Secondly, it's a fine result, and one that seems almost logical given the risks involved in your strategy!
Tony : Yes... But our strategy was still to win! We're glad it went that way, but I'd still rather be first! (Laughs) Abu Garcia was too strong, they came in for 2 points each time. There's nothing to say!
This corresponds to the risks of our strategy. We're missing the second point on the edge that we were aiming for and that we can't take, as we do every time!
We weren't far off, we didn't need much! That's the problem with Spain, it's complicated to hit the big fish. But they do exist, and I think you can win in Spain.
We could count on the other teams sharing points, but that doesn't have the same flavour and it's annoying to count on the "failings" of others. We want to win on our own by taking 4 or 5 points.
Second, but making a mark this season and showing a certain dominance over numbers!
Tony : We're taking credit for the fact that the other teams couldn't come up with the numbers this season. It's a good result, it's true, and Kanalgratis has put our team in the spotlight for several episodes. It's a real pleasure!
The 3 points you took out of the group still give you a sense of accomplishment this season?
Tony : Yes, of course! With one small regret about shore fishing. Because I really think, and I keep saying it, that it can be won in Spain, but on the day from the shore. We're missing the big fish on this day. It's 84 cm and we've already caught similar fish on the same spots. Maybe they weren't there or we just didn't manage to catch them.
But potentially you can really do the big fish on the day on board in Spain.
Berkley puts the church back in the middle of the village on this episode, they were untouchable!
Tony : Yes, as usual, I'd say! Their strategy is really very good and they perform superbly. You can tell at the beginning of the episode that they're hesitating whether to move or not. I think on the second lake, they really have one spot and they know it can really be productive, but there's always a doubt about whether they'll be there and active. They're doing the right thing and they're going to make a huge quota there. And what's great is that afterwards they have the nerve to go back to their starting area and catch another really big fish. It's really beautiful when strategy unfolds like that!
We can actually see them returning to the LMAB area with the aim of catching the fish right under their noses!
Tony : Yes, I think they're afraid of LMAB, because they're having a wonderful competition. But with the quota they'd already acquired, they were serene. They were going there mainly to try and make a very big fish, and they succeeded! They didn't drop a single point!
You can tell they're really happy, because they weren't sure they'd find so many fish, and so big, I think.
Nay's attacked with 25 cm lures and they caught a 52 cm pike-perch. A far cry from the habits of French anglers for this species?
Tony : Clearly, they're looking for the big ones, so they take lures accordingly. But I think it's mainly a question of context. It's always easier to fish with big lures at night on spots with a good population... In France, we have very big ones too, but we're not allowed to fish at night! If that were the case, maybe we'd attack with lures this size too!
Freddy says it well, by the way, that big guys prefer big prey, because they need protein. So it's a very logical approach. In France, we don't see much of this, but it's mostly contextual. And we prefer to implement more standard approaches and try to make more fish. And in France, I may be wrong, but I don't think many people can say they're going to catch 5 fish over 80 cm in their outing! It's still a hell of a score to have a quota of 440.
Once again, Relax is fishing up the slope. It seems unnatural, especially in relation to the position of the fish! However, they find it easier, what do you think?
Tony : I think if they're doing it, there's a reason, even if it seems less natural. In my opinion, we're missing some information: maybe they're fishing a pit or a structure that explains the way they approach the spot. In any case, they're right, because it's working and they're making catch after catch.
Tell us about Pédro and Stéphane, who helped you prepare for this season?
Tony : These are our Spanish contacts. So Stéphane from Extramadura Pro Fishing, Ben and Pedro his guides. So, Val de Cagna is an area that the three of us really discovered with Pedro, as he'd never fished it before. So he came with us to rough it out for 3 days before the competition.
The three of us looked for the right spots to set up our strategy, but we were in frequent contact by phone with Zoilo and Stéphane, who gave us good information on the right areas. We had a lot of discussions, sending photos and GPS positions. This enabled us to rough out the area and save a lot of time.
The lake is big and there aren't fish everywhere. So to define a relevant strategy in 3 days, we really needed their help.
We can see you ending this season in good spirits, laughing along with your teammates. It feels like a real team!
Tony : Yes! After three seasons in which you spend 10 days 24 hours a day together, things inevitably happen and a sense of complicity develops. And now we know that it's the end and that we've done some good fishing. On the boat, there's total trust and we don't need to talk to understand each other.
On this last day, we caught 35 fish, but the fishing was tough... 35 fish for Val de Cagna, that's not very good!
So we finally found them and we're happy, especially as we're tired, so our nerves give way and we want to laugh and smile.
