|
Preparations
for the begin of
III EUROBASS CUP
Settembre 2006 :: Ricobayo - Spain
Valladolid - Spain, December 2005
The organizing body of the Eurobass Cup is already working on next year’s event
which will be celebrated in Spain in September and where professional U.S.
anglers will participate against European anglers. The third edition of this
tournament will be celebrated in 2006 which up until now only knows one winner:
the team from the United States. However, as Byron Velvick claims, captain of
the U.S. team selection in 2005, the level of the European anglers is very good
and “either team has the potential to win next year’s Eurobass Cup 2006”.
Foto di Repertorio :: EuroBass II - 2005
Velvick is one of the “veterans” of the competitions
celebrated at the Reservoir of Ricobayo (Zamora, Spain) since the year 2000
promoted by the Trade Fair Center of Valladolid by way of the Iberian Hunting
and Fishing Week Trade Show. He states that “the European anglers are much more
competitive and versatile than when I first came to Spain, and it seems that
they have really done their homework with regard to various techniques and
addressing the fishing patterns”. After the experience of the Eurobass Cup, in
which intense and extended days of fishing are shared, Velvick is convinced that
“there isn’t as big a difference between the two teams as existed before. To
that end, both teams seem to be much more equal in their potential to win the
Eurobass Cup in 2006”.
Even though the fishing techniques may be the same for all
the anglers, the same doesn’t hold true for the boats and motors used. The
European market still hasn’t reached the level that exists in the United States
or Japan. There is a clear growth in the sector, both in the number of
interested fishermen for bass fishing in countries like Italy, France, Portugal
and Spain, as well as in competitions promoted by private organizations (as
occurs with the Eurobass Cup), clubs, federations, etc. This evolution augurs
well for an increase in the middle term of demand by teams that replace their
current, small and outdated boats (in some cases), as Bink Desaro states,
another professional from the American team.
All the American professionals consulted after their
participation in the Eurobass Cup agree when pointing out that the greatest
differences between both teams lie in the motors, boats and electronic equipment
that they use. “The depth finders were the biggest obstacle to overcome for me”,
stated John Crews, “since we fished with older models that are no longer used in
the U.S.”. On the other hand, as far as fishing rods, lures, reels, line, etc.
are concerned, Europeans and Americans have the same material, “many of us shop
in the same store”, affirms the individual winner of the Eurobass Cup, Danny
Correia, who adds that some European fisherman “had even better gear than what I
use”. Correia assures that the mechanics of the European anglers impressed him,
“casting, boat positioning, presentation of lures…I think that they have what it
takes to advance in the sport”.
The Eurobass Cup reveals interesting aspects about how
fishing is understood on one side of the Atlantic versus the other.
Independently from the cited differences as far as equipment is concerned what
distinguishes one team from the other is the professional character of one team
and that of a hobby for the other. Danny Correia summarizes this all very
simply: “the U.S. team spends much more time on the water; I know myself on some
years I may fish 200 days or more, and the Europeans only get out on weekends”.
The time in the water allows for obtaining valuable
information about fish behavior, water changes, different techniques developed
for different lakes, etc. All of this translates into a greater versatility of
the U.S. team, as stated by Ron Shuffield, one of the most recognized anglers in
the world, with 14 participations in the Bassmaster Classic. “The Americans fish
in a wide variety of waters and because of this they have greater versatility.
The Europeans on the other hand are extremely effective but with fewer
techniques”.
Bradley Stringer shares this opinion and explains that “the
Americans that fish for a “living” are constantly improving on techniques with
the different lakes and time of the year to catch fish. The Europeans are doing
the same, except they may be limited in their fishing during certain times of
the year” and in areas with less variety than those that are found in the United
States. This was the first time that Stringer participated in a competition in
Spain and although the fishing at Ricobayo during the Eurobass Cup was difficult
he affirms that “there was a great population of fish, most of us just didn’t
figure out how to catch them. We didn’t figure them out. But the theory is still
the same, a bass is a bass whether he lives in Spain or in Texas and here, I
simply didn’t catch enough big ones”.
A test of skill and ability. This is how Greg Gutiérrez
describes the second edition of the Eurobass Cup. Stringer expressed that “it is
a Bassmaster Classic only held in Spain” and all of them agree that it is a
wonderful experience which enables them to approach another form of
understanding bass fishing, share experiences with anglers that “are better than
they think” and enjoy a quality competition.
The Trade Fair Center of Valladolid is the organizing body of
the Eurobass Cup and its general manager, Javier Galiana, brings forward that in
view of the third edition he is working to expand the contents of the
tournament, in such a way that the sporting side complements with the
participation of leading companies in the world bass fishing market, and that
this event strengthens as the reference for bass fishing at a European level.
Eurobass Cup - Spain -
www.eurobass.net
|
Imposta come HomePage 
Aggiungi ai Preferiti 
Segnala Sito ad un Amico 
Indietro