Dan O’Neill, fishery manager at Mount Juliet, reports on the Nore:
Some lovely warm weather resulting in some lovely fly hatches over the past few days enticed me to dust off the dry fly rod and approach the river with added caution. Peeking through the long grass and around some old tree stumps at the spotted back of brown trout is magical, another feeling that is unique to fishing. Figuring out their feed line and what they may be taking in with delicate sips adds to the excitement. Eventually when I had finished peaking around the vegetation I noticed a couple of trout feeding just off a seam created by a sunken piece of oak. It was quite obvious my stalking needs some improvement after a long off season when I donated my first dry fly to a nearby sally tree. Luckily I had some more in my fly box , so after a glance behind me making sure this fly made the water it was off for my first cast to the feeding fish. After a couple of passes one trout made his way to the path my fly was taking. Gently rising just underneath it the trout decided I needed to try harder next time and slowly turned away.
I went for a walk downstream and picked out another area that looked interesting. This time the water was being deflected by a nice sized boulder. Watching the seam and taking in my surroundings I felt very lucky to be an angler. I made my way down the bank to a suitable position and I got my first cast to the fish. Without any hesitation the trout hit my offering. There were the usual trout antics when hooked, then I finally got the fish to the net, got a quick picture and sent him back home,.
The fly hatches became stronger, making rises more frequent. I got lost in angling for the next hour, many trout took my fly and many refused it, a great day overall as is any day on the river with the fly rod.
Water Level and Temperature at time of fishing
Water Level .40 cm
Water Temp 14.5-15.5°C
Fishing classes
Holding introduction to fly fishing classes May and June, 2 people can participate in each class, classes will cover, water safety when fly fishing, handling and releasing fish, wading, wading aids, equipment needed for chosen method, casting , water craft , fly selection.
Dan O’Neill
Mount Juliet
Go Fishing
Mount Juliet has trout and salmon fishing available on site over 2.5 miles of the river Nore. Classes also available for every skill level – learn or improve on your chosen technique. coarse fish ponds also available on the hotel grounds.
Dan O’Neill, Fishery Manager, Mount Juliet Estate, Thomastown, Co Kilkenny, Ireland
Telephone: +353 85 7652751
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.mountjuliet.ie/fishing-on-the-estate.html
General Information
The river Nore is a beautiful river that meanders it way through counties Laois and Kilkenny before joining with its sister river the Barrow just upstream of New Ross on its way to the sea. The Nore gets a good run of Atlantic salmon and the river which is currently open for angling on a catch and release basis produced 563 salmon in 2015 and 599 salmon in 2016. Salmon fishing is available on a number of stretches including the Mount Juliet Fishery which is located just outside Thomastown, Co Kilkenny, approximately mid-way between Kilkenny City and New Ross.
For further information on the Nore please visit:
