Every lure tells part of this story: an idea, a shape, a colour, hours of work and a great deal of passion. Designed, crafted and put to the test at sea, Madatet lures went on to travel far beyond the shores of Guadeloupe, finding their way into oceans all around the world.
Over the years, photos, messages from anglers and tales of memorable catches from every corner of the world gave this adventure a very special meaning. Beyond the lures themselves, Madatet was also about great fishing stories, the people we met and the memories we shared.
The Madatet Lures adventure has now come to an end, but it leaves behind some wonderful memories and, I hope, a few lures still swimming in oceans around the world.
I’d like to thank everyone who encouraged, helped, supported and advised me, and shared their feedback over the years. Your comments, ideas and experiences played a huge part in developing the designs and shaping what Madatet Lures became. Thank you, too, to all the anglers who put their trust in me and ordered lures back then.
Antigua tournament, 2014 · 488 lb · JustMad lure The fish that helped us win aboard Chock Dee II, my friend Fabrice Faleme’s boat.
A very special thank you
To Jérôme, my childhood friend, who stood by me, put up with me and shared his IT skills throughout this adventure. His help, patience and commitment allowed this idea to take shape and become a reality. A huge thank you to him for everything he did behind the scenes to bring Madatet Lures to life.
From my first experiments to a range of trolling lures.
My first aim in this adventure was to make my own lures, in the shapes and colours I wanted… There’s nothing quite like catching a beautiful fish and making the difference with a homemade lure.
What began as a very expensive obsession with my passion soon led me to discover the joy of helping other people catch fish on my lures, in a spirit of sharing and exchanging experiences.
Fate and obsession did the rest…
The Madatet Lures passion made it all the way to the podium.
I started by making a few lead lures, mainly madai and inchiku jigs for vertical fishing. I sold very few of them. It was really with trolling lures for big-game fishing that the Madatet Lures adventure took off.
A grouper caught in Madagascar on a Madatet madai jig.
In 2008, I taught myself to design, make and sell handmade trolling lures. There was everything to learn: finding the right shapes and sizes, getting the balance right and achieving the action I wanted for each design. Then came the real test: swimming them at sea, watching how they behaved, making adjustments and starting again until I was happy with the result.
Every lure was made individually.
Moulds, resin and plenty of experiments
I was working with clear casting polyester resin and gradually developed my own moulding and manufacturing techniques. Slant heads, pop heads, bullet heads, flat heads and unusual shapes: every design came from research, trials and many adjustments. Each lure was made individually, with close attention to the shapes, finishes and details that make a difference in the water.
All the finishing was done by hand.
Customisation was part of the work too: anglers could choose the colours of the eyes, head and skirts. I could also add lettering, dedications or even something a little offbeat, to create a truly personal lure.
A selection of the eye colours available.
The shapes in the range
Around thirty designs created. Each with a character of its own.
A blue marlin hooked on MadUp in Guadeloupe.
Archive gallery: these lures are no longer made or available to buy.
Slant heads
Madsearcher
Madkaire
Maxmad
MadRace
MadCorner
TubaMad
MadStrike
MadCorner Jr
MadUp
MadSnake
ShortMad
UltiMad
Baby MadCorner
ShortMad Jr
Pop heads
Madness
MadRise
MadRise Jr
PopMad
MadWave
VeryMad
MadLife
MadNolo
JustMad
Flat heads
XMad
MadSail
MadCast
Madmaï
Bullet heads
WaMad
TunaMad
StudMad
A few stories that stay with you
Lures in the water. And the fishing comes alive.
The memories aren’t just about rankings: there are the trials, the fish that got away, the boat that broke down, the lure found in a marlin’s mouth… and the friends gathered around the scales.
Guadeloupe · Land Rover Fishing Festival · 2012
An unforgettable win for Madatet Lures!
The podium at the 2012 Fishing Festival.
This Guadeloupe Fishing Festival will always be one of the wildest adventures from the early days of Madatet Lures!
Everything was ready when Pisquette, our tournament boat, broke down two days before the start. After moving heaven and earth, we finally found a replacement boat, Makalac. The adventure could go on!
The first two days were tough, with few fish around. But on the third and final day, everything changed: we hooked three marlin. One, a magnificent 308 lb fish, was brought aboard on a black-and-white MadCorner, just over the official 300 lb minimum weight. The other two blue marlin, one also estimated at around 300 lb, were released.
In the end, Team Madatet Lures won the tournament and took the prize for the biggest fish.
That win meant so much: every lure we used during the tournament was a Madatet Lures creation! A wonderful reward for all those years of designing, making and testing at sea.
The trophies: first on points and biggest marlin.
Guadeloupe · Pisquette
The Pisquette Fishing Team
Aboard Pisquette, my friend Jean-Philippe’s boat, we shared many trolling trips. At first, we mainly wanted to catch fish and enjoy our time at sea. But those outings soon became a real playground and testing ground for Madatet lures.
This boat played a big part in testing, observing and improving many of the designs. We tried different shapes, colours and combinations, always with the same aim: finding what worked best and making the most effective lures.
We also entered plenty of tournaments and enjoyed some great fishing together, making many happy memories along the way.
A little nod to Jean-Philippe and to a wonderful time that did so much to help Madatet Lures grow!
See more photos of the Pisquette Fishing Team
Réunion · Fishing championship · 2013
Madatet Lures, champions of Réunion
A great season for the Madatet teams in Réunion, across the six rounds of the annual championship organised by the island’s fishing clubs. Fabrice and his son Esteban, together with their team, put in a superb performance, winning the season’s championship title and several other awards.
Among their finest catches was a magnificent 360 lb blue marlin on a MadLife! A proud moment and a lovely reward for these passionate anglers, who helped introduce Madatet lures to the Indian Ocean. Fabrice and Esteban were among the brand’s first ambassadors in Réunion, alongside other local anglers who kept Madatet lures swimming season after season. A big thank you to the whole team for their trust and commitment!
The awards won during the championship.
Antigua · Marlin tournament · 2014
488 lb, a win for JustMad!
In Antigua in 2014, Team Madatet Lures made its mark once again at a marlin tournament. Aboard Chock Dee II, my friend Fabrice’s boat, the team won both the points title and the biggest-fish prize, with a magnificent 488 lb blue marlin caught on a JustMad! It wasn’t the only Madatet lure to stand out: a marlin was released on MadCorner on the first day, while another boat also caught one on MadStrike. In all, three of the eight marlin caught during the tournament took Madatet lures.
Chock Dee II flying the Madatet Lures colours.
A white marlin caught on JustMad.
Morocco · White marlin · 2014
Morocco flying the Madatet Lures colours
Over the seasons, several batches of Madatet lures headed to Morocco, where white marlin seemed particularly fond of some of our designs: JustMad, MadMaï, MadCast and VeryMad.
A big thank you to Christian, one of the ambassadors for Madatet lures in Morocco. Thank you for all the feedback, advice and wonderful white marlin photos you sent us. Those pictures and conversations helped Madatet creations travel a little further still.
Another fine catch off Morocco.
See more photos from Morocco
Gabon · MadStrike · 2014
The Libreville Round Up
Team AKEWA won the tournament with a blue marlin estimated at 500 lb, tagged and released. The winning lure was a MadStrike. A proud moment, and a winning photo sent to me from Gabon.
Gabon was one of the main destinations for Madatet Lures. I sent many lures there, and I’d like to thank all the Gabonese anglers who trusted me and put them to work in their waters. Madatet lures also found their place in tournaments and among crews in several other African countries, including Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire and Cape Verde. Thank you to all these passionate anglers for their trust, feedback and the wonderful stories shared around these lures.
A fine tuna caught by Bruno on Short Mad in Cameroon.
Réunion · JustMad · 2015
Esteban’s first marlin
A week before the 2015 Open Blue Marlin 974, on their very first trip together, the Jephi crew caught this superb 111 kg blue marlin on 50 lb tackle. At just 15, Esteban’s very first marlin earned him the ratified French record across all categories on 50 lb tackle! The fish took a JustMad from Madatet Lures. The following week, the crew finished fourth in the tournament with another marlin released, estimated at 100 kg.
In fishing magazines and the specialist press
Madatet Lures in the press
Partir Pêcher · 2012
A test trip turns into a win
The magazine tells the story of the tournament, Madcorner and the 308 lb fish.
There was always a head to polish, a skirt to match or a little dedication to add before a parcel left. Some orders were truly one of a kind.
In the workshop
One last batch before heading out to sea
Batches, skirt combinations, colours, eyes and dedications: I moved from one lure to the next, sending orders off to boats and tournaments. There was often just one more to finish before they left.
The lures were made individually in clear casting polyester resin, then sanded, polished and assembled by hand.
An angler sent me his drawing for an unusual shape that wasn’t in the range. I made it to order: a special lure based on his idea. I’ve kept a large photo here because it tells another part of the story.
A special batch made for the tournament and given to the participants.
Saint-Martin Billfish Tournament · 2013
A special custom batch made for the tournament and given to the winners.
Saint Martin Billfish Tournament · 2014
A custom lure made for the tournament and given to the winner.
Land Rover Fishing Festival · 2014
A special batch made for the tournament and given to the participants.
IPAMOL · bound for Saint-Martin
A batch for the Billfish Tournament, bearing the name of a boat whose name I rather liked.
SexSea Fishing Team · Guadeloupe
A little support for the women’s team, whom I was happy to help during a tournament.
MadCorner · Miss HK
A bit of custom fun: a green lure with the Heineken logo and “Miss HK” written on its head.
Gabon · Operation Heineken
A batch of custom lures in Heineken colours, made for a promotion at a major fishing tournament in Gabon.
See more photos of custom lures+
Boxes of lures going out, photos coming back
Madatet headed out to sea.
Batches of Madatet lures travelled to every corner of the world. And season after season, anglers kindly sent us news and lovely photos in return. A huge thank you to everyone who helped the lures travel… and the memories too!
Batches of lures around the world
From Guadeloupe and Martinique to most of the Caribbean islands, and on to the United States, Brazil, the Azores, Cape Verde, Cameroon, Gabon, Réunion, Mauritius, New Caledonia, Polynesia and Australia… Madatet lures travelled by sea and air to many destinations. Here are a few photos of those batches before they left.
A batch ready for Cameroon.
See more photos of batches sent around the world
News and photos from the open sea
Then there are all the photos sent by anglers, sometimes long after the lures had left the workshop. A catch, a fight, a release, a smile… These pictures are the best feedback anyone could ask for. Thank you to everyone who took the time to send them and share a little of their adventures with Madatet lures!
A marlin released in Cameroon after taking ShortMad.
See more catch photos sent by anglers
The next chapter
More than ten years on, still at the end of the line.
I stopped making and selling Madatet lures more than ten years ago. Yet I still regularly receive messages and calls from anglers in different countries who remember the lures and ask whether they can still buy them. Sadly, there are none left for sale: the ones still out there have become real collectors’ items. But who knows… Perhaps one day I’ll feel the urge to get back to the workshop!
One of the very last developments at Madatet Lures: a signature head paired with new purple and pink skirts that were showing real promise in testing.
Today, the passion continues
Two activities, one shared passion.
Discover the activities that now fill my days: Madatet Fishing and RepairYourReel.com.
I hope every one of you gets to live your fishing dreams, push your limits and perhaps chase the biggest fish possible on the lightest tackle possible… always with as much enjoyment as possible!
I look forward to chatting, sharing stories and exchanging experiences with you around this passion we have in common.
Julien
A blue marlin hooked on a jig: a powerful fight offshore, very much in the spirit of Madatet Fishing.
From lure making to guiding
MADATET FISHING
After spending so much time designing, making and developing my range of Madatet lures, I started a new activity in guided sport fishing in Guadeloupe.
For several years, I ran both activities side by side, dividing my time between the workshop and the sea. But guiding gradually took over from lure making. Little by little, and not without some regret, I decided to focus fully on taking anglers out and sharing my passion on the water.
And for the record, I still fish for marlin with my own Madatet lures!
Over the years and through many sport fishing trips, I learned just how much punishment reels and tackle can take. Maintenance and repairs soon became essential to keeping my equipment in top condition and ready to rely on in any situation.
That experience on the water gave me the idea for RepairYourReel.com, the English version of RépareTonMoulinet.fr.
My aim: to put that experience to work for anglers by offering genuine spare parts for Shimano reels, to help maintain their reels, repair them and extend their life.
