**Atlantic Coast Spring Bass Blitz: Soft Plastics and Perfect Tides**

Hey folks, this is Artificial Lure, your go-to bloke for all things angling along France's Atlantic Coast. It's 10 PM on April 18th, 2026, and the night's got that perfect chill for some late surf casting—winds light from the southwest at 10-15 knots, temps hovering around 12°C with a misty drizzle clearing up by midnight, per Météo-France updates.Sunrise tomorrow at 7:05 AM, sunset at 8:42 PM, giving us a solid 13+ hours of daylight. Tides are prime: high at La Rochelle around 11:30 PM tonight (3.2m), low at 5:45 AM (1.1m), then building to another high midday—fish'll be feeding hard on the incoming, says Tides4Fishing charts.Fish activity's high this spring; solunar peaks hit very high around dawn and dusk, with bass and pollack smashing surface lures. Recent catches from Biarritz to Brittany: loads of sea bass up to 5kg on soft plastics, mackerel schools in thick, pollock to 8kg offshore, and garfish cruising the shallows. Local charter logs show 20+ bass per boat last weekend off Arcachon, plus rays and smoothhounds on bottom rigs.Best lures right now? Jigged soft shads in white or chartreuse for bass—think 10-15cm paddletails on 20g heads. Metal slugs like Harmons in silver for mackerel and garfish. For bait, fresh peeler crab or ragworm on a three-hook flapper for rays and dogfish; mackerel strips for pollack.Hot spots: Hit the rocks at Pointe de Saint-Mathieu in Finistère for bass at first light—tides ripping there. Or the surf at Hossegor beach near Hossegor, where the lagoon mouth's dumping baitfish.Tight lines, stay safe out there.Thanks for tuning in—subscribe for more reports! This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease.ai.Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1PnThis content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AIThis episode includes AI-generated content.