World Carp Classic - Offical Global Website
Lake Bolsena 3rd - 9th September 2012

MEMORABLE FIRST TIME EXPERIENCE AT WCC

My Name is Udo and I am from Austria. Last year was the first time our team participated in the World Carp Classic. With this article I want to submit to you our experience of this competition. Also our preparations for the event and maybe it will help someone to decide to take part in this great competition.

THE PREPARATIONS

5 years ago my team partner Peter told me about his dream to take part in the WCC one day. Last year in January we sent off our entry and preparations began. To pay our entry fee without knowing what happens was a little amusing but we have confidence in the organiser.

However we tried to find a sponsor for the costs, and we had luck. All our costs which amounted to more than €3000 were sponsored. If now anyone thinks we are crazy, they are right! J But taking part in the WCC is everything! Are we sure? No, it’s not everything because we set ourselves a target. It was to catch one fish and our dream was to reach a place under the first twenty.

What did we do for a perfect preparation? On the one hand we took all the information we could get from the internet and on the other hand we took some information from our friends, who had been at Madine earlier. Some months before the WCC started we got the rules. They were written in English and when you read this article and my bad English, you will understand that it was a small problem for us to understand all the rules. What will we need for using a boat? Life jacket, anchor with a rope to a minimum of 24 meters and so on. Actually there was no problem getting all these things; the only really big problem was the boat insurance. The reason was that boat insurance is not often used in Austria! After many hopeless attempts our insurance agent had a solution. It was a great experience that everybody tried to help us. Now I close writing about preparations because it will be too boring.

(Group photo at bivy city)

       (Pascal, Peter, Udo, Hannes, DR., Leon, Kurt)

THE COMPETITON

On Friday evening we packed our equipment into the car. (That's only half!)

The drive seemed to fly by because we drove in convoy with the other Austrian teams and had the help of the navigation equipment and hand radios thanks to Kurt Grabmayer. After arriving at bivy-city we went very quickly to the boat check to finish all the checks we needed.

         Bivy-city                                                 Fog horn test                                 Thanks to all sponsors

Our English neighbours at bivy-city. We had so much fun with the guys but the photos say more than 1000 words. I give thanks for becoming acquainted with you!

Red sock man

On the following day the atmosphere was a little bit more serious. I think that all the participants were nervous about the peg drew in the evening. ‘What’s the best peg?’ was the main discussion in bivy-city. One of the best experiences at the WCC for me was the friendliness and openness of the people. No secrets about information! Great!

Finally in the evening the Official Opening Ceremony took place and as Ross Honey entered the nations cheered. It became so exciting!

Peter and I came in 8th place for the peg draw.

When we had selected the peg the question arose as to whether it was good or bad because we had never fished at the Madine before and the data of the first ones were too different. In any case we had drawn an island place. I don’t want to torment you any longer with rules but everyone should already be aware of these places, although that’s easier said than done. Apart from a few yellow maps and a place reference of one team, everything was quite fair.

Our strategy was to find fish with using just a little bait. For us this meant only one handful of Boilies. On the third day we had our first success and we fished with all our rods on the Hot spots in 200 meters distance. To help with your understanding, this Hot spot was more than 100 meters long. Naturally there were certain risks having all the rods fishing there but the other features were really only ‘embarrassment’ spots. Peter succeeded as the first and landed a beautiful “Zeilinger” over 13kg.

                                                                       Over 13 kg a „beauty“

Our joy over the first carp was huge! When Peter caught the next one early in the next day, also over 16kg, we were more than happy. The marshal came in order to weigh the fish as well as 2 television teams and 2 photographers to ask if they could film Peter with his fish, as well as photograph and interview. Naturally in English that we could refresh, thanks of our English neighbours in the bivy-city. However after one or two beers J in bivy – city it was substantially more easy to talk English there, than in the early morning after one coffee.

The day flew by and we had to do much, to consider and/or, how we should increase our bait strategy further. Do we need more feed, since we’ve already had bites? (I had to catch the special lucky braces, about which I had naturally been very pleased with, I had nevertheless only 200 meters again to the spot) however we decided our strategy was to add only a few more Boilies.

Ah there, remember the bait. Our Polish neighbours to the left had no bread (they had already asked us on the first day) however they had an unbelievable amount of bait of all art, corn, hemp, Boilies and still much more. Naturally they had everything in the water, despite whether they caught a fish or not, hoping to catch a roving fish that went past them. ERROR!! As far as I can remember they caught a fish on the 2nd day and a second on the next night but that was all. For us it was amusing that the team had an underwater camera and their Team runner explained to us, they saw the bait being still on the the ground where they had put it!!! They used ALL of their bait, really unbelievable! Thank God our spots were in some distance!

Unfortunately however one of Polish pair became ill on the 1st day. We supplied him with medicine which we had thanks of our „team doctor“ Martin K, in Austria alias „IL dotore“. This did not help however and the official doctor had to come with the boat to the island. He was not only fevered but his foot also hurt. Again we helped and gave the doctor a TAP federation, which is otherwise only obtained from the mainland. Also we had pain-relief tablets but it unfortunately didn’t help at all and he had to be taken to hospital.

Our English neighbours to our right were very nice and they even suggested which spots to search etc. with rods and markers concern, we still have things to learn. However could the guys from the island also learn from us, for example, when they were out in their boat. But the 2 new friends we met were really good on the main island.

Here I give greetings to the Salzburger!!! You are a super team and your team runner Wolfgang was the best. Without even stopping to think, the team lent us a battery when ours became weak on the next to last day. Again thank you very much and we hope to see you again.

It was on Thursday night that I caught my first Madine carp also over 11kg. Now we both had our fish and were could relax, until we realised how far in front we already were.

Unfortunately on Friday afternoon the weather got worse and worse and it didn’t stop raining. Therefore we ran around in our wading trousers and there was less and less chance of things drying out. The radio program was interrupted, we were notified of a storm warning and going out on boats was banned. There were a few minutes when all hell broke loose and the skies threatened to fall on our heads. It came fast and passed quickly and many teams laid their lines out again. It didn’t last for a long time however and the next thunderstorm came down. It became dark early and we decided to go into the tents and spoke over radio.Our bivys were next to each other but the rain and the storm were too loud to hear each other. Then I heard a few bleeps and had to go and see if my boat was well secured. Back into the wading trousers, with the worst thunderstorm outside I have seen and secured my boat again. And like that is, when I am located between boat and Rod pod, in my wading trousers, piiiiiiiiiiiiiip full run. What followed thereafter was the most spectacular carp fight of my „life “. Peter was immediately with me to help but I had not gone 2 meters and I hit my second line with the carp heading straight into the weed bed close to my English neighbours. With the Engine stuck in the weed bed I put my rod between the my feet and ................. No matter what I did, could not free myself from the 2nd line. I eventually managed to get free from the weed bed and was able to use the engine, the fish was still on and then the action started and it went on for what seemed like ages. I eventually managed to land a great carp 18.80 kg Thanks to Petrus.

I came back completely wet. I couldn’t believe it when I was hardly ashore the rain stopped. The marshal came to weigh so I took the 2 rods outside again and as I was coming back with the 2nd rod it began to rain again. I was mad but wet more than anything else. Now we were both extremely tired and went to sleep. On Saturday we rose to pack and got another run and a carp of 11 kg. It was simply perfect and the dirt and wetness were forgotten. After three days of rain I was happy to have a hot shower. We were very lucky as we were one of the first to be picked up off the island.

The prize ceremony went relatively quickly across the stage and we could begin our way home. Again in convoy with Kurt Grabmayer and the Dragonbaits Team Austria, we drove home in the continuous rain. Thankfully good connection of the radios prevailed.

A summary of our view:

It was a great event which was organised perfectly. Some little things remain to be improved. For example it is planned for next year that the places are to be divided even wider on the lake. The food supply at the camping site could be more varied and not only limited to hot dogs and hamburgers. Communication during the competition could have been better although we were always updated during the event however we did not know who had won until the prize giving. The atmosphere between the individual teams, despite the origin, was a really friendly one and information concerning the lake was actively exchanged. Above all Pascal of the Luxembourg Dragonbait team, who knows the lake well, was not stingy with information, thank you!Anyone who would like to take part because of the prizes is mistaken! Anyone who looks for the challenge and the chance to fish at a wonderful lake and a wonderful event would like it!

The positive atmosphere between the nations has already been mentioned! We will be back to meet all the guys and represent Austria again at WCC 2009 and to fish on a beautiful lake. Before I forget Peter Donner and myself, Udo Silberschneider, of the team Yellow Hunter reached 6th place!!

Udo Silberschneider