Luca quintavalla: fishing for giant bass in sardinia
For all fans of sport fishing (and more particularly of giant bass), Luca Quintavalla is a real point of reference. We had the opportunity to meet Luca last summer, who stayed right here in the rooms of Sa Pardina, and we went fishing with him. The target? The giant bass, of course. The fish that he prefers to fish for and to which he has dedicated the online portal: Il Quinta Bass.
It is in the Mulargia and Flumendosa lakes, located near the B&B Sa Pardina in Orroli, that Quintavalla spent a few days dedicating himself to his favorite activity. We decided to meet him virtually (waiting for his return soon to Sardinia for some work projects) and have a “chat” with him talking about his professional career and the wide world of sport fishing.
HOW DID YOUR PASSION FOR SPORT FISHING START? SOMETHING IN THE FAMILY OR THROUGH OTHER PATHS?
For me, it’s a family thing. There’s a stream near my house. I started from a very young age. My father fished, my grandfather fished, my uncle fished, my family friends fished…and so my passion was also fishing.
ONE DAY YOU DECIDED TO TURN THIS PASSION INTO A REAL 360° JOB. HOW WAS “QUINTA BASS” BORN?
It’s a story that started 15 years ago, when social media was much less present than now. I slowly approached social media and my life changed when I made a video for the magazine “Pescare“. The DVD was then released on newsstands and readers started to get to know me. Then, a lot of people contacted me on Facebook with questions…and this made me think that there was a need to answer these questions, maybe through a video! Online there were only videos in English posted by Americans. So I sent those who wrote to me the link to the video, which was a more immediate way and full of information… However, I obtained the opposite effect and even more people started to follow me!
This is how the association was born. Many people asked me for practical as well as theoretical information. With the association, I put together all the people who were passionate and wanted to fish, and now we have been going for 13 years with Il Quinta Bass.
AND HOW DID YOU BECOME A PROFESSIONAL ANGLER?
Becoming a professional fisherman has been a dream of mine since I was a kid. When I grew up, I went to work at the office and every day that the weather was nice I thought I wished I was fishing instead of being at work. After the video on “Pescare“, I decided to switch from full time to part time, and after a few years, thanks also to companies that believed in me, I decided to become a professional in the Italian circuit. I specify Italian because, compared to the United States, for example, you don’t live off the winnings of the competitions, and so this is thanks to the collaborations and consultations with companies.
This was the basis. Then, in order to grow, I expanded my activities, giving lessons, being a guide… dedicating myself to all the activities that I am passionate about.
I live my greatest passion, with important professional achievements that surprise me every day. For example, last year I was given a boat to go fishing! It amazed me how that company believed so much in me and my work.
On the emotional side, teaching, where I pass on my experience to many young people, gives me great satisfaction. Seeing the growth of the kids and their progress really makes me proud.
WHERE DO YOU THINK THE SUCCESS OF LUCA QUINTAVALLA AND IL QUINTA BASS COMES FROM?
Social! I think I was a pioneer of social culture within the fishing industry, starting with YouTube. I made videos explaining the industry in Italian and that was very important. Allowing people to get information in a language they knew well made all the difference.
HOW DID YOUR PASSION FOR BLACK BASS START?
Until I was 14/15 years old, I was a multi-technique fisherman. I would go to the river near my house and catch any kind of fish. Then, I caught my first black bass and decided to dedicate myself much more to spinning… and now I have been fishing only black bass for 20 years. That’s what I really like.
HOW TO FISH FOR BLACK BASS?
It is an extremely dynamic fishery. You move with baby boot, boats, donut… It’s a fishery that doesn’t give you a moment’s rest, you don’t have time to relax! It is an exciting and at times exasperating experience. Depending on the weather and conditions, you have to adapt, even changing bait and equipment. It’s a fish that’s always on the move, and that’s why it’s so stimulating. Sometimes you have to exactly throw the bait in the right place at the right time: you become a “maniac” even in the choice of the throw. It is a complete and varied type of fishing that captures and involves you 360°.
FISHING IN SARDINIA: CAN YOU TELL US SOMETHING MORE ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE?
My passion for fishing in Sardinia started when I was 18 years old. I came on vacation with my family and I found a calm, relaxing environment where we ate well! Years later, I discovered that Sardinia is a paradise for black bass. In fact, there are many inland lakes full of bigmouths. The most famous is the Coghinas because it is the closest to Olbia, where I went four times a year.
Paolo invited me to get to know other important lakes in Sardinia: Lake Mulargia and Lake Flumendosa, two beautiful lakes in the center of Sardinia.
Sardinia is our America. The black bass is a fish that arrived in Italy from the United States around 1850, and here in Sardinian lakes there are really a lot of them! It should be more valued for tourism on sport fishing in Sardinia, it is an incredible plus on which we still do not bet enough and it is important to do so.
Sardinia is not only the beautiful sea. The inland is full of possibilities, starting from the great potential of its lakes that can win fans and make other people passionate about it.
WHERE CAN ALL THE FANS OF SPORT FISHING FOLLOW YOU?
Definitely YouTube and the website. They are portals to which I have dedicated a lot of time, which I take care of carefully and where you can find a lot of information about the world of black bass, the techniques to use, the equipment to choose, and all the initiatives that we promote.
WHAT ARE LUCA QUINTAVALLA’S PLANS FOR THE FUTURE?
To continue doing exactly what I’m doing now. What I wanted to do, fortunately I’m managing to do in a proactive and fun way. Last year, I won the Italy Bass Championship at Lake Coghinas that would have allowed me to participate in a competition in the United States. That is something really satisfying and important to me. With the pandemic, however, I will most likely not be able to participate. When I was 25 years old, it would have been a tragedy, but not today. I am very satisfied.
Thank you Luca for giving us the opportunity to tell about the world of sport fishing and black bass fishing, which can become something even more important for Sardinia, and which today needs even more to return to live, to smile, and to make the magic of this land known…maybe starting from the lakes!
