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Hello Baptiste, can you introduce yourself?
Hello, my name is Baptiste Thouraud, 29 years old, and I've always lived in the Charente region, with a short stay in Bordeaux for my studies. I've been an avid angler since childhood, and today I'm the founder and manager of the Sico-Lure brand, which specializes in the design of fishing tackle with the aim of offering products that are truly tested, approved and effective.
How did fishing come into your life and what has been your evolution as an angler?
Fishing came very early in my life, almost naturally. I grew up by the water thanks to my grandfather, and I was immediately hooked. He passed on his passion to me, particularly for trout fishing with spoons and minnows, which he practised with real expertise.
At first, I'd help him catch minnows with a jig. Then I went with him when he was casting, and that literally fascinated me. I can still see him throwing his spoon exactly where he wanted. I was immediately won over by this technique. He lent me his equipment so I could practice in a pond a stone's throw from his house.
In fact, my first beautiful fish on lures is linked to a rather unusual anecdote. One day, as I was fishing this pond on foot, I saw a cormorant hunting there. I immediately turned around, without making a sound, to warn my grandfather. It was, of course, a completely different time, and he didn't hesitate to grab his rifle. Hiding in a farmhouse, the barrel passing between the wooden bars, he fired, and the cormorant fell into the middle of the pond.
I then decided to try and bring the bird to the bank with my rod, trying to hook it onto the spoon. The aim was to train myself to cast accurately... Except that, when you're just starting out, precision isn't always there. When I brought my spoon back after a short cast, I ended up hitting a nice pike. At the time, we didn't even know there were pike in this pond: that's how we discovered it and how I became hooked on lure fishing.
Then, still following in my grandfather's footsteps, I started lure fishing for trout at home in the Charente. I fished mostly by bike, on a small stream less than a metre wide, backpack and rod in hand. I experienced some of my best fishing there, and I think that's where I made the most progress. I had to cast cleanly, and above all make as little noise as possible in the face of extremely wild fish.
As I got older, I started fishing a big river and a smaller one not far from home. My parents would drop me off and come back for me. I often came up empty-handed, but by dint of fishing and, above all, observation, I learned to read the river: the spots, the hiding places, the habits of the trout. That's when I started catching my first beautiful brown trout.
Then came the motorcycle, and that was total freedom. I fished regularly, often on the same rivers, while trying to discover new ones. I'd hide my helmet in the leaves or in isolated corners to fish without restraint.
With the car, the possibilities have expanded even further: other departments, other regions, other waters to explore.
I fished for trout, then for predators in winter. As I grew older, my thirst for fishing became more and more overwhelming: I went fishing almost every day. As the Internet and blogs became more accessible, I started to write a few articles to keep my memories alive. When I reread these texts today, it makes me smile.
If I had to sum up this period, it was above all river trout fishing: a fishery of observation, discretion and patience, which taught me an enormous amount. Over time, I broadened my practice to carnivorous fish, then to the sea, always remaining curious and seeking to understand fish behaviour.
The evolution came naturally: the more you fish, the more you observe, and the more you progress, often without even realizing it.
Turning to Sico-Lure, how did it all begin?
In 2017, I was still in graduate school. Back then, when I came across anglers at the water's edge or on social networks, I was regularly asked what I fished with. I've always had a passion for lures, and in particular hand-crafted lures. I already owned a fine collection of them, built up over time out of curiosity and a taste for well-thought-out products.
One evening, with a friend, I decided to open a website to offer handmade lures that I really liked and used myself. Thus was born sico-lure.com. I started by selecting a few references that I liked, which I bought to resell, but also by developing my own colors. Soon, I also started designing swimming fish, based on my vision of fishing, which I offered directly on the site.
The project took off very quickly. Every order received was fully reinvested to expand the range and improve the products. For two years, I ran this business alongside my studies and work-study program. I was constantly going back and forth between Angoulême and Bordeaux, with my stock stored in a large crate in the boot of my car.
At the end of my studies, the question of my future naturally arose: should I continue in this direction or look for a more traditional job? My entrepreneurial spirit took over. So, in 2019, I closed the micro-business to set up a company, with a clear idea in mind: to work with professionals and develop my own products, designed from A to Z based on my experience as a fisherman, but also thanks to exchanges with other fishermen, friends, specialist stores and my family.
That's when I started designing the Sico First, initially in three colors. I worked from an office in my parents' home and canvassed my first stores. The objective has remained the same since the beginning: to reinvest everything to develop new products and offer anglers more and more coherent choices.
It didn't take long for new retailers to put their trust in me, despite the still limited number of references. I'm extremely grateful to them, because without them, Sico-Lure would clearly not be what it is today. One thing led to another, and the range expanded to include new lures, rods and accessories. I then took on work-study students, set up my first premises, then changed premises several times, so rapid was the development that it sometimes went beyond what I had imagined.
And what is Sico-Lure today?
Today, Sico-Lure is a structure on a human scale, supported by a tightly-knit, highly committed and, above all, passionate team. Two full-time staff, over 250 partner stores in France, several resellers in Belgium, as well as distributors in Italy, Switzerland and as far afield as Australia.
The brand has almost 300 references, historically oriented towards trout fishing, but also developed for predators. At the same time, a brand dedicated to sea fishing was created: Seaco Lure.
From the outset, our aim has never been to achieve volume at any price, but to build a strong, coherent identity and maintain real technical credibility with anglers.
How long does it take from the idea for a new lure to its launch? What are the most important stages?
On average, it takes between 12 and 24 months from the initial idea for a lure to its launch on the market. It's a long process, during which the product is constantly evolving. Between the initial concept and the final version, numerous adjustments are often necessary.
For me, the key stages in this development are :
- Observation, with the identification of a real need, both on the water and on the market
- Design and engineering
- Prototype production
- Testing under real conditions, on different types of water
- Final adjustments: swimming, density, fittings, finishes
To carry out this work, we draw on our own experience, as well as that of our ambassadors, passionate anglers and specialist stores. Every opinion is welcome: this diversity of feedback enables us to question our choices and come up with more coherent, more effective products.
What are your 3 favourite products in the range?
It's a complicated question. I'd like to answer all of them, but I'll try to make a choice:
Visit Sico First because it's the lure that put us on the map, and it's still extremely effective today.
Visit soft lure Insect which has enabled me to catch a huge number of fish of a wide variety of species.
Visit heritage cane in 2âeuros12 g, which I enjoy immensely. It's with me three quarters of the time, whether for trout or other fine fish.
I'd like to name many more, but it's always tricky. Let's just say that if I'm entitled to a little bonus, I'd add our metal jig at sea, which gave me some very nice surprises.
The range, initially focused on trout, has expanded to include carnivorous and seafood products. How do you see the Sico-Lure range in a few years' time?
I see an even more coherent range, but not necessarily a wider one at any price.
The idea is to continue to develop specialized, highly accomplished products with a real identity, both in freshwater and in the sea.
I want Sico-Lure to remain a brand where every new product has meaning, and not just a soulless catalog. Some ranges will be reworked to be more in tune with today's fishing.
Eventually, I imagine:
A fuller trout range, including larger lures, which we still lack today.
A true carnivorous range, with dedicated rods and more specifically adapted lures.
A strengthened sea range, also including rods and new models, including swimming fish.
With this adventure behind you, are you still as passionate about fishing as ever?
Yes, clearly.
Fishing remains my lifelong passion, and I don't see that slowing down any time soon. I need to be by the water, in nature, in peace and quiet. The desire is still there. If it were up to me, I'd fish every day and do the Tour de France of rivers.
Can you reveal one or two surprises in store for the new year?
I can't reveal everything, but there are already two important projects:
We've been working for a year and a half on a soft lure for pike, designed to be ultra-versatile and effective right out of the box. If all goes according to plan, it should see the light of day this year, and will undoubtedly be our biggest new product for 2026.
We're also developing our top-of-the-range Signature trout rod. A highly accomplished model, designed for trout fishing, but which will also be able to express itself fully on certain fine predator fish.
Thank you very much Baptiste for the time you gave me and these exchanges. I wish you every success for your future projects and, of course, an excellent fishing season.
