PRESS RELEASE

Stairs2Hell turns ten. The anniversary edition brings a longer contest, stricter checks and October weather that could change everything!

21 September 2026

The competition will begin at 11 a.m. on Sunday, 4 October, and finish at 9 a.m. on Saturday, 10 October. Competitors will therefore have four additional hours—three at the start and one at the finish. As the final standings are determined by the combined weight of each team’s three heaviest carp, a single bite can transform the entire leaderboard.

“The final night is always pivotal. Years of experience have shown us that it often decides the outcome, so we are genuinely looking forward to it,” says event director Petr Šurek.

Checks will also be more targeted this year. Marshals will focus primarily on teams whose GPS data indicates that they have crossed the boundaries of their fishing sector. When a terminal rig is inspected, the rod will be handled by the marshal rather than a team member. These changes are intended to reduce opportunities for bending the rules and ensure fair conditions for every team.

Could the weather reshuffle the leaderboard?

According to the latest outlook from the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute, the beginning of October should remain relatively warm. Temperatures may fall and rainfall could increase towards the end of the competition. The water level in Novomlýnská Lake is currently lower and fairly stable, but much can still change before the starting signal.

Pálava’s unpredictability is one of the defining features of Stairs2Hell. Rain can bring more water into the lake, lower temperatures can alter the carp’s feeding activity, and the wind can move fish into areas that had previously seemed almost lifeless. A peg that appears to be out of contention can come alive overnight—and one bite can turn the standings upside down. “Every year I tell myself that I may finally have learned how to read this water, but the conditions always change. Nobody can predict where the fish will move. The wind will have the biggest say,” says event director Vít Černý.

A competition with a soul

Stairs2Hell patron and co-founder Jakub Vágner believes that the event is about far more than the final leaderboard. “The greatest strength of this competition lies neither in the prizes nor in the weight of the fish. It lies in the people, the experiences they share and the stories that unfold here every year. Those are what give Stairs2Hell its soul.”

One of the strongest stories of the previous edition was the victory of Eko Baits Team Poland. Mariusz Stępień, Ernest Buć and Łukasz Grudowski caught all three of their decisive carp during the final 17 hours and surged from well down the field to first place. They remain the only team to have won Stairs2Hell twice and now have the opportunity to become its first three-time champions. “Czech teams are among Europe’s carp-fishing elite. But Eko Baits loves Pálava, and Pálava loves Eko Baits. We will do everything we can to make sure the trophy comes our way again. What could be better than winning Stairs2Hell for a third time in its anniversary year?” the defending champions say.

The anniversary edition promises to create another dramatic story. Before the starting signal, however, Jakub Vágner draws attention to what matters most: “Above all, I hope every competitor returns safely from the water and finds the strength, patience and determination they will need. Pálava can be breathtakingly beautiful, but it can also be unforgiving. I hope every team experiences at least one moment when the fish they came for breaks the surface and makes them forget every difficult hour. And if the anniversary edition produces a new record, it would be a wonderful gift for the competition’s tenth birthday.“