On September 23 and 24, no fewer than 100 competitors battled it out in the fish-filled waters of Extremadura, Spain, in a bid to win the prestigious Soner Euro Cup XII. Follow Bastien Nicolay and Ben Sepol as they take on Europe's top black-bass anglers.
The crew
The boat is crewed by Bastien Nicolay and Ben Sepol. Two friends and monuments of black-bass fishing. 4 years fishing together and 3 years sharing the same boat for competitions. But that's not all, Ben tells us that the team is actually much bigger than that. For example, Extremadura Profishing, with Stéphane Quinton and centro nautico, who support them and give them the means to participate and go so far. Ben and Bastien both benefit from solid experience in black-bass fishing, thanks in particular to their guiding experience in Extramadura. With this experience under their belts, the prefishing begins. Lots of zones in mind, lots of spot fish and patterns slowly taking shape...
Strategy
Prefishing gives way to strategy. It's time to make the right choices of spots, techniques, lures and rods. The plan is to attack with power-fishing right from the start, in order to secure a quota as quickly as possible. If all goes well, the idea is to switch to finer, more technical fishing to target the big black bass in the area.
Day 1
Now it all begins, the strategy for the day is set, and it's time to go. The day begins as agreed, with power-fishing. Weapons and rods are chosen: the SWC SJR 736-1 will be the "TopWater Rod" and the EFX Pro Hybrid 766-1C will be perfectly suited to chatterbaits. The fish are coming in and the strategy seems to be paying off, as the day will end with a first place in the temporary ranking with a bag at 24 lbs. The day went well, and the strategy seemed to be the right one, but we'll have to remain vigilant, as the crew on the second step of the podium is hot on the heels of Ben and Bastien with only 500 grams less fish...
Day 2
The aim at the start of the day was to quickly extend the gap to the other two teams on the provisional podium. The strategy remains the same, but Ben and Bastien decide to change zones. It's around 9 a.m. and the team is hooking fish after fish, already recording 5.4 kg. Suddenly, the team's attention is caught by a touch, the carbon bends and the rushes follow one another with violence. A mass appears in the water, and the higher the fish rises, the more enormous it seems to be. It's there, now we just have to weigh it... The numbers on the scale look incredible, and indeed they are: 6.61 lbs for this magnificent black bass... The adrenalin's pumping, the fishing goes on and Ben and Bastien continue on their way to a podium finish.
The results
It's 4pm, the second day of competition is over. Time to wait. There's a mixture of tension and conviviality that makes the moment great. The steward steps forward to announce the standings... The results are in, with Team Ben and Bastien topping the leaderboard with a cumulative 45 lbs + the Big Fish! The 3.070 kg fish recorded by the crew in the morning is the ultimate record for the 12th edition of the Soner Euro Cup!
Ben Sepol shares his feelings
Ben Sepol: "In the moment, you're like a child! You're enjoying it, you want to share it with all the people who took part! Afterwards, you go back to work and can't wait for the next one to come along."
Any advice?
"If I had one piece of advice to give, it would be not to lock yourself into a classic pattern. Stay open and don't be afraid to try new things. It's the best way to understand, master and improve. And above all, don't forget the notions of fun and sharing, which I think are so important in fishing."
Any chance of seeing you again next year?
"Yes! There's a very good chance we'll be there next year, and the years after that..."
