A season on the Basque coast with Rodhouse

Fabien, fishing guide instructor (Herri Fishing), I'm based on the Basque coast at the port of Anglet (Bayonne Biarritz). I offer Saltwater fishing trips in search of various species depending on the season. I've been riding my rods for a few years now, and I was delighted to accept Goulven's offer to work with me. It's above all for the team, the atmosphere and the Rodhouse family spirit, but also for the test and development project. As for the equipment, I was already fully convinced, since the boat was equipped with 100% Rodhouse rods. Visit Breton country: In November 2015, I spent a few days in the Golf to visit the premises, meet the team, and above all share a good game of Sea bass fishing with the boss who kindly put us up at home even though he'd only been a dad for 15 days... if that's not family !!!! It was also an opportunity to choose our weapons for the season, and discuss our various projects. Fishing in the Basque Country: Spring: The species in force at this time are louvine, sar and Bonito. It's almost like a Sea bass, only bigger, meaner and smarter... A bit like the difference between a Basque and a Breton, almost the same but better! We look for it with ls on rock heads or with pn and top water along the beaches. The sar is a coastal sparid that likes to frequent the foamy rocks where it feeds on shrimps, crabs and other bugs pulled off the rocks. It can reach a size of up to 2kg500, and is a valiant fighter. It responds well to small leaded lures such as gulp minnow with a tp of 5 to 7g. A 5g olive with a piece of shrimp left to "roll" naturally also works very well. Bonito respond well to a Casting jig when hunting (very fast retrieve), otherwise a PN with a large lip works very well for trolling. At this time of year, all three species can be attacked in a single day, so I need a super versatile blank: So far I've been using the MHX SJ 843 IM ( https://www.rodhouse.fr/fr/blanks-de-7-a-7-5/575-sj843-mhx-3290000005755.html ) mounted in KR concept with an IPS full handle, paired with a 4000 reel a 16 braid and bdl's from 25 to 40 hundredths. It has served me proudly and loyally over the last two seasons, and despite many hours of fishing completely freaky angles (dropping Bonito and others...) my four blanks are still in one piece. The reference for those looking for a versatile rod on a small budget, ideal for a first-time fisher. I'm thinking of replacing them with north forks SJ 706 IM https://www.rodhouse.fr/fr/blanks-de-6-10-a-7-5/695-spin-jig-706-1-im-3290000006950.html Summer, tuna all the way: We're lucky enough to have great tuna hunts almost all season long (from July 14 to October 30) with fish weighing from 5 to 60kg that we track exclusively on chases (popper, jig..) Part of the Rodhouse team spent a weekend testing the new Rodbuilders Republic blanks. Despite a difficult first day with four fish for two boats, we made up for it the next day with 20 fish from 110 to 135 cm... Great fun on the water and at the aperitif. The Tuna Express from rodbuilder s republic ( https://www.rodhouse.fr/fr/rodbuilders-republic/3395-tuna-express-r710.html ) : We had the opportunity to test the proto during the 2015 season, and it was without hesitation that she came to complete the gear for this 2016 season. She's seen it all: small, medium and big. A blank with a soft tip that makes her a great caster with a terrific trunk behind it. I've used her in 60 lbs and she's reeled in 160 cm fish (at the notch) in less than 35 minutes, while still being pleasant on small fish. I have no hesitation in equipping it with 80 lbs, as it pulls hard. La SW967 de chez batson (https://www.rodhouse.fr/fr/7-6-et-plus/747-sw-967--3290000007476.html): This is a lighter all-round blank, it casts very well and takes incredible bends. The best on fish from 5 to 25 kg, it has caught bigger fish but with a gentle approach. It too has more than three seasons and probably over a hundred tuna under its belt, and it'll take more. Fall, Red bream / Porgy and company... This is the season for inchikus, madais and other slow jigs. They interest a wide variety of species: Pagres, Pollack, Saint Pierre, Pageot, Sars, Sea breams, Gurnards, Hake, Blue Skin, Julienne... So far I'm using my trusty SJ 843s to troubleshoot an old Batson 70 hm reassembled in Casting, a SJ 606 SM is on its way https://www.rodhouse.fr/fr/blanks-de-4-6-a-6-9/3375-spin-jig-606-1-sm-3290000006974.htm . These are deep fisheries that require a short rod with a casting reel to avoid forcing like a c... on the spinning handles. So it's in the pipeline for next season, and the promising results augur well for future outings. A big thank you to rodhouse for their trust and everything they've been able to give me throughout the season (advice, services...).

To the rods and those who ride them!