Ghillie/Guide Vincent Appleby delights us all with his colourful style of writing.  Where would we be without a few characters to livening up our lives with a mixture of wit and information mangled together into a blog report each week.  I’ll let Vincent take over now and report from the Currane:
12/03/2014: Vincent Appleby Fails miserably in his duties? You decide??
Hi Vincent,
I am finally taking time to contact you. Appreciate reading your reports over the years. Can I politely say that it is torture reading about “my noble salmon” and recently “manipulating” My opinion is that people would really appreciate a concise account of salmon and sea trout angling, the weather accounts, and the sea fishing, but it is just frustrating to go through the report, I hardly know what happened during the week at the end, and I just gave up a few times. You could really improve on people deciding to go down if it was readable, but it takes away from the credibility of the account.
Kind Regards,
Mike O’Donoghue.
Reply
Hi Mike, thanks for your honest opinion, and would you mind if I put your opinion on the Blog because it would make good reading?
Regards
Vincent Appleby
Mike, gave his answer
Hi Vincent,
Constructive criticism for your review. Not into blogs. Concise reports it would increase your business significantly. Many people do not have the time to sift through to make a decision to come down. Of course I accept some people would enjoy 17th century courtroom etiquette, but many others would find it more informative if water/air temperature wind direction, high tides, salmon/trout throwing in front, were reported. I just cannot see this style of report in Salmon & Trout. However I cannot spend more time on it if you do not feel reviewing the style critically is worthwhile.
All quiet on the SW front in all departments, be it fishing or weather so we will head to the criticism department, so let battle commence? I will finish today’s fishing notes on a poetic note, and I quote. O would some power the giftie gie us to see ourselves as others see us. (O would some power the gift to give us to see ourselves as others see us.)
Robert Burns, Poem “To a Louse” – verse 8
As the grieving Roman Emperor Nero would say, pass me my weeping vase
13/03/2014: All quiet on the SW front in all departments, be it fly or troll and the same goes for the weather, talking of weather, plenty of cloud and fog with very little to no wind.

14/03/2014: Well we’re back to reality and my Noble Salmon takes the fishing headlines, or I should say, the one and only Mr. Michael O’Sullivan Esq. of Waterville Boats and at  [email protected] takes the headlines with a lightening fresh 9 lbs Salmon, caught on the troll. Now to the Kelt department Mr. Jim Sayers was telling me that he caught Kelt on the troll and five in total for the season. Wind NW light and overcast all day.
15/03/2014: Straight to the action, Mr. Liam Ellis of Waterville caught a fine 10 lbs Salmon this morning on the troll, then headed straight to the Bar for a good celebration on his capture of his Noble Salmon with the lads and watched the rugby, which led to a double celebration, and a good party was had by all. Wind NW light and overcast. I would like to finish today’s report on reflections of the past few days. I would to thank all the readers of the Blog for their kind words. I would like to put all of your comments on the Blog, but sadly it would take weeks of reading, so I have chosen one because it reflects the last 50 years, so I will let Murray have the last word on the past week.
As a former resident of the area and someone who learned, as you did, fishing in Waterville from the Sullivan family, and Jack Sullivan in particular, I disagree with much of the criticism levelled at your Blog.  Although old Jack would maybe have thought the internet was a very peculiar thing, and some of his generation no doubt thought it the work of the devil, I greatly enjoy your picturesque descriptions of the events of the day in Waterville Lake and its surrounds.  After all, Ireland is the land of poetry and picturesque language, and the Irish language is very much that way if translated literally to English, although I add, I am no Irish language scholar.
If you choose to add a section on wind direction, speed, temperature, water level, etc., to please the technocrats, that is fine.  However, I think your Blog succeeds in conveying the sense of fun and character which has always pervaded fishing in Waterville, and was so beloved by the ghillies of old.  The first man I ever fished with on the lake, when I was only 15 years old, Mike Moriarty, was a character and a half, and the lake has been emptier without his sense of humour and turn of phrase, ever since he was called to fish on a higher plane.
However, I wax poetic myself.  Keep up the good work, so those of us who are fishing in distant lands can capture a sense of the good old days on Waterville Lake, and enjoy a taste of home.
Tight lines,
Murray T. Beatts

16/03/2014: On the Eve of St. Patrick’s day. My Noble Salmon weren’t in a taking mood, you could say they were like the sheep they were resting on their laurels, so we head for the Kelt department, one angler reported that he caught 3 Kelts all on the troll. Wind Light NW and overcast with light misty rain at times.
Now for comment of the day from the Fishing Guides in Alaska,
Salmon fishing is one of the most preferred fishing sports around the world. Salmon fish is one of the most popular fishes, as far as human consumption goes.
17/03/2014: St Patrick came up trumps for 8 year old Alana Kelly fishing with her Dad, who caught her first Salmon weighing in at 8 lbs and as you can see by her picture it tells the story and may it be the first of many. Wind W light with the odd shower.

That is your ration for the week on Lough Currane, from your Gillie and the Waterville Fishery, no spin no fly’s just facts.
Vincent Appleby

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Vincent Appleby
Eureka Lodge, Caherdaniel West, Co. Kerry.
Telephone: +353 (0)66 9475248
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: www.salmonandseatrout.com