Sea bass fishing is one of the most popular activities for sea anglers on the French coast and requires the right equipment, which you'll find in our collection of lures for predator fishing. A sport fish par excellence, it is present in numbers and will be particularly combative once at the end of the line. With rod and reel in hand, you can fish for them from the shore or from a boat.
The soft bait is surely the model that has been most popular in recent years. Big names like the Black Minnow and its Texan hook or the X Layer and its diabolically effective animation are not to blame. You'll find them in a variety of sizes and shapes depending on the techniques you use. Less expensive, they can venture into areas richer in rocks and various snags.
Hard bait have also had many advantages. First of all those that come to life on the surface of the water. These topwater lures are poppers and stickbaits that will help you catch bass with a unique visual and acoustic effect. But it's also the big bibs and all the trolling possibilities, all season long. The colours are often very varied and technical developments ensure that they will hold up well over time.
Then there are the jigs or jigging spoons and their brilliant colours. They're a must-have for all fishing practices, and should be part of your basic equipment advice. They imitate perfectly one of the many preys present in the sometimes tumultuous waters of the ocean and other seas.
Soft lures
Economical, this type of lure will allow you to get to grips with many different fishing spots and learn the difficulties of each technique. Gums and colours have improved dramatically in recent years to produce increasingly realistic products with an imitative and effective swimming action.
The benchmark is the Black Minnow. This soft shad lure designed by the French brand Fiiish has revolutionised bass fishing in recent years. The effectiveness and ease of use of this lure have enabled it to win over many amateur anglers to this species. The use of a Texan hook and a hinged joint is certainly one of the reasons for this.
Shads mounted in the same way by other manufacturers will also have something to offer. The Biscay series from Storm comes to mind, as does our French manufacturer Delalande with its creations and its team of testers and developers. For pike fishing enthusiasts, don't forget to read our article on which lure to choose for pike.
Slugs or soft jerk minnows are certainly the second type of lure not to be overlooked. Mounted on bullet heads, they are a real treat for predators. Animation plays a very important part in their effectiveness. You'll need to take the time to learn and understand the movements to make depending on the conditions. The best advice is to go for well-known models such as the Slug Go from Lunker City or the X Layer from Megabass.
The hard bait family
These lures are also a regular favourite with anglers looking for bass. Depending on the techniques used, whether you're fishing from the shore or from a boat, you'll be able to turn to very different models.
Longbills with large bibs are generally reserved for trolling. Practical for walks or simply to continue stalking bass between 2 spots to find new ones. These include the famous Countdown Magnum from Rapala, which comes in a range of sizes.
Jerkminnow are often the most commonly used lures. Equipped with a fairly short lip, they generally work in shallow water. They can be retrieved in a linear fashion, but will be even more effective with a few strokes of the tip of a fast action rod. The list of tried and tested models is long. Here are just a few examples:
- Duo ryuki
- Smith D Contact
- Daiwa Shoreline Shiner
- Jackson Artist
- OSP Rudra
The final sub-category of these hard bait is the surface lure. Numerous and popular for their playfulness and visual appeal, you'll find a wide range of models with varying qualities. With less risk of losing them, thanks to their buoyancy, you can afford to invest more easily. Don't forget that the animal will only see the underside of the lure when fishing. So the colours on the belly are more important than anything else.
Metal jigs or jigging spoons
These are probably the most commonly used jigs for sea bass. Often economical, easy to use and popular for decades, they are part of the education that every sea angler receives. They make it easy to catch fish in any season.
First of all, there are the jigs. These are fitted at the end of a line to get down to the bottom quickly. They are used to reach your target depth quickly and are animated with upward pulls and an accompaniment to the descent. You can use both a spinning reel and a casting reel, although the latter has the advantage of allowing you to fish with just one hand.
Slow Jigs are a new addition to the range for jiggers. The same size as the classic jig, they have a different shape for a slower descent. This makes it easier to fish certain layers of water, especially when the fish are suspended. The result is slower moving prey that is easier for opportunistic predators to grab.
That leaves casting jigs. These are designed to be cast and reeled in. Often lighter in weight, to stay in a layer of water away from rocks, they cast very well and very far. They're perfect for shore fishing, but also for hunting while keeping a safe distance to avoid spooking any fish.
Other articles about predator lures :