#labrax squad

May usually is the month when the bass season in the Netherlands really kicks off. That was the reason for the chief-editor of Zeehengelsport to ask Jelmer for a contribution about bass fishing. The subject of the article? Lures. His top ten bass lures, to be more precise. Hard baits and soft plastics, modern JDM stuff and old school Dutch classics – it’s all thrown into the mix. Make sure to pick up a copy of Zeehengelsport at your local bookstore in the beginning of June!

Up until this year we went abroad on all of our fishing trips. But not in 2016. This time we went bass fishing in the Netherlands and visited the Wadden Islands. It was kind of like exploring our own backyard where we don’t come that often. The idea was to visit several islands and see what a week of hardcore bass fishing would throw up.

We started our trip on the Island of Terschelling. There we checked out surf fishing with lures from the beach, a discipline we hardly ever practice. We put in many kilometers on our rental bikes (hurray for motorised bicycles, especially when transporting the fishing gear of five persons!), climbed some steep dunes and got washed in the waves from time to time, yet also succeeded in catching bass in the surf. It’s still a steep learning curve, but the first step is made.

During the night we relied on our second nature when fishing for bass and looked for structure. We found this on the pier protecting the harbour of one of the island’s communities. At first we had difficulties tracking down the fish, but gradually we found our way in the dark. It turned out the bass were lurking right in front of us, literally at our feet. Instead of whacking your lure as far out as you could, it was a matter of casting lightweight jig heads parallel to the shore.

On the second stop of our trip we were naturally drawn to the little piers adorning the beaches of Vlieland. It’s amazing to see how a mere and small row of stones with some rubble at the end attracts fish. We took advantage of these indicators and spent a good deal of our fishing efforts pier hopping. Not every pier was as good as the other in terms of producing bass, but we managed to catch fish on almost every single one of them.

However, the biggest surprise came at the end of an early morning session. In the first daylight a light rock fishing enthusiast decided to give it one last go at the entrance of the harbour. The rest joined in and with succes. Next to the pillars of the boardwalk a more than decent sized bass devoured a soft plastic. Some skill, a strong leader and lots of luck resulted in a lunker being landed (thank God for a Boga-Grip when there’s no landing net around).

Our last stop was the island of Texel. This being the largest of the Wadden Islands, we had to choose which spots we were going to fish as we only spent two days on this island. The first day we headed to the beaches with big piers protruding into the sea. Wrong call: hard lures, soft plastics, metal jigs and surface lures; none of them did report much success. Even a nocturnal trip to another beach was fruitless.

The last day we took a different road and opted for the typical Dutch dikes on the other side of the island. No sand and stones, but manmade concrete embankments. These spots threw up some bass and had us craving for more: every now and then someone still wakes up in the dead of night due to the big splash behind his surface lure and the donkey he lost... The decision to fish the outgoing tide all the way into the dark eventually paid off. At the last mark one of the last casts resulted in a big and bulky bass of almost 9lb. What a way to end our trip!

Conclusions and facts of our Wadden Islands road trip:

• Put in the effort, invest the time and you might be surprised of what your domestic coastline can produce in terms of bass fishing. • The potential of surf fishing for bass with lures in the Netherlands is still relatively unknown and waiting to be discovered. • Rinse, rinse, rinse and then rinse some more when fishing from the beach. • When there is a spell on you – we’re not mentioning any names here – all big fish that are hooked will be lost... • The second worst Chinese restaurant of the Netherlands definitely deserves its claim to fame (and can ruin a late night out on the rocks). • Put two heavily snoring men together in one room for the night and see who comes out alive the next morning.

And last but not least a big thanks to Roelof Duker from WadEvents for helping us organising this unforgettable bass fishing adventure!

The IMA Sasuke 120 and 140 proved to be a real killer in the night When we visited the Salon Peche en Mer in Nantes in January 2012 we immediately noticed that almost every Frenchman carried around some of those Black Minnows from the Fiiish brand. Something that at that point looked like a hype, rapidly proved that this lure was here stay. We fished a lot with these lures and damn there is something magical with it. It just produces fish.

The Fiiish Black Minnow looked like a hype, but it is definitely is here to stay The website 2012 was also the year that our website really went to the next level. What began as an experiment now has become a web environment that has welcomed tens of thousands of visitors. And after one year there still are enough bass-related developments or experiences that we feel are worthwhile sharing or writing about. The constant pressure to remain relevant and keeping the website up-to-date is not always easy but with contributions from all participants it worked out fine. Something we can be proud off. Especially because every participant also has his own work, family, fishing trips, blogs, editorials to take care off besides the Labrax Squad website. For 2013, we have quite enough plans and we hope to expand the platform with some international contributions. This to gather and spread more and wider information about the European Sea Bass (Dicentrarchus Labrax). We definitely can learn a lot from each other. So many people from different countries, traditions and cultures that fish for this same species. We all share that same passion; let's imagine what could happen if we shared our knowledge with each other. Damn. That should give some fireworks. A recent eye-opening contribution of Keith White shows a good example. Personal challenges With the start of a new year also new personal challenges are set. It only was a few weeks ago that my new Nories Flatfish Program '74 Sand Wave' was delivered to me. A highly sensitive and very lightweight rod that I want to use for my fishing with lightweight softbaits like Megabass X-layers equipped with those 7 grams jig heads. The short length of the rod is chosen as it is this week that I'm picking up my Sea Chaser 186 at Hans from JBBoten. Except from being my 'boat dealer'  this relationship with Hans developed towards a friendship. Never before a dealer drove me all around the Netherlands in my search for the perfect outboard. An outboard which he installed for me on-site. Same story for my 2 Lowrance HDS units and all other accessories that I would like to add to the combination. Without complaining and with loads of fun he worked with me on the boat for a year like it was his own. Its very special to realize that these passionate and warm people still exist. The boat now is equipped with a Suzuki 90 hp four stroke outboard, a 24v 80 LBS Minn Kota front troller and 2 separate HDS Gen2 units (one on the console and one on the front).

My Carolina Skiff Sea Chaser 186 from JB Boten

So what will this boat fishing bring to me? I really don't have a clue but I know it will be different from what I'm used to. I'm dreaming about the freedom but at the same time I realize the ocean is a big place - so where do I start? Because things will get somewhat rougher than I'm used to I ordered myself a 2012 Daiwa Catalina 3515 PE-H. This to protect my more vulnerable 3000 reels when conditions are getting rough. And of course, no new reel without a new rod (I really have a big problem, I know). Still on the number 1 position there is the Tenryu Bull Dog 2 Evo but it won't be until February 2013 (the new edition of the Salon Peche en Mer - Nantes, FR) that I will decide which new rod will be added to my collection. At the expo you have the opportunity to touch and wiggle loads of bass rods that are out there. Also most of the (Japanese) brands have representatives on-site to advise you on your choice. So if you have the possibility to get there, it's definitely recommended. We're running around Nantes from 14 till the 17th of February.