The principle behind the You Tube Predator Cup Boat
The You Tube Predator Cup Boat or YPC Boat is a competition held every year in the Netherlands. The competition takes place over several days, the first two of which are used to decide between the teams placed in pools. Then, the top two teams in each pool compete over a day of fishing to earn a place in the final. Finally, the final sees the top 4 teams go head-to-head for the trophy.
Each team can count a total of 8 fish with a maximum quota of 2 perch, 2 zander, 2 pike and 2 bonus fish from the 3 species of their choice. To ensure fairness between fish lengths, the length of a perch is counted 2 times, that of a zander 1.3 times and a pike 1 time. The respective mesh sizes are 22 cm, 42 cm and 45 cm.
Regulations
The competition has very specific rules to make it more interesting to watch, while respecting the environment. Each time a leader is broken in a fight, a team will lose 10 points, and it is forbidden to lift a fish out of the water with the rod or line, or risk a 10-minute fishing penalty. To keep the episodes entertaining, vertical fishing, trolling and pelagic fishing using Live technology are not allowed.
However, each team has a "Power Hour" each day, which allows the above techniques to be used for just one hour during the day. They can decide for themselves when this hour starts, allowing for totally different strategies depending on which species are missing from a team's roster.
Strategic and entertaining
Competitors have to choose their attack strategy carefully to score as many points as possible. The result is a series of twists and turns right up to the last minute, sometimes involving some sensational fish. Filling a quota of three different species requires a good knowledge of fishing areas and fish behavior. As a result, there are often radical changes in technique on any given day, to catch both perch and pike.
Although fishing areas may not concern the majority of French anglers, the way teams approach a spot can tell you a lot. The best lure anglers in Europe are often very efficient in their fishing, and the strongest among them quickly stand out. Twenty one-hour episodes await you for each season, enough to keep your evenings busy!
