Grandson's Day in the Bay, Donegal 19/09/2015

[johnwest]

My grandson had expressed a renewed interest in a day out in the boat and Saturday suited for a variety of reasons. My road trip to Donegal resulted in a minor disaster when a bearing disintegrated and the wheel parted company with the trailer, ending up on the other side of a hedge and at the bottom of a deep, muddy ditch. On the fortunate side there was a short stretch of hard shoulder where I was able to pull over to carry out my unscheduled pit stop. Three cars stopped at intervals to offer assistance so perhaps there is still hope for the human race. However despite taking marginally longer than a Formula 1 crew, I got sorted and under way again and just about made it to the slipway in time to launch.
The grandson, aka The Apprentice, would be quite competitive, (mainly when he’s winning) so he was definitely getting worried when I pulled up a series of small pollack with no reply. Eventually he hooked up and just as he was about to lift into the boat, the snaplink sprang open losing fish, feathers and lead. I didn’t help his confidence when I then landed 4 good macks. On to the real fishing and first drop down his rod started nodding and he tightened into a fish, or possibly the fish tightened into him! Eventually he brought the fish to the boat, his first ever thornback ray at 3lb 8oz. No sooner had his commentary, consisting mainly of “1 – 0”, died down than my rod started kicking and I retaliated with a 7lb 8oz thornie. He soon restored his lead with another ray, “2-1”, and while I was unhooking this one, my rod started nodding again so he lifted it and after a struggle, reeled in a 4lb 4oz ray, “his” best of the day. “3-1”.Two rays in the boat, by the time I got them sorted his rod was away again and in came no. 4. “4-1” he exclaimed, with an air of finality, “Oh, there’s no coming back from that!”I dropped my gear in, set down the rod and dealt with his fish and of course my rod started kicking again. The Apprentice grabbed it and claimed his 5th fish. “Am I good at fishing?” he enquired; “Well you’re learning.” “Learning? I’m stuffing you! 5-1, 5-1,......” Getting a moment to myself, I landed one to pull the score back to 5-2 and he was rattled; “Oh no, you’re going to win.” Right on cue, his rod registers a bite and he hauls in no. 6. This one is actually hooked through the tip of the nose, not the mouth, “Foul-hooked, I don’t think we can count this one “ I try, but he’s not having it. “6-2”. A short while later I salvage some respectability with my third but fearing victory slipping from his grasp, the apprentice decides he’s exhausted, had enough, hungry, thirsty, thinks he may have symptoms of scurvy, so I take the hint and head in.
“How embarrassing” he says, “6-3. Are you not ashamed?” And then the final insult;
“Why, even Robson Green would beat you”.
There’s only one thing worse than a bad loser and that’s a bad winner. Anyhow he might have got the most but I got the biggest; but sure who’s counting?
Apart from him.
And me.

[Sweetwrasse]

Very entertaining report JW! Tell him he has to unhook his own fish next time to make it a fair competition!

[chuckaroo]

Looks like you were beaten hands down there JW! You will just have to hold your hands up to that one lol
Either that or bar him from coming out again
Fair play