Initially open to 80 crews, the second edition of the Mercury Fishing Cup (MFC) will finally welcome 100 teams, following an exceptional response from competitors, who registered in less than two hours on Tuesday 9 July.

The Mercury Fishing Cup 2024 is the new-style French championship for lure fishing for carnivorous fish from boats, organised by the Fédération Française des Pêches Sportives (FFPS) in association with Mercury Marine.

After Poses sur la Seine, in the Eure (27), this year's Mercury Fishing Cup will take place on Lac de Vassivière, straddling the Haute-Vienne (87) and Creuse (23), on 19 and 20 October.

The winning duo will be crowned French Carnivore Boat Fishing Champions 2024, along with the MFC trophy and a cheque for... 10,000!

On 28 August, the 100 teams officially entered were presented on the social networks of Mercury Marine France and the FFPS/Carnassiers, in a photo album on Facebook, and in video on Instagram and Youtube.

The teams are also presented on the brand-new official MFC website, with photos, names of crew members, partners and sponsors, departments or regions/countries of origin, as well as the results of each team.

Michel Polydor, President of the Fédération Française des Pêches Sportives (FFPS) Carnassier, is extremely proud of the response: "The 100 crews are now officially announced and featured on our communication media. Participants can share their photos and files with their community and invite them to follow this exceptional adventure. The 100 teams will be joined by the 5 or 6 winning teams from the regional events, who will be invited to take part in MFC II, creating an exceptional line-up.

A number of well-known figures from the world of sport fishing will be present this year to represent their partners, raise the profile of the event and try to dethrone Jean-Baptiste Morel and Nicolas Noël, the 2023 French champion duo.

These include Frédéric Jullian (Navicom), Samir Kerdjou (Rod & Pod), Thierry Nguyen (Shimano - Mercury), David and Lenny Fasquel (Mercury), Romain Ferrier (Garmin - Mercury), Vincent Lopez and Julien Himbert (Kimple - Lowrance - Mercury), Tanguy Demule and Thierry Noël (Champions de France 2022) and Stéphane Huguenot (SH Lithium).

Some new faces will also be taking part in the French Championship for the first time.

Yann Diquerreau, Marketing Manager at Mercury Marine France and in charge of communications for the MFC, tells ActuNautique Yachting Art: ‘We have some renowned competitors as well as amateurs who will have the opportunity to measure themselves against the best anglers in France and even abroad, such as Xiao Ming Jiang, designer of the Nakhoda boats in China, imported into France by Select Plaisance.’

He added: "I think that the partners who have invested in the MFC this year will be delighted to see that they are very well represented among the 2024 competitors. Many teams have been lined up by several of the event's partners. These include Lowrance, which is supporting 5 teams, Bass Boat Europe with 3 teams, BSR with 4 teams, Comptoir Nautique with 5 teams, Décathlon with 3 teams, Garmin with 3 teams, Rod & Pod with 2 teams, Navicom with no fewer than 12 teams, Kimple with 6 teams, Kuruk with 3 teams, Select Plaisance with 6 teams, Shimano with 2 teams and SH Lithium with 5 teams. Mercury Marine is not to be outdone, with no fewer than 26 teams flying our colours!"

Alexandre Portheault, vice-president of the FFPS/Carnassier and coach of the French team, points out: "The youngest entrant in this MFC is Gabriel Rebeyrol, aged just 10, who will be accompanied by his father Jérôme Rebeyrol. The oldest competitor, and undoubtedly one of the best known on the fishing scene, is 68-year-old Alain Marragou. French Pro-elite champion in predator fishing in 2018, he is currently a member and captain of the French team. He will be taking part with his long-time partner, Nicolas Delebarre, and will be representing Lowrance."

See you on 19 and 20 October 2024 on Lac de Vassivière and live on social networks. We'll be announcing the programme and all the new features very shortly... with a few surprises in store!