‘Mad Mike’ Oliver and companions are once again in Ireland. This time for the Spring! All around the country BASS members stop what they are doing, and log onto the BASS Forum regularly, to follow the antics on the ‘Blog’. Various excerpts:
Ok lets go back a day or is it two to Friday. Normally the day of departuure sems me frantically busying myself looking for gear and stuff to pack. For some reason not known to me I was relaxed almost nonchalant about the whole trip. By 16:00 I had not packed a single item and had not made even one trip to the loft. 16:05 the Post,and delivers new bike tyes I ferviously unwarp them and I am a bit concerned that they are a bit creased and I don’t want to leave tham in that state whilst I am away for a week.
The gear is roughly assemled in the hall but its in the wrong order with teh stuff on top need ing to go into the car last. Heck I notice its 21:00 my target leaving time. I open my front door and its blowing a blizzard. The car is totally covered in thick snow. I open the boot and the snow tumbles in same thing happens when I open the car doors. Very quickly there is as much snow inside the car as is on the footpaths.
I made it onto the boat and even found a bench seat to sleep on. But I forget to bring my sleeping bag with me. I do that a lot now in fact almost every camping trip. So I froze and slept but fitfully. The dammed Capitain woke me up about 05:45 to tell us all that he was berthing must be a world first I thought man has baby on boat.
The rest of the journey was grim and I remember seeing lost of cats and dogs and elephants and bloody great Tigers and in the end I realised I had to stop.
I return the litle beauty as gently as I can and move another 50 yards east and after a short wait I get a gentle drop back bite and my rather enthusiasic strike leads to a 2lb bolt of pale silver. I look west towrds Jonny and Mike C and notice they have their head lights on and hope this means thye are into fish to. I move to them and both confirm Bass. Jonny two and Mike C a nice fat little 4lber.