Your cart
There are no more items in your cart
European sea bass on the fly
Full of subtlety and variety, European sea bass fly fishing opens up new and vast horizons to fly fishermen who love freedom, diversity and the search for new emotions with their fly rod in hand.
This sublime sport fish haunts the European coasts, from the South of Norway to the North of Senegal to the South. It can be found all around and in the interior of Europe, including the eastern Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea. In other words, we Europeans have a first-class partner for crossing the barrier from fresh to salt water and extend our fly fishing range without necessarily having to consider long-distance trips to the Caribbean or the Indian Ocean.
An opportunist species par excellence, the European sea bass offers multiple challenges to fly fishermen whatever their level of practice. As it frequents a large number of habitats and can be found as far inland as the estuaries of coastal rivers and also in tidal ponds and marshes, it is interested in a wide variety of prey, fish, crustaceans and insects.
Its diet is so heterogeneous that it allows fly fishermen to develop infinite strategies, techniques and approaches to overcome its wariness and have the pleasure of measuring themselves against this marvellous sport fish, one of the most interesting for the fly fisherman in salt water.
Sight fishing, prospecting, interception, on the surface, under barely enough water to cover the dorsal fin or under several meters of water, whether you operate on foot, in a boat or in a kayak, Dicentrarchus labrax is everywhere and very often where you would not expect it...
Depending on the territory and the coastline that we visit, the specific behaviour of the fish that live there, permanently (sedentary fish) or temporarily depending on the tides and the seasons, and the size of our partners, the fishing strategy to be implemented varies from one extreme to another.
Delicate fishing on fine tippets with small imitations of shrimps, prawns, sand fleas, mysis, micro-alevins, medium fishing with imitations of crabs, forage fish, cephalopods, provocation fishing on the surface, with poppers and other gurglers, heavier fishing with sinking lines and imitations of large prey (mackerel, horse mackerel, sardines, etc.), the list is long and not exhaustive.
It is important to know what equipment you really need to be effective at the crucial moment: floating line, transparent, stealth (ghost), phosphorescent, slow or fast intermediate, with a more or less sinking tip, overloaded to fight the elements (wind, waves, currents...), weight froward line (WF), shooting head, what running line ?…
Which rod, which reel, which line, which leader, which tippet material, which stripping/shooting basket, which flies, which accessories?
So many complex questions and problems not always easy to solve for the saltwater neophyte. The variety of my selection allows me to provide the answers and solutions that you expect from an informed specialist.
Originally designed for fishing the North American striped bass, the Striper or Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis), the closest cousin of the European bass, the fly lines and other leaders referenced "striped bass" are perfectly adapted to fishing the European sea bass, which like the striper, lives in cold to temperate waters.
As a professional guide and a recognised European specialist in fly fishing for sea bass, I now put my experience at the service of your equipment, with a view to efficiency and quality.
I have created a specific e-shop department for "sea bass fly fishing" and can now, in all modesty, offer one of the best selections of equipment specially designed for fishing for this amazing marine predator.
Do not hesitate to tell me your expectations, whether you are planning to embark on the wonderful adventure of stalking the European sea bass with a fly rod, or whether you already have experience, more or less successful, or whether you are a confirmed fly fisher. I am above all an enthusiast and a nature lover and I will be able to advise you in the best possible way, so that you can make the right choice according to your profile, your expectations and your budget. And if once equipped, you want to save precious time to acquire the fundamental technical bases (casting, knots, riggings, fishing strategies, knowledge of the fish biology and behavior), to be self-sufficient and effective at the water's edge, I cannot advise you enough to quickly plan a "training" budget with an expert.
Fly rods
Fly reels
Fly lines
Accessories
Fly patterns
