Fighting for Bass and Bass Anglers’ since 1973

Winter Bling

With storms battering the coast, floods wreaking havoc inland, & winds creating widespread damage, cabin-fever is setting in. This is the trough of the year for the bass angler. There are only so many lures in the collection which need new hooks & split-rings, there are only so many hours that can be spent trawling the internet for next seasons gear, & there are only so many ‘winter’ forum debates that a person can take.

The latest lures will be on displaySo purely in the interests of your sanity, some BASS members will be heading to the Salon des Pêches en Mer Nantes this weekend. For those that aren’t aware of it, it’s a huge exhibition held indoors in the ‘Parc des Expositions’ in Nantes each year. It encompasses sea fishing, boating (with an emphasis on fishing-related boating) and kayaking. Typically there will be in the region of 25,000 visitors to the show at the weekend, around 11,000m² of exhibition space, more than 130 exhibitors, & in excess of 300 boats on show.

Some exhibits are for the tackle manufacturers and distributors to showcase the latest gear to be released for the forthcoming season, other stands are just ‘shops’ !! Then you have the cafes, bars & restaurants …. which mean youA typical regional lunch snack :-) can sip a little beer (or maybe a Ricard if you are feeling French) wander around some shops rammed with the latest gear, head back & sip a little beer, wander around an exhibition with a pro-angler demonstrating a lure technique in a glass-walled demo tank, enjoy a platter of seafood (with a glass of wine), then try your hardest not to impulse-buy the latest boat on the market ! Sheer hell eh !

There will be a decent contingent there from Scotland, Wales, Jersey & England …. i’m sure we’ll find some Irishmen to complete the team also. If we can drag ourselves from the fine wine & bling, we’ll try and post a ‘live report’ from the exhibition this weekend. We’ll be trawling through the stands of Ultimate Fishing, Illex, Sakura, Hart, Daiwa, Duo, Rapala, and many many more …. It’s a dirty job, but just remember that the BASS blogging team is here for you, & taking this one for the team !!

Luke Lewis takes part in a demonstration with Arnaud de Wildenberg
Luke Lewis takes part in a demonstration with Arnaud de Wildenberg (Photo courtesy of Austin Goldsmith)
À toute à l’heure!