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Erörterungen auf DEUTSCH in diesem Video
Background Information English-Version below
The World Predator Classic
– open by design
The World Predator Classic is built around a clear principle: the longest qualifying fish count.
Every centimetre matters. Every decision can change the leaderboard. Success requires preparation, endurance, adaptability and the ability to perform under pressure. Teams must locate and catch exceptional perch, zander and pike across demanding competition days and constantly changing conditions. Every day counts.
That is why the World Predator Classic is recognised as one of the toughest predator-fishing competitions in Europe.
The WPC has always been open to progress. Anglers are free to use the equipment and technology permitted by the official rules. The event does not stand still, because neither does competitive fishing.
Technology has always been part of the journey
Over the years, tournament boats have changed significantly.
GPS mapping became more precise. Side Imaging revealed structure beyond the path of the boat. Down Imaging, 360-degree imaging and increasingly powerful sonar systems provided anglers with more detailed information. Bow-mounted electric motors introduced anchor functions, route control and exact boat positioning.
These developments changed the way anglers prepare, navigate and make decisions.
But technology does not interpret the water by itself. It does not select the right area, understand the conditions or place the lure correctly. Turning electronic information into a successful fishing strategy requires experience, practice and judgement.
The most successful anglers have always been those capable of combining information, instinct, boat control and lure presentation.
Live sonar – the next step in competitive fishing
Live-sonar technology represents the latest major step in this development.
For the first time, anglers can observe fish, structure and lure movement in real time. They can locate individual fish, follow their movement and see how they respond to a presentation.
This capability has introduced a new and highly specialised skill set to tournament fishing.
Mastering live sonar requires time, concentration and extensive practice. Anglers must understand the image, control the boat, judge distance and direction, make an accurate presentation and interpret the reaction of a moving fish. They must also adapt their fishing style and make rapid decisions based on constantly changing information.
Seeing a fish does not mean catching it.
At the highest level, live-sonar fishing demands exceptional coordination, precision and confidence. The remarkable individual fish caught with this technology demonstrate how far modern competitive angling has developed.
The World Predator Classic recognises and respects these achievements. We celebrate the anglers who have mastered this technology and the extraordinary fish that their ability allows us to witness.
The WPC therefore remains technology-open and future-facing.
Live sonar continues to be permitted in the main World Predator Classic competition under the official event rules.
As live sonar has become increasingly influential, an important discussion has developed across international tournament fishing, particularly in the United States.
“How can the sport continue to embrace innovation
while also keeping search-led, cast-focused angling visible and competitive?”
The WPC answer is not a ban.
It is a choice.
NEW Event inner WPC: C.A.S.T
WPC C.A.S.T introduces an additional voluntary challenge within the World Predator Classic. It gives teams the opportunity to compete without live sonar and to measure their performance against other teams that have made the same choice.
“This is undoubtedly the more complex path from an organisers perspective. But we believe it is the better one: it excludes no one, keeps the World Predator Classic open to innovation and, at the same time, gives CAST anglers their own stage within the WPC to crown a champion competing without live-sonar technology.”
”C.A.S.T stands for:
It represents a conscious decision to rely on a different combination of skills: reading the water and changing conditions understanding structure, depth, wind and current recognising patterns across the competition area. Choosing productive locations without real-time observation. Making purposeful casts deciding when to remain with a plan and when to change it. These abilities have shaped competitive predator fishing for generations. WPC C.A.S.T gives them a dedicated championship within the modern World Predator Classic.
Choice of Angling Style & Technology
C.A.S.T is not a rejection of innovation. It does not claim that one form of fishing is more genuine, more valuable or more skilful than another.
Live-sonar fishing and C.A.S.T fishing place different demands on the competitor. Both require commitment, experience and the ability to perform when it matters. WPC C.A.S.T gives anglers another way to demonstrate that ability.
A voluntary challenge
Participation in WPC C.A.S.T is entirely voluntary.
Teams choosing the C.A.S.T classification commit to competing without live-sonar technology during the WPC Event. Their decision must be declared before the start and cannot be changed during the event. No live-sonar transducer may be operated by a C.A.S.T team. This includes Forward-Facing Sonar and any comparable technology capable of showing fish, structure or lure movement in real time.
Where live-sonar components remain installed on a C.A.S.T boat, they must be disconnected, made inoperative and officially sealed in accordance with the technical regulations. The detailed definition of permitted and prohibited equipment, inspection procedures and penalties will be published in the official WPC rules. Other technology permitted by the WPC rules remains available to C.A.S.T teams. WPC C.A.S.T is not a technology-free competition. It is a specific and voluntary commitment to compete without live sonar.
One WPC – one shared competition
WPC C.A.S.T does not divide the World Predator Classic. There is one event, one competition area, one scoring system and one community.
C.A.S.T and non-C.A.S.T teams start together, fish the same water and submit their catches through the same system. They meet each other on the water as competitors and return to shore as part of the same international WPC family.
Every C.A.S.T team remains a full participant in the World Predator Classic.
Its qualifying fish count towards:
-
the WPC leaderboard; and
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the additional WPC C.A.S.T leaderboard.
There is no handicap, points adjustment or separate method of measuring fish. The same fish and the same centimetres determine both results. On the main leaderboard, C.A.S.T teams will be clearly identified. A separate C.A.S.T view will show their position within the voluntary classification.
This makes it possible to follow both competitions without creating two separate events.
The championship titles
WPC Champion
The highest-ranked team on the main World Predator Classic leaderboard becomes the WPC Champion. This title is awarded on the final WPC result. It can be won by any team, regardless of whether that team has entered the C.A.S.T classification.
The
WPC Champion receives an official World Predator Classic Championship Trophy.
Likewise the
WPC C.A.S.T Champion
The highest-ranked team registered and verified in the C.A.S.T classification becomes the WPC CAST Champion. The WPC C.A.S.T Champion is recognised separately and receives its own official championship award and Trophy, showcasing the best of the best C.A.S.T Anglers
If a C.A.S.T team finishes first on the main WPC leaderboard, that team becomes both: WPC Champion; and WPC C.A.S.T Champion.
It will have won the World Predator Classic while also fulfilling the additional C.A.S.T commitment.
Two equal Trophies will be handed over.
There are also two equal WPC-Champion Main-Prizes based on the massive Prizetable broken down into those Categories.
Different approaches. Shared respect.
The World Predator Classic has always brought together anglers from different countries, backgrounds and fishing traditions. WPC C.A.S.T continues that spirit. Some teams will choose to compete with the most advanced technology available. Others will voluntarily accept the C.A.S.T challenge. All will face the same water, weather, pressure and target species.
Both approaches deserve recognition. Both require skill. Both belong at the World Predator Classic.
On the water, we compete. On shore, we come together.
Friendship, respect, sportsmanship and a shared passion for predator fishing remain at the heart of the WPC.
One WPC. More ways to prove your skill.
GERMAN / DEUTSCHE FASSUNG
