New bass fishing guide in Ireland

• I am really pleased to be able to say that a good friend of mine over in south east Ireland is going to be offering his services as a professional bass fishing guide. Patrick Gallagher is one of the biggest bass and lure junkies I have ever had the pleasure to meet and fish with, indeed he has got it so bad he reckoned that the best way was to do what people like me do - to give it a go at working in fishing. Check out Patrick's blog right here - you'll find his email address there. Alternatively, use the good old fashioned telephone and give him a bell on 00353 877 403445 (from outside Ireland), or 087 740 3445 from within Ireland. Be warned though, the guy's enthusiasm and knowledge is completely infectious !! He is based in Waterford, and this is one of the best places to be for accessing the many miles of prime bass fishing there is over in Ireland.

• Take it from me, Patrick is the real deal - he knows that bass-rich coastline seriously well, indeed he has got various spots up his sleeve that I have no idea about. He is a lure fishing fanatic, with a close eye on modern developments, and I know he will also be offering selected items of fishing tackle for sale (rods, lures etc.) that he uses himself. I keep getting emails from Patrick talking about lures that I had no idea about, and I tend to pride myself on being pretty up to date - he's got it bad, and I know he will put his lucky clients over stacks of good fish. He also sends me photos of bass marks that I just sit here and drool over like a loon. We are a strange bunch, but we love it !!

• I have put a bunch of photos together of some stuff that I have shot over in Ireland, and most of the stuff you see there involves Patrick. See here for the gallery. He is great fun to fish with, and he is one of the blokes who first really got me interested in the modern ways of using soft plastics for bass fishing, indeed Graham and I watched Patrick one afternoon last year nail three 5lb bass in three chucks, all on a 4'' MegaBass XLayer fished on a small jig head. I seem to remember our jaws hitting the floor !!

• Here's Patrick with another prime Irish bass that fell to a soft plastic. If you are thinking of heading over to south east Ireland and have no idea about where to go fishing, then do yourself the biggest favour possible and get hold of Patrick to guide you for some of the best fishing on earth. I know how hard he works at his own fishing, and you can bet your life he'll go the extra miles to ensure that his clients have the best time possible. I can't think of a better way to get introduced to this quite magical part of the world. The best thing that any travelling angler can do is to hire a guide.

• Make sure to keep up to date with Patrick's bass blog - this is fast becoming a fantastically useful resource, and I know that when their current bass close season is over, (ends 15th June) you are going to see a bunch of outstanding fish up there. There's a bunch on there at the moment. I also have a sneaking suspicion that Patrick is as weak-willed as me and is going to give in a succumb to another new red rod - the Tenryu Super Mix 240 of course. You don't know how seriously I am looking forward to getting over to Ireland again. Patience, patience......