How did the competition go for you?
So it was a first in competition for my partner and me. We weren't able to do any prefishing from an organizational point of view, as there are 8 hours separating our Ardennes from Vassiviere.
So we decided to make the trip on Thursday night, devoting the day to a bit of reconnaissance and detection on the lake: we spotted quite a few perch balls in the coves, which would be our first choice for the following day.
During the first run, the draw put us in the last wave to cast, so we decided to look for a cove if possible to try and get some perch in, and alternate with powerfishing edges.
We'll use whatever gives us confidence: divinator for the edges and blade for the poles. We only touch non-meshed poles. The end of the day will be devoted to edging, which must already have been well combed, without success.
On the second day, we'll opt for two areas that we didn't have time to visit during our quick reconnaissance on Friday.
We're sure to get a lot of pike and perch moving. On the live feed, it's always the same story: they follow and type with their mouths shut. I think the fishing pressure has a lot to do with it.
For the last part of the day on Sunday, we decide to go and prospect at the bottom of the lake on what we think is an old dike. Vertical prospecting for pike-perch. Even so, the fish take off timidly, but without conviction. Until a huge pike-perch, the pike-perch of a lifetime, swallows up the pair's finesse, the rod in two, at live we see the monster rise and it's off! What a shame, but that's the game of fishing.
At the end of the two days, we didn't manage to find the fish to score points, but what a great experience!
What are the difficulties encountered during the MFC in terms of fishing?
Finding yourself in a lake that has been under heavy fishing pressure for some time, with 206 anglers ready to do anything to catch them, inevitably alters fishing habits. We saw this all weekend, with fish more than a little wary. We had to adapt and find the patern that caught the fish.
The good things about your participation in MFC?
The organization was carried out in an exemplary fashion by all those involved: FFPS, Mercury, volunteers, infrastructure, production. It's incredible to see how everything came together to ensure that over 100 boats were able to race without a hitch for two days.
This was an opportunity (if not to score points) to present Nakhoda boats to the public, with no less than 3 X165 X180 and FX150 models. Thanks to Select Plaisance, there were 8 Nakhodas on the water. What a success!
Is there anything you'd like to see improved in the way MFC is run or organized?
The regulations have changed quite a bit over the weeks. So it was sometimes difficult to be sure we were on the latest version. But then, this is only the second edition of the MFC, and a lot will have been learned this year.
Will you be back for the Mercury Fishing Cup?
Why not! It's clearly an intense human experience, apart from the competitive side.
You meet "friends" with whom you've been chatting all year. And it's a great opportunity to chat.
I'd like to thank the partners who enable me to experience these events in the best possible conditions: Select Plaisance, Nakhoda, Mercury, LurefanS, RBOAT, SHlithium, Lowrance.
