It’s as special out here as always, and I am not taking any of it for granted

Day two with our first group and the weather was 100% more glorious than any day I can remember in August - and we found a few fish as well. It’s so good to be out here doing this guiding work, and apart from feeling a bit knackered in the evenings it doesn’t really feel like I had a severe heart attack eight weeks ago (no cake or chocolate biscuit at lunch for me though!). I had to pull back from heading out early yesterday morning so I could go for a run to make sure I am doing what I need to do on the recovery front, but otherwise it’s business as usual and I get to be out here for my work and spend time with really good people around something we all love in a part of the world that continues to totally absorb me…………..

Look at the photo above - that is what this guiding thing is all about to me. Great big beaming smiles. What more could any angler or guide want than to end up as happy as this from this fishing thing we obsess about so much? We had better bass fishing conditions on our first day with our first group, but we struggled a bit, then on the second day the weather was almost way too nice but we had some good bass fishing plus some cheeky pollack jumping on the lures now and then. Go figure I guess.

I always find it interesting how many different lures and techniques can be adopted by a group of four as we move locations on the hunt for fish. John and I will of course advise on how we might target specific conditions and marks, but most of our anglers fish a fair bit themselves and of course they like to dip into their own lure boxes and clip on a favourite lure. Henry nailed this really solid feeling 4lb+ bass above on a little MegaBass hard lure which I think is called the X80, and which I remembered him catching on in the same sort of area last year. I suggested clipping it on because I knew he would feel so confident with it, and bang, this bass above came on the first chuck with the change of lure. How many times do you change a lure and catch a fish straight away?

I have said this before but I don’t get access to the Savage Gear sales figures so I can’t actually prove it - I still think the three sizes of SG Sandeel Pencil lures are the most misunderstood lures “we” do for bass fishing. I understand why so many anglers are drawn to hard lures that have very exaggerated actions which you can feel through the rod tip, but have you ever watched sandeels swimming? I would argue that it’s a fairly subtle and obviously very natural action. When I first started using the Sandeel Pencil lures I tended to think of them as a lure for medium surf conditions, but as I got more experience with them I began to see them as basically a long range soft plastic. All the subtlety of a soft plastic but with the ability to cover a huge amount of water and swim really shallow. A number of the bass our lads have been catching have once again come on the Savage Gear Sandeel Pencil 125 especially. Whack ‘em out and wind ‘em in. Such easy lures to fish with, but so frigging deadly when you need a bit of distance over shallow reefs especially.

Lots more to come and as ever I will do my best to keep you posted from out here in SW Ireland. It’s the last day with our first group today and then they leave and the second lot come in for another few days of fishing and a lot of laughter and smiling and basically having a really good time with plenty of outstanding food. What’s not to love? I feel extra lucky to be out here this time around and I am not taking a single second for granted.

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