A NEVER ENDING
STORY
‘‘
I think we’ll be the underdogs and maybe a little humble, because there are so many good, skilled participants to compete against
What a pair! Willem with a superb 1metre + pike and 2015 boat partner Chris Bloemart with a zander
it. It was hard and more than a bit stressful. In our practice sessions, two weeks
before the WPC, we found many spots, but during the start, a strange feeling came over me. It was the human aspect that was more important than the catching. So, one part of me wanted to move fast
and get totally focused, but at the same time it was Jan that was in my head. I had a split mindset, a difficult time, but at the same time wonderful one. Now, as I’m writing this article, Jan
is once again going to the hospital for surgery – and I hope with all my heart that it will be OK with him so he can join us all at the WPC 2015. When everything goes well, Jan will join WPC with Daniel Brackley from Shimano UK.
Looking to WPC 2015..
This year I will fish with Chris Bloemert. We have both known each other for many years and together we fished in a lot of matches. I think we’ll be the underdogs and
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maybe a little humble, because there are so many good, skilled participants to compete against. The difference for us as a team, is that
we can both be 100% focused during a match. We both can handle the boat, sonar, GPS and know the area well. But, with all the practicing we did, we also learned that fishing is fishing and to get the three perch, zander and one pike – we must work hard. Together we will go out training and get our mindset right. Naturally, we both have a winner
mentality – and we’re not just joining for the fun of it. We are aware of the fact that we must take risks, and fish our own match. This can be hard – and will be hard with all those skilful participants.
Find the fish ..
The thing is, fish swim and migrate in this river delta! So one day they can be at spot A, and the next day they can be at another spot. Sometimes, when fish are in shallow areas, the help of sonar is not always reliable and nothing is visible on the screen. Therefore sometimes it is a gamble
and you know what could happen with gambling … so it is not always good to know the water too well, because sometimes it is better to think out of the box. This is our main focus, to be careful
of getting in an automatic mode. We always try to think that there is another
spot, method, lure and approach. But we always try to think positive. Once the fish are found, then it’s still not certain that they’re catchable, but finding them first is goal number one. So this means, more moving and searching for them instead of just keeping the lures in the water. This year we will try to stay focused and
also use our sixth sense. Work as a team with our other team member, even though this can sometimes be difficult. We’ll just go out, explore and do all we can. Try to fish like we fish always, that is maybe the best approach. Often keeping it simple is by far the best policy.
Adapting the rules ..
From the beginning a group of pensioned (steady on! - Ed.) fisherman were involved in getting the WPC to work in the right way. The WPC must be for the participants
– and not the other way around. This year, there are changes being made to let participants get into the right mode. For example: after catching a fish they must be measured by marshals. This is more convenient and also cut out any fraudulant claims for fish. Catch & Release can then be monitored and also some nice film content can be made during measuring. The other positive change is the
sections are reduced to just two bigger ones. Day one A – day two B and day three one whole section. This will give more excitement – and more options to make more strategic plans. At the end is fishing, a never ending
story. This passion we all have that connects us all the world over… n
WILLEM STOLK
WORLDPREDATORCLASSIC.COM
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