PRESS RELEASE

Novomlýnská Lake is still keeping its secrets. The tenth Stairs2Hell is underway!

4 October 2026

Competitors from twelve countries have taken their places at one hundred pegs, the first rigs have reached the bottom and a long wait has begun on the banks of Novomlýnská Lake. The anniversary edition of Stairs2Hell started today at 11 a.m., but the leaderboard remains empty for now. The teams have 142 hours ahead of them to read their sectors, adapt their tactics and hope that the famous giants of Novomlýnská Lake will appear in their part of the water. The first important answers may come tonight.

— Anežka —

At eleven o’clock, the teams headed out onto the water and began mapping the bottom and placing their first rigs. This year’s competition features one hundred teams from twelve countries and four continents. Sixty represent the Czech Republic, while another forty have travelled from abroad – including teams from South Africa and New Zealand.

Important checks before the start

Before the competition began, every team’s boat underwent a compulsory equipment check. The organisers and marshals inspected life-saving equipment, lights, sound signals and other items needed for safe movement across the large lake. The preparations also included sealing the GPS trackers that record the movement of each boat during the competition.

“We have a list of requirements that every boat must meet so that its crew can return safely from the water if any problems occur. If anything is missing, the team must add the necessary equipment. Until then, the boat is not allowed onto the water,” one of the marshals explained during the checks.

Even a promising peg guarantees nothing

The coming hours will show how the teams use the pegs allocated to them in Saturday’s draw. Each one offers different possibilities, fishing distances and underwater obstacles. The competitors must find not only the areas where the carp are moving, but also a safe route for bringing a hooked fish back to the bank.

The members of CarpRiders team were happy with peg 48. Although they know the area from the past, they do not want to predict its current potential. “This is the kind of peg that may only become available once in ten years. We are very happy to have drawn it and to be here. But we do not know what is happening under the water. We know this place from the past, but the conditions have changed and are now very unusual. Even so, we are satisfied,” the team members say.

Lower water reveals hidden obstacles

The current condition of the lake represents a significant change compared with previous years. The water level is roughly one metre lower this year, so the teams are facing very different conditions from those they experienced in the past. “The current water level has revealed many obstacles that remained hidden beneath the surface during last year’s competition. In some places, the competitors can now find their way between them more easily. At first, this may look like an advantage, but that will not necessarily be true for every team or in every sector,” says competition director Vít Černý.

Despite all the uncertainty and the intense competition, Miroslav Láníček, chairman of the Moravian Anglers’ Association, believes Stairs2Hell is about more than teams competing against one another. “Stairs2Hell is not only about the leaderboard. It is also a meeting of people who share respect for fish, nature and honest angling,” he said during Saturday’s opening ceremony.

What will the first night bring?

The competition is still waiting for its first qualifying carp, and after only a few hours it is far too early to assess the activity of the fish or the potential of different parts of the lake. The first conclusions can only be drawn after the coming night, which may show where the carp will begin to feed.

Their activity may be influenced by falling evening temperatures, a change in the wind and the gradual calming of activity on the water. The first bites may also show whether the fish are staying in the expected areas or whether this year’s Stairs2Hell will force the teams to quickly reconsider their original plans.

One thing is already certain. Almost the entire competition still lies ahead, and no peg can yet be named as a favourite or written off. One big unknown remains beneath the surface – and the coming night may begin to reveal its first secrets.

Follow the competition directly from the water

The latest updates, provisional results, photographs and videos will be published throughout the competition on the Stairs2Hell website and social media channels. The leaderboard will be updated directly from the event.