The Open Internacional Centro Náutico de Alcántara in Spain was shaping up to be the biggest European boat bass fishing event of the year. With a 95-kilometer lake, more than 100 boats coming from all over Europe, and the presence of legendary American pro Mike Iaconelli, everything was in place for an unforgettable competition.

The format was intense: one full week of practice followed by two days of competition, with two 8-hour rounds. The goal was simple: catch the five biggest largemouth bass possible each day. The fish were weighed and immediately released by the staff, and the team with the best combined weight would be crowned champion. Only artificial lures were allowed, meaning anglers had to find the right ones and constantly adapt to environmental factors.

Starting From a Blank Slate

This type of competition always attracts a large number of local anglers. With their deep knowledge of the lake, they are extremely difficult to beat. Experience can be a decisive advantage on such a vast body of water. Sylvain Garza and his partner Paul Lunaud decided to dedicate a full week to scouting the lake, starting with only a rough idea of the areas worth exploring.

It was Sylvain's first competition using the COROS NOMAD. He's used to this kind of preparation, but immediately felt the watch's potential to help catalog precise catch locations over very long distances covered each day. In fishing, days are long, but every optimized second can make a difference.

Very quickly, they happily realized that the lake was extremely productive — some days reaching more than 40 quality largemouth bass caught along the banks. It's impossible to track or remember everything without the help of technology. By using the Boat Fishing activity on the NOMAD every day, everything was automatically recorded. Human memory has its limits, especially in an unfamiliar environment.

Every day they covered nearly 45 kilometers on the lake by boat. It was their first time navigating this maze of rocky coves, yet they needed to precisely isolate the best spots that held groups of larger or more aggressive fish. Ideally, bass weighing between 1 and 2 kg.

Reading the Environment

Understanding fish behavior in relation to environmental conditions (sun exposure, wind, barometric pressure, water level) is critical to locating them more effectively. The NOMAD continuously displays this data and saves it at the end of each session. Then comes the analysis.

Their goal during the first four days of practice was to explore four distinct sections of the lake. The last two days were dedicated to revisiting the best spots. Every evening at the hotel bar, Sylvain and Paul enjoyed a relaxing moment and a long debrief with fellow competitors, replaying their daily outings on the COROS app — an opportunity to share those moments with followers supporting them on social media.

Two Days of Competition

Saturday arrived and the battle plan was set: start the morning in a well-shaded area, move to fast-paced fishing zones using reaction baits, and finally rely on backup areas in the afternoon when the sun was high and the fish had already been heavily pressured.

The plan unfolded perfectly. The NOMAD showed 45 catches, their best total of the week. They landed three huge bass and filled their limit with two more solid fish. At the end of Day 1, they sat in 3rd place with a total weight of 7.9 kg. The leaders had 8.4 kg.

Sunday would deliver the final verdict. Sylvain and Paul started the day neck and neck with a legend of the sport: Mike Iaconelli and his formidable local partner Javi Ballesteros, who were in second place.

From experience, they knew they would have to match day 1, but that the fish would be much harder to catch. After the first day of competition, fishing pressure is enormous, making the fish far more cautious and stressed.

The day started strong, with a beautiful fish on the very first cast of the morning on their best spot identified during practice. Heart rates jumped to 100 bpm, and for a moment, they were leading the provisional standings.

But that ranking was an illusion. After 8 hours, they brought in a weigh-in of less than 5 kg. As expected, fishing had changed drastically between the two tournament days. The entire Top 3 from Day 1 was pushed down the standings by consistent teams that managed to post 6 to 7 kg on both days.

Sylvian's COROS App full of catch logs after the tournament

200 Spots and Counting

Sylvain and Paul ultimately finished 14th out of 103 teams. It's a result they're satisfied with, but also one that makes them want to come back stronger in the next edition. They gained a tremendous amount of experience on this lake, especially considering they started from a blank slate.

That chapter is now complete, and the Explore menu in Sylvain's COROS app now displays nearly 200 marked spots. A library of information they'll be able to utilize next time they're on the water.