Places are to be limited to 132 this year from 169 last year, and with even more bank space as well as additional areas, the quest to catch one of the Orients gigantic prizes is really on. With a first prize of £10,000 in cash and a stack of other valued prizes from JRC, unique Golden Reuben Heaton scales, and of course the prestigious accolade of becoming the World Carp Classic champions 2007, that is just the start of the prizes.

Second and third place share £5000 in cash and products. There will also be 11 sections providing a further £16,500 in cash and product prizes. Other prizes include the casting competition, which will be extra-special this year as there will be an official world record breaking attempt, sponsored by Greys.

The biggest fish Prize is appropriately sponsored by Leon Hoogendijk, previous captor of the famous Bulldozer at 70lbs+, and the team competition tops the scales providing a great prize and the PR and bragging rights. The World Carp Classic is a non stop enduro pairs event held over 5 nights and 6 days of intense nail biting and challenging competition.

Four rods per pair, boats and echo sounders are allowed. The huge water will exceptionally open up vast areas not normally available for angling, especially for the competition. Areas usually out of bounds are having access points made - it will be only the second time that this has ever happened, and on both occasions it will have been for the World carp Classic.

The pegging this year will be carried out with representatives of the media, competitors and the local angling federation fully involved. Actual pegging will be carried out a week prior to the competition. 4 boats will be used simultaneously with a shore side team, this will enable accurate distances in-between pegs ensuring the very best locations are used, and that 100% of the pegs are fishable.

Pegs will be marked with satellite points and photographed both from the boat to the shore and from the shore to the water. These will be used during the opening ceremony to show all anglers where they will be fishing. The official opening ceremony has always been a big part of the amazing experience of the World Carp Classic and this year will be no exception.

On arrival, participants will be allocated a registration number. During the opening ceremony on the Sunday evening, participants will be asked to come to the stage in the order they have registered and draw their peg number which will be in a sealed opaque container. In the container will be the peg and sponsors section details. Photographs of what the peg looks like from the shore and the water will be beamed for all to see on a large screen on the stage.

The party then begins, and what a party it will be… not in a tent but in a £7m hall adjacent to the lake and next to where the competitors bivvies will be pitched – just perfect for the occasion! New for this year, the competitors will be able to go to their pegs at daybreak, and the launching of 3 huge rockets at 15.00hrs will start the competition - that allows plenty of time for everybody to be fully set up.

If competitors draw swims that are difficult to get to, and they require boat transportation, those pegs will be marked at the time of the draw. Boats will be provided by the organisers to transport equipment to these swims, with times and clearly marked departure points provided first thing on Monday morning.

The competition has backing from the following sponsors JRC, Carps Cabin, Jetfish, Greys, GB Baits, Cotswold Baits, Indy Line, Carp Addict, Venture, Reuben Heaton, Carp Tech, Carp Connections, Angling Publications, Leon Hoogendijk and SBS with Sparsholt and Shuttleworth providing the marshals - an impressive team don’t you think?

How much would you pay to fish an exclusive water with the size of fish in that the Orient has? £250 £350 £450? The cost to enter the World Carp Classic is £425 per person, £850* for the pair, including the pre event party, opening ceremony and a chance to bag some of the £50,000 prize table.

All competitors will be presented with welcoming gifts from Carp Tech, valued at £30 each, in addition to a prize gift from the title sponsors JRC. It is a fantastic occasion and is a ‘must do’ if you are a real carp angler and up to the challenge.