Pallatrax International Carp Challenge 2006

The weekend of 5th-7th May 2006 saw anglers from across Europe congregate on the Noord Willems Kanaal, North Holland to fish the second Pallatrax International Carp Challenge hosted by Carp Adventures of Holland.  Again, anglers had the exclusive 10km stretch of the Kanaal for the entire weekend.

The pre-match party, which has become an event in itself, kicked off with a fantastic spread of food, a few drinks and live music.  Talented British musician, Steve Russell, got the party really buzzing, playing on the keyboard and guitar with John Waller from P.C.I. on vocals, resulting in a great party atmosphere.

Friday morning saw the last few competitors arrive and register for the PICC 2006. The air was tense with anticipation as competitors eagerly waited to find out if they were to draw one of the much sought after bridge swims, as this was where most fish were believed to be holding up. Once pegs had been drawn, anglers made their way to their swims.  The great thing about fishing on the Noord Willems Kanaal was that anglers could actually drive right up to their swims and leave their vehicles parked near them for the duration.

In contrast to last years hurricane force weather, we had exactly the opposite with baking hot, still conditions.  Apparently, the previous week had seen temperatures plunging to below zero, not exactly excellent fishing conditions, and single fish were going to be very important in what was likely to be a hard competition with the anglers really having to call upon all of their fishing skills.

At 4.00 p.m. on Friday 5th May, the klaxon horn sounded and 176 anglers cast out into the Noord Willems Kanaal.  Not only was the cup and title up for grabs, but also the possibility of taking home an abundance of prizes donated by the numerous high profile sponsors: Angling Publications, Atropa, Basic Instinct, Carp Collector, Carp Connect, Carp Connections, Carps Cabin, Elite Baitrange, Fishrite, G.B. Baits, J.R.C., Schrijver Modelbouw, Pallatrax, P.C.I., Reuben Heaton, SPRO, Trakker, Visfotografie, along with a host of local tackle shops. With so many anglers and sponsors, the canal was divided into 10 sections with each section having first, second and third prizes winners.  Schrijver Modelbouw sponsored the overall winners with a pair of fantastic bait boats, and Angling Publications presented a large silver cup (amongst other prizes) for the biggest fish.

Although it had been anticipated that the fishing would be slow, during the first evening a number of carp were caught, raising anglers’ hopes as the very hot weather had been forecast to continue.  Not wanting to leave their swims for fear of missing the action, the local restaurant was soon very busy delivering meals to the bankside.

However, as time went on it was becoming more and more apparent that a single fish could take the title.  This was ultimately to keep all anglers on their toes to the final horn.

At 11.00 am on Sunday 7th July, the klaxon horn sounded then end of the fishing of the Pallatrax International Carp Challenge 2006.  Dutch competitors S. Jansen and E. van Benthem, landed three Commons to a total weight of 22.3 kg, taking the 2006 title.  This left a number of anglers ruing the fact that they had lost fish, as they realised how close they had come.   British entrant, Rob Sheppard, took the Angling Publication Biggest Fish Cup with a 12.5 kg Common. 

If you require any further information, please contact Pallatrax on 01305 849333, 07887 840507 or e-mail info@pallatrax.co.uk