

n Bass Boat Germany are now looking for new dealers in North and East Germany and other European countries – Bass Boat Germany is more than just a boat dealership!

‘‘

Some of our customers drive 600 km and more in order to get their boat serviced by our team, or to get some upgrades on their rides. I think that is the best feedback one can get.

MAN WITH A VISION: BASS PRO SHOP’S JOHNNY MORRIS

JOHNNY MORRIS

Business Visionary and Conservation Leade

Morris minor ... Johnny with his father and mentor John A. Morris

J

ohnny (John L) Morris, founder and CEO of Bass Pro Shops, got his start in 1972 by selling fishing tackle out of the back of his father’s store. Since then, Johnny has earned a reputation as one of the most visionary and influential retailers of the last 50 years.

Today he is known as a retail and travel destination pioneer.

From the beginning, Johnny’s values were strongly shaped by his parents. Both were born in 1911 to very humble beginnings in the heart of the Ozarks in Willard, Missouri.

His mother Genny was one of ten children growing up in a two-bedroom house. His father John A. Morris grew up poor and was raised primarily by his Great Aunt. A decorated World War II veteran, he proudly served his country and participated in the Battle of the Bulge.

Afterward he returned home to Missouri and became a successful merchant in the Springfield area.

Johnny’s Parent’s both loved to hunt and fish and soon shared their passions with their son.

These childhood outdoors experiences with family helped define his lifelong passion for

nature. From an early age, Johnny understood how fishing and hunting fostered a special respect and appreciation for nature and wildlife.

Johnny fell in love with the emerging sport of bass fishing and spent five years on the professional circuit. After noticing growing interest in the sport, Johnny started Bass Pro Shops with eight square feet of space in the back of his father’s liquor store in Springfield, Mo., the company’s sole location for the first 13 years of business. Johnny’s passion for the outdoors and his feel for the products and shopping experiences desired by outdoor enthusiasts helped transform the industry.

‘‘

He fell in love with the emerging sport of bass fishing and spent five years on the professional circuit

Picture: Jonathan Kozowyk for Forbes

er..

Sometimes referred to as “the Walt Disney of the Outdoors,” Johnny pioneered the concept of destination retail and created an outdoor gear enterprise that is one of the most beloved and well-recognized brands in North America.

Today Bass Pro Shops has more than 100 retail stores and marine centers across North America and 20,000 associates who welcome more than 120 million visitors annually.

Bass Pro Shops locations are more than just stores – they are true destination experiences that draw tourists and visitors from across the county. Today Bass Pro Shops stores are the number one tourist destinations in three states –including its flagship “grandaddy” store in Springfield, Missouri that welcomes more than four million visitors annually – and in the top five tourist destinations in nine states.

In addition to giant aquariums teeming with live fish and extensive wildlife mounts and dioramas, many

locations feature unique restaurants and entertainment features. Another Morris creation is Uncle Buck’s Fishbowl and Grill, a nautical-themed underwater restaurant and bar with a saltwater aquarium and ocean-themed bowling adventure. Casual family dining is available and a sunken ship-themed bar area offers visitors the experience of feeling like they are underwater exploring the skeletal remains of a ship.

Bass Pro Shops at the Pyramid, one of the most dynamic, immersive

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

Retail: Bass Pro Shops ..

37

MAN WITH A VISION: BASS PRO SHOP’S JOHNNY MORRIS

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

retail experiences in the world, opened in downtown Memphis in Spring 2015. Located inside a massive transformed sports arena along the banks of the Mississippi River, Morris and his team transformed the facility into a national “must-see” experience for families and outdoor enthusiasts. In addition to a vast assortment of outdoor gear, the Pyramid includes a wilderness-themed hotel called Big Cypress Lodge, nearly 600,000 gallons of water features, a cypress swamp with 100-foot-tall trees, the interactive Ducks Unlimited National Waterfowling Heritage Center, and The Lookout, a glass-floored cantilevering observation deck at the top of the 32-story steel Pyramid.

The Pyramid’s opening has generated significant national and international attention including media coverage generating more than one billion media impressions worldwide. More than three million visitors experienced the Pyramid in its first year of operation.

38

Big Cedar Lodge, America’s Premier Wilderness Resort ..

Almost 30 years ago Morris began development on what is now Big Cedar Lodge. Today the nature-based resort hosts more than one million guests annually.

Nestled in its own wooded hollow on more than 4,600 acres, Big Cedar Lodge rests on the shores the sparkling 50,000-acre Table Rock Lake and features a collection of lodges, cottages and cabins rooted in rustic elegance that come with all the modern comforts. The resort also offers four restaurants, a worldclass spa, five swimming pools, more than 20,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, and dynamic land and water adventures ranging from bass fishing, water skiing and lake cruises to campfire wagon tours and horseback riding.

Today the resort is rapidly emerging as a premier golf destination with a number of nature-based courses designed by renowned architects including Tom Fazio, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and coming soon, Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw.

Cedar Lodge has received numerous awards including “Number One Resort in the Midwest” by Travel & Leisure, July 2016; World’s Best Awards: No.25 Best U.S. Hotel for Families, Travel & Leisure, 2013; Readers’ Choice Awards: No.2 Top Resort in the Midwest, Conde Nast Traveler, 2013 and one of the top 10 Resorts in the Country, Southern Living, 2011.

Tracker Boats and White River Marine Group In 1978, Johnny Morris revolutionized the marine industry when he introduced Bass Tracker, the world’s first “fish ready” professionally rigged and nationally marketed boat, motor and trailer package.

For the first time, fishermen could buy quality fishing boats “factory direct” at tremendous savings, allowing thousands of families to access the water for the first time.

The development allowed Tracker to compete aggressively against larger, more established brands. n For nearly 40 years running, Tracker has remained the number one selling fishing boat brand in America. In 2010, Tracker Marine Group surpassed Brunswick to become the leading boat manufacturer in the world. n In 2015, the company acquired Fishing Holdings, LLC, a leading manufacturer of premier fishing boat brands, including Ranger, Stratos and Triton along with an industry-leading dealer network and formed White River Marine Group. n The company’s Ascend kayaks are now the numberone selling brand in the world.

A Bright Future: Uniting with Cabela’s ..

In October 2016 Johnny unveiled ambitious plans for the next exciting chapter in Bass Pro Shops history – uniting with Cabela’s and bringing together two iconic American outdoor companies with similar humble origins and a shared goal to better serve those who love the outdoors.

Founded in 1961 by Dick, Mary and Jim Cabela, Cabela’s is a highly respected marketer of hunting, fishing, camping, shooting sports and related outdoor merchandise. Today, Cabela’s has over 19,000 “outfitters” operating 85 specialty retail stores, primarily in the western U.S. and Canada. Cabela’s stores, catalog business and e-commerce operations will blend seamlessly with Bass Pro Shops and White River Marine Group. Over the past 55 years Cabela’s has built a passionate and loyal base of millions of enthusiasts who shop both at its retail stores and online.

“The story of each of these companies could only have happened in America, made possible by the uniquely American free enterprise system. It also represents a significant opportunity to create a lasting impact on conservation for generations to come,” stated Morris.

Johnny continued, “Conservation is at the heart and soul of Bass Pro Shops. Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s share a steadfast belief that the future of our industry, and the outdoor sports we love, depends - more than anything else - on how we manage our natural resources. By combining our efforts, we can have a profound positive impact on the conservation challenges of our day and help foster the next generation of outdoor enthusiasts.”

Where it all began..

A young Johnny with his father John, mother Genny and uncle Charles fishing in the Ozarks at the ‘Pot Hole’ below the Power Site Dam on the famous white river (above).

One of the early adverts for the Bass Tracker (left).

MAN WITH A VISION: BASS PRO SHOP’S JOHNNY MORRIS Going pro ... Legendary pro anglers Bill Dance, Johnny Morris and team at the original Bass Pro shop’s grand opening.

Select Business Awards and Recognitions John’s visionary spirit and entrepreneurial success has been recognized by a number of organizations. n 1996 Missourian Award.

This Hall of Fame award recognizes individuals who have been an outstanding contributor to the economic and business life and/or the arts and sciences of the state of Missouri and its communities. n 1998 Inducted into the National Sporting Goods Association Sporting Goods Industry Hall of Fame n 2008 Named National Retail Federation’s Retail Innovator of the Year.

2013 ... Johnny Morris is presented with the prestigious BlueGreen Award for Conservation Leadership in Florida.

Modern day Teddy Roosevelt In conservation circles, Johnny Morris is often referred to as a modern-day Teddy Roosevelt for his leadership, personal commitment and dedication to conservation efforts.

Johnny recognized the need for citizens to take a strong position in the careful management and use of our natural resources. He has contributed heavily both in time and resources to many significant conservation organizations and initiatives.

Today he is one of the country’s leaders

working to ensure natural habitats, wildlife and the outdoors remain healthy and abundant for future generations to protect and enjoy More than 40 years after Johnny began helping people connect with nature through a tiny bait shop, Johnny and his companies continue to make a significant impact in communities and the future of conservation with a mission to inspire people to enjoy, love and conserve the great outdoors. Some of the many key initiatives include:

n 2014 Induction into the Missouri Tourism Hall of Fame by the Missouri Division of Tourism n 2015 The National Retail Federation Foundation named Johnny Morris as one of “25 People Shaping the Future of Retail.” n 2015 Bass Pro Shops was named one of America’s Best Employers by Forbes magazine for its excellence as an employee-focused company. n 2016 John was inducted into the Springfield Public Schools Hall of Fame for his impact advancing nature-based youth education thanks to partnerships like the Wonders of the Ozarks Learning Facility (WOLF) School. n 2016 The local business community in partnership with Ozarks Technical Community College (OTC) recognized Johnny as its 2016 “Excellence in Business” recipient.

MAN WITH A VISION: BASS PRO SHOP’S JOHNNY MORRIS

The kids are alright.. Teach a Child to Fish is an innovative, nonprofit organization that teaches and mentors youth through fishing programs (above).

Johnny with golf legend Tiger Woods (right).

n Conserving wildlife and habitat

By partnering with leading conservation organizations including Ducks Unlimited, National Wild Turkey Federation, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and more, Bass Pro Shops has helped restore millions of acres of wildlife habitat across North America.

n Connecting kids to nature

100,000 kids caught a fish at Bass Pro Shopssponsored events last year helping to foster the next generation of outdoor stewards.

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

n Inspiring new audiences

40

Bass Pro Shops is an industry leader in attracting diverse audiences to outdoor activities. Extensive outreach programs are designed to engage multicultural and urban audiences through youth mentoring experiences like Teach a Child to Fish, an innovative nonprofit organization founded by former NFL player Kendall Newson that teaches and mentors youth through fishing programs, as well as Kids Across America, empowering urban youth and their mentors through camping and education.

n Protecting sportsmen’s rights

Working with nonprofit partners, public agencies and private coalitions, Bass Pro helps expand outdoor recreation access, protect our outdoor heritage and second amendment rights and advance polices that will create a bright future for wildlife and everyone who enjoys it.

n Disaster relief efforts

Bass Pro Shops provides support directly to the front lines of disaster areas where it has the most impact in partnership with Convoy of Hope and the American Red Cross. By offering useful products, financial assistance and a caring hand, Bass Pro Shops helps people across the country get back on their feet.

n Supporting our community

Bass Pro Shops strives to give back to the communities it serves with more than 200,000 products donated to local youth-focused nonprofit organizations like the Boys & Girls Club and Boy Scouts of America in the past five years.

‘‘

Conservation is at the heart and soul of Bass Pro Shops ... a steadfast belief that the future of our industry, and the outdoor sports we love, depends on how we manage our natural resources.

World class conse

MAN WITH A VISION: BASS PRO SHOP’S JOHNNY MORRIS

Military and veteran support Bass Pro Shops has a strong affinity for the armed forces and their families, a value that starts with visionary founder Johnny Morris.

Four years ago Johnny was awarded the prestigious Order of Saint Maurice by the National Infantry Association in support of his outstanding contributions to the Army Infantry. His lifelong respect and gratitude to servicemen was strongly shaped by his father, a decorated World War II veteran who proudly served his country in the Battle of the Bulge.

These values continue to shape Bass Pro Shops today. A few key initiatives include:

ervation and wildlife attractions Dogwood Canyon Nature Park ..

Dogwood Canyon Nature Park is a 10,000acre nature lover’s paradise. Developed by Johnny over a 30-year period, the nonprofit park is open to the public. Dogwood Canyon offers guests the opportunity to truly experience the unspoiled beauty of Mother Nature.

The pristine natural environment provides an ideal setting for an array of activities and wildlife sightings including tram tours through restored native grass pastures with elk, bison and white-tailed deer, horseback riding through limestone canyons and guided fishing in pristine streams. The park also features an historical salvaged grain mill

and a nature and conservation center with interactive classrooms that inspire learning with hands-on plant and animal demonstrations. This center connects to a playful two-story treehouse that inspires all guests who enter the preserve.

Top of the Rock Ozarks Heritage Preserve and Native American Museum ..

Featuring one of the most significant collections of Native American artifacts ever assembled, Top of the Rock is a nature-based heritage preserve and majestic cliff top extension of the awardwinning resort experience at Big Cedar Lodge. Remarkable restaurants and social spaces with jaw-dropping views

n Donating $1.5 million to establish a series of memorials honoring heroes at the College of the Ozarks campus in nearby Hollister, Missouri including a Vietnam War Memorial in 2014 and a new Gold Star Families Memorial Monument to be revealed next spring. n Recruiting veterans to join our team, with nearly ten percent of our workforce comprised of veterans from the armed services. n Significantly contributing to AmVets and USO through our oldest and most popular customer round-up programs during the busy holiday shopping season. n Hosting events that help recovering veterans connect with nature including Fishing Dreams, special fishing tournaments for disabled veterans. n Offering monthly military discount days in our stores with nearly a million discounted transactions in the past year alone. n Coming soon – Bass Pro is donating $750,000 to benefit the nonprofit George W Bush Presidential Center’s military service initiative focused on helping post9/11 veterans and their families make a successful transition to civilian life and addressing veteran wellness issues. The program includes displaying President Bush’s Portraits of Courage traveling exhibition.

While we can never thank veterans enough for their sacrifices, we proudly honor and celebrate them every day. Johnny Morris and the extended Bass Pro family of 20,000 associates across the country say thank you to our armed forces, veterans and their families for everything you do to protect our freedoms.

MAN WITH A VISION: BASS PRO SHOP’S JOHNNY MORRIS

accompany nature-based attractions including the Lost Canyon Cave Trail, a self-guided electric cart tour through an Ozarks landscape and cave, and the Ancient Ozarks Natural History Museum, celebrating the people, wildlife and history of the Ozarks region. The 462-acre development also offers award-winning golf and enchanting wedding and special event venues with genuine Ozarks hospitality.

Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium ..

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

Soon to be the largest, most immersive fish and wildlife attraction in the world, Johnny Morris’ Wonders of Wildlife National Museum & Aquarium (WOW) has the opportunity like no other attraction before it, to have a positive national impact on wildlife and conservation.

Johnny’s $200 million investment in this not-for-profit facility will establish one of the most valuable and respected conservation and education centers in the world based in the heartland of America. Johnny’s vision and generosity will ultimately contribute significantly to conserving our planet’s most vulnerable wildlife and protecting and preserving our most fragile ecosystems.

The excitement about WOW is contagious throughout the operations, as

42

Meeting of minds.. Ross Honey and Johnny Morris get together at the Big Cedar Lodge

those who have had the opportunity to work on or experience its magic first-hand can attest. In addition, the national buzz from within the zoological museum and conservation communities has been amazing. The attraction will include:

n 1.5-million-gallon aquarium adventure n 35,000 live fish, mammals, reptiles and birds representing 700 species n Immersive Wildlife Museum

bringing visitors eye-to-eye with recordsetting game animals from around the world

n Boone and Crockett’s National Collection of Heads and Horns n International Game Fish Association (IGFA), National Bass Fishing and The National Archery Halls of Fame n The NRA National Sporting Arms Museum

‘‘

From American Indians to a Kilted Angler!

It was with great pleasure that I met Johnny Morris in person for the first time at Big Cedar Lodge in Missouri.

The setting was incredible, with a view from the top of the hill, looking down the valley, to the lake, and the location of the largest collection of Native American Indian artefacts in the world, to some fantastic golf courses and great fishing - all set in the wonderful American outdoors.

The occasion was the Ranger dealer meeting, with dealers from all over the world present.

True to tradition, as the sun sets at Big Cedar Lodge, a silver cannon is fired. As a Scotsman, I am very proud of my ancestry and, in honour of the occasion, I wore my kilt.

After the cannon had been fired I was invited by Johnny Morris to propose the toast, which I proudly did.

After the toast Johnny Morris came to thank me and we discussed a wide range of subjects. It quickly became very clear how passionate and committed he is about respecting nature, protecting the environment, and creating legacies for future generations to enjoy.

These are all sentiments in which I also fully believe and support, both personally and with my company, Angling Spirit.

One amusing thing in particular that came from my meeting with Johnny Morris was being called the Kilted Angler - and that name has stuck!

ROSS HONEY

12.00- 17.00 Competitors Registration: l Boat and kayak (Droogdok/Marina) l Partners & Sponsors invited to set-up stands in sponsors arena Droogdok/Marina

n 19.30 Onwards Welcome reception with catering & entertainment (Citta Romana)

Tuesday, June 20th n 09.00- 12.00 Competitors Registration: l Boat and kayak (Droogdok/Marina) n 14.00- 14.30 Partners & sponsors briefing (Droogdok/Marina)

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

n 15:00 – 15:30 Official Boats participants briefing (Droogdok)

46

n 16.00 – 16:30 Official Kayaks Participants briefing (Droogdok) n 18:20 – 19:00 Boat and Kayak parade (Hellevoetsluis canal) n 19:30 – 19:50 Flag Parade: Limani to Cannons n 19:50 Official Picture By Cannons n 20:00 Official Opening By Cannons

Wednesday, June 21st n 06:30-07:00 Daily Event Kayak Check (Beach area – RHS lighthouse) n 07:00-07:15 Boat Captains’ daily briefing (Droogdok) n 07:00-07:15 Kayaks’ briefing (Beach area – RHS lighthouse) n 06.45-07:45 Daily boat check (Marina Hellevoetsluis) n 07:30 Start of Kayak competition (Beach area – RHS lighthouse) n 07:45 Boats allowed to leave berth (Marina Hellevoetsluis) n 08.15 Start of Boat competition n 15.00 Daily end of Kayak competition and return. (Beach area – RHS lighthouse) n 16:15 Daily end of Boat competition and return at start line

ITINERARY

n

WORLD PREDATOR CLASSIC

Monday, June 19th

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!

Thursday, June 30th n 06:30-07:00 Daily Event Kayak Check (Beach area – RHS lighthouse) n 07:00-07:15 Boat Captains’ daily briefing

n 07:00-07:15 Kayaks’ daily briefing (Beach area – RHS lighthouse) n 06:45-07:45 Daily Event Boats Check n

n n n

n

n

n

07:30 Start of competition for Kayaks (Beach area – RHS lighthouse) 07:45 Boats allowed to leave berth 08:15 Start of Boat competition

09:15 – 12:15 Street fishing registration (Droogdok) 15:00 Daily end of Kayak competition and return (Beach area – RHS lighthouse) 16:15 Daily end of boat competition and return (Droogdok) 19:30 onwards: Street fishing welcome party (Hellevoetsluis Square)

World Predator Classic 2017: EVENT ITINERARY

Friday, July 1st n

n

Competitors Rest day: Boats & Kayaks Sponsors and event partners meet the stars Sponsor & Partners 09:00 Rest Day daily briefing Boat/Kayak/Partners

n 09:15- 11:00 Street fishing final registration (Droogdok) n 14:00 Start of Street fishing session 1 (Hellevoetsluis Square) n 22:00 End of Street fishing session 1 (Hellevoetsluis Square)

n n n n

n 07:30 Start of competition for Kayaks n 07:45 Boats allowed to leave berth n 08:15 Start of Boat competition from designated start line.

Start announced by firing of canons n 10:00 Start of Street fishing session 2 (Hellevoetsluis Square) n 15:00 End of Street fishing session 2 (Hellevoetsluis Square) n 15:00 Daily end of Kayak competition and return (Beach area – RHS lighthouse)

n

n 07:00-07:15 Boat Captains’ daily briefing 06:20-07:20 Daily Event Boats Check n 06:30-07:00 Daily Event Kayak Check

07:00-07:15 Kayaks’ daily briefing (Beach area – RHS lighthouse)

Saturday, July 2nd

16:00 Daily end of boat competition and return 21:00 Giant prize giving for boat, Kayak and street fishing (Droogdok) 22:00 Fireworks & PARTY TIME ... for all at the Droogdok

What was once considered a local French phenomonen, Streetfishing is now a hugely popular culture throughout European cities, and although very competitive it still retains its relaxed, urban attitude

W

hat started in the early 90’s as a small underground trend in France, and only taken up by a small number of fisherman, Streetfishing has now become an increasingly European-wide movement that has built up its own predator fishing scene across quite a number of countries. So you could claim that street fishing is becoming really popular!

And it´s more than just an urban fishing style –it is also combining fishing culture with a certain lifestyles and attitudes of its own.

This young and trendy unconventional art of fishing is no longer a little local phenomenon but has spread across France’s borders and become established in all European metropolises. No matter whether it is Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin or Milano – in all those mega cities young fisherman have begun venturing into urban fishing grounds.

In Germany, you can name Hamburg as a centre for “Streetfishing”, with its vast number of urban waters and channels that hold astonishing stocks of zander and perch – the main targets for most urban anglers. And, so, within just a couple of years, whole communities of fishers have been built up, spending and enjoying their night- and day-time fishing in city centres.

But Streefishing is now on its way to becoming more than just a trend, as can be seen in the growing numbers of local and international tournaments, such as the WPC Tournament, with fishing enthusiasts from all over Europe gathering together to compete.

What is remarkable with those urban fishers is the fact that despite tournament pressure and competition, they maintain easy and friendly relationships among themselves - forming strong cross-border friendships and enjoying their urban fishing life-style. Street fishing comes out as a really uniting force.

URBAN LEGENDS: STREETFISHING BRINGS A NEW COOL TO TOWN

Winning street ... Vitalijs Karpenkovs celebrates at last year’s WPC Streetfishing Awards

Team Kosadaka triumph at WPC Streetfishing 2016

‘‘

When registration for the World Predator Classic 2016 street fishing event opened in January I wasted no time in a bid to get a team together to compete.

Some of my friends and I had been closely following what had happened in the previous year at the WPC 2015 at Helleroetsluis.

By this time we knew that a team from Latvia had taken part in the 2015 event – the participants being Guntis Riekstins and Ugis Gross. I immediately contacted them (they enjoyed the title of Team Lucky John!) and learned that we could register in January. And although I had no inkling who would make up my team I went ahead and registered.

I had almost six months to prepare and find out everything. Time was going fast and I spoke to my friend Janis Skrabāns - who eventually became team manager. Then I started to think about who would like to go to WPC with me. I contacted Guntis and Ugis, who at that point were on the official WPC 2016 bout event list. We talked generally about the event and about the fishing there. Guntis mentioned that Vitaly Karpenkovs would help with practising on event water.

I rang Vitaly. As we talked I felt that he would like to take part. I knew he was very competitive and is several times a national champion in angling from boats, together with Guntis Riekstiņš. A few weeks later Vitaly declared that he was willing and ready to have a go.

And so Team Kosadaka was born thanks to www.sargofish.eu.

Preparation time had come. We travelled to Hellevoetsluis a couple of weeks before the start of the event, to look on the water from the perspective of a boat and from the shore. We found that the fish were responsive to the proposed lures. Vitaly caught some decent - sized zanders and perches.

After studying the WPC rules we had some questions, of course – and, thanks to always smiling and helpful Ross Honey, we sorted everything out. We packed our bags, our fishing gear was prepared for all situations and we were ready to go. We arrived few days before the tournament

start in Hellevoetsluis. We were there to do some training and prepare some tactics for competition.

On tournament day Vitaly and I met our two-man team from Germany - Jan and Michael. Weather conditions weren’t the best, there was strong wind and rain!

But we followed our planned tactics and got good results on the first day. I caught same small perches and one pike on ultra-light gear. Vitaly was little bit unlucky as in the second cast a pike grabbed a lure and bit it off. After that he worked hard to recover and got a bunch of small-size perches and one undersized zander.

Next day, which also was the final day of the tournament, I caught some perches, one undersize asp and one pike.

Vitaly had a very similar catch. In the final hours of the day we tried to go for some zanders. Vitaly had a hard bite, the reel started to scream and zander kept fighting hard. But fish were landing in the net – yessssss! We felt that this zander could be the golden one. We did a few more casts and then it was time to go!

The scorecards were transferred to the judges - and we could finally take a rest.

Fishermen were talking about how good or bad the day had been and we felt that we had some chance.

In the evening all participants came together for the official ceremony and the atmosphere was great. The results in street fishing team category were announced and we waited impatiently for the results. The first result announced was for 3rd place - to Team Lilix Fishing from Germany. Second place went to a local team, Next Level Streetfishing.

And, then finally – “First place goes to Team Kosadaka from Latvia”! We had done it – we were World Predator Classic 2016 Street Fishing champions.

Vitaly was hailed champion in Individual Ratings – and I got 3rd. place.

We would like to say a big thank you for all the support received from sponsors and organizers and, of course, to our families who shared our passion – Thank You! Tight lines and see you at WPC 2017!

Gatis Malmeisters

CULTURE

CLUB

What makes Streetfishing so special?

Streetfishing does not present the normal, common image of a fisherman – of tranquillity, alone, at one with nature. You will seldom find those aspects of angling among street fishers. Instead, those fisherman try to spend their short urban fishing time-frames in the most effective way - they might start fishing even before or just after a working day, even for just a couple of casts, as a way to enjoy their time on the water..

The typical Streetfisher A typical Streetfisher is usually a young and adventurous angler who seeks to incorporate his look and fashion into his hobby, using and enjoying high-end tackle and finesse-fishing methods, originating from Japan.

Mobility is also needed for any Streetfisher.

Instead of spending hours on the same spot an urban fisher may make many short stops at different locations. Getting there and getting away comfortably in urban surroundings is an important factor in order to achieve the success and satisfaction street fishers want.

The preferred means of transport are usually bus, train, bicycle and moped, as using a car wastes too much time in looking for parking spots in the cities.

The choice of tackle to carry is also limited to the minimum. A short rod that’s easy to transport, a small bag containing lures and all the bits and pieces like snaps, disgorger, hooks and leaders, and a landing net – that´s it.

What spots to choose ?

Usually, urban fishermen concentrate on man-made structures - like bridges, little city harbours, ferry ports, industrial areas and incoming channels which provide a den for their target fish.

And, as always, the more complicated it is to get to a spot, the better the chances to make an outstanding catch. Night fishing in the cities has recently proven to be one of the most effective ways to target zander in urban areas.

‘‘

many have developed special ways of keeping their hot spots secret for as long as possible

URBAN LEGENDS: STREETFISHING BRINGS A NEW COOL TO TOWN

What tackle to use ?

Secret hotspots Of course, social media - like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter - has become an important factor in the lives of street fishermen - particularly in the way these present the catches and where these were caught. Having a special piece of graffiti depicted on a wall, or a bridge in the background of a picture, might cause the former lonely fishing spot to be identified - and crowded in the future. So, bearing this in mind, many urban fishermen have developed special ways of presenting their success, keeping their hot spots secret for as long as possible.

Looking at the current situation, however, and realising that more and more tackle companies are introducing special Streetfishing series into their common lineup, we are sure that Streetfishing will become and stay an important part of the future urban fishing industry. n Tobias Hilfer

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

Usually, street fishers are using light 6ft -7ft bait-casting rods, around 1oz weight, with bait-casting reels and around 10Ibs to 15Ibs braided lines – together with a selection of small to medium-sized soft and hard lures.

And that´s it. (Mind you, and especially during night fishing in the summer time, shallow running hard lures have proven to be very effective for zander.)

51

STREETFISHING

PARTICIPANTS Germany

Belgium REF NAME

SPONSOR TEAM

039 Wlodek Tomczuk 040 Marcin Rózycki

Phenix Team Phenix Team

England REF NAME

SPONSOR TEAM

83 Andy Mytton Shimano Team Shimano 100 Andrew Wedgbury

Germany

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

REF NAME

52

003 004 005 006 007 008 009 010 011 012 013 014 015 016 021 022 023 024 025 026 027 08 029 030 031 032 033 034 035 036 037 038 041 042 043 044 045 046 048 049 050 051 052 053 054 055

SPONSOR TEAM

Timo Lauther Sportex Marcel Tahn Sportex Stephan Schober

SchoKo Fishing Thomas Konzcak SchoKo Fishing Viktor Gersch Lake Bandits1 Florian Postmeier Lake Bandits1 Raphael Matschullat Die Blanker Thorsten Langhorst Die Blanker Ralph Mohring Novesia Fishing1 Matthias Mellchior Novesia Fishing1 Olivier Reins Novesia Fishing2 Andreas Reins Novesia Fishing2 Das Animalische Duo Christian Hamster Markus Geier Das Animalische Duo Marcus Murre Andre Philippi Sauerlander Pike Hunters Nadja Salmen Sauerlander Pike Hunters Sascha Waldi Dreamcatcher1 Jonas Tollner Dreamcatcher1 Waldi Kai Dreamcatcher2 Tobias Allgaier Dreamcatcher2 Michael Steenbreker Karlheinz Knebel Dreamcatcher3 Steffen King Dreamcatcher3 Bastian Burdak Zander Bocholt Ralf Schluter Zander Bocholt Lars Albers Grueppen Angelsport Jorg Engbers Grueppen Angelsport Dennis Kellputt Jig’n’Roll Mike Forster Jig’n’Roll Francis Rosik Streetfishing Ruhrpott Dirk Becker Streetfishing Ruhrpott Fabian Graefe The Tackle Fanatics Sebastian Ebert The Tackle Fanatics Stefan Beckmann Predator Hunter’s Germany Andre Jeurink Predator Hunter’s Germany Andreas Buss HD-Fishing Germany Elmedin Muminovic HD-Fishing Germany Bjorn Harich PikeTology Patrick Kiefer PikeTology Pascal Wassenberg Zander Obsession Oliver Michels Zander Obsession Tobias Brenneken BungaBunga Torsten Ruhl BungaBunga Heiko Sander Scaryfish1 Andre Griesberg Scaryfish1

REF NAME

056 057 058 059 062 063 065 066 067 068 069 070 071 072 074 075 078 079 084 085 086 093 094 095 099 101 102 103 107 108 111 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 138 139 150

SPONSOR TEAM

Benny Beutling Scaryfish2 Erik Dieckvoss Scaryfish2 Heiko Kahler Scaryfish3 Nico Kahler Scaryfish3 Philipp Aust RKM700 Robert Nieten RKM700 Max Baumgarten Barsch Elite Barsch Elite Barsch Elite Carsten Strobel Tock-Sick1 Michael Bongers Tock-Sick1 Mark Siefert Hot tock fishing Heiko Tomaszik Hot tock fishing Timo Waschitzki Zebco Catfish-Hunters Andre Krafthofer Zebco Catfish-Hunters Martin Jaworski Pike Police Andre Korak Pike Police Christopher Dommes Goofy Fishin’ Waldemar Lehmann Goofy Fishin’

Andreas Ruf Basstards Eduard Orth Basstards Florian Jorgens Tock-Sick3 Christian Rakowski Tock-Sick3 Vadim Metzger KelOFishing Lilix-fishing Oleksandr Karmelyuk KelOFishing Lilix-fishing Jan Hrdlicka Stickleback Fishing Team Alexander Woitschischin Wanderers1 Eduard Reicherd Wanderers1 Wadim Fur Wanderers2 Max Willburger Topwater Johannes Brunner Topwater Piotr Gorski Florian Cegla Inglourious Bassterds Patrick Kloeckner Inglourious Bassterds Waldemar Scheenko MXFishing Alexander Esch MXFishing Tim Vostner Team Topwater2.0 Lisa Braunlich Team Topwater2.0 Soren Schemaitat AREA45 David Miller AREA45 Ronny Gose Hecht&Barsch3 Mario Sing Hecht&Barsch3 Heister Bon Jaralve Hecht&Barsch2 Kevin Schroer Hecht&Barsch2 Toni Wehn hechtundbarsch.de Daniel Andriani hechtundbarsch.de Meik Creutz Drunk Bait Drunk Bait Jan-Ole Lohmann Drunk Bait Drunk Bait Torsten Kroger #LMAB 2 Ronny Luft #LMAB 2 Christopher Wagner AC Fishing Andre Fischer AC Fishing Marcel Baumann Stickleback Fishing

2017 STREETFISHING EVENT: LIST OF PARTICIPANTS

Italy REF NAME

Netherlands SPONSOR TEAM

109 Andrea Sacchi 110 Enrico Fiandri

K8 Team K8 Team

Japan REF NAME

SPONSOR TEAM

145 Taisuke Hasegawa

Daiwa Japan

SPONSOR TEAM

001 Gatis Malmeisters (2016 Champion)

Lucky John Lucky John 002 Ingus Dukalskis 134 Vadims Loginovs 135 Vladimir Vorotniak

Lucky John Lucky John L.Baits–Zemex Zemex-L.Baits L.Baits–Zemex Zemex-L.Baits

Lithuania REF NAME

142 143 148

149

SPONSOR TEAM

Vladislavas Vasilevskis Tadas Gradzevicius Martynas Pranaitis Tomas Jurevicius

Team FishingLT1 Team FishingLT1 Team FishingLT2 Team FishingLT2

Netherlands REF NAME

Tha locals Iron Claw-Doiyo Iron Claw-Doiyo Daiwa N’lands

SPONSOR TEAM

Christopher Lochte Dennis Horvarh Crazy Fish Dominique Kleijwegt Crazy Fish Cor Hellendoorn Arthur Langstraat Shimano TBC Shimano Krystian Pawlak Ireneusz Podugorni Raymond van Hulst

Jig Bros Next level N’lands Next level N’lands

REF NAME

SPONSOR TEAM

047 Piotr Guza 060 Pawel Brzozowski 064 Jakub Krzywosz 073 076 077 082 086 087

Amigo Fishing STomasz

Marian Ciesielski Jacek Grzeszczyk Piotr Grefkowicz Mikado Pawel Karwowski Shimano Adrian Pron Daniel Lewandowski

Amigo Fishing

Team Shimano Orka Lures Orka Lures

Slovenia REF NAME

SPONSOR TEAM

098 Andrii Synhaievskyi

Switzerland REF NAME

SPONSOR TEAM

105 Angelo Bohmer 106 David Falbe

Bullseye Fishing Bullseye Fishing Bullseye Fishing Bullseye Fishing

Ukraine REF NAME

ADHD Squad ADHD Squad Tha locals

SPONSOR TEAM

096 Alexander Siwirin 097 Kirilo Pogostinskiy 104 Andrii Yehorov

Street Fishing Berlin Street Fishing Berlin Wanderers2

Official WPC 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) is the number of points the fisherman will get.

There is a quotum of 15 perch: 10 zander; 10 asp and 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 quotum number 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 photographed 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 released.

n No alcohol and/or drugs n It’s not allowed to walk on boats n Respect the property of others n Do not fish outside the marked track

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

018 019 020 061 080 081 112 113 114

SPONSOR TEAM

115 Sander Bravenboer 136 Joost de Boer Iron Claw Concept 137 Anthony Smit Iron Claw 146 Andre Piters Daiwa 151 Maarten Flikweert

Poland

Latvia REF NAME

REF NAME

53

54

We are delighted to welcome our new WPC Head Marshal GARY PALMER who will take over Lars Boods’ role and ensure the success and safety of the 2017 event

HEAD MARSHALL: GARY PALMER

MARSHAL

your HEAD

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

A WORD OF ADVICE: WPC HEAD MARSHAL GARY PALMER

‘‘

T

o start with I would like to welcome all competitors to the World Predator Classic 2017 on behalf of your marshaling team.

To really enjoy competing in any major sporting event it is vitally important to have confidence in the Competition Officials. It doesn’t matter if it is the Umpire in the Wimbledon Final, The Referee in the FIFA World Cup Final or the Head Marshall at the World Predator Classic, having officials who are experienced, knowledgeable and fair is of paramount importance.

You can be assured that as Head Marshall I will do everything in my power to ensure that WPC 2017 is an enjoyable, well run and most importantly of all, a fair competition.

Before we talk more about the rules of WPC first allow me to introduce myself. My name is Gary Palmer, and if that sounds familiar to you, that’s because I myself have fished all of the WPC finals for the past three years. At last years event I fished with Hans Ruigrok and during the competition I was lucky enough to capture the longest pike caught so far. I hope that having competed in the previous events it will give me the ability to see the event from the competitor’s point of view as well as the organisers.

I am now 55 years of age I have been fishing from the age of five. Covering all disciplines in angling from float fishing on local waters in the UK, through to fishing for Nile Perch in Egypt. For the last 15 years I have been a dedicated lure angler. Three years ago I was selected to fish for Team England in the World Championships. I now work as a full time guide and angling consultant. As well as fishing competitions I have organized and run them in the UK, including the WPC England qualifier and my own “Zandermania” tournament for the last ten years.

On the water ..

The weeks and days that lead up to any big competition are exciting and important for both competitors and organisers alike.

Time and effort put towards preparation will pay dividends once the competition starts and that is especially true for team Captains.

Perhaps the most important job of all is to ensure that you understand the rules, because knowledge of the water, well organized tackle and great boat handling technique will count for nothing if you are disqualified.

It is the captain’s responsibility to fully understand and comply with all rules, restricted areas, signs and buoys as stated in Dutch law, speed limits etc. Any boat receiving a ticket for breaching any of the rules of the water including speeding will receive an automatic red card. Please do not ask either

Be prepared.. the marshals will check your boat every morning, so make sure you have everything required and on show

Having competed in previous events, it allows me

A WORD OF ADVICE: WPC HEAD MARSHAL GARY PALMER

myself or the marshals about buoys, restricted zones etc.

As I have experienced, the waters immediately outside the marina can get very choppy very quickly, so safety is paramount.

Every boat with out exception must have the following items in there boat safety kit. n One or more paddles or oars. n Appropriate anchor which is secured to your boat with a minimum of 30m rope. n A foghorn or acoustic warning device. n A bailer or manually operated water pump. n An approved dry-chemical fire extinguisher. n An emergency ignition shut off device. n A towing rope with a pull strength of 500Kg+ and a fixed tow ring. n 10 litres of spare fuel. n A first aid kit.

All boats will be checked whilst on the water on a daily basis by the marshalling team and no one will be allowed to leave the harbor without being 100% compliant.

Photographing your catch Any pictures of fish not in the following format WILL be disallowed n All fish must be placed on the official measure supplied n Ensure the tip of the nose is against the stop bar right flank down n Measure to the TIP of the tail n Ensure security tags are shown n Make sure that the complete fish can be seen in the picture Bottom line is take your time double check that everything is correct and visible before sending.

Finally “rules are rules” it is your responsibility to have them, to have read and understood them, and to comply with them. Good luck, tight lines and may the fishing gods smile on you !

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!

to see the event from both the competitor’s and organisers point of view

CHOICE OF CHAMPIONS: PROUD EVENT PARTNER WILEYX

30 YEAR

OF ABSOLUTE PREMIUM PRO The story of premium eyewear brand WileyX begins back in 1987 when the company set out to become a world leader in the research, development and marketing of protective eyewear for military, law enforcement and civilian markets. Since those early days, WileyX has set the benchmark for safety, style, and utility in the premium performance sunglass category on a global scale.

W

ILEY X insists that all its adult premium eyewear products meet the ANSI Z87.1 safety standard for High Velocity/High Mass Impact as well as being EN.166 certified.

Furthermore, it’s no secret that many models also meet various MIL-SPEC ballistic military standards for spectacles. In short, you won’t find better eye protection out there than in a pair of Wiley X sunglasses.

This high-end ballistic technology that is worn on the battlefield is available in many civilian markets, with fishing being a key segment. By fusing fashion with function, durability and this unrivalled technology, Wiley X eyewear has become an essential tool for fishermen. Whether it’s anglers who hunt for predators, fish for carp or target salmon, Wiley X has the right pair of eyewear to suit the needs of active fishermen.

Wiley X is the only company of its kind, whose entire range of sunglasses is certified as protective eyewear – but is this important?

To find out the answer to this question, World Predator Classic (WPC) founder Ross Honey talks to Wiley X EMEA Vice President

Thomas Wæver. It turns out that protective, polarized eyewear is far more important than you might think in the fishing market.

Ross: “Thomas, - I know there is much more to the certification of Wiley X polarized eyewear than meets the eye – please explain to us what the benefits for a typical angler are.”

Thomas: “We at Wiley X have been preaching to anglers across the globe that they should actually only use certified eyewear when enjoying fishing. The advantages of using certified polarized eyewear are numerous, but the main one is that they might just save your eyes one day from flying lures or flies – with that said our glasses offer

exceptional optical quality too. All Wiley X lenses are tested before they are even cut in order to maintain the best optical quality.

Furthermore, all Wiley X polarized lenses are carefully measured through cut files for each and every product in order to maintain pure optics in the final product. And finally, all Wiley X eyewear are tested by independent certified labs. This ensures you as an angler that Wiley X delivers the quality we promise.”

‘‘

Wiley X ONLY use the best polarized filters available in the market today

RS

CHOICE OF CHAMPIONS: PROUD EVENT PARTNER WILEY X

WX Peak:

Featuring a polarized Blue Mirror with a Green lens in a Matte Black frame.

Lens description: Designed to provide high contract and absorb reflections across mirror surfaces. Diminish glare and therefore ideal for bright conditions.

Light transmission: 12% As WX Peak is from the active styles – it is not supplied with the gasket system.

O TECTION

Styles of the Champions ...

The winners of the WPC each year receive a pair of Wiley X sunglasses and almost all the prizes this year comes from the company’s Climate Control™ Series with a slick design, a wraparound-style and a soft removable Facial Cavity™ Seal that block out wind, airborne debris and reflected light. They create a comfortable, climate-controlled environment for the eyes while boosting polarization.

WX Boss:

Featuring a polarized Gold Mirror with an Amber lens in a Matte Black frame.

Lens description: Great for sunny conditions and ideal for fishing in shallow water. Improves contract and depth perception.

Light transmission: 12%

WX Echo:

Featuring a polarized Emerald Mirror with an Amber lens in a Gloss Black frame.

Lens description: Designed to amplify color contrast and deliver high visual definition and depth perception. Distinct colors and crisp acuity in all light conditions for superior vision performance.

Light transmission: 18% Ross: “Isn’t a polarized filter just a polarized filter?”

Thomas: “Not at all. Wiley X ONLY use the best polarized filter available in the market today. This filter is produced in Japan, whereas many other polarized eyewear manufacturers use the much cheaper and inferior polarized filters produced in places such as China. The difference is quite staggering to be honest – a bad polarized filter is probably worse than none at all.”

Ross: “Understood – but what happens when the polarized filter meets the lens?”

Thomas: “This is a very important part when it comes to only supplying certified

polarized eyewear. We at Wiley X have to mount the polarized filter with a +/- 3 degree tolerance. I think we all have tried a polarized eyewear at some point, where we have had to move our head to one side in order to get the maximum out of the polarized filter. I personally guarantee you that when wearing a pair of Wiley X you will not need to move your head as the polarized filter is mounted perfectly with a tolerance on only 1.6%. All other polarized sunglasses suppliers, whose eyewear is not certified, can place the polarized filter as they please with inconsistent results.”

Ross: “I must say I’m impressed, I wasn’t aware that there was so much to it. Do you

WX Gravity:

Featuring a polarized Blue Mirror with a Green lens in a Black Crystal frame.

Lens description: Designed to provide high contrast and absorb reflections across mirror surfaces. Diminish glare and therefore ideal for bright conditions.

Light transmission: 12%

CHOICE OF CHAMPIONS: PROUD EVENT PARTNER WILEY X

Wiley .. A sight for sore eyes!

As is well known, all Wiley X sunglasses are certified as protective eyewear and meet or exceed standards not normally used in the fishing industry.

This is extremely important because fishermen have lures, flies, spoons and hooks flying in the air at all times, causing facial and eye accidents every day worldwide. Danish fishing guide Henrik Kassow Andersen knows all too well, because he has a pair of Wiley X glasses to thank for saving him from a potentially horrible accident.

Henrik explained: “I arrived at a local forest with the large wood chipper that I just hired, and I realized that I’d forgotten my safety glasses. This fierce machine displays multiple large warnings underlining the importance of wearing eye and ear protection when using. Searching both my car and cottage for safety glasses, I smiled when my old Wiley X model P-17 came to the surface.

“Halfway through my pile of wood I was challenged with a 3m long elm hardwood log. I slid it into the machine with the engine running and all was good. I let go of the log with two meters left (big mistake) turning to pick up a new log.

“The next thing I remember was my glasses being slammed into my head with the glass in full contact with my eyeball, and a gigantic punch to my head. I realized that my Wiley X P-17 did not survive the blow from the log, but I endured this accident with only a big black eye, dents, bruises and a broken nose. I feel so lucky that my eyesight was spared, thanks to my Wiley X eyewear – because just thinking how lesser-quality safety glasses would have injured my face and eyes gives me goose bumps.

“At the hospital the doctor that inspected my wounds stated that the eyewear I was wearing saved my right eye.”

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

have anything else to add regarding your polarized eyewear?”

Thomas: “When choosing a pair of Wiley X eyewear you are guaranteed full clarity across the entire lens, where ordinary lenses can distort objectives viewed from a distance. As measured in tests utilizing the NBS Pattern 20, Wiley X lenses provide a clear view. Wiley X also provides you with true image size, where inferior lenses can alter the true size of objects, as if looking through another person’s prescription lens, Wiley X ANSI rated lenses always maintain true relative object size. All Wiley X polarized lenses also block 100% of the sun’s harmful UVA and UVB rays.

“Finally, all our lenses are delivered with a scratch resistant coating protecting the lens against damage and extend the life of the lens. On the outside of the lens all polarized versions are produced with a hydrophobic coating, which lets the water slide off instead of sticking to the lens and the lens has an antireflective coating on the inside of the lens, which will eliminate distracting reflections of the lens surface. To top it all off, Wiley X provide all eyewear styles with a lifetime limited guarantee.”

Thanks to the hard work on the marketing efforts of Wiley X and the superior quality of Wiley X products, the fishing world is well versed with the high-quality eye protection and polarization that Wiley X eyewear can offer. Wiley X has set the benchmark for safety, style and utility in the premium performance sunglasses by absolutely insisting that all adult premium eyewear products meet its tagline of being ‘ABSOLUTE. PREMIUM. PROTECTION.’ n

59

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

LEST WE FORGET: ROBIN GROMPE’S CLASSIC GUIDE TO SUCCESS

60

PLAN

LEST WE FORGET: ROBIN GROMPE’S CLASSIC GUIDE TO SUCCESS

W

‘‘

hat one needs when approaching a World Predator Classic competition, says Robin Grompe, is a PLAN. Without a plan, all those fishers who are looking for top places in this premier event cannot succeed.

Robin Grompe is a professional fishing guide from Germany and will be competing in this year’s World Predator Classic The Classic ten..

Robin’s top 10 “points of importance” in approaching this Classic fishing contest: 1. The preparation 2. Training 3. The waters to be fished 4. What are the target fish?

5. The boats 6. Technique to be used 7. Montages/rigs 8. The bait 9. Which device/tackle?

10. Clothing

about catchy baits and their colours. Of course, the waters of a WPC competition have everything we need to catch our target fish.

“So we must consider the water – shallow zones under a metre, with herb or even plateaus and landings? – it is only by good preparation and training that these good spots can be found. We should have the right spots in mind for weather conditions and for water turbulence.”

Robin stresses that the fisher must be able to react quickly to changing conditions.

“When fishing, there is no line, the fish have no regularity, we must be flexible. It is possible to catch good zander, whether by vertical fishing or jigging - and zander are very large in these waters. It is still difficult, however, to get bites in turbid water where it is not easy to get big pike or perch.”

When it comes to boats, Robin first

IT’S ALL IN THE

NNING

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

“It took me many years’ experience and a build up of a certain intuitive feel to the competition before I achieved my goal.

“For successful participation in a World Predator Classic I would need three crucial things. First, accurate planning.

Secondly, the proper preparation – and, third, my own intuition, my gut feeling , if you will.“ Robin goes on to say that prime among these three requirements is his intuition – built up over many years as a guide.

“For me, the WPC is a very special event. Long before it starts. the tingling begins. First, the more time you spend on the water, the better. To reach your goal you must seek to apply the right technique at the right spot, to have the boat ready and under control at all times – and to remember that you are meeting the best of the best from all over Europe.

“Of course, there is a lot to be done in the run-up and everything must be perfectly prepared to avoid mistakes as the competition unfolds.”

“In addition, an “I’ve forgotten” must not happen – even if it is only the small carabiner, a rain jacket or even just a charger for the boat’s battery. Nothing should be missing – lures should be ordered, fishing boxes sorted, stinger and leader built.

“I keep in touch by telephone with my boat partner, Ulf, to exchange information and discuss plans. Joint preparation is very important.

“And when you consider training you must keep in mind the competition you are training for. And we must keep in mind the targets and the target fish – three zander, three perches and a pike is the ultimate aim.

“To achieve these things I need information about the stalls of the fish,

61

LEST WE FORGET: ROBIN GROMPE’S CLASSIC GUIDE TO SUCCESS

ALL IN THE

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

PLANNING

62

directs attention to the interior of the boat – a well thought-out storage system, first of all, for all bait, rods and accessories – and all should be readily accessible. A bad boat system costs time and time IS fish, so to speak, says Robin.

“My boat partner and captain is my long-time friend, Ulf. His Lund boat, with the name ‘Sturmer’, is equipped with the latest technology which helps us in many situations that crop up. Everyone on the boat should know their tasks and should feel at ease with all demands.

“Our state of the art boat technology helps us to be more precise, to get information quickly and see everything at a glance.”

Montages and rigs are prepared in advance and placed on the leader board.

Many rigs offer many possibilities – faster, slower, higher, deeper, so that one can quickly fish and adapt to situations as these arise.

“My pockets are filled with a variety of Drop Shot, Texas and Carolina Rigs, as well as prefabricated steel runners, mono-filaments and stinger. One of my favourite rigs is the Carolina because you can often catch good perch with these.”

He points out that bait fishing in the summer is often quite different from that in the winter, and from that he discovered, from a previous year, that he could identify similarities.

“These included different types of bait, but mostly I use rubber baits which keeps me flexible and able to fish in all water layers. That most varied vertical and preassembled rubber baits between 10-15cm are ideal for catching zander and perch.

“To lure a large zander from the reserve I prefer larger rubber baits of 20-25cm. Of course, spinner baits and soft jerks are also effective in weakened shallow water! And a little insider tip for you – rubber crayfish and the Carolina…

All our target fish liked this very much.

“Of course, I leave nothing to chance.

My equipment will be tested before the tournament. Different reels with new cord, all checkboxes checked – all checked for completeness and order.”

Robin turns his attention to clothing – one of the most important aspects of fishing. It was important to check the weather the day before competition and be prepared to dress appropriately.

Change clothes should be stored in a waterproof bag in the boat. Even if the tournament takes place in the summer it is not impossible to meet a day of wind and rain, making conditions much colder.

“And, remember, there is nothing worse than standing in a boat for hours

‘‘

with wet underpants!”

Robin says that he regularly fishes the two big waters of the WPC (HD and HV) in different seasons and weather conditions, guiding his guests and friends on the boat, so that they are content with the fishing.

“I shall try to lead my guests to their target fish. I follow a plan. If that fails, I will have plan B ready.”

Robin declares he is happy to meet well-known faces from year to year – to talk about fishing and exchange experiences.

“The WPC is a big community, a family – and we all want the same thing: to take part in a great event, in good fishing weather, With tight lines, of course.

This raises hopes of a big catch.

“And the evenings together are a wonderful experience, because everyone is excited, or tense, or ready to chatter.

On the one hand it is all very professional

– and, on the other hand, it can be very matey. But everyone is itching to get on their boats, get on the water and get their baits down.”

Robin sums up the great challenges of the World Predator Classic competition: “During my tours it is self-evident to me, as a guide, to be well prepared and to take full advantage of the fishing time. Even if something does not work out as well as it should then you can still have a good alternative in a plan B. “Finally, and this is the most important thing – it was the fun of my hobby which took me into my profession. I believe, it is the fun of the job that makes me successful.

“I love and live to be on the water – to fish, to enjoy nature and to gain more and more experience. I soak it all up, like a sponge – because fishing is my life! And I wish all WPC participants a lot of success – and, of course, tight lines!” n

And, remember, there is nothing worse than standing in a boat for hours with wet underpants!

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

WPC QUALIFYING 2016: YOUNG GUNS TAKE THE TOPHY

64

F On your Markku ...

Finnish Qualifying Event organiser Markku Tiusanen

inland’s two top – and youngest – street fishermen are set to measure their fishing skills against Europe’s best in this year’s World Predator Classic event.

Pekko Kanerva and Valtteri Siren came through as the top team from the WPC qualifying rounds, surviving tough competition in five provincial competitions in which no fewer than 30 boats qualified for the final on Lake Pyhajarvi.

Only 14 cm separated them from the runnersup – Antti Pajula and Salvatore Vitale – but it was enough! Third placed were Ville Pohjankunnas and Juha Heininen who were only 18cm off the top mark Last year was a triumphant one for Team Kanerva and Siren, who also won the Jig Cup over five different events in one of the biggest predator contests in Finland. And despite their young age they must now be considered as experienced fishermen and have all that is necessary in ability to be successful in WPC2017..

Jigging, with its various formats, is the strongest know-how of the team Kanerva and

Sirén. In the Finnish qualifying events they got all their fishes by jigging. Presumably jigging will play a major part while they are seeking the championship of the World Predator Classic.

WPC 2017 will be their first competition outside of Finland. They will head off for the competition journey well in advance to be able to rehearse enough and get to know the fishing area. They have become familiarized themselves with the competition area in advance by studying maps and evaluating the catching reports of previous years.

During the practice period the winners of the Finnish qualification will be spending the first few days getting the general view of the competition area. Then they will concentrate on the possible hot spots from what they have learned and finetune the right fishing technique for those places.

They haven’t got a strategy for the competition as yet, as, regardless of the map training, the competition area is completely terra incognita.

During the training period the race strategy will begin to take shape – but, according to the captain Kanerva, they are flexible enough to adjust their strategy to the circumstances.

WHAT A FINNISH!

Two of the youngest anglers are set to challenge some of Europe’s finest at this year’s 2017 WPC In this competition one of the biggest assets of Kanerva and Sirén is that they are stable performers. They are used to holding the top positions, or, at least, to be close to the podium spots from race to race. For the events that last several days, the constantly good scores will see them forge ahead, maybe even to victory and to be the winning team of the WPC. Kanerva and Sirén are expecting a lot from their first WPC contest. They recognize that they belong to the elite of Finnish competing fishermen and WPC will give them a chance to measure their skills against the best European fishermen. Captain Kanerva admts that possible triumph at the WPC would be “an unbelievably great thing ,”and would mean more than words can describe for the fishing careers of these two young competitors. n

Markku Tiusanen

‘‘

despite their young age they must now be considered as experienced fishermen and have all that is necessary in ability to be successful in WPC2017

WORLD PREDATOR CLASSIC 2017: PARTICIPANTS’ LIST

Austria CAPTAIN Roman Konopitzky VICE CAPTAIN Michael Harringer SPONSOR Bass Boat Germany

Belgium CAPTAIN Luc Coppens VICE CAPTAIN Jeremy Staverman Champions 2015 SPONSOR Westin CAPTAIN Benoit Degroux VICE CAPTAIN Arend vd Heijden SPONSOR Shimano CAPTAIN Johnny Kindt VICE CAPTAIN Joseph Verstraelen SPONSOR Mercury CAPTAIN Robbie Smeets VICE CAPTAIN Gregor Pauly SPONSOR Mercury CAPTAIN Nicolas Boldo VICE CAPTAIN Ludovic Pinchede SPONSOR Mercury

CZ Republic CAPTAIN Radek Filip VICE CAPTAIN Martin Stepka SPONSOR Kajman

Denmark

Germany

England CAPTAIN Oliver Taylor VICE CAPTAIN Christian Wieneke SPONSOR Lowrance

CAPTAIN Daniel Katzoreck VICE CAPTAIN Sven Muller SPONSOR Zebco

CAPTAIN Mike Edgar VICE CAPTAIN James Dobie SPONSOR

CAPTAIN Citta Romana VICE CAPTAIN Citta Romana SPONSOR Citta Romana

CAPTAIN Justin Schone

VICE CAPTAIN Johannes Dietel SPONSOR Shimano

Finland CAPTAIN

Markku Tiusanen

CAPTAIN Helmut Schoddel VICE CAPTAIN Michael Weber SPONSOR Bass boat Germany

Defending Champion 2016 VICE CAPTAIN Kimmo Mänttäri SPONSOR Rapala

CAPTAIN Darius Ostendarp VICE CAPTAIN Björn Gerstmann SPONSOR Bass boat Germany

CAPTAIN Pekko Kanerva VICE CAPTAIN Valtteri Siren

SPONSOR

Finland Qualifier

CAPTAIN Sebastian Kurpiers VICE CAPTAIN Robert Trutter SPONSOR Bass boat Germany

CAPTAIN Mika Vornanen VICE CAPTAIN Timo Narinen SPONSOR Mercury CAPTAIN Ari Paataja VICE CAPTAIN Pekka Laitinen SPONSOR Apajamatkat

CAPTAIN Roland Gotzler VICE CAPTAIN Franz Josef Gotzler SPONSOR Bass boat Germany

France CAPTAIN Christophe Huwarts VICE CAPTAIN Philippe Neuville SPONSOR Mercury

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

CAPTAIN Franz Bodum VICE CAPTAIN Kris Broeckx SPONSOR Wiley X

66

WORLD PREDATOR CLASSIC 2017

PAR

WORLD PREDATOR CLASSIC 2017: PARTICIPANTS’ LIST

Germany CAPTAIN Ulf Sturmer VICE CAPTAIN Robin Grompe SPONSOR

CAPTAIN Evaldas Skablauskas VICE CAPTAIN Vilmantas Nesukuotis SPONSOR Bass Boat Germany

CAPTAIN Daniela Schafer VICE CAPTAIN Pierre Johnen SPONSOR Lowrance

CAPTAIN Mustad VICE CAPTAIN Mustad SPONSOR Mustad

Poland

Netherlands

CAPTAIN Markus Brill-Heck VICE CAPTAIN Gerrit Broders SPONSOR Spro CAPTAIN Daniel Ressel VICE CAPTAIN Gregor Babiarz SPONSOR Lowrance

CAPTAIN Tomasz Krysiak VICE CAPTAIN Robert Policha SPONSOR Dragon

CAPTAIN Marcel Ulje VICE CAPTAIN Johan van

SPONSOR

Amsterdam Zebco

Romania

CAPTAIN Willem Stolk VICE CAPTAIN Chris Bloemert SPONSOR Shimano

CAPTAIN Dietmar Isaiasch VICE CAPTAIN Adrin Prus SPONSOR Citta Romana

Latvia CAPTAIN Janis Skrabans VICE CAPTAIN Vitalijs Karpenkovs SPONSOR JS Products CAPTAIN Ugis Gross VICE CAPTAIN Guntis Riekstins SPONSOR Lucky John

Norway

Lithuania

CAPTAIN Evert Oostdam VICE CAPTAIN Leon Cramer SPONSOR Mercury CAPTAIN Citta Romana VICE CAPTAIN Citta Romana SPONSOR Citta Romana CAPTAIN Mark Trass VICE CAPTAIN Berry Van Zelst SPONSOR Lowrance CAPTAIN Freek Oosterhuis VICE CAPTAIN John Nispeling SPONSOR

CAPTAIN Jan Boomsma VICE CAPTAIN Mirabel Roobol-Nuis SPONSOR Reuben Heaton/

De Catfish/PFG

Claudiu Constantin Tofan VICE CAPTAIN Dorian Dubovoi CAPTAIN

Sweden CAPTAIN Tim Joschems VICE CAPTAIN Daniel Weyers SPONSOR Strike Pro

Switzerland CAPTAIN Arnaud Maye VICE CAPTAIN G Mead SPONSOR

USA CAPTAIN Larysa Switlyk VICE CAPTAIN Debbie De Kock SPONSOR Livingston Lures

TICIPANTS

Citta Romana END OF FISHING ZONE

N497

Stellendam

PARTNER’S AR Friday, June 23r END OF KAYAK ZONE

Slijkplaat

Haringvliet

Middelharnis

Haringvlie

OFFICIAL EVENT MAP OF THE WORLD PREDATOR CLASSIC 2017

WORLD PREDATOR CLASSIC 2017: OFFICIAL GUIDE MAP

3

Gorslaan

2

Captain’s Dinner: Citta Romana

3

WPC Headquarters: Registrations and Trailer Park

4

Streetfishing Info Point and Competition Start

5

Canons and Kayak starting point

Competitors’ Mooring

an

Ka na alw eg We stz ijde

Ka naa lwe gO ost zijd e

Hoom werk straa t

kk

ta er

Veerw

uy ts eZ ee dij k

Oostkade

Ka naa lwe gW est zijd e

Flag Parade Start

ijk ed Ze

1

a Vlas

eg

Helius Haven

Kerkstraat Westkade

Molenstraat

4

we eu Ni

Line between the red BN4 buoy and the green BN3 bouy

Indistrieha ven

Heliu shav en

RENA rd

eg

Opzoo merl aa n

we Zeedijk Nieu

1

isw ac Gl

emeester Van Der J Burg agt rad e

e w eu Ni

Zeed ijk

merlaan Opzoo

Gors

Glaciswe g

DROOGDOK

Courtine

Kanaalw eg O ostzijde

2

Citta Romana Zuiddijk

r St

Zuidfront

5

Haringvliet

A29

et Vui le G at Tiengemeten

Haringvlietbrug

Numansdorp

Hollands Diep END OF FISHING ZONE

A29 N59

A WELCOME FROM THE MAYOR OF HELLEVOETSLUIS

WELCOME FROM THE MAYOR OF HELLEVOETSLUIS

This is a major international event that has become of great importance to our city. The contest with fast boats, the flag parade with participants of different nationalities is a joy to look at. The good angling spirit brings an exiting vibe to the city. We’re all looking forward to this!

Hellevoetsluis was nominated ‘Dutch angling capital 2016’ for good reasons! The unique location of Hellevoetsluis with its historical harbor directly at the Haringvliet is the perfect setting for an event as the World Predator Classic. The Drydock Jan Blanken will serve again as headquarters. This will give an extra dimension to this tournament.

This year your stay in Hellevoetsluis will be extra special, for it is 350 years ago that the Anglo-Dutch Seabattle of Chatham took place.

In both the town of Chatham (UK) and in Hellevoetsluis this event will be commemorated.

In Hellevoetsluis we celebrate the arrival

of the English Flagship Royal Charles which was conquered by Dutch naval hero Michiel de Ruyter.

Festivities will take place from June 24th untill July 2th, starting with a big harbour concert in the historic marine harbour of Hellevoetsluis on June 24th. We hope you will join us in these festivities!

During the event you will be busy of course, but we hope you take your time to enjoy Hellevoetsluis and the island of Voorne-Putten.

There is so much you can do. In the green surroundings you can hike, bike or take a swim.

There’s always a beach nearby. So come paddle or surf on the North Sea! In the various little towns on the island you can relax and enjoy lunch or diner in the sun at a terrace. Want to know more about our history? The fortifications and other museums have various tours you can join.

We wish the organisation Angling Spirit, the initiator Ross Honey and all the participants a good tournament and a pleasant stay in Hellevoetsluis. May the best anglers win!

Mayor Milène Junius

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

Dear partcipants and visitors, Welcome to Hellevoetsluis! It’s an honour to welcome the World Predator Classic for the fourth time to the historical setting of our town.

71

HELLEVOETSLUIS: ANGLING CAPITAL OF THE NETHERLANDS

I

t is with great pleasure that we welcome the World Predator Classic for the third time in our beautiful town and on our interesting island .

We offer the competitors of the World Predator Classic and other visitors a wide range of beautiful sites and inspiring places.

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

Europe’s Biggest Cannon!

Home of the World Predator Classic 2017, Hellevoetsluis, is a unique place to be. It is the only fortified harbour in The Netherlands, with a magnificent location at the Haringvliet.

In the fortification of Hellevoetsluis you experience the life of the soldiers who had to defend the ramparts.

The big canon 24IJ – the only original canon 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. These are all recently restored.

Unique setting for an event The fast and furious boats of the World Predator Classic contrast well with the historical ships at the King’s Quay (Koningskade) where you can find three 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 WPC2016. This drydock is the first drydock built in stone. You can take a tour around the harbor and enjoy a beautiful view on 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. Enjoy a cold drink on one of the various terraces. When you like to shop you can find a big shopping mall Struytse Hoeck 2 km from the historical center.

On Saturdays you will find the very vivid 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.

Island of Voorne Putten One island two worlds. This is the slogan of the Island of Voorne Putten which contains the towns of Brielle, Westvoorne, Hellevoetsluis and Nissewaard with their history and modern facilities.

But you will also find beautiful nature and beaches. This green island offers possibilities for hiking, biking,

horseriding, relaxing, sailing, spotting seals, island hopping, golfing, kitesurfing, etc The Island of Voorne Putten is a hidden treasure in the south west of The Netherland . You can spend days roaming the island by foot, bike or car and enjoy its pleasures.

Town of Brielle Brielle is a small fortified town, 11 kilometers from Hellevoetsluis. You will find some charming little shops and a very interesting historical museum. There are lots of nice restaurants and bars.

A WARM WELCOME 72

HELLEVOE

HELLEVOETSLUIS: ANGLING CAPITAL OF THE NETHERLANDS A dive into the past: Dry Dock Jan Blanken

When the weather is fine you can sit on a terrace and watch the passers-by.

Oostvoorne & Rockanje If you like the beach and the sea this is the place to be for you. You will find miles of beaches, you can walk along the seaside and there are a lot of places where you can have a drink and something to eat. The Mildenburg woods are lovely for a stroll.

Nissewaard Nissewaard is the biggest town on the

FROM

island of Voorne Putten. It is a very modern city where you will find many shops and the ‘Boekenberg’ (Mountain of Books), the library. This extraordinary building has been designed by architect Winy Maas. Outside the town you will find a large nature park called De Bernisse.

Waterbus Excursions

The waterbus is a tourist transport system serving Rotterdam to Hellevoetsluis. It is possible to hop on board, experience the beauty of the Haringvliet and visit the island of Tiengemeten.

TSLUIS

The dry dock Jan Blanken has an important part of the maritime history of Hellevoetsluis for over 200 years. From the 17th century this fortress city served as the naval centre for the Admiralty of the “Maze”.

In 1775 as part of the modernisation project of the naval settlement in Hellevoetsluis, Jan Blanken (Inspector General of the Ministry of Waterways and Public Works, designed this dry dock, which is so-called a double dry dock. That means that there are two docks, which can work independent of each other. In 1802 the construction started of the so-called Keeldock. The Construction of the so-called Carpenters’dock followed between 1821 and 1825. Dry-dock Jan Blanken was the First Stone dry-dock in the Netherlands. Special elements are the shipdoors (bateau-porte) as barricade of the two docks and the aquaducts (length 329m), a waterreservoir for fire-fighting and purification.

The length of the whole dry dock is about 157m and the width 31m. The recent shipdoor is made of iron, a beautiful preserved “bateauporte”. However the original shipdoor was made of wood and had two keels. The dry dock was pumped dry by a steam engine with three big iron pumps, which were designed by Boulton & Watt, England. The pumping-station was demolished for obscure reasons. But it was reconstructed in the original state in 2001.

The dry dock Jan Blanken is still in operation and regularly ships are docked according to the original methods. The dry dock Jan Blanken in Hellevoetsluis is one of the greatest cultural and industrial monument of the Netherlands.

In 1775 Jan Blanken designed this dry dock .. so-called a double dry dock, as there are two docks that can work independently of each other

‘‘

HOOKED ON KAYAKS: HOBIE’S UNBEATABLE MIRAGEDRIVE

ADVANTAGE

HOBIE WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

Hands free .. Hobie’s Steve Lessard loves that the MirageDrive allows him to concentrate on what’s important ... fishing

74

A

t the 2016 Hobie Fishing World Championship VI, 50 anglers from 18 countries vied for a title.

All of them were aboard identically and lavishly rigged Hobie Mirage Pro Angler 14s. Aside from intrinsic skill or luck, none of them held an advantage over the others. The playing field was level.

That isn’t the case for anglers who use Hobie’s pedal-drive platforms in open kayak fishing competitions against traditional kayaks. The MirageDrive 180 definitely confers an advantage. According to twotime Hobie Fishing Worlds champion Steve Lessard of Louisiana, there’s the obvious time it comes into play – while fishing – and a second almost equally important occasion, while travelling to and from your fishing spots. Take it away Steve.

“It’s everything. Being able to maneuver an area hands-free allows me to focus on fishing first and foremost,” he says. With his hands free, he can make more casts, keeping his bait in the strike zone. “It’s just a gamechanger. You can get into an area and hover, you can back up with the same fluid motion we’ve always enjoyed with Hobie. If you hook up, you can switch into reverse and pull that fish out of cover,” he adds.

It couldn’t be any easier. Operating

According to champion kayak anglers, the Hobie MirageDrive 180 is a game changer when it comes to gaining an advantage over other competitors. PAUL LEBOWITZ asks two-timeWorlds champion Steve Lessard what makes it so special

Spotlight on ...

Daniel Van der Post, Netherlands Two-time World Predator Classic Champion, Daniel sees his Hobie Outback kayak almost as a second home.

“Catching predatory fish (fresh and salt) with artificial lures is my favourite activity. Especially with the fantastic WESTIN lures, where as an official team member, I’m part of the family.

Beside fishing, I’m also making articles for several websites including running my own. Fishing in

a MirageDrive doesn’t require a learned behavior. “It’s a motion that comes naturally.

Anyone can get a Hobie MirageDrive kayak and take off,” he says.

While fishing from the kayak, Steve feels there’s another advantage of the Hobie pedal drive system. The MirageDrive uses a backand-forth motion rather than a bicycle-style rotary spin. With the MirageDrive, his knees stay low in the boat, allowing him to easily maneuver while making casts.

“In areas with low-hanging trees or brush, or around docks, the MirageDrive 180 is a game-changer,” Steve adds.

How about while travelling? After all, moving from point to point is a big part of kayak fishing. “Sometimes you have to move

two or three miles between fishing spots. I feel like I can keep a better, sustainable pace in current or wind. I can get where I’m going in all the elements,” he says.

“Hobie is the king of the hill when it comes to competitive fishing,” Steve says.

Fellow Hobie Worlds contestant and IFA Kayak Tour champion Matthew Vann thinks he knows why. “The MirageDrive is the quietest. You can go in shallow. It’s nearly silent once you master the pedal stroke. You don’t disturb the fish at all so long as you take your time,” he says.

He fishes further, faster, and more efficiently. “I’m pedaling and casting.

Pedaling and casting,” he says. He figures he manages 70 percent more casts than

the U.S.A. has been on my bucket list for a long time, especially as it’s the country where kayak fishing began. I think fishing from a kayak in Louisiana, targeting the three species – in particular the Red Fish – will be an awesome experience!

I’ve qualified for the Worlds by winning the 2016 edition of the prestigious World Predator Classic.

I’ll be participating again this year and here’s hoping I do as well as 2016 ... I’m looking forward to it!”

someone in a traditional paddle kayak. “In the IFA, the top anglers are consistently in Hobies. The advantages are blatantly obvious,” he adds.

For Steve, there’s no fishing platform quite as capable as the Hobie Mirage Pro Angler.

It shines for stability, versatility, rod and gear storage. “The overall setup is built for tournament fishing,” he says.

How much gear can he carry? Try at least six to eight setups. He keeps four to six rods rigged and ready in his Hobie H-Crate.

Another three are up front; one in his hand and two setups with follow-up baits.

“When I’m casting topwater, I keep a rig

Spotlight on ...

Matthew Vann U.S

HOOKED ON KAYAKS: HOBIE’S UNBEATABLE MIRAGEDRIVE

Native Floridian Matthew Vann is an inshore and offshore double threat. He specializes in big bull reds and giant snapper, and has angling skills up to the task.

He’s even fooled a bull shark with a swimbait, bringing the beast to heel with just a bass rod. “My favorite days are when the water is clear, the bait is plentiful, the drags are screaming and the adrenaline is rushing.

My greatest accomplishment is consistently helping others catch the fish of their dreams. There really is nothing like the feeling of someone telling you ‘this has been the best day ever!’” he says.

thinks that there’s more to the growth than numbers. Kayak anglers these days are more serious and committed to the sport. “They realize this is a pretty neat deal. They’re becoming more technologically advanced with equipment, tactics, and electronics,” he says.

For his part, Matthew Vann points out the economic advantages of owning a kayak.

“I hear of plenty of people selling boats to buy kayaks. There’s less maintenance, less upkeep, no petro fuel,” he says. He prefers the up-close, water-level battles too. “You’re fishing in 3D,” he adds.

Kayak fishing tournaments have grown in scope and size as the sport has exploded.

The largest events draw three four hundred people. Prize purses are into the tens of thousands of dollars. “Especially in bass fishing, people are winning huge amounts of money,” Vann says.

Paul Lebowitz

‘‘

The MirageDrive is the quietest. You can go in shallow.

It’s nearly silent once you master the pedal stroke.

You don’t disturb the fish at all so long as you take your time

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

with a twitch bait on the right. A soft plastic is on my left. Nine times out of ten if I miss the fish on the first bait they’ll grab the followup,” he says.

He can carry plenty of gear. Too much, really. He’s learned to cut down on the clutter, to keep things streamlined. Everything he plans to use is in the rectangular cockpit hatch: two tackle trays and bags of plastics.

He stashes extras close at hand in his H-Crate.

Kayak fishing continues to grow rapidly in the United States. It’s no longer possible to keep track of all the clubs and tournaments. It seems like there’s something for everyone on any given weekend, fresh or salt. Anywhere near water, it’s common to see cars and trucks rolling down the road with kayaks and fishing rods on board. For instance, following a period of explosive growth, the Bayou Coast Kayak Fishing Club has had nearly 500 members since 2014.

These subjective observations are supported by the research of the USbased Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation (RBFF). According to the RBFF’s 2016 Special Report on Fishing, out of 45.7 million US anglers, 5 percent reported using a kayak for fishing. That equates to 2.285 million kayak anglers – quite a lot.

The average angler takes 19.4 outings a year, projecting to 44.3 million kayak fishing trips annually in just the US. Year over year, there’s a lot of growth. In 2013 report, the percentage of anglers who reported using a kayak was just 3.6 percent.

It grew to 4.3 percent in 2014, and here we are today.

Back to champion Steve Lessard. He

77

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.

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.

KAYAK OPEN

PARTICIPANTS

Please maintain high standards of sportsmanship on and off the water, respecting others launching or fishing in similar areas to you.

Digital photography

Netherlands WPF REF

NAME

Sponsor

WPK17-01 Daniel Van der Post

Defending champion (Westin) WPK17-20 Leo Pegels

England WPF REF

NAME

WPK17-02 WPK17-03 WPK17-13 WPK17-15 WPK17-16 WPK17-21

Chris Butler Mike Taylor (WPC Qualifier) Mike McGuire Tony Chesworth Lee Garner Richard Haines

Sponsor

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. Judges can ask tournament director to make final ruling if there is a questionable photo

Austria WPF REF

Germany

NAME

Sponsor

WPK17-18 Rene Winklinger

WPF REF

NAME

WPK17-04 WPK17-05 WPK17-09 WPK17-10 WPK17-11 WPK17-12 WPK17-14 WPK16-18 WPK17-17 WPK17-19

Martin Breuer Steffen Kraus Christian Schneider Paladin Michael Volz Paladin Thorsten Klein Andreas Breuer Wolfgang Schulze Marc Wertgen Manfred Gerg Dennis Hartken

Sponsor

Morocco WPF REF

NAME

WPK17-08 Salah Eddine

El Barbouchi

Sponsor

SPRO

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.

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.

79

IT’S GOOD TO TALK: JAN VAN DER KNAAP DRONES ON!

ABOVE & BEYOND

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

Tall order.. Jan’s 35-meter tall antenna can be seen towering over the Drydock in Hellevoetsluis

82

‘‘ I

n the weeks leading up to the 2015 World Predator Classic, my club was approached by event organiser Ross Honey, asking if they could use our 35-meter tall antenna tower for their VHF communications system.

My electronics and ham radio club is situated in the grounds of the historic drydock site in Hellevoetsluis, which the WPC was also using as the site for their headquarters. We kindly agreed to be part of the event - and a partnership was born.

I applied for a licence with the Dutch Telecommunications Authorities and our club members reprogrammed a few dozen handheld transceivers to the frequencies provided by the authorities.

We hooked up the base station “repeater” to our antenna system and field - tested the entire setup. It all went well and my fellow club members assisted and provided consultancy during the event.

The range of VHF systems depended on various factors, some of which we have no control over - like the weather and certain atmospheric conditions. At

‘‘

When it comes to organising a wide spread event like the World Predator Classic, a key issue is good communication. So who you gonna call? The ‘Communications Guy” of course! the club we participate in a National VHF Radio Contest every second Tuesday of the month with sharply varying results.

For instance, on contest days, with a substantial “temperature inversion”, we made long-distance contacts with stations in England, Germany, Belgium and France, while on “regular” days range can be limited to about 70 kilometers or less. However, during the WPC events we had decent coverage over the entire Haringvliet area. Only the farthest corners of the event area were sometimes out of the base station’s reach.

The organisation was satisfied enough with the overall performance of the system and I was asked to set up a communications system at Lac de Madine in France in September 2015 – a new challenge! Aside from my duties as

the “communications guy”, I was also providing the media team with footage I made with my drone during the events.

WPC 2016 went even better, and later that year I travelled to the Czech Republic to set up the radio systems for the World Carp Classic and operate my flying camera for a few weeks.

WPC 2017 is nearing and I am already looking forward to it. My hometown is a fantastic venue for an event like this and I am very proud of how great Hellevoetsluis looks in the various documentaries that were made during the events. I’ve made a lot of wonderful new friends over the past few years and I am happy to be part of this amazing team. I just hope that the weather gods will be on our side this year!

Jan van der Knaap Chairman, Electronica Club ZHE

I am very proud of how great Hellevoetsluis looks in the various documentaries that were made during the events.

Bird’s eye view.. Resort Città Romana is situated close to the town of Hellevoetsluis and offers 5 different types of holiday homes spread over 16.3 hectares where you can enjoy the scenic lakes, the nearby beach and all the amenities on offer at the Resort’s central building

HAVEN SENT

The official event accommodation at Città Romana, is a unique holiday resort that offers visitors the chance to relax and unwind in beautiful surroundings after a hard day’s fishing

W

elcome to Resort Città Romana – proud to still be the official event accommodation for the World Predator Classic 2017 in Hellevoetsluis!

This famous fishing event grows bigger every year. More and more people are enthusiastic about the sport and the surroundings in which it takes place – and it is all thanks to Ross Honey, who came to Holland and put Hellevoetsluis on the Predator Classic map. And Hellevoetsluis has taken this fishing festival to its heart.

Now, after a couple of years, people are beginning to realise this is not just about fishing - it is much more than that: this is an exciting international event that excites the whole Rotterdam region.

Besides the fishing and fast boats, there is live online tracking systems for the audience, music and school projects.

As the event is named the World Predators Classic it means that, in fact, people from all over will travel to Hellevoetsluis to participate in the event.

And we offer our hospitality to all the participants, sponsors and tourists who come to Hellevoetsluis looking for superb accommodation and places to unwind after a good day’s fishing.

For the people who do not yet know Resort Città Romana we can paint an exciting picture of a resort spread over 16.3 hectacres, with little lakes throughout and dotted with our enchanting holiday homes.

“Nice and quiet” and “peaceful” are the words of people who have stayed at our resort. There are five different types of holiday homes, of which two have thatched roofs. Furthermore, each holiday home has its own free Wi-Fi and free satellite TV with 100 + (inter)national channels - and a nice garden in which to enjoy the weather.

In the central building of the resort guests will find our reception, a heated indoor swimming pool and a private sauna (which is free to use as a guest at the resort), a cosy Tony’s Pub, our Restaurant Duinhoek - with a beautiful terrace overlooking the water - a beauty salon and a massage studio for extra relaxation. For children we have an outside playground.

And it is also possible to own a comfortable family home of your own, to use or to let - or both, of course. If you would like more information about the holiday homes that are for sale send an e-mail to directie@cittaromana.com.

If you would like to stay up-todate with all that is happening at our Restaurant Duinhoek and at the resort, you can download our App in the Appstore or Google play store - of course, you can also follow us on Twitter:@ Cittaromana or Facebook: www. facebook.com/CittaRomana/ or www. facebook.com/Duinhoek/ Finally, we wish you all the best of luck with this year’s World Predator Classic event – and, of course, a wonderful stay with us at Resort Citta Romana!

WPC OFFICIAL ACCOMMODATION: CITTA ROMANA

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM 85

DOUBLE ACT: WORLD PREDATOR CLASSIC TEAM EVENT

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

The Team Events at the World Predator Classic adds an extra dimension and an nail-biting element for the competitors and sponsors taking part ... just make sure you can handle the excitement!

86

A

team consists 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 us 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!

TEAM EVEN Team Citta Quantum WPF REF

PLAYER 1

WPC17-000 Daniel Katzoreck WPC17-042 Dietmar Isaiasch

PLAYER 2

Sven Muller Adrin Prus

Team Lowrance Europe WPF REF

PLAYER 1

WPC17-004 Oliver Taylor WPC17-028 Ulf Sturmer

PLAYER 2

Christian Wieneke Robin Grompe

Team Shimano WPF REF

PLAYER 1

WPC17-006 Dustin Schone WPC17-007 Willem Stolk

PLAYER 2

Johannes Dietel Chris Bloemert

DOUBLE ACT: WORLD PREDATOR CLASSIC TEAM EVENT

TAKE YOUR PARTNERS

NT PARTICIPANTS Team Mercury 1 WPF REF

PLAYER 1

Team Bass Boat Germany 1 PLAYER 2

WPF REF

Joseph Verstraelen Timo Narinen

WPC17-018 Helmut Schodde Michael Weber WPC17-019 Darius Ostendarp Darius Ostendarp

Team Mercury 2

Team Bass Boat Germany 2

WPF REF

PLAYER 2

WPF REF

WPC17-012 Johnny Kindt WPC17-013 Mika Vornanen

PLAYER 1

WPC17-014 Christophe Huwarts Philippe Neuville WPC17-015 Robbie Smeets Gregor Pauly

Team Mercury 3 WPF REF

PLAYER 1

WPC17-016 Nicholas Boldo WPC17-017 Evert Oostdam

PLAYER 1

PLAYER 1

PLAYER 2

PLAYER 2

WPC17-020 Sebastian Kurpiers Robert Trutter WPC17-021 Roland Gotzler Franz Josef Gotzler

Team Bass Boat Germany 3 PLAYER 2

WPF REF

Ludovic Pinchede Leon Cramer

WPC17-022 Roman Konopitzky Michael Harringer WPC17-023 Evaldas Skablauskas Vilmantas Nesukuotis

PLAYER 1

PLAYER 2

‘‘

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

Tour bust! FLW Tour professional Jason Lambert fights a largemouth to the boat

FORREST JUMP

Fishing League Worldwide (FLW) is the world’s largest tournament fishing organization, offering anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money across the globe in five tournament circuits, four of which offer a path to the most lucrative tournament in professional bass fishing – the Forrest Wood Cup.

What is the FLW? Fishing League Worldwide (FLW) is the world’s largest tournament fishing organization, offering anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money across the globe in five tournament circuits, four of which offer a path to the most lucrative tournament in professional bass fishing – the Forrest Wood Cup.

FLW Circuits FLW offers five different bass-fishing tournament circuits for a wide variety of competition and skill levels.

n The top circuit is the FLW Tour. The Tour features a field of the best bass-fishing anglers in the world competing for a top

FISHING LEAGUE WORLDWIDE

n The Costa FLW Series is FLW’s AAA-level circuit. The Series offers regional anglers a chance to compete close to home for a shot a qualifying for two no-entry fee championships. Fifteen regular-season tournaments are held in five different divisions around the country. Qualifiers from each division advance to the FLW Series Championship, with top finishers at the Championship advancing to the Forrest Wood Cup. In 2015 FLW expanded its presence on the world stage with the introduction of a sanctioning program allowing international

partners to license the iconic brand and run FLW tournaments abroad. Canada was the first country to jump on board, with South Korea, China, Mexico and South Africa following soon after. Each country is represented by anglers that compete in the annual Costa FLW Series Championship.

n The T-H Marine Bass Fishing League (BFL) is for the weekend angler, featuring one-day tournaments in 24 divisions across the country that provide advanced competition and lucrative payouts. Each division will each feature four one-day qualifying tournaments that pay as much as $8,000 to the winning boater and $3,000 to the winning co-angler, plus a two-day super tournament offering top awards of $11,000 and $4,500, respectively.

n YETI FLW College Fishing allows student athletes at colleges, universities and community colleges the opportunity to compete against their peers, earn prizes and gain valuable knowledge and experience competing on the same waters as some of the best professional anglers in the sport today, at little to no expense to the students.

Teams made up of two anglers who represent their school compete in no-entry fee tournaments for cash and prizes. Prize money is awarded to the top five teams in each event, while teams also compete for valuable points that advance them to the FLW College Fishing National Championship.

The FLW Collegiate National Champion is invited to the Forrest Wood Cup, where

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

prize of $125,000 at each tournament and points to qualify for the end of the season championship, the prestigious Forrest Wood Cup.

89

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

FISHING LEAGUE WORLDWIDE

90

All about the bass... Huge crowds gather to watch the anglers weigh-in at FLW events (top). 2016 Forrest Wood Campion John Cox celebrates on stage with his trophy (above left). Alfredo Kury shows off the tournament’s biggest bass at the Mexican FLW

they are provided use of a wrapped Ranger boat as they compete for the most lucrative award in bass fishing against the best anglers in the world.

n The FLW/TBF High School Fishing circuit

was launched to promote education, the love of nature and outdoors through fishing. It offers students at more than 23,000 high schools across the United States and Canada the opportunity to compete against their peers in state and national bass tournaments for the chance to earn prizes, including college scholarships. Similar to any other after school club, High School Fishing anglers hold regular meetings, elect officers and have coaches or parent advisers. The program is designed to get students in schools across the country excited about fishing.

Although each of FLW’s five affiliated circuits has its own championship, the granddaddy of them all is the Forrest Wood Cup, the FLW Tour championship. Since 1997, the Forrest Wood Cup has been the most lucrative championship in the sport of professional bass fishing, paying out more than $9.1 million dollars to the 20 anglers who have claimed the title of champion, nearly two million dollars more than the combined payout of all 46

Bassmaster Classic champions. The 2017 Forrest Wood Cup will be held on Lake Murray, August 1113, in Columbia, South Carolina.

How the tournaments work

Competitors launch at a scheduled time in the morning and fish throughout the day, trying to catch the five largest bass (largemouth, smallmouth, spotted) that they can.

They return to the designated weigh-in location at a scheduled time to weigh-in. Heaviest stringer wins! In multi-day tournaments, best cumulative total weight wins. In addition to competing for cash and prizes, competitors are also competing for valuable points to qualify for their circuit’s year-end championships.

Anglers of all skill levels and backgrounds compete in FLW tournaments. From the grizzled veterans on the FLW Tour to the amateur co-angler who is fishing in his first BFL, FLW offers anglers the chance to compete against their peers in a professional-run tournament setting.

Young or old, male or female, no matter who you are or what your background is, FLW has a tournament for everyone. n

Young or old, male or female, no matter who you are or what your background is, FLW has a tournament for everyone

‘‘

PITCH PERFECT: LIVINGSTON LURES INTRODUCES THE SCIENCE OF EBS

LIVING

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

I

92

f you research the sport of fishing back through modern history, you’ll see a pattern of very little change in the lures we use to catch fish like zander, pike and perch.

That is, until 2004 when a company based in San Antonio, Texas, USA began to develop an innovation that would revolutionize the way anglers around the world fish for everything from pike to trout.

Eight years later, when Livingston Lures unleashed the science of Electronic Baitfish Sounds™ (EBS) in 2012, it marked perhaps the biggest change in the history of fishing.

Through intensive research enhanced by studies conducted at several American universities, Livingston’s lure-design team incorporated EBS™ Technology – an advanced circuit board and smart chip – into a lineup of freshwater and saltwater fishing lures that allow those lures to emit the actual biological sounds of bait and forage species.

No longer limited to BBs, beads and blades – longtime “noisemakers” used in traditional predator lures – Livingston’s EBS™-powered Predator Series lures produce the real-live natural sounds of the forage that pike, perch and zander have been programmed for eons to respond to: herring, shad, perch, etc.

“Those sounds have been proven in scientific testing to attract fish at a distance DOUBLE to QUADRUPLE the effective range of other lures!” says Livingston pro Pete Maina, who was named one of Outdoor Life’s “Top 20 Anglers on the Planet” in 2011 because of his expertise at catching giant predators like muskie and pike. “There’s just been nothing like this in the decades of predator fishing I’ve done. I think it’s going to dramatically change the way we fish for predators.”

The Predator Series available now Livingston’s new Predator Series – designed and rigorously tested by Pete Maina and well-known predator guide Steve Herbeck – consists of hard baits and spinners crafted to be trolled and/or casted for pike, zander, muskie, etc., with actions and diving depths that cover all ranges that these fish feed in.

The lineup includes three sizes of EBS™ Spinner, as well as the Interceptor, BullDozer, Pounder, HeadHunter, Striker 173, B-Viper 6 & 8, and Walking Boss II Magnum hard baits.

Several new baits specifically designed for this fishery will be introduced this summer called the Darter, Dirty Dancer and a Head Hunter Magnum.

All of the Predator Series lures feature rugged wire-though construction, and are

Livingston Lures revolutionizing how the world fishes for Zander, pike and perch thanks to the science of Electronic Baitfish Sounds

GSTON Tried and tested ..

Livingston Lures Predator expert Pete Maina

PITCH PERFECT: LIVINGSTON LURES INTRODUCES THE SCIENCE OF EBS

designed with premium components (heavyduty stainless steel split rings, ultra-sharp VMC hooks, etc.) to hold up to the abuse of the giant zander, pike and the like.

Most importantly, though, they’re enhanced with the power of EBS Sound.

“We’re talking about fish that are top-ofthe-line predators in freshwater, I think they just naturally believe that they can attack anytime they want to,” observes Maina, who has caught predators in over 500 lakes and reservoirs throughout the U.S. and Canada.

“In the past, the only way we could encourage them to bite was to speed up the retrieve and try to play ‘take away’, but EBS™ now provides me an opportunity to trigger a bite that I’ve never had before. I’ve already seen the technology at work, and I’m excited to help develop it further.”

Proven EBS success on the world bass stage

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

The fish-catching power of Livingston’s cutting-edge lure designs and EBS™ Sound functions have been strongly proven on the world’s biggest fishing stages, and by the most respected professional anglers in the world:

94

n A Livingston-sponsored team earned a Top 5 finish at the 2015 World Predator Classic n In 2014, Livingston pro Randy Howell won the Bassmaster Classic – the most prestigious freshwater tournament in the world – on a Howeller DMC, a medium-diving crankbait that Livingston had created just prior to the event. n Livingston pros Jacob Powroznik and Hank Cherry won back-to-back Bassmaster Elite Series Rookie of the Year honors (2013 and 2014). n Livingston pro Andy Morgan has won three of the last four FLW Tour Angler of the Year awards.

“It’s my job to always be looking for better ways to catch more fish, and maybe that’s why EBS™ sound hits home so hard for me,” admits Howell, who has competed on the Elite Series for 22 years. “Hard baits like the Livingston Predator and Tournament series have always been my favorite kinds of baits, but I now have a new boost because of sound: EBS™ has really given me more opportunities to catch more fish with the style of baits I love to fish.

“My tournament results have shown it, too. I won the 2014 Classic thanks to EBS™ sound, and I’ve had 12 Top 20 finishes in the three years since. Sound is a difference maker.”

EBS™ boom continues in saltwater

Sounds great!

Livingston Viper 8 Predator Black Perch and Carp Suckerfish

A Livingston, I presume? Livingston Pro Randy Howell shows off a big largemouth ... all thanks to the new EBS™ science

The power of EBS™ science has most recently expanded into saltwater fisheries, thanks to the development of the Saltwater Series in conjunction with reality television personality and veteran offshore tournament angler Capt. “Wild” Bill Wichroski. This series will include everything from deep-diving high-speed trolling lures for tuna, to poppers and shrimp imitations for inshore species, all powered by EBS™ science.

“EBS™ technology is already well-proven in the freshwater, but I can’t wait to see how far we can take it in the saltwater world,” Wichrowski says. “I feel like the possibilities are endless.”

For more info on Livingston Lures, the Predator Series, or Electronic Baitfish Sounds™ (EBS), log on to www. livingstonlures.com

It’s my job to always be looking for better ways to catch more fish, and maybe that’s why EBS™ sound hits home so hard for me

‘‘

GOING GLOBAL: PETERS & MAY MARINE

a LOAD OFF YOUR MIND

Since we began in 1973 as a freight forwarding company, we have continued to rapidly expand across the globe.

Throughout the 1980s, we cemented our position in the marine industry by providing yacht racing logistics to a number of prestigious events including the Whitbread Round The World Race and The America’s Cup Furthermore, we continued to grow our presence in the leisure marine industry by working with esteemed names such as Fairline, Princess and Sunseeker - ensuring these premium brands had an experienced shipping agent to transport their boats.

At the beginning of the 90s, we moved our headquarters to Southampton further establishing our position in the marine industry. Throughout the next decade, we continued to expand to meet the increasing demand for boat shipping solutions across all marine sectors, resulting in further growth and development.

‘‘

Throughout the 2000s, we were able to further expand by opening offices in France and Spain as well as acquiring a US company, Air & Ocean Shipping Inc., which was subsequently named Peters & May USA. The deliberate expansion in these key areas enabled us to further embed our position as a trusted global shipping agent with local knowledge.

In the years following 2010, we further expanded our global footprint by opening offices in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and Hong Kong – increasing the number of global offices to five. These continue to be key locations for our targeted growth in the marine industry.

In addition, 2011 saw our current CEO, David Holley, appointed to drive the Peters & May global business forward using his vast shipping knowledge and international experience.

into a new chapter. The USA office provides logistics for the major US Fishing boat brands and it is honored and excited to now be associated with Angling Spirit and the premier Fishing events worldwide.

David Holly CEO of Peters & May said “ as a very keen angler it was a natural choice to work with Angling Spirit as our company is involved in the shipment of many of the boats used in the competition. We have a global organisation and we share the vision that Angling Spirit have in expanding the World Predator Classic to be staged in different locations around the world.

Ross Honey said “Peters & May have the expertise that we require both for now and the future. We have used their services on several occasions and feel in very safe hands when deadlines and complicated transport logistics have been involved. “ n Definition of BESPOKE: Made or fitted to the needs or preferences of a specific customer; customized; particular; specialized.

In 2017, Dave Holley appointed Matt Penfold Managing Director of Peters & n Definition of BESPOKE LOGISTICS: May USA. With his 17 years experience Peters & May in shipping, Matt brings the passion, dedication Good move .. and outstanding knowledge that Dave Holly (above) makes him the ideal candidate to take made the right choice with Matt Penfold the helm and lead Peters & May USA

Matt brings the passion, dedication and outstanding knowledge making him the ideal candidate to take the helm and lead Peters & May USA into a new chapter

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

‘‘

From our heritage in Reading in the 1970s as the first shipping agent to be based outside of a major port in Southern England, to having nine strategically placed global offices, our journey continues to demonstrate our desire for growth and our unwavering passion for providing bespoke global logistics to our clients.

95

LOWRANCE: A LEGACY BORN ON THE WATER

For six decades, Lowrance has continued to help

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

MISSION POSSIBLE

98

LOWRANCE: A LEGACY BORN ON THE WATER

anglers spend more time catching than searching

E

veryone remembers that first catch The line tightens.

The rod bends. That buzz of excitement that comes over you when you’ve caught one.

It is a memory we will keep forever; passing it down to the next generation, adding another chapter to a fishing tradition.

For six decades, Lowrance has led the marine electronics industry in product innovation and customer service, supported professional anglers around the globe and dominated the tournament trail.

It all started in the 1950s, with Darrell Lowrance and his efforts to use transistorized sonar technology to detect fish. “We are going to change the way people fish. And we are going to do it ourselves.” - Darrell Lowrance.

He did just that in 1957 with the introduction of the first recreational fishfinder, the FISHLO-K-TOR, affectionately known by millions as the Little Green Box, which revolutionized the fishing industry. The FISH LO-K-TOR is one of the most popular fishfinders ever created, with over a million sold from 1959 to 1984.

Darrell Lowrance’s efforts didn’t just change the way people fish, but paved the way for the recreational fishfinder industry, pushing the industry forward with innovations and breakthrough technologies.

Lowrance has many accolades including, launching the first sonar unit to include a micro-processor; patenting a low-profile Skimmer® transducer capable of high performance at boat speeds up to 70 mph; introducing the world’s first hand-held GPS for under $500; developing the world’s first LCD product with integrated GPS, mapping and sonar and patenting a sonar system with an interactive display.

Today the Lowrance brand continues to dominate the market with recent innovations including; the award-winning StructureScan® 3D, SideScan and DownScan Imaging™, independent dual channel CHIRP sonar, StructureMap™, Broadband Radar™ and SiriusXM® Weather Chart Overlay.

The reputation of the Lowrance brand across the fishing community means that professional anglers worldwide turn to Lowrance as their marine electronics brand of choice.

The array of specialist features designed for anglers available in Lowrance products often result in the difference between first and last place when used in a tournament setting.

During the 2017 Bass Master Classic, Jordan Lee used the Lowrance HDS Gen3 12” with StructureScan® 3D imaging.

In the practice stages of the tournament he identified an underwater “point” with a hardbottom area that he thought would hold fish, Lee said, “I shot out about 80 feet to the left and right to find the spot that I eventually went off, I was looking for brush piles. That’s one of the main reasons I was shooting out to 80 feet - big

distances so I could see everything on these points”. On the last day of the competition, Lee faced mechanical issues on his boat, which held him in the same spot he had located on the previous day with his Lowrance equipment.

This proved to be the difference as he jumped from 15th to 1st place with a 27-pound, 4-ounce, five-fish limit, the biggest single-day catch of the tournament!

Jordan Lee’s victory at the 2017 Bassmaster Classic Championship marks the sixth consecutive championship for Lowrance.

Describing his achievement Lee said it was “an amazing week for me. A dream final day catching that big bag and bringing it up on the stage. I can’t thank Lowrance enough”.

True to Darrell Lowrance’s mission to change the way people fish, the features and products that Lowrance bring to market today are committed to help anglers catch more.

StructureScan 3D is a great example, adding a new dimension to fishing, scanning underwater terrain and fish-holding structure to create a high-resolution, 180 degree, three-

‘‘

Always having your StructureScan on is a critical key in fishing – you never know what you’re going to run across - the things you can find with StructureScan are remarkable Jordan Lee

Box of tricks.. Winner of the Bass Master Classic, Jordan Lee (main image); Carl Lowrance,

Darrell’s father who started the company, with an early FISH Lo-K-Tor fishfinder (above)

LOWRANCE: A LEGACY BORN ON THE WATER

MISSION POSSIBLE

dimensional view beneath the vessel.

This unique imaging view gives anglers a better understanding of where fish and structure are located in relation to their vessel.

Highly detailed, high-definition views of contours below the water’s surface shown to the sides of the vessel, up to 600 feet port and starboard.

StructureScan 3D was a key component to Jordan Lee’s success at the 2017 Bass Master Classic. With 3 x HDS 12” multi-function displays on his boat, Lee has one solely for dedicated to StructureScan 3D. “Always having your StructureScan on is a critical key in fishing – you never know what you’re going to run across - the things you can find with StructureScan are remarkable”. The latest innovation from Lowrance saw the introduction of the HDS Carbon 16-inch, a new fishfinder/chartplotter with a 16inch screen.

The new device has the largest screen that Lowrance has ever produced, providing a bigger stage to highlight the SolarMAX HD technology, which is exclusive to the HDS Carbon series.

SolarMAX HD provides clear viewing from any angle, even when wearing polarized sunglasses, giving anglers a distinct advantage on a clear day.

With a dual core high-performance processor, delivering faster redraw

‘‘

a detailed network report directly to technical support for custom hands-on assistance, the HDS Carbon range truly enhances the user experience.

In a recent survey of 750 boat owners conducted by Lowrance, 60% of respondents admitted that they have never updated their software, most of them stating they don’t know how to, so this new functionality in the HDS Carbon range is a great example of innovation that addresses current pain points for anglers.

101

The Lowrance brand was born out of a passion for fishing and 60 years on their mission remains the same, to help anglers spend less time searching and more time catching. With an extensive range of fishfinders/chartplotters including, the affordable Hook series, the standalone

Elite-Ti series and the full-feature HDS series there is something for every kind of angler.

Although Lowrance products have won numerous industry awards for innovative excellence, their focus remains to design products that simply provide the most meaningful benefits for anglers, both recreational and professional.

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

speeds and quicker response times easily powering dualchannel CHIRP sonar, dual network sounder, StructureScan® 3D, StructureMap™ and future highpowered fishfinding upgrades.

The new display size also features the option to set up a four-panel split, which is the equivalent of four seven-inch screens on a single display. Live Network Sonar, also gives anglers the capability to view and control two independent, live sonar sources at different locations — like the front and back of the boat, providing anglers with a comprehensive picture of underwater activity.

The HDS Carbon brings modern smartphone-like comfort with integrated wireless and Bluetooth® connectivity.

With a Network Analyzer that notifies users when new software is available and a Service Assistant that transmits

The new display size also features the option to set up a four-panel split, which is the equivalent of four seveninch screens on a single display

SPORTFISH MASTERS 2016: SWEDISH PIKE CHAMPIONSHIPS

MASTER BAITERS The SM I GADDA - Catch with care Sportfish Masters is the largest pike tournament in Europe with 19 qualification legs and a big finale with 181 teams. The winning team will fast forward to participate in Fly vs Jerk 9 and automatically gain entry to next year’s World Predator Classic.

‘‘

Thursday

Friday

103

Heading down to the HQ we are intercepted by a few teams who have a few questions for us. No, you may not use live bait. No, you may not fish in other waters.

No, you may NOT exchange participants with other teams.

The teams have only eight hours per day to deliver their best possible performance. Given that many

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

It’s mid-day inside the hotel where we have set up our Competition HQ. The weather outside is unstable but is fairly dry, as the finalist teams are starting to trickle in to the arrival station for hotel check-in and collection of goodie bags and measuring board.

This year the final is a two-day event in the ever beautiful and abundant Karlskrona archipelago where the shallow coves provide some of the best northern pike fishing in the world.

Although it is the largest final in Swedish pike championship history, the usual excitement is remarkably subdued this day. The gravity of the situation seems to hit the participants as they walk through the revolving doors of the hotel.

Later that evening, however, spirits are noticeably higher as people have had some time to prepare, both mentally and physically, for the days ahead - by inspecting their boats, engines and equipment, as well as bonding with new acquaintances and catching up with old friends. Some are going to bed early, others are having a pint and a few laughs to take their minds off the next day and the alluring prizes that can be theirs. One team will leave in two days’ time as winners, and the rest of them will spend another season sharpening their hooks, honing their skills and waiting for the next opportunity.

With only a few hours to the start the last of the teams calls it a night. All the talk of pike fishing and exchange of experiences prevents many from wanting to go to bed at all. But we have a 6:30am wakeup call, so we desperately need to get some rest.

SPORTFISH MASTERS 2016: SWEDISH PIKE CHAMPIONSHIPS

MASTER

104

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

BAITERS

teams are new to these waters and are anxious about today’s outcome, we see a change in attitude from last night. Eyes are more intense; faces are almost stern. Everyone is focused on the competition and competitors don’t have time for distractions. Friendships formed last night are now acknowledged only by a quick greeting before moving on.

Have we correctly planned our spots? Did the weather change during the night? Is there any new information from the HQ? Before starting, we hold a quick morning meeting to bring everyone the latest updates.

We then sing the national anthem together and release some stress with boisterous cheering and some laughter - before jumping into the boats and preparing for the start. Once the start is signalled, the teams head out to sea. We rush back to the HQ and take a seat behind one of the live reporting stations where we will assess every single incoming catch in real time.

The first day starts according to plan - at least for the crews. The weather has been relentless with pouring rain and heavy winds making the first day of the final a rough challenge for the teams, and for our scouts and camera crew out on the waters. The catch reporting is starting to blow up around 9:30am; during peak hours we are receiving an average of 3.2 catches per minute - and this goes on for almost four hours before dropping to a more manageable one catch per minute and slowly easing down to a few catches per hour - right on time for 4pm when that day’s competition ends.

As the crews verify the last catches, the first returning teams show up, and are soon enjoying the “After Fish” on the hotel’s outdoor seating, next to the docks. Discussions are going on everywhere and everyone seems to be having a great time, despite having had to endure the relentless weather only moments earlier. Where are we going to fish tomorrow? What baits did you use? What colours worked for you? Are you switching tactics for tomorrow?

During dinner the majority of the teams look like they have forgotten all about the cold and wet weather and are getting back into a friendlier mind-set, sitting down and making new friends or cultivating the friendships they made last night. But it’s not all laughs, as many teams use this time to exchange information with other teams to fine-tune their plans for tomorrow.

At this point, we are off to bed to enjoy five hours of sleep before the 6:30am wakeup call.

‘‘

it’s clear that the main topic of discussion is about fishing, fishing, fishing … New gear, new waters, new techniques.

It’s not just a hobby, it’s a way of life.

Saturday

The second and last day of the final starts cold and raining. The teams are scurrying to check their equipment and fetch batteries from the charging station.

Now we start seeing competitive moods and looks again. Teams who did great yesterday look at bit more relaxed as they are confident about improving their result - but the teams who didn’t do so well yesterday are anxious to get out on the water and try to catch up. In any case, they are not very keen on socializing this morning. It’s all business now.

After the mandatory morning meeting and national anthem, the teams head out on the waters with the camera crew following closely.

The catch rate is slower today but the mean pike is longer. Last night many teams were overheard discussing their plans to focus only on the big ones today, to have a shot at winning.

At 3pm the “After Fish” opens and the few teams who unfortunately had technical issues and aborted early sit down for a chat and a few laughs. Some look like they have forgotten about the disappointment, while others are indicating

SPORTFISH MASTERS 2016: SWEDISH PIKE CHAMPIONSHIPS

A Masters Degree ..

A few facts about the SM i Gädda – Catch With Care Sportsfish Masters n SM i Gädda – Catch With Care – is the official Swedish pike fishing championship, sanctioned by the Swedish Anglers Association Sportfiskarna. n It is the largest pike tournament in Europe with 19 qualification legs and a big finale with 181 teams. n The winning team of the Sportfish Masters 2017 final will directly qualify to participate in the 2018 edition of Fly VS Jerk which is aired on 2019. n Through collaboration with the organisers of the Sportfish Masters, Angling Spirit has agreed that the overall winners are also guaranteed a place in the World Predator Classic 2018. n The best practise angling ethos is shared by both organisations and therefore creates a natural fit with WPC being run on a global basis. n The team with the 5 longest pike during two hard fishing days wins. n Each team consists of two people. If the winning team has three participants, the team will decide amongst themselves who gets to participate with the third person as a backup reserve.

WORLDPREDA-

n Sportfish Masters Final, Karlskrona, Sweden, October 2016

2016 Masters results: loudly and clearly that this was neither their plan nor desired outcome.

When the “After Fish” ends and the teams head indoors, the crowd is occupying every seat in the hotel lobby and adjacent areas, and the laughter and discussions are going full steam. Did your plan for today work? What baits did you use?

Which colours worked for you? What place do you think you will end up in?

As we are getting closer to the prize ceremony the teams are asked to start to moving over to the facility next door, to be greeted by a DJ, set up by the organizer himself - with a laser show and multiple arena–sized screens playing back catch photos from the season, followed by a short preview of the official video that was shot during the two days - and then, of course, the prizegiving ceremony itself.

Before announcing the winners, the sponsors are welcomed on stage, presented with flowers and are given the opportunity to say something to the audience. As the winners are announced they are asked to come up on stage and receive the prizes, one by one, in the accustomed suspenseful manner of prize-giving - and the audience applauds and cheers as energetically

as if it were a concert. The celebrations at the hotel continue through the night - and later at a nearby night club, where most of the teams meet up after the prize ceremony. The fishing focus of the participants is incredibly strong and even at a night club, in the midst of loud music and dance floor hustle, it’s clear to anyone in the club that the main topic of discussion is about fishing, fishing, fishing … New gear, new waters, new techniques. It’s not just a hobby, it’s a way of life.

Having seen the media attention and scale of the competition grow organically from paid ads to prime time broadcasting, and a total of 181 teams in the 2016 final - one thing is certain: from thriving industry magazines and with 26 teams in the first final in 2011, to national TV interviewing, Sportfish Masters is here to stay – and it is all growing faster than ever. n

NICLAS AHRMAN sportfishmasters.se

1st place individual category: Jesper Larsen. Total of 300 cm (102cm, 100cm and 98cm).. Lure: Nettel laken 1 motoroil.

2nd place team category: Team Jerkoff (Jesper Larsen and Johannes Håkansson). Total of 479 cm.

5th place team category: Team Guldmunkarna. Total of 444 cm.

FISHING IN THE NETHERLANDS: A WATER FOR EVERYONE!

Make Holland the starting point of your fishing holiday

T

he Netherlands is a number one destination for every angler, as a large part of the country is situated below sea level, making it one of the most watery countries in the world.

Top-20 destinations Sportvisserij Nederland – the Dutch national angling federation and the issuer of the VISpas – makes it as easy as possible for foreign anglers to turn their fishing holiday in the Netherlands into a success.

At www.fishinginholland.nl, visitors

can easily find the fishing destinations of their choice, quickly and simply, in English and German. Filters allow visitors to sort fishing waters by fishing technique – for instance lure fishing-, shore- or coarse angling – or even by species. In both cases you’ll automatically be pointed to the best locations. There is also an overview of the top-20 fishing destinations in the Netherlands, including descriptions of the best fishing spots. Think of the city centre of Amsterdam, the major rivers, the sea port of Rotterdam or the picturesque polders of Friesland and ‘the Green Heart of Holland’.

Moreover, the digital map shows at a glance where in the region the angling shops, accommodations, fishing guides and other angling facilities are located. All of this is enhanced with great pictures and English and German spoken videos.

VISpas and VISplanner Whereas acquiring a fishing permit is a costly hassle in most other countries, the Netherlands has a simple and user-friendly system when it comes to fishing documents.

We want the visiting angler to be comfortable and we like to keep things as

affordable as possible. You’ll just need a single document – the VISpas – at a mere € 40 a year, and you’re ready to start fishing throughout all of the Netherlands! children under 14 years pay even less and are often completely exempted from having to buy a VISpas! Read all about it at www. fishinginholland.nl, where you can also order your VISpas quickly and easily online.

It is easy to check where exactly you are and aren’t allowed to go angling with your VISpas, just visit www.visplanner.nl, or install the free Visplanner app from the App Store or Google Play on your smartphone.

We recommend installing the VISplanner app on your smartphone. In case of a possible inspection, you will have to prove to the inspector that you are allowed to angle at that specific spot! If you do not use the App, then always carry your paper list of angling waters with you. And of course, in both cases, bring your VISpas.

Take a look at www.fishinginholland. nl and let us convince you of the countless great fishing adventures that await you in the Netherlands!

Like us on Facebook: Facebook.com/ fishinginholland.

Almost nowhere in the world will you find so many great fishing waters and such varied fish stocks as in the Netherlands:

107

‘‘

GOING DUTCH

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

From mighty rivers and the river delta to vast areas of wetland. From the characteristic polders to the canals of Amsterdam; the Netherlands has it all, and all these waters are great for angling. Almost nowhere in the world will you find so many great fishing waters and such varied fish stocks as in the Netherlands: both in the fresh inland waters and the coastal waters.

From trophy perch of over 50 cm long in the major rivers, to monster pikes and feeder fishing for powerful river breams.

From easy coarse angling for ‘witvis’ (a collective Dutch name for a number of coarse fish indigenous to the Benelux, including the tench, roach, ide and bream) from the campsite shore, to carp fishing from a fully equipped fishing boat. Would you rather go sea fishing?

That’s also possible in the Netherlands.

There are plenty of hotspots along our 523 kilometres long coastline. Beaches, ports, piers, the famous Zeeland Delta and the Wadden Islands. All these spots offer an opportunity to catch a wide variety of tasty marine fish.

108

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

MARK OF EXCELLENCE: PLANO’S ORIGINAL FISHING GEAR

STAMP

OF APPROVAL The Past, Present and Future of Tackle Storage ... Plano puts a new stamp on its generation-spanning innovation

Modern thermoplastic compounds were first developed for commercial use during the years leading up to WWII. Plano Molding Company was one of the first to begin injection molding these new “miracle materials” at their Plano, Illinois manufacturing facility in 1938. Their complex mold designs and innovative spirit quickly showed the world what could be done with the new technology.

14 years later, Plano founder Pete Henning manufactured the very first molded plastic tackle box, revolutionizing – if not creating – the tackle storage industry. But being first was just the beginning.

Since then, Plano has innovated one new tackle storage solution after another – most incorporating their industry-standard, interchangeable 3600 and 3700 size StowAway tackle trays – giving anglers an unprecedented array of clever and componentized tackle storage and transportation options based on specific fishing needs. For the past six decades, Plano has focused on unrelenting innovation so anglers can find more success on the water and make the most out of every precious outing.

Today, Plano manufactures and sells over 200 distinct tackle storage products, each painstakingly designed to help anglers protect their passion with user-friendly function and pride-inspiring style. If you own a tackle box, there’s an 80% chance it carries Plano’s legendary triple P logo.

Beginning with the remarkable release of 30 all-new soft tackle bags in 2016, Plano has begun stamping a new trademark on its covetous collections – a trademark that showcases the company’s pioneering past, dynamic present, and self-destined future of industry-leading innovation.

“This mark allows us to celebrate our pride in being the original manufacturers of molded tackle storage equipment while also highlighting the date in which we began the relentless pursuit of offering the best

‘‘

For 2017, Plano’s angling engineers have developed the all-new, premium line of A-Series Tackle Bags from a totally blank canvas

performing and most innovative tackle storage products on the market,” says Plano Synergy Director of marketing, Ben Rand.

Plano, a true angler-centric company, is championed from top to bottom by employees who share the passions of their customers. “There’s no disconnect at Plano,” continues Rand. “Celebrating who we are while striving to lead the way in innovation is extremely important, and this new trademark is a visual reminder of these accomplishments and ideals.”

For 2016, Plano’s angling engineers have developed the all-new, premium line of A-Series Tackle Bags from a totally blank canvas – five adventurous and innovative soft tackle bag designs, each combining highquality materials with an all-new clean and rugged aesthetic.

A is for Alpha Plano’s new top-end A-Series is anchored by the one-of-a-kind A-Series QuickTop – an innovative hybrid soft/hard design, available in both 3600 and 3700 sizes, that places a durable and sleek, molded ABS lid atop a richly-featured soft tackle bag.

Operable with one hand, the two smoked, see-through lids unlatch on either side for immediate access to the items anglers use most on the water. When closed, these items remain visible and fully protected inside.

“Almost every angler uses a smartphone while fishing for photography, maps, fishing apps and social media,” says Plano Brand Manager, Ryan Olander. “The QuickTop solves the problem of safe and accessible storage for mobile devices while also providing fast access to preferred lures of the day… all built around a premium soft tackle bag.”

Sandwiched between its ABS top and waterproof base lies a smart and handsome soft tackle bag, crafted from an all-new proprietary fabric combining lightweight durability with premium aesthetics. A reinforced carry handle and padded shoulder strap with heavy-duty hardware ensure failsafe transportation, while the use of MOLLE (Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment) webbing borrowed from the

MARK OF EXCELLENCE: PLANO’S ORIGINAL FISHING GEAR

tactical industry allows other gear to be securely attached to the bag’s exterior.

The QuickTop’s main interior compartment houses four included Plano StowAway utility boxes. Extra storage for gear and accessories exists in a series of additional zippered pockets and a large mesh back pocket secured by a Velcro closure. Tool sheaths are integrated on the outside of each side pocket.

Alpha anglers deserve a premium tackle bag that matches their level of commitment, and the all-new one-of-a-kind A-Series QuickTop is sure to make any angler more efficient.

110

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

A is for Adventure Some of the best fishing adventures exist beyond the range of a fully provisioned boat or SUV. Whether the final miles of the journey are covered by foot, mountain bike, horseback, kayak or dugout canoe, Plano’s new A-Series Tackle Backpack will carry the tackle and other essential gear needed to make the most of any angling adventure.

Functional utility lies at the core of this unique tackle bag. Five Plano 3600 StowAways are included and fit into the bottom of the pack’s main compartment, providing secure storage for dozens of lures and other terminal tackle. A separate upper storage compartment zips open to reveal cavernous storage for bulkier items like reels, line spools, clothing, cameras, electronics, food items and more. The interior face of the main compartment incorporates a large zippered pocket and three mesh pockets for organizing keys, wallet, smartphone and sunglasses and other sundries.

The utilitarian theme continues on the A-Series Tackle Backpack’s exterior. Two generous zippered face pockets are perfect for stashing tools and flashlights, first-aid kits, small electronics and sunscreen.

Secondary pockets with snap closures on each face pocket provide fast access to additional contents.

Rounding out its functional features, a cushioned back pad, padded and fully adjustable shoulder straps and reinforced top carry handle make the A-Series Tackle Backpack ultra comfortable to wear and use.

The aesthetics and durability of the A-Series Tackle Backpack match its utility and comfort. Premium materials and components give the pack a sturdy feel with a classically clean and rugged look that will appeal to any angler.

Perfect for kayak anglers, expedition anglers or anyone who needs to

transport tackle while keeping their hands free, Plano’s new A-Series Tackle Backpack is the ultimate adventure angling tackle pack.

A is for Authentic Plano’s new A-Series Tackle Duffel is just what the traveling angler or gear junkie ordered – a right-sized package offering maximum capacity and utility, all wrapped up with top-quality components, durable construction and handsome, A-Series aesthetics.

The venerable 3600 StowAway lies at the heart of the new A-Series Duffel’s tackle toting capability. It’s designed to house 14 of them: ten inside its cavernous main compartment and another four in its secondary front compartment. Anglers can remove a few to make room for additional gear, from rainwear and reels to fish-grippers and fillet knives. Four more zippered, exterior pockets – two on each end – are perfect for protecting smaller items like sunglasses, keys, electronics or soft plastics.

The A-Series Tackle Duffel’s utility comes not only from its hungry capacity, but also from the numerous ways it can be carried.

Traditional handles arch up from the front and back of the duffel for short-haul situations, and a padded shoulder strap is perfect for long-distance carrying. Need a handhold to drag the bag out of the back of a truck or the belly of a floatplane? There’s a handle on either end, right where it’s needed. Want to buddy-carry the bag or pass it to another person from a boat or dock?

Plano thought of that, too, placing handles on top of both ends. Practical and stylish MOLLE webbing adorns the duffel’s front.

The new A-Series Tackle Duffel is the ideal mass-tackle storage and travel bag, conceived, designed and constructed from over 60 years of authentic Plano experience and insight.

A is for Access Beauty is often skin deep. Sometimes, however, what’s inside can be just as glorious as the outside. Find this combination, and you have a keeper.

Such is the case with the new Plano

A-Series Tackle Bag. Beneath its attractive exterior, a parade of clever features combine for new levels of embodied utility, durability and performance.

At 15” long by 10.25” wide by 9.25” tall, the new A-Series Tackle Bag has what Plano engineers call “a manageable footprint.”

Others call it perfect… not too big and not too small…. Right-sized for carrying up to five fully loaded Plano 3600 Utility Boxes inside its padded main compartment.

The key to the high-end A-Series Tackle Bag’s durability is its camera bag-inspired design, which uses a pair of reinforced straps and new stronger buckles in lieu of a zipper to close the main compartment lid.

“When some tackle bags are zippered shut, the zipper can become the weak point and eventually fail because it bears the entire weight of the bag when carried by the handle on top,” says Plano Brand Manager, Ryan Olander. “For the premium A-Series Tackle Bag, we eliminated that risk by creating a bag without a zipper… using improved buckles, instead, that allow the bag’s main compartment to be opened faster and more easily… even with cold or slime-covered hands.”

Plano innovation and capability resonate throughout the rest of the A-Series Tackle Bag, which offers anglers an interior lid storage system consisting of a large zippered pocket and four smaller slip pockets in addition to an astonishing 12 exterior pockets to store, secure and access every angling essential.

Two generously sized zippered pockets on each end of the bag are capped off with open slip pockets. Three additional zippered pockets gild the bag’s front, and are finished with hardworking MOLLE webbing. The back of the bag has a large, mesh slip pocket with a Velcro closure.

Plano’s efficient new A-Series Tackle Bag provides anglers with big bag performance in a compact, aesthetically striking package that makes retrieving and stowing tackle items easier and faster than ever.

There are a handful of truly iconic and enduring fishing brands, but none have crossed and connected more generations of anglers the way Plano has while still remaining on the cutting edge of innovation.

Plano’s revolutionary new A-Series sits firmly atop today’s tackle storage hierarchy, providing the discriminating angler with a distinctive and comprehensive system for tackle management, storage and transportation.

Learn more at www.planomolding.com.

Chris Leibbrandt has been a predator and lure fishing angler since the age of seven. Best known for pike and lure fishing, Chris has over twenty years in the tackle trade and describes himself as a marketeer, designer, writer, angler, sage, raconteur and wit.

112

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

‘‘

So, what’s changed?

Half a century ago a small boy cast his first lure into the crystal clear waters of a lake, reputedly dug by the Romans who had inhabited the abandoned villa site set in the hawthorn and elderberry scrubland next to the sparkling chalk stream that fed the site.

So began my love affair with lure fishing.

Looking back, even the most basic of lures were compelling and filled with magic, magic that would tease out the striped perch that shared the water with tench and beautiful golden rudd.

There were also pike, the fish of legends that without ever catching one, I knew would be my angling passion, they still are. I had already fallen under the spell of fishing, the crystal clear waters of the river revealing the secret world of insects, bugs, fish, and the enigmatic and sometimes brutal world of fish eating fish, the underwater world of survival.

Back then, any lure was a piece of magic, some still are, but like many things these days, the magic and mystery has diminished. The limited choice was one of the reasons, you couldn’t find many in the UK, the other was the limited choice of information, many lures becoming mythical, in size, shape, colour and how to use them. In the UK the choice was limited, in both size and brand. We had to look abroad for lures made

by Arbogast, Creek Chub, Heddon and Rapala.

Research consisted of finding tackle shops that may have, but rarely stocked, a lure and many hours in the local library. It was a hard road for a lure enthusiast, and one on which I spent many years alone, but slowly more information, eventually books and magazines came my way and even some of the legendary lures too.

The Darent valley in Kent, England, where I lived and fished, was in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s a hotbed of carp fishing and its development, but as a species, the carp never caught my imagination. Not like the pike. I became known as a crazy kid who caught pike on lures, and I did, nothing especially huge, but a lot of fish, generally four or five times as many as those who fished with bait. I learned a lot, but only very slowly, as I had to teach myself with the help of books and magazines. It was worth every minute of the research and learning, I made lure fishing what I did as my first choice method, not a few casts at the end of unproductive day. I knew that, without any other bait, I had to make lures work, and I figured out one thing over time.

There are no rules to be broken, just experiment, experiment and experiment until your lures work for you.

Is it the colour?

Although the mystery is less apparent, it is still there, and there are some anglers who appear to be magicians with lures (the WPC champions being two of them), anglers to whom you aspire.

You can never learn all the tricks from the internet, magazines and social media, but you can learn a lot. One part of lure fishing that can

‘‘

limited choice and limited information was one of the reasons you couldn’t find many lures in the UK – many became mythical

get you caught up is lure colour. When I look at the colours of lures in my collection now, and compare them to what I used 30 years ago, not much has changed. There are three main groups: Natural (roach, perch, pike), Firetiger, and a fairly unpopular Blue on Chrome. I have very few that don’t fit into this grouping.

The colour of the lure you’re using sometimes seems to be the only critical factor, other times it doesn’t seem to matter at all. I guess I’m in the middle of this, generally I’ll start with a natural colour and if that doesn’t work move onto something bright and unatural like Firetiger, and, if conditions are bright, sunny and windy, I’ll use Blue on Chrome. Of course, there are loads of other colour schemes, probably black being my fourth place choice, but generally, I don’t bother with them. We all have our favourites that work on our waters, and this is one of the delights of lure fishing.

CHRIS LEiBbRANDT: HALF A CENTURY OF CHANGE

THE LURE OF change

Having had a love affair with lure fishing for half a century, Chris Leibbrandt has witnessed the changing face of the sport ... once almost mystical and hard to find, lures are now a big and serious business. So what’s changed? Pretty much everything!

CHRIS LEiBbRANDT: HALF A CENTURY OF CHANGE

Is it the construction?

The biggest change is the lure construction away from metal (spinners, spoons etc.) to softbaits and the ‘crossover’ market of soft/hardbaits and the lifelike imitations.

More and more lures are now superb lifelike imitations, with the ‘caricature’ (Runts, Spooks,Creek Chubs, Suicks etc.) hardbaits that I was brought up with, coming a long way back in the pecking order.

In the forefront of the European softbait revolution were the Sosy softbaits and multi-joint baits that were way ahead of their time, and never really began the revolution they should have, I haven’t really understood why, perhaps they were just too early in opening up of the global or European markets, I don’t really know. The ‘Dawg’ revolution was one that made the most impact, softbaits that were BIG and you had to take seriously. A lot of anglers caught a lot of big fish on them, I wasn’t one of them, for some reason I could never master using them. As softbait production moved to China, prices tumbled and more and more lures were sold. Storm lures, recently acquired

by Rapala, hit the market with perfect timing and developed lures that utilized one of the (then) trade secrets in lure fishing: neutral density. The Suspending Swimbait Shad, with its fat body and internal buoyancy chamber was a revolution/revelation and is still as good as it always was, probably my first choice of any lure on any water. The curly tailed version the Seeker Shad came along a little later, both are still best sellers.

Now, there are many following in their groundbreaking footsteps, with more every day. As more fish were caught, smaller and smaller baits were used to catch different species of fish, with the Japanese Light Rock Fishing (LRF) movement leading the changes. Now we have huge amounts of smaller baits catching perch and zander (as well as trout, asp, chub and others) all over Europe, and indeed, the rest of the world.

Is it the action?

‘‘

Our ability to access information, through clubs, associations, magazines, TV, social media and the internet have all given us insights into lure fishing worldwide

Is there anything else?

You only have to look at the WPC and all of its separate tournaments to see that things have moved on at an astonishing rate.

Kayaks are a recognised force in lure angling, sometimes bristling with electronic equipment, their portability and ease of use making them a great way into the world of boat fishing. Decent fishing boats are now readily available and can easily be launched from many sites. The use of electronics, and in particular, fish finders has changed our understanding of fish behaviour. Last year, fishing with the fabulously skilled Marcel Asbroek, I learned more about using fish finders in these days fishing with him than I had in three years on my own.

So, let us to go back to my original question: what has changed? The answer is, of course: just about everything! Our ability to access information, through clubs, associations, magazines, TV, social media and the internet have all given us insights into lure fishing worldwide. What we have done is taken techniques and tackle from around the world and adapted it to our own fishing situations. We are now all international anglers able to catch predators anywhere in the world.

The WPC is the culmination of this ethos, welcoming anglers from around the globe to test their skills in boats, kayaks or street fishing. Ten years ago, it was still an idea, but now the reality is growing year on year, with the introduction of national qualifying events feeding into the main tournament event, watch this space as it is now only a matter of time until we go trans-atlantic and take on the might of the American lure fishing giants. I can’t wait! n

Chris Leibbrandt

Is it the size?

Times are a changing.. an early lure from 1965 to a present day lure

115

Now, this is an interesting aspect of lure fishing.

Personally, although I fish the WPC, I am not really a competitive angler at all, and rarely, if ever spend any

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

Yes, this is definitely one of the major changes.

Those of us old enough to be brought up on crankbaits have probably found it more difficult to adjust to the minimal action of glide baits, jerkbaits and sofbaits where there is very little feedback through the rod and reel.

Several things have helped, with changes in hardware leading to our ability to maximise the effectiveness of the ‘new’ lures. The biggest change for the lure angler has been the use of braided lines, which was helped by the uptake in the use of multiplier reels, which again (and in particular in Europe) was helped by the increasing availability of Left Hand wind versions, that made sense to us, if not the Americans.

Added to this the availability of shorter specialised baitcasting and spinning rods in the European market has also helped us to adopt and adapt the equipment and lures to our fishing needs.

So, back to the action…once we figured out that sometimes ‘less is more’, we began to understand jerkbaits and glide baits and how they worked. Then came the dawgs and finally we got to shads, worms, soft plastics and jigheads where the lack of feedback is exactly what helps to register takes and plucks, anything that happens tends to be a fish. I imagine that there are now many lure anglers who find the constant action of a crank bait as odd as I find the lack of action of a sofbait.

time using small lures, that I define as anything under 125mm long. Mainly because I fish for pike, with zander coming a long way back in second place and perch a very rare trip indeed. So, in terms of lure size, it has hardly made any difference to my fishing, but it has meant an enormous number of anglers adopting lure angling as their first choice method of angling.

So, in terms of the adoption of lure fishing, the market overall has changed enormously. The range of lure sizes from tiny to gargantuan, is now open to any lure angler who wants to specialise. The adoption of LRF and smaller lures has opened the market to canals and street fishing venues that were under-fished by most lure anglers (and in my case, still are). In short, lure fishing now offers something for everyone.

Official Hook of the World Predator Classic 2016

118

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

DANIELA SCHAFFER: A ROCKY START ON THE WATER

DRIVING AMBITION Having fished with her father from an early age, shore fishing was an easy ride for Daniela Schafer, but boat fishing proved to be a bit more of a bumpy experience!

‘‘

I didn’t expect that it would be so difficult to manage a boat and after the first venture I thought I would never be able to do it

I

had my first fishing experience as a young girl at the age of five – with some help, of course, from my dad - fishing for trout and chub in the river and also at the trout lakes in Germany.

It was not until 15 years or so later that I caught the fishing fever again - but, as a typical woman, I was not interested in putting worms or dead baits on the hook. I needed to find other techniques and so started fishing with soft baits. Perch and zander in the river were the target and I had to spend a lot of time to find out where they were and how I could catch them.

My next step was to take up pike fishing from the shore with jerk-baits. It was, of course, the same procedure as before: find the right technique and where to find the fish at different times of the year.

Then, of course, the time came when I wanted to see and learn more about other types of fishing… I became interested in boats. The

first challenge was to get a licence. Next - buy a boat. That was the easy part. My big adventure was to know how to handle a boat and learn how a boat reacts in different conditions.

I didn’t expect that it would be so difficult to manage a boat and after the first venture I thought I would never be able to do that. I spent so much time on the water without catching a fish - but every day was a learning day and so I got more and more familiar with my boat and getting the catches I was used to achieving from fishing from the shore.

But what of my first experience of a WPC? A few months later I got the chance to take part in the WPC 2015. First, there were two weekends training on a unknown water – a big water at that. To be honest, the first time out on the Hollands Diep and Haring Vliet, I was very afraid of the expanse of water and had no idea where I should start to fish. But I began to search for edges, holes and plateaus, to find out where the fish were, and I found some.

Before the first competition day, all competitors met in the marina and it helped me a lot to have conversations with other fishermWrst!

All this affected our concentration and we missed some fish for the ranking. By the end of the day we were in the middle of the field.

On the second day, our plan came together and we only missed the pike, but three good zanders and perch was enough for fourth place.

The third day brought a lot of wind, but we had become used to these conditions from our training days.

But it was full success for us - all fish were caught in a short time and the length of all fish was enough for us to be the best team on the third day. It was an Incredible feeling. By the end of the complete competition, we were proud to be placed fourth overall in the boat competition.

From now on I don’t want to miss moments like these. Fishing, especially competition fishing, changed my life. New friendships are built and it is a pleasure to meet all these great fisherwomen and fishermen again.

And, this year, we will start again - and fish as hard as we can. I really look forward to taking part in the WPC once more.

Now, the female point of view...

I´m often asked what does fishing mean to me as a woman. Well, I don’t know if there is any difference between a fisherman and a fisherwoman. Every woman can hold a fishing rod and can learn to drive the boat. For me, fishing is now a part of my life. Sometimes it is the best thing for recharging your batteries, so to speak - just being out on the water, enjoying the silence and feeling the strikes of the fish.

And it is also a kind of confirmation - If you choose the right spot, the right lure and the right technique, you will get your fish.

For me, fishing can never become boring there are just so many different techniques and lures to discover every day and through it one can make new discoveries within oneself. n

TAKE THE BAIT: FRABILL’S NEW COMPACT BUCKET

one for the

bucket list Frabill’s new Bait Bucket offers lidhoused aerator in a smaller, more compact version .. the ideal bank fishing companion

Savvy anglers know that fresh and lively bait is best. Thus, an integral part to any smart angler’s arsenal is an aerated bait bucket, like Frabill’s 6-gallon Aqua-Life Bait Station or 8-quart Bait Box with Aerator.

Frabill Model 4825 Aerated Bait Bucket: n 1.3-gallon capacity with included insulated liner n Upgraded lid with storage compartment for revolutionary aerator design, aerator clip-on bracket and hose hole in lid n 20 hours aeration run time, 2-AA batteries n 30-40 hours aeration run time, 4-AA batteries n MSRP: $24.99

Frabill’s new Aerated Bait Bucket is only one of five all-new innovative and economical bait bucket designs for 2016; a series that also includes the Drainer Bait Bucket, Bait Bucket, Insulated Bait Bucket and Dual Bait Bucket.

Learn more at www.frabill.com.

About Fabrill Frabill, Inc. is in its 75th year of engineering premium, trusted fishing equipment. Frabill’s ice fishing product lineup consists of portable ice fishing shelters, rod and reel combos, tip-ups, bait containers, portable aeration, and premium ice fishing apparel.

Open water products include landing nets, portable aeration, bait containers, bait care, bait traps and seines, accessories, and premium open water F Series Storm Gear.

Visit www.frabill.com.

Media Contacts: Ben Rand, Director of Marketing Plano Synergy 630-552-9518 brand@planomolding.com Noel Vick, Traditions Media, LLC (612) 708-7339 noel@traditionsmedia.com

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

Both models have become must-haves with anglers who fish live bait. Durable, quiet, dependable. Now meet the newest Frabill design to join the top echelon of aerated bait bucket designs.

New for 2016, Frabill’s Model 4825 Aerated Bait Bucket holds 1.3 gallons (5.2 quarts) and offers anglers a smart alternative to clip-on aerators without having to move up in size to the 6-Gallon Aqua-Life Bait Station. Now anglers have the option of a top-performing bait with built-in lid aerator but in a smaller footprint – great for bank fishing and reducing clutter in any watercraft.

Also, given increasing invasive species regulations, anglers are becoming more conservative with how they utilize live bait.

It’s now common for anglers to keep several oxygenated bags of minnows on the ready in a cooler, only breaking them open as needed.

Frabill’s new Model 4825 Aerated Bait Bucket is the perfect container for this kind of fishing.

Frabill’s new Aerated Bait Bucket also conveniently fits into most consumer refrigerators to extend bait life even longer for multi-day fishing trips – or just keeping bait on the ready.

“We wanted

to design a bait bucket that would give anglers of all kinds a smart, one-stop way to keep bait lively and fresh, but in a smaller footprint.

We also wanted to make the product more user-friendly, moving away from the need for a clip-on aerator,” says Frabill design engineer, Tim Makos.

“Additionally, the built-in lid aerator was designed from the ground up for years of solid, quiet and bulletproof performance. The motor is both quiet and powerful, but in a scaled down footprint,” adds fellow Frabill design engineer, John Whalen.

Features also include an insulated liner to keep water temperature stable, a built-in compartment for lid-housed aerator, two- or four- AA battery operation, and much more.

121

TO THE POINT: EAGLE CLAW AND TROKAR HOOKS

F

or more than 90 years Eagle Claw, the only hook manufacturer in the US, has been manufacturing and distributing hooks from its facility in Denver, Colorado.

Progressive development and innovation over recent years has seen the company grow significantly in both European and Asian markets with its brands recognised worldwide.

The company’s four main brands Eagle Claw, Lazer Sharp, Trokar and Wright & McGill cover all sectors of the market from the budget angler to the elite specialist and competition sport fisherman.

Eagle Claw, forged point – the brand that started it all – is one of the most widely recognized brands in all of fishing. One of the oldest hook manufacturers, Eagle Claw still manufactures all of its hooks in the US. Lazer Sharp hooks are the only Americanmade needlepoint hooks in the world.

Renowned for their durability and strength, Lazer Sharp needle point hooks are priced extremely competitively. Wright & McGill rods and reels cover a wide range of angling disciplines with many products designed for specialist applications both saltwater and freshwater.

Trokar hooks take their name from the word Trocar, a surgical instrument with a sharply pointed end. Designed using patented Surgically Sharpened

Trokar Shell Buster

The impressively named T rokar Shell Buster jig carries the largest weight of the range form 7g (1/4oz) up to 21g (3/4oz).

The specifically designed rugby ball shaped head allows anglers to work plastic baits in a “heads down” feeding style in deep water.

Computer designed moulded bait keeper ensures that soft baits do not ride up the hook shank.

The Shell Buster is mounted on Trokar’s Pro-V bend hook with two different head weight colour options.

Technology (SST), Trokar hooks are made from a unique of high-carbon steel called Q741 specially created for the brand itself.

Specifically tempered for maximum wire strength and flex to resist breaking, Trokar hooks provide a high-end product for the dedicated specialist angler.

Since its first launch at ICAST 2009 in Orlando Florida, premium hook brand Trokar developed by Eagle Claw, has continued to grow and re-define the standards of modern hook manufacturing.

By working with the latest sharpening technology used for surgical instruments, Eagle Claw’s patented SST manufacturing process produces the sharpest of hook points.

Now in its eighth year, the brand has over 70 patterns covering salt and freshwater applications and provides one of the most comprehensive specialist hook ranges available. Amongst the growing variety of patterns are a number of hooks designed specifically for the presentation of soft baits, key to modern angling trends.

There are now patterns for most styles of soft bait including worm, shad and tube styles, many utilising spring style retainers and Trokar’s custom B.A.R.B (Bait Alignment and Retention Barb) system designed to prolong the life of even the most delicate of soft baits and hold them securely cast after cast.

Also, included in the range are a variety of patterns for drop-shotting and light bait

Trokar Tube

The Trokar Tube jig features a precisely balanced conical head weight specifically designed for soft tube style plastics. A step up for the traditional weight shapes, the Trokar Tube jig offers a weight profile that holds the tube for better seating during repeated casting. Available in five weights from 3.5g (1/8oz) up to 10.5g (3/8oz).

presentation. In all, the Trokar range has five patterns which are applicable to this type of discipline”. The most recent addition the TK230 Helix with integral swivel adds another dimension to presentation for drop shotting and other soft bait rigs.

Trokar: State of the art weighted jig heads from Eagle Claw’s Premier Trokar brand Launched at ICAST 2016 and the latest additions to the range, Trokar’s high tech weighted jig head hooks are the ultimate in jig head designs covering the very latest in jig applications.

The Trokar brand has become synonymous with ground breaking designs and the use of the latest cutting edge technology. The new Trokar weighted jigs range combines Tungsten weights and radical new hook designs to perfectly present modern soft baits for maximum effect.

Trokar weighted jig heads epitomise the innovative ethos of US based hook manufacturer already famous the world over for its leading Eagle Claw and Lazer Sharp hook brands. These latest additions to the Trokar range push the envelope of hook design even further fully utilising the properties of its bespoke Q741 high carbon steel, developed specifically to complement the critical sharpening and tempering processes required for Trokar hooks. The

Trokar Scorpion Shakey

The Trokar Scorpion Shakey Headjig features a flat-bottomed tungsten weight perfect for the “heads down” lure style and offering a slimmeddown profile for delicate lure presentation. Based on a unique hook profile with curved shank, the Scorpion Shakey Head features moulded bait keeper and is available in five weights from 2.65g (3/32oz) up to 10.5g (3/8oz) and two colour options.

TO THE POINT: EAGLE CLAW AND TROKAR HOOKS

result, a highly effective jig hook armed with a surgically sharpened point.

A total of five new patterns are available covering a range of applications. Different weightings from 1.75g (1/16oz) up to 21g (3/4oz) allow anglers to cover fish at most depths over different substrates form the lightest of applications.

Eagle Claw European pro staff angler Gary Palmer has been working with Reuben Heaton on their UK distribution of Eagle Claw. “The new Trokar weighted jig heads will be a real game changer in 2017.

The last time I was this excited about a new hook was the launch of the revolutionary Trokar TK170 weighted swimbait hook�.

The Trokar Pro-V Ball Head jig is precisely balanced with a high-density tungsten weighted head. Again, with moulded bait keeper and mounted on a Pro-V hook but this time with a curved shank, the Pro-V Ball Head jig offers a slim profile jig for delicate presentations to wary fish.

Available in six weights from 1.75g (1/16oz) up to 8.75g (5/16oz) and three head colours.

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

Trokar Pro-V Ball

Trokar Swimbait

The Trokar Swimbait Head jig offers a wide variety of options to anglers presenting soft plastics. The shorter distance between head and hook point coupled with bait keeper prevents the hook shank stiffening the bait allowing it to retain its flexible swimming action. Available in eight weights from 1.75g (1/16oz) up to 21g (3/4oz) and three head colours.

123

www.eagleclaw.com

124

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

SAY CHEESE! WORLD PREDATOR CLASSIC IN PICTURES

CAUGHT

IN THE ACT EVERY PICTURE TELLS A STORY

... HERE’S A FEW TAILS FROM 2016!

SAY CHEESE! WORLD PREDATOR CLASSIC IN PICTURES

..and there’s

SAY CHEESE! WORLD PREDATOR CLASSIC IN PICTURES

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

more

127

OFFICIAL EVENT

PARTNERS

The organisers of the World Predator Classic would like to thank all the Official Sponsors and Support Partners who have helped to make this 2017event possible

Official Engine

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

Official Boat: As part of the Bass Pro

Shops/Tracker Marine Group family, TRACKER Boats take decades of top-tier innovations, quality and performance and weave them into every single model to produce a line-up of performance fishing boats absolutely loaded with value. www.trackerboats.com

Official Tackle Box

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

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

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

Official Electronics Partner

Lowrance has been a leader in marine electronics since it invented the first consumer sonar device in 1957 -- The Little Green Box. In the years since, Lowrance has never wavered from its purpose to push the envelope of innovative performance to help anglers find and catch more fish. www.lowrance.com

At Eagle Claw Fishing Tackle Co., we’ve provided generations of anglers around the world with innovative, American-made fishhooks and a full assortment of gear and accessories.

Long recognized as a global brand leader, we are continually introducing new products designed to make fishing more enjoyable for people of all ages. www.eagleclaw.com

Since 1950, from our headquarters in California, Hobie Cat Company has manufactured and distributed an impressive collection of watercraft worldwide. www.hobiefishing.com

Official Weights & Measures

Reuben Heaton has had its roots in the angling industry since1857 by its namesake Reuben George Heaton.

Predominantly it was a manufacturer of fishing reels, but this manufacturing base was quickly extended to cover many other items of angling equipment. Heaton’s continue to manufacture in the UK, an aspect of the company that after 150 years, we are very proud of. In addition, Heaton’s now import and export scales all around the world. www.reubenheaton.co.uk

Duo International

DUO stands for form. DUO stands for function. Form and function aligned in perfect harmony, “functional beauty”, is a key element of our design philosophy. www.duo-international.com

Navionics

Strike Pro Hobie Fishing

Official Trailer Partner

Eagle Claw

Since 1973 Strike Pro has continually evolved by paying particular attention to their five main criteria.. Professionalism, Creativity, Responsibility, Sincerity, and above all - a PASSION for fishing. www.strikepro.com

Navionics makes a series of electronic nautical charts for almost every region on the globe. www.navionics.com

Quantum

From the latest materials to the latest design thinking, we’re constantly searching for ways to build the ultimate fishing gear. www.quantumfishing.com

Livingston Lures

All Livingston Lures feature Electronic Baitfish Sounds (EBS™) embedded on a smart chip in the internal sound chamber of each lure. Hear the difference.www.livingstonlures.com

Drunk Baits Ram Mounts

Ram fishing offers a complete line of mounting solutions for anglers with rod holders that are durable and compact. rammounts.nl

providing a wide range of predator fishing equipment, fishing trips and clothing. www.hechtundbarsch.de

WORLD PREDATOR CLASSIC: SPONSORS & PARTNERS

Camping ‘t Weergors Peters & May Marine

The Peters & May Group has provided bespoke global logistics solutions by sea, road, rail and air since 1988. A preferred supplier to many manufacturers, organisations and individuals 44 years unparalleled service, 154countries, travelling over 230,000,000 miles worldwide. www.petersandmay.com

Official Accommodation

The spacious resort is set 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

Dragon Tackle Katran

Our range of products incorporate the latest innovations from the worlds leading manufacturers of hook links and leaders. www.katran.co.uk

Dragon is a polish company that specialise in engineering high performance fishing tackle that is utilised by anglers all around the globe www.firmadragon.pl

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.

Fladen fishing has the ambition to make your fishing a pleasant experience. We buy from the world of leading factories without costly middlemen. Therefore we can give you better value for money.

Fladen -www.fladenfishing.org.

Real Trophy

Fish replicas made with great attention to the details. Life-like looks make it a beautiful souvenir of any fishing trip. www.facebook.com/Real Trophy

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

Cmap

Digital solutions for upto the minute navigation. www.c-map.com

Hoi4u

Suppliers of professional stage equipment providing the sound and stage equipment for the Hooked on Rock event. www.hoi4u-rental.eu

Official Event Marina

Secure mooring in Hellevoetsluis for all participants’ boats. www.marina-capehelius.nl

Sportvisserij Zuidwest Nederland De Catfish

Official Life Jacket

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

A well established tackle shop located near to the Voornse Kanaal, Hellevoetsluis, to meet all of your angling needs. www.de-catfish.nl

(Dutch National fishing Federation) promotes national and international interests of sport fishing. www.sportvisserijzwn.nl

Angling Knots Hengelsportvereniging Het Voornse Kanaal Local Fish federation

Wellantcollage sportsvisacademie

(Dutch Fisheries collage) Providing the vitally important Event Marshaling Team. www.wellant.nl

Chasing big fish with big lures or fly fishing in high mountain streams?

You should find the right fishing knots here. www.anglingknots.com

REUBEN HEATON: TOTAL WEIGHING SOLUTIONS

Reuben Heaton...160 years of continuous

WEIGHT OF HISTORY T O ne of last original heritage brands in the industry, Reuben Heaton has its roots firmly in the rich history of British tackle manufacture.

130

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

In 2017, the company will celebrate 160 years of continuous service to the angling trade since Reuben George Heaton inventor and angler started the business manufacturing fishing reels back in 1857.

Older brands have been reborn and reinvented over time, but Heaton’s has remained throughout making it the one of the longest, if not the longest continuously running British tackle brand in existence.

Over the years, the Heaton name has become synonymous with quality handmade fishing tackle, and this tradition is carried forward to the present day, where although the product range has changed somewhat, the attitude has not. At the turn of the century wood, brass and ebonite were the materials to hand. Large volume production in angling was in its infancy, and Reuben Heaton was at the forefront of tackle development with many patents and revolutionary designs to his name. Heaton’s experimented with new production methods and materials and were one of the first tackle companies to manufacture in aluminium in the late 1890’s.

In more recent times, Heaton’s have become famous for the manufacture of high quality angling scales and weighing accessories. Scale manufacture at the company reaches back to the mid 1800’s in the form of brass tubular balances. Dial scales however are a more recent development with the first aluminium match scales being manufactured in 1928. Since that time the company has continued to develop its scales production in both analogue and more recently digital formats. Manufacture now centres on advanced thermoplastics, laser cut components and precision engineering.

Development of products for weighing in angling and other commercial markets has been a continuous process from those first match scales built in the late 1920’s to the latest Specimen Hunter Black Edition scales launched in December 2015.

Whilst Heaton’s now employ mechanised processes in manufacture, many of the scales produced are still hand finished and calibrated. This traditional hands on approach, is borne out of the founders passion for angling and still remains at the heart of the company today.

Measured in time.. an early set of brass tubular balances dating from mid 1800’s

The new 2017 Specimen Hunter In May 2017, Reuben Heaton unveiled the latest trade incarnation of its class leading specialist scale the Specimen Hunter with improved readability and dial graphics. The 2017 model Specimen Hunter now incorporates a version of the unique Enhanced Vision System (EVH) first seen on the Limited Black Edition Specimen Hunter model launched at the end of 2015.

Improved inks specifically designed for this Specimen Hunter application and exacting lithographic print processes are used to produce multi-layered highly accurate dial graphics which utilise the available light to maximise contrast between the dial background and printed graduations. The readability of the dial is then further enhanced by an additional transparent layer overprinted onto the dial surface. This final layer reduces surface flash and reduces the tendency for parallax error, focussing the eye more easily on the dial graphics.

Use of specialist inks ensures that the dial markings are enhanced in both normal and especially low light conditions and also perform better in the glare and flash from bright sunlight and other direct light sources such as head torches.

The EVA system coating can be artificially charged using any standard light source to provide additional illumination of the dial surface during night time use but its primary function is that of improving visibility of dial markings.

REUBEN HEATON: TOTAL WEIGHING SOLUTIONS

service to the angling trade

Outweighing the competition For almost 90 years Reuben Heaton has played a major role in the recording of competition event weights and world record attempts worldwide, gaining a formidable reputation for accuracy and reliability and setting the standard by which all other angling scales are judged.

This level of performance comes from years of manufacturing experience and a passion for constant improvement aimed at developing products ideally suited for top level competition and the angling environment.

As a manufacturer of high quality analogue and digital balances for commercial markets around the world, Reuben Heaton follows processes during manufacture that reflect the exacting standards required in metrology. As a member of the UK Weighing Federation, Reuben Heaton adheres to a strict code of practice that governs all processes used during the manufacture of weigh scales and weighing equipment ensuring that your Reuben Heaton scale performs reliably.

All scales in the Reuben Heaton 4000 series including the latest 2017 Specimen Hunter models are calibrated to tolerances as specified in European directives for non-automatic weighing instruments (Class IV) and each scale is calibrated to required tolerances using traceable verified M1 class weights and all materials used in the construction of these scales conform to the relevant British BS/European Norm EN Standards.

Reuben Heaton has been working with Angling Spirit events for more than 15 years as official weights and measures sponsor. During that time, Reuben Heaton scales have weighed many thousands of kilos and maintained a 100% performance rate throughout. Here’s to the next 15 years and many more kilos.

DRAGON CARP DIRECT: SATISFYING ANGLERS’ NEEDS FOR YEARS

YEAR OF THE

RAGON

Dragon Carp Direct, Britain’s biggest specialist angling retailer, has been supplying anglers with all their fishing needs for almost a quarter century and is not a company to sit back on past renown in the world of angling.

Reels, poles, rods, bait, clothing Dragon’s span of fishing equipment has expanded and improved over the years.

And pursuit of the perfect gear has never halted.

For example, the company announces its latest breakthrough in superior reels and has created a reel that has not been available to the angling market until now – one in the Fishmaker II class. It is characterised by an exceptionally large spool diameter while the depth of spool is very small, but still offering normal line capacity.

The main advantage of this spool is a significant improvement on casting distance – up to 30% - perfect line lay, and making it possible to use much bigger drag washers (100% increase ) which improves braking precision. A large spool can also reduce the gear ratio, improving the comfort of fishing.

Additionally, only the best quality materials are used in producing FishmakerII reels, embedded in a nondeformable and rigid support frame, allowing these reels to meet high quality standards. These reels operate without failing the fisherman – offering owners confidence and ease of use.

n New shape of the spool chamfer and

the upper-inside rotor part. n Two silicon parts on the rotor arms inside, which prevent the line from getting into the spool. n Handle arm longer by10 mm. n Higher grade line roller ball bearing. n Kloser design of the connection between bail wire and line roller cove. n Worm-shaft spool oscillation n 10 stainless ball bearings (including 2 ceramic BB).

comparison with standard reels: bigger line capacity, smaller spool depth and as an effect better line lay and longer, more accurate casts n HEG-class main gear, machine-cut n Titanium oversized line roller with antitwist function n Tubular super hard bail n Long-life bail spring n Titanium main shaft n Duralumin machine-cut handle n Rotor Super Balance System n Double-sized drag washers and more precise function of drag system

INVADER PRO

Dragon are also producing the Invader Pro lure series which has the characteristic worm and shad elements, giving a new lure with action which differs from our previous product.

The wide range of use when it comes to fish species, fishing methods or the way of loading should see this lure quickly become a sales leader

QUICK LOCK SNAPS

Our Quick Lock Snaps allow for changing the lures very fast, without hooking and fastening. This solution was tested over two seasons, during which - on Slovakia Orava river and Swedish Hjalmaren lake - many zanders, together with perch and big pikes were caught.

NANO POWER

The Nano Power series of highest quality of Japanese Dragon monofilaments is designed for spinning and casting fishing methods. In the production the newest copolymer fibres with increased strength were used.

Their basic features are unusual ease of casting even with light lures, precison and very high rate of hook sets, thanks to increased sensitivity.

n Outstanding tensile and knot strength

n Low memory n Easy, long &

accurate casting

n High sensitivity n Highest hook-sets

ratio n Silicon-coated n Anti-reflex layer n 100% UV protection n Limp & soft n Low visibility

More than a tackle company ..

The DRAGON STREET FISHING SERIES such items as backpacks, bags and rod cases are a coherent part of the Dragon range - all made with the urban competitive angler in mind.

These are all made from very strong materials, of course, and equipped with durable finish and practical accessories, paying particular attention

to sensitive places, which very often undergo overloadings during use. Pockets are cleverly designed with careful consideration to size, placement and capaciousness, for ease of access to diversified accessories. The two- and one-suspender backpacks have specific tasks: facilitating the transfer of and reaching for accessories - as well as relieving back and spine throughout the day!

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

These 2nd generation changes include:

n Infinitive Anti-Reverse roller bearing. n Two V-shape, duralumin spools. n Increased spool diameter in

133

JEAN CLAUDE BEL:PRESIDENT OF EFFTEX

THE FUTURE LOOKS

BRIGHT

134

WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM

Jean-Claude Bel, President of EFTTEX is passionate about fishing, the tackle trade and the future of the World Predator Classic

This fourth 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.

‘‘

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