Mathieu Le Bouter joins Team Rodhouse

Fishing has always been a way of life for me. I've been fishing since I was a kid, and now at 33, it's a passion that's never left me, to the point where today, in addition to another job in the fishing industry (fishing leisure development manager for a federation), I've set up my own leisure fishing guidance business. I love sharing and teaching this rich, intense hobby, which for me is a field of activity in which one is never really satiated. Once my structure was up and running, I found myself off work for a month due to a badly sprained ankle. This gave me the opportunity to call my friend Goulven, Boss of Rodhouse, to start a project that had been close to my heart for a long time: building a cane. I had plenty of time on my hands. The opportunity arose to mount a 62 MX as winter was fast approaching, and the Zander / Pike-perch were starting to show their teeth, and thus to go crazy about that disease that stalks us all, acute rodbuildie. Shortly afterwards, Goulven offered me the chance to join the Rodhouse prostaff team, thus adding a first guide to the community. I was delighted to accept. Designing and fishing with your own rods is affordable for everyone. I'm not a great handyman, and I've managed to do it very well. It's really a technical and aesthetic solution that's unbeatable. I fish just about everything that swims in the Greater West area (from Nantes to Brest roughly speaking), so I offer a wide range of services to my customers. Fishing for me is multifaceted, my season never ends, I love all kinds of fishing and all kinds of fish. This gives me the opportunity to test a wide range of blanks. This way, my customers can get their hands on a home-made rod and appreciate their qualities in relation to the fishing they do. Because with rodbuilding, every fishing situation allows us to create the perfect tool, exactly to our specifications. That's what I try to do with every blank I build, and pass on the benefits to my customers. Since this year, I've even been offering my customers through my company"BooT Fishing Guide" to assemble their rod if they wish, following a guiding session. The idea of this article is to let you benefit from my use of several references from the Rodhouse site, which I set up after defining precise specifications for each one. Goulven, whom I thank for everything in this adventure, was always there to guide me in my choices. JIG RCKJB 600-165 Here's a meaty blank I decided to mount for one of the main early-season activities, waddling Catfish. The idea was to have a blank powerful enough to take out catfish over two meters long in a fairly open environment (La Vilaine) while still having Pleasure, and no fatigue when holding the rod. The specifications: Blank runs less than 2m High power Lightweight Sturdiness Casting Assembly This 40-lb blank was perfect for the technique I was looking for, so I put it on a Casting Assembly for the ease of getting on and off quickly. The assembly consists of a pear sinker with a triple Exo loaded with worms and squid. This rod has proved its worth over two fishing seasons, offering memorable fights to customers, and even enabled a group of students from the Redon fishing section to catch two fish of 1.90 and 2 m . It bends without flinching and has a comfortable reserve thanks to its fibre/carbon mix and a good thickness of material to handle very big fish. The spiral assembly is a real plus for vertical bear fishing:) In fact, I'm going to be reassembling this model for the same fisheries and possibly in case of travel for exo spinning jigging in 2016. IMMWS 62 MX This blank was the very first one I was able to assemble. As announced in the introduction, its destination was its primary area of expertise, vertical fishing. The specifications I had: Short blank under 2m Moderate power (10/12 lbs) Fishing with 10-14-17 g TP and exceptionally a little more in vertical only. Big resonance Very fast marked tip action Spinning assembly So that's why I chose this reference rod, which is really extremely comfortable for this specific type of fishing. It's really a rod I only use for this. It has already cast a bunch of Perch and Zander / Pike-perch on the Vilaine in winter. It is indeed very resonant and faithfully transmits information from the bottom and vibratory information from the lure. Bites are perceived very, very finely. Its short length provides a precise hold and millimetric animation. Last but not least, its fast and relatively stiff action enables you to hook the fleshy jaws of Zander / Pike-perch effectively. ETES 72M So this one's my favorite. It's my little darling. It's a rod I've built specially for straight retrieve fishing for pike-perch and especially for finesse fishing for sea bass. The specifications I had: 2.2m blank (intermediate between shore and boat fishing) 15 lbscann power Fishing with 5-7-10-12-15 g TP, ideally 7/10, with finesse and shads up to 5 inches, and a few small surface lures and minnows. High resonance Fast action Spinning assembly It's a real treat to work with, a truly hyper-tactile, hyper-resonant rod capable of making a lure dance at a distance and feeling the slightest thing at the tip of its wrist. It excels with 7 / 10 g tp combined with small shad or finesse. She's no slouch either when combined with a small 10 cm stick bait. Its fast, responsive action makes it a superb caster. If you add a small, round, smooth 8-strand braid between 12 and 15 lbs, you're on top of things. I can't wait for winter to put it into action on Zander / Pike-perch in a straight retrieve where I'm sure it will delight me. On Sea bass fishing in finesse, it goes wonderfully well, and has no problem bringing in very big fish ;) SW 967 I don't fish Catfish with lures very often, but although it's only a few days a year, I needed the right tool. The specifications: 2.4 m length (shore and boat) Good power Fishing with modest lures weighing less than 100 g (Catfish can't be fished with lures as big as Pike) shad, swimming fish, vibration, undulating and large comma. Pleasure action for even the smallest fish Spinning Assembly A really fun rod, with an extremely progressive blank, at ease fishing with lures from 30 to 100 g, its round action makes this blank very versatile in techniques. I really enjoy fishing with the undulating action and the big comma. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to do too many sessions with it, as I'm quite far from good Catfish lure spots. However, on cork fishing with small Live baits, I've been able to put it up against big cats and Sharks in the Brest harbour. Pleasure on any fish. And you'll never get to the end of its power reserve, which lets you glimpse enormous rod bends without seeing this carbon tip at fault. It's a versatile rod for semi-strong fishing. For small tuna and swordfish, I've heard it's just as good ^^. SJ842-MHX This is my go-anywhere rod for sea and freshwater lure guiding, I use it for Sea bass in finesse for really beginner anglers so as not to put a more technical but more fragile foil in their hands. Specifications: Blank of 2.10 Quite versatile in terms of techniques (LS, PN), rather finesse. Solidity Good power reserve Spinning assembly This is clearly the all-purpose blank for medium fishing. A rod I like for fly fishing for Sea bass in the sea, for fishing with small swimming fish and soft lures in freshwater fishing, and for light vertical fishing in the sea too. Its versatility is really its strong point. SJ8600-MHX This is a rod I've designed specifically for sighted Sea bass. Its blank geometry and action seemed ideal from the outset. As an accessory, it should also make a great tool for fishing pike-perch and perch in straight retrieve and sea bass in finesse. Specifications Blank of 2.20 Discreet assembly Progressive action nervous enough to plant a Texan 3/0 Minimal resonance for Sea bass fishing on sight Substantial power reserve given the size of the fish targeted, while remaining in 12 lbs. Spinning Assembly This Blank is a wonderful revelation. For Sea bass, its nervousness and finesse make it well suited to casting light lures. Its fast action makes for long, accurate casts and, above all, it's perfect for Texan hooking. Mounted on a leader of 10 to 12 lbs, you'll be able to get a good shot at the finest Sea bass on sight. Its action is also superbly suited to straight retrieve fishing for Zander / Pike-perch on TP 3.5 5 and 7g. I also like to fish for Perch with a micro jig. It's really an excellent value blank. It's probably the blank I've ridden the most for customers. HM-P843-MHX This is the same specification as the ETES 72 M, but with a slightly lower power range and less rod power at 12 lbs. Specifications 2.1" Blank Ideal for straight retrieve fishing for pike-perch, Zander / Pike-perch and Sea bass in estuaries on TP mainly 3.5 5 and 7 g and a few hard lures. Resonance +++ Spinning assembly This rod is very similar to the SJ-8600 but a little shorter. It could also be very well suited to sight fishing for Sea bass for those looking for a rod a little shorter than the SJ-8600. I've used it mainly for bottom bouncing percids on small TP. Its length makes it a versatile rod for shore, float tube or boat fishing. It's a little more resonant than its sister, being made of HM carbon. Freshwater FW-702-1 IM This is a rod I wanted to mount to be versatile on two techniques, Trout on lures in large Breton rivers, so catching fish up to 40 cm and exceptionally more, and challenging a superb fighter that can be fished with small lures, the large Shad. We also fish for Perch on lures and rock fishing for horse mackerel and mackerel. Specifications: Length 2.1 Power 8 lbs, lures from 2 to 5 g Program mainly for swimming fish, small undulating and straight retrieve lures. Power reserve for shad Spinning Assembly It's not a rod of excellence for scratching, although it does a good job of it all the same. Where it really comes into its own is on linear fishing with mini soft lures, small undulating lures or drifting lures such as for shad and horse mackerel. This rod casts well and dampens vibrating lures thanks to its progressive action. It's responsive but very supple and works throughout its entire length. A round action that's perfect for Trout. When used with an 8-lb line, the power reserve is top-notch, because even on mullet and Shad, pulling confidently on the blank takes care of everything in a matter of minutes. Finally, its light weight makes it a really fun foil that's not afraid of big fish:) MB 709-IM This is my rod for versatile Pike fishing with medium lures. When I say medium lures, I'm talking about Pike lures, right? Specifications: Length 2.10m 30 lbs power, it has to throw up to 100 g Action rather round, fast but not too much tip action for fishing with vibrations or lures that pull hard. This rod is the last one I've fitted, so I haven't been able to do much fishing with it yet. But in any case, it does its job wonderfully. As I fish a lot for Pike from the shore or in a float tube, I needed a rod that could go everywhere. This one is really versatile on Pike lures and allows me to fish from small 6'' inch shads to big bandits without pulling too hard on them. That's what I wanted, a rod that would go through most of my Pike lures. For bigger lures, I'd go for the right rod, because we're not in the same league here. It's an excellent reference in any case, I spiral-mount it and it swings really far. This is a real plus for straight retrieve / Cast and retrieve pike fishing. It's really sensitive, you can feel the "NFC touch" and it's fearless. For Pike use, no pike fisher would fault it :) MX-78H-B This model was designed mainly for Sea bass with shad in Drift and lift, and also for spinning Pike and Pike-perch, where I need casting distance. [caption id="attachment_304" align="aligncenter" width="580"] MX-78H-B with Stephane Frogeais[/caption] Specifications: Length between 2.3 and 2.4 Power from 20 to 30 lbs (capable of sending about 80g at max) Fast progressive action This is a rod I use a lot when fishing from a boat. It's my Sea bass rod for Drift and lift, my Sea bass rod for big surface lures. It's also my go-to rod for spinning Pike, or for fishing pike-perch in crowded spots. It's powerful enough to cast up to around 70 g. It's very, very powerful in a fight and allows you to pull well on beautiful fish. It's a real sea shad blank for those who like their rods not too long. On big Sea bass surface lures, it's also a top performer as it's still a light rod once mounted and doesn't tire too quickly. A few sessions in vertical locations enabled me to get a good pull on the blank too. Everyone who's had it in their hands has been delighted, and it's a great-looking blank at a very affordable price. For me, rodbuilding has become a way of life that goes hand in hand with my lifelong passion for fishing. Even when I don't have a blank to ride, I reel in old rods, try things out, experiment... It really is a serious disease^^ ... I've already got a bunch of assemblies in the pipeline for 2016: a Travel rod, a waddling Catfish spinning rod, a very powerful and exotic Catfish lure rod (the famous Tuna Express R710), a heavier stolen rod for sea bass.... In short ... serious^^ In any case, I try to share as much as possible of what I've learned from all these years of fishing through my services, and continue to dream and marvel at seeing people taking their fill of Pleasure in my company, stalking the famous "fish-fish". ... with homemade rods, of course :) https://mathieu-le-bouter.jimdo.com/