My brother Sean and my friend Mark McCann are my longest serving fishing buddies. We try to get together every year or two to wet a line together and sink a few pints each evening to celebrate success or commiserate failure, whichever is a suitable response to the events of the day.

The two boys boys have been getting together at mayfly time in recent years and have taken out one of Finny Dodd´s boats on Lough Arrow. Unfortunately I can´t extricate myself from at this time of year and so have had to make do with Sean´s fishing report with attached photographs of trout and, inevitably, the kelly kettle boiling up water for a brew on one of the many islands.

It seems that they have been up to their old tricks again and I received a bunch of photos attached to an email at the end of last week along with Sean´s report.

I attach it word for word because nobody is as funny as Sean. He didn´t know when he put it together that it would be reproduced on the blog verbatim but, such is life! I have, for the benefit of sensitive readers removed a small section referencing Sean´s thoughts about intimate relationship developing between McCann and his new electric outboard engine.

Enough from me, here is Sean´s fishing report:

 

Pablo,
 
Meself and Mark did venture forth unto Westport last weekend for a brief foray on the smaller loughs.
Day 1 (1/2 day) Ballinlough – browns/rainbow fishery you were on before. Very slow. Very, very slow. One single rainbow – see below. Basically shite. 
Day 2 – Moher – mighty day’s sport – about 50 trout between us. Lots of lovely wild browns, which we foolishly didn’t record photographicaciously. Please see attached pictures of some of the larger, stocked brownies, with some more to follow. (They seemed bigger in real life!). The wild browns were really beautiful, colours at their best – probably gearing up for spawning. The way Mark becomes flushed when he thinks he might get the leg over. 
Sport remained brisk throughout most of the day. For a while we were getting a rise a cast – missed lots, caught lots, great craic. 
Two evenings spent enjoying pints in the Westport’s finest hostelries. Evening 1 we ended up in the middle of a sing-song  (an entertaining one!), evening 2 we ended up watching the NZ-South Africa rugby match (57-0 to NZ!) – I was fit for nothing else at that stage.
 
…but the big winner….the great success of the expedition…..the Oscar…..goes to the new electric outboard purchased by Mr. McCann!!! Dreamy addition to our arsenal. Quiet as a kitten, gentle as a lamb, nimble as an ocelot….. perfect for manoeuvring’s along weed beds and shore lines….little tweaks to drifts…real, real good! Saved a lot of rowing i.e. more fishing time – we estimated an increase in fishing time of 46.14% on the days in question. How she will behave on the more demanding waters of the great loughs remains to be seen but we are very confident in her abilities….we love her…(CENSORED SECTION!!)….. It will definitely be highly beneficial to calm water, sneaking up on feeding fish situations etc etc. So that is good. 
 
Now I have used up my enthousiasm quota for the day and must go for a coffee. 
 
God bless!
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All you need for a day to remember: a boat, some fly fishing gear, a kelly kettle and the best of company.

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McCann with a fine trout

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And the brother….

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This is a stocked brown trout. The wild fish are smaller but more beautifully coloured according to Sean. I asked him to get some pictures of the wilds next time so I can have a stab at painting one.