2014 WPC CHAMPIONS: LUC COPPENS & JEREMY STAVERMAN
LuC: We have to go a long way to have full time professional anglers here in Europe! I follow a little what’s happening in USA and they have the right structure, but it did not happen overnight. Ross Honey is in my eyes the first one who
gives it a real try! It’s quite simple, you can only win if there are more competitions and to become a professional angler you need more competitions and valuable prizes; to be a professional angler you have a lot of expenses. We have the sponsor deal with Wiley X, the fantastic polaroid glasses and we have now a good deal with Mercury and Westin in Scandinavia who will also sponsor our entrance to the event this.
Chris L: You must be going into the event as favourites to hold onto your title, what would it mean for you to win the event for a second time?
Proud as punch: Jeremy with a beautifully marked, hard fighting Dutch pike
POWER AND THE
GLORY
LuC: We haven’t enough words for that, we really were treated as VIPS and I was very surprised about the professionalism and passion this company put in their work. So, we would like to use this article to thank all of the Rapala people once again for a few fantastic days. We were really impressed how open they
were, they showed everything, the capacity and dedication from every employee from the factory floor up through to the engineering department was truly amazing. After all that, the day after the factory visit we went fishing with the guys from the Rapala team and had a great time, a good memory that we cherish forever! So, to continue we’d also like to say a big thanks for all the people who participate in making this great trip happen!
Chris L: Has winning the WPC opened doors for you to become full-time professional anglers? For example, I guess you’re in demand for appearances, writing, consultancy and sponsorship deals?
LuC: We will fish as hard we can and be very focused. To win a second time would be fantastic, but very difficult, like I said the level from the participants is high and being part of this event is great on its own! You never know, if the gods are with us this time, we will be ready and won’t let them down …
Chris L: Based in Belgium, you have a better understanding of the fishing trends in mainland Europe, is there an increase in professional competition predator anglers in Europe? Can you foresee the development of a Europe wide professional ‘tournament circuit’?
LuC: I can’t see a big change yet, although, the big Streetfishing events and kayak events are attractive for many people, I see the potential. There is a nice competition circuit in France
and there is more in Italy and Spain, but at the moment there is nobody who is bringing this all together, I guess this is a challenge for people like Ross Honey who started this and I’m very much wondering who will be the driving force for this, whoever it is, this guy will be in the history books! There is a lot potential that’s for sure! n
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WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM
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