World Carp Masters 2018 Czech Republic – 2

Read Part 1 Part 2, Team South Africa Arrives In Czech Republic IMAGES: Eugene Kruger MBD Media, Hannes van der Merwe, SA team Media, Marshal Mike Parks, Media team - WCM Fairy tales still occur! In their very first year of competing on the international carping scene, Krugersdorp couple Molli and Hannes van der Merwe not only astounded everyone by taking first spot in the South African qualifier but landed a laudable fifth spot against the best international competitive carpers in the world at the World Carp Masters event in Czech Republic. In this miniseries Molli recounts their memorable experiences. Team SA leaving for Czech. Cobblestone roads, charming buildings. As the last day before departing to the Czech Republic for the World Carp Masters arrived, tensions were high, and we suffered mixed emotions of excitement and concern. It was now or never. If it had not been packed, it was not going to Czech. Leaving a lot of items behind like baits and gear to stay within the weight limits of the check-in luggage, we would have to make do with what was packed. With what we had we would make it work! As the months had flown by, all the preparations, game plans and planning were unfolding. We were as prepared as we could possibly be for the trip of a lifetime, excepting just one last stop before heading to the airport to buy 1kg of XXXL tigernuts! We were ready. Arriving at the airport, bubbling with excitement, we were fairly quickly checked into our flights and sat down to have a quick bite before boarding the plane. The flights were long - traveling via Dubai but most of the team members got enough sleep through the night and were as fresh as daisies when we arrived in Czech Republic. Me on the other hand could not fall asleep. After almost a day’s travelling, we finally arrived in Prague, beautiful sunny Prague. Tired of the flights we just wanted to get to Kemp Radava in Kavářov, about 100km from Prague where we would be staying until the WCM started a week later. Sitting in the back of the van. We picked up our suitcases, rod holders and set off to find a shuttle to go pick up the rental vehicles. On our way, we bought new SIM cards for our cell phones. Sadly, my phone did not work, but that ended up being a blessing in disguise! Phone free for three weeks was the best therapy I could ask for. To save on expenses, we decided to share accommodation and the vehicle rental with the members of Team Urban Angler. Cutting our biggest expenses by literally 50% it was worth the small effort. We shared a bungalow, the vehicle rental, diesel and later on an Air B&B apartment in Prague. The vehicle rental booking was made for a VW Caddy, or similar, as the fine print stated, but we ended up with a van with only front seats! Luckily, we made it work by making seats with blankets in the back for two passengers - no stress, it is a minor problem. Last few necessities bought at a local tackle store. We loaded the van and headed to Kemp Radava. As we drove we searched for an ATM to withdraw Czech Korunas, which would be our currency to use for all payments. At the ATM we were shocked to receive 3 x 2000 Koruna notes. 6000czk equals about ZAR 4000. A small heart attack to receive only 3 notes worth R4000! Trial and error even at the ATM’s, but there was an option to choose the note size and quantities. Lesson learned. Luckily, we quickly learned that Czech is not an expensive country. South Africans can survive fairly comfortably on the living costs with groceries and fresh produce very well priced. Fuel and diesel are rather expensive, more than SA. Some refill stations charged 35czk per litre, equal to R22 per litre for fuel! Thankfully the rental vehicles were fuel efficient giving 800km on a 50l tank for the use during the two weeks. Team SA's home for the first week. We arrived just after sunset (around 8pm), exhausted! We checked into the bungalow, started to unpack the necessities for the night and got a lovely massive pork schnitzel with potato salad for 150czk at Hospoda Radava, our first taste of Czech cuisine. Team SA ready for peg draws. Bright and early on day 2 in Czech, the whole team set out to the nearest town to stock up on supplies. We found ourselves staring at the majestic scenery. Plantations everywhere you looked. A thick jungle, the best description would be in Afrikaans, oerwoud. Maize lands with small farms everywhere with hides in every corner of the lands, a clear indication of the main food source in the country - wild hog, duck and the occasional deer. Small lakes and reservoirs were seen everywhere, resulting in the search of a small fishable piece of water to have a quick session before the Masters began. Once we arrived in Pilsen, at a big shopping mall the first thing we had was breakfast at the Food Court - being careful we opted for McDonalds, safe and delicious, plus, one must never shop on an empty stomach! 1,5 Tons of particles and boilies for the SA team. Our local contact in Czech, Hennie Steyn took us to a big Hypermarket in the mall named Albert, similar to our supermarkets back home where we bought basic necessities for the week and the duration of the WCM. Travelling back to the bungalows we spent the entire journey sightseeing and discovered a Specimen Carp tackle store named “U Habakuka” in Plzeň. Like kids in a candy store the SA Team lost all inhibitions and splurged on baits, tackle and gear. We found some interesting items worth experimenting with, also some tackle and gear not available in SA. After the fishing store expedition, fish fever was high! Everybody wanted to go fishing, but we first had to get fishing permits. New tackle available at the sponsors expo. New tackle available at the sponsors expo. Returning to Radava quite exhausted after the day’s sightseeing and shopping, we made dinner and hit the sack; the next day the feed orders had to be picked up and preparations had to start. On our third day in Czech we hopped in the van and drove to Bivvy City close by to pick up the feed from Hennie, ordered and sent by Specimen SA in South Africa. In the end it was close to 1.5 tonnes of particles and boilies for the entire Team SA. We ordered 25kg Tigernuts unsorted, 25kg Hemp seed, 25kg Maize and 10kg Exotic Fruit & Food Source boilies from Specimen SA. First up after receiving our bait ingredients was soaking the feed. To enhance the feed, we used CocaCola to soak the tigernuts and hempseed. Meanwhile we had arranged fishing permits with Bo (Bohumila Dufková Steyn, wife of Hennie Steyn) - 1000czk (R700) for a 7-day fishing permit. The Fishing Popo (as the team referred to the Fishing Police) are extremely strict with permits and do regular spot checks to confirm legal angling. The date and venue had to be completed daily. If catches were not released, the size, weight and species had to be documented in order for the Fishing Union to keep record of fish populations. Luckily, as our sport is only catch and release, we just had to complete the date and venue part of the permit. On Day 4 in Czech our rental gear arrived! Just a short walk took us to Event City where all the festivities would be staged to meet with Commander Steve Bond, the tournament director, the man behind and in front of the curtain. The marshals then gave all the individual teams their kits for the WCM. First on the list were the sleeping bags, bivvies, bedchairs and chairs. Check. Gas stove, pots, pans. Check. Rubberduck, trolling motor, oars, pump, anchor and batteries. Check. Unhooking mat, landing net. Check. Great - we were sorted! Load it all in the van to unload and pack in the small, confined bungalow - done. The space became smaller and smaller between 2 teams and four anglers in the bungalow. So, we decided to go to the closest town for a breather and also to buy gas bottles. Upon returning, the first thing we did was put a pot of feed on the stove. The preparations had officially begun! Next: Part 3