May 2013
6 posts
4 tags
Season start, Trips & Lures...
Each year it seems to take an eternity before the bass season finally takes off. At the moment serious fish are already caught in France, the southern UK and Ireland. But given our location (The Netherlands) is situated further north we have to wait an extra couple of weeks. No problem as we’re used to it- but since there’s something called Facebook it’s pretty frustrating...
3 tags
Flashing
Photo via Flickr (C. Quintin)
The increasing research on sea bass reveals more and more information about this beautiful species. Yet there still are quite some things about Dicentrarchus labrax that remain a mystery to us. The so-called ‘flashing’ phenomenon is one of those peculiar sea bass behaviours we still don’t know the origin of.[[MORE]] In shallow and clear water you can sometimes...
3 tags
[VIDEO] Fishing the rough waters
Check out these French guys catching some serious fish in rough waters!
5 tags
[REVIEW] The Megabass X-80 Magnum
This winter Megabass extended its X-80 range with a new variant: the X-80 Magnum. The first thing you’ll notice about this ‘Magnum’ type, is that despite the name (X-80) its size is 115 mm. So it’s almost 30% larger as its predecessor. It’s this length that makes it a welcome addition to the (sometimes too) small X-80.
[[MORE]]
The new X-80 Magnum next to its...
3 tags
Le Collectif Bar Européen
The abbreviation CBE might not instantly ring a bell with most bass anglers, but it stands for ‘le Collectif Bar Européen’. Since its creation in 2001 this French organisation strives for protection and a sustainable use of sea bass stocks. [[MORE]] The CBE was formed by a group of recreational and professional bass anglers (the latter fishing with handicraft techniques) who worried about the...
6 tags
[VIDEO] Maria Shore Tricker
We aren’t that much into jigging, not because we’re non-believers but just because we didn’t knew. Until now. When we watched this movie, our mind literally began to spin. Now that looks pretty awesome if you’d ask us. [[MORE]]
April 2013
3 posts
7 tags
Season 2013 is about to start...
Again, each year around April and May it seems to be hard to stay and act normal. Our minds are running mad from all the ideas and possible approaches for the upcoming season. We all know it’s just a couple of weeks before the bass hit our (Dutch) shores. From the moment they arrive until the moment they leave everything else seems less (or not) important anymore. [[MORE]] As I write...
4 tags
Size, Weight and Age
European sea bass is a long-lived species: they have a maximum life span of approximately 30 years. During that time the fish can reach a metre in length. However size and weight at a certain age are variable depending on the circumstances. Not all 10 pound bass are the same.[[MORE]]
A fish from UK waters weighing 10 pounds – which equals about 28 inches (71 cm) in length – would...
5 tags
[VIDEO] The Shimano Exsence Silent Assassin lures
More and more often we come across these new Shimano Exsence Silent Assassin lures. We must admit that after seeing some pack shots and this magnificent movie, we are quite impressed. And what do you think about that Japanese coastline! [[MORE]]
March 2013
13 posts
6 tags
[REVIEW] Tenryu Bull Dog II 7.0 Evolution
There are few rods which I have been fishing with that are so versatile as the Tenryu Bull Dog II 7.0 Evolution. Despite its heavy casting weight (10-50 gr) and monstrous maximum jigging weight (150 grams!), we are talking about a very multifunctional fishing rod here. The rod is pretty soft and sensitive in its top section, which works perfectly with a more finesse approach. When looking at...
5 tags
The new Megabass Xlush
While visiting the Facebook page of the UK-based Top Water Lures we came across this new surprise of Megabass. We’re talking about the Megabass ‘Xlush’. At first glance, -again - a beautifully finished lure. The new surface lure is 108 mm long, weighing 17 grams and equipped with a pair of Gamakatsu SP MH # 4 trebles… Let’s hope they hit the stores on short notice...
4 tags
[TRAILER] Montauk Rocks
Remarkable trailer of a movie featuring some of Montauk’s (US) most eccentric bass fishermen… [[MORE]]
8 tags
Three of a kind, but far from similar
Like many of us, also I am truly addicted to top water fishing for bass. Around the end of May, when the sea water at the Dutch coast typically arrives at a temperature between 14 and 15 degrees C, I always carry a number of stick baits in my lure bag. The swirls behind the lure and visual spectacular attacks, give every time and again a fantastic fishing experience. [[MORE]]The choice in top...
4 tags
[VIDEO] Exploring the MB Vision Oneten Variants
Always been interested about the exact differences between the variants of the legendary Megabass Vision Oneten? Tackle Tour made you a nice video in which they show you the particular action and specifications on each Vision Oneten variant![[MORE]]
5 tags
Weight Loss
The first catches of the new bass season are in general no ‘fatties’. After the return journey from the offshore spawning grounds it sometimes almost looks like if the sea bass have been on a diet. In fact fat content may have declined from well over 10% to near zero.[[MORE]] The bass that live in the north of the species’ range begin their journey to the over-wintering and offshore...
4 tags
[TEASER] The new Maria Squash F125
Interesting lure developments at the Japanese lure brand Maria! Check out this first footage of their new 2013 bass lure; the Maria ‘Squash F125‘…[[MORE]]
6 tags
Bass fishing event at Colijnsplaat (NL)
Saturday, March 23 some of Holland’s most experienced bass fishermen from ‘Bass Hengelsport’, ‘Viskayaks’ and ‘Zeebaars.info’ organize their annual bass fishing event. A little specialistic event at their new location. The shops have become considerably larger and their range of bass fishing gear is much wider. [[MORE]] During the day there will be...
3 tags
[VIDEO] Top Water Stripers!
We can never get enough of this kind of top water fishing. So ignore the lure advertising and enjoy some massive stripers breaching the surface![[MORE]]
TOP WATER STRIPERS ON GIBBS PLUS WITH CAPT.PAUL PELUSO MAMA MIA FISHING from Paul Peluso on Vimeo.
5 tags
Spooling up your reels perfectly
Filling your spinning reel can be done in different ways, but because of the latest generation (expensive) PE lines filling your reel requires a little more attention than a few years ago. We meanwhile came across a perfect way to spool our line onto our reels…[[MORE]] The most simple way to fill your spinning reel is to simply spool your line on it from bulk, cut it, and you’re ready...
4 tags
[VIDEO] DUO Realis Pencil 110
While enjoying the beautiful weather over here in Holland, I’m counting the days to witness those bass slaughtering my surface lures again during my early morning- or late evening- fishing sessions…This DUO Realis Pencil 110 looks like a promising new friend for these particular expeditions.[[MORE]]
4 tags
Sea Bass Stocks In Decline
Picture - via Flickr
Sea bass stocks in the Northeast Atlantic are in decline. A recent study from ICES states that onward from the mid-2000s a decline in spawning-stock biomass coincided with increasing fishing mortality. On top of that recent year classes since 2008 appear very weak, which would lead to an expectation of further decline in bass stocks.[[MORE]] The sea bass chapter in the...
5 tags
[VIDEO] Striper Hunterz Bass Knuckles
Some USA striper action featuring some pretty enthusiastic guys… [[MORE]]
Striper Hunterz Bass Knuckles from Manny Chee Outdoors on Vimeo.
February 2013
4 posts
5 tags
[REVIEW] Salon Européen des Pêches en Mer 2013
A lot of people think I’m nuts, when I tell them that each year I travel to Nantes with some friends to visit the Salon Européen des Pêches en Mer. But since I made my ‘debut’ there last year, it’s only logical for me. Never before had I seen so much passion, innovation and products when it comes to bass fishing. This year we went there again, because with ‘Japan’ being the theme it promised to...
5 tags
The Sawamura One Up Slug
In addition to the success of its already legendary ‘One Up Shad’, Sawamura is now bringing us a ‘One Up Slug’ this summer. The ‘One Up Slug’ will be made of the same material as the shads and because of its different action and vibration type (and our love for slug type lures) a welcome extension next to their paddle tail if you’d ask us. First images...
Illex catalogue 2013 (UK version)
Illex is one of the largest French bass fishing brands, their product range shows many specialistic and bass specific materials. And besides some new products, the 2013 catalogue shows some cool additions to legendary models like the ‘Ashura Element Rider’ rods and their realistic looking Nitro shads. If you don’t want to run through the complete catalogue - check out this...
3 tags
Swimming Power
In England anglers have been fishing for bass as far back as 1820. That’s no surprise given the fact that Dicentrarchus labrax is a beautiful creature that knows how to put up a good fight. Its swimming power and speed make bass a vigorous opponent.[[MORE]] European sea bass are strong swimmers. Experiments in a tank showed that bass with a length between 24 and 37 centimeters can sustain...
January 2013
14 posts
6 tags
[REVIEW] Nories FlatFish Program - Sand Wave 74
As a result of the successful fishing with lightweight jig heads and several (weightless) rigs an increasing number of bass anglers are switching to, or are experimenting with lighter rods and reels.[[MORE]] I find it hard to imagine that it was only a couple years ago that most of us felt comfortable fishing with 3 meter lure rods having casting weights between the 50 and 100 grams....
4 tags
[VIDEO] Megabass Cutter 115
As we watched this movie of the Megabass Cutter 115 we immediately got the feeling that this specific lure could be one of those incredible killers during our night fishing sessions - as the experiences tell us that the minimal and smooth action seems to outperform the troublemakers that can do so much damage during the day… Definitely worth a try![[MORE]]
6 tags
Win Free tickets to the Salon Européen de Peche en...
So what do you have to do? Just like our Facebook page and share the message on your timeline. It’s easy as that. So help us out and maybe you’ll be one of 5 winners of a set of 2 entrance tickets for the ‘Salon Européen de Peche en Mer 2013’ in Nantes. Additionally winners receive a set of 5 Labrax Squad lucky button pins (own yeah!).
5 tags
Basic bass fishing rigs
There is a lot of rigging going these days; texas rigs, carolina rigs but also splitshot rigs and shaken’ rigs. At this page a nice little overview explaining some of the basic bass fishing rigs.
5 tags
Jumprize Surface Wing147F
Although we haven’t got anymore than a name and a picture yet, we did not want to keep these from you guys. After its first model ‘Rowdy’, Jumprize will bring it’s new model the ‘Surface Wing147F’ to the market this spring! Looks are pretty awesome - we can’t wait till we get our hands on some more specs… We keep you posted on this one.
5 tags
BASS: Now available online!
Formed in 1973 the Bass Anglers’ Sportfishing Society (BASS) is both a fishing club and an organisation dedicated to the restoration of the European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax). It argues that the bass fishing we used to have was better than what we have now. Better in terms of both numbers of bass and the sizes of bass caught, by anglers. The Society’s long term aim is to restore, at least...
3 tags
Daiwa Certate makeover in 2013?
No idea what is going to happen, but that there is something happening to our beloved Daiwa Certate in 2013 looks pretty sure… Check out this website and a special Facebook page Daiwa came up with for their 2013 promotion tour. So we are definitely curious - will all the Certate models receive a make-over or will it just concern this particular (2508PE) model? We probably know more from...
5 tags
[VIDEO] Shimano Stella SW 2013
For a while now there’s some buzz going around the new Shimano Stella SW 2013. Check out this first movie we encountered that’s featuring some action footage! More pictures can be found here. [[MORE]]
3 tags
[VIDEO] Some Fly Fishing for Bass
We must admit that we got pretty excited watching this short fly fishing movie from Brittany (FR). Shallows, clear water and some serious bass.[[MORE]]
4 tags
Bass On The Move
Bass display extensive movements within north-west European waters. They can sustain a high average swimming speed while migrating, so long-distance movements can be accomplished quite rapidly. Travels of more than 1000 kilometres in a couple of months are no big deal for bass![[MORE]] In order to try and gain more understanding of Dicentrarchus labrax and its migration routes, scientists and...
5 tags
[VIDEO] Some Wexford bass fishing
Sit back, relax and enjoy these 4(!) German bass fishing videos shot in Wexford, Ireland.
5 tags
[VIDEO] Some 2012 Bass Fishing with Austen...
Cool video from UK bass fishing guide Austen Goldsmith. Now that’s a massive bait ball at 0:14 seconds! Yeeeez! [[MORE]]
5 tags
[REVIEW] The Pezon et Michel Gunki Rods
It was a couple of years ago at the Visma Exposition in Rotterdam that the first series of the Gunki rods from the French Pezon et Michel brand caught my eye. With their modern design and Japanese sounding names like ‘Hi’, ‘Yama, ‘Hayashi’ and ‘Kaze’, they immediately stood out from most European/traditional looking rods.[[MORE]] All Gunki rods are very...
5 tags
IMA Hound 100F Sonic
Sometimes, news immediately strikes you. This happened to us when we laid eyes on the new IMA Hound 100F Sonic from IMA. As it’s big brother (IMA Hound 125F Fang) was one of our favorite lures of 2012 we look forward to meet its new relative in 2013… And that’s that for IMA now ;-). Two separate news posts in a row is more than enough.
December 2012
12 posts
5 tags
Get creative, pimp that lure!
On our Facebook page we earlier shared an image of these IMA foils that we picked up via Topwater lures. Because there now also is a promotional video available (in which the only words we understand are ‘Komomo’ and ‘Hologram’) it looks like it is happening. In short time we are able to pimp and customize our IMA lures with ‘official’ IMA foils. Definitely a...
7 tags
One year of Labrax Squad and a new one coming up
The end of the year always asks for a short retrospect. And what is a better place to write this while visiting one of the Dutch Wadden Islands? While writing I’m sitting outside on a terrace next to a fireplace on the island of Ameland. Surrounded by waters that -until a few weeks ago- were populated with massive schools of bass. So u can imagine there is no lack of inspiration.[[MORE]]...
5 tags
Delalande Swat Shad
Because of all the success stories about the Fiiish Black Minnow it only seemed a matter of time before other brands would penetrate the market with similar solutions. It’s the famous Delalande brand (producer of the legendary GT Shads) that is offering a ‘new’ soft bait featuring some similarities. [[MORE]] Although the shad’s body hasn’t got the same shape as the...
7 tags
Successful Angling Lobby
The first step towards a place for angling in the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) was taken on December 18. That day the European Parliament voted for the amendment that states the socio-economic interests of recreational fisheries should be taken into account when managing (sea) fish stocks in the European Union and drawing up legislation. This is an important step towards the recognition of...
5 tags
The 2013 Ultimate Fishing Catalogue
Behold: The 2013 catalogue from Ultimate Fishing!
5 tags
The Shimano (Sea)bass website
Somehow we often seem to forget about Shimano on this website. We do not know why but maybe it’s because the Dutch part of the Shimano brand seems to be a bit quiet when it comes to (sea)bass fishing. As long as we can remember they’re about the Twin Power 5000 (a proven quality reel btw - nothing bad about it) and the 3 meter long Diaflash 50-100 grams when it’s about bass....
5 tags
The New Daiwa Luvias 2012
Most of you guys know that the Daiwa reels got a special place in our hearts. And it were our hearts that started beating faster when we laid eyes on the new Daiwa Luvias 2012. Damn, it’s a beauty…[[MORE]]
Photo via Plat.co.jp
Photo via Plat.co.jp
Photo via Plat.co.jp
5 tags
La French touch saltwater 2012
This video is definitely worth 6 minutes of your time if you’d ask us! Get in this little roller coaster and see for yourself how these fishermen take their lightweight equipment to the max! Respect.[[MORE]]
9 tags
The Wave Worm 5" Bamboo Stick - 'Texas Style'
For some time now I’m using texas rigged and ‘weightless’ fished soft baits for my bass fishing. But it was during this summer that this way of fishing really opened my eyes.
[[MORE]]It happened at the Irish Bass Festival when Cian from Absolute Fishing passed me a Wave Worm from the type Tiki Bamboo Stick. At first I thought I was familiar with these kind of...
3 tags
Bass Stocks
Bass is a widely distributed species in northeast Atlantic shelf waters from southern Norway to North-west Africa. Nonetheless scientific information about sea bass stocks is limited. Researchers are still investigating Dicentrarchus labrax and its different populations along Western European Atlantic coastlines. [[MORE]] The most striking feature in the genetic structure of sea bass populations...
