Dan O’Neill reports from the River Nore…
Recently the fishing on the Nore has been quite good. Mostly picking up trout on wet flies with some on dry dropper. Fish are beginning to rise also more frequently so i couldn’t resist throwing to them in the evenings.
I had quite a few guests out the past week, it was a delight to fish with them and hear their angling stories. I also held some classes / casting clinics meeting people at the beginning of their fly-fishing journey. The classes can be quite beneficial as fly fishing can be a minefield, going through your chosen application with an instructor or guide can help to make sure you get the right equipment. Many times, i have had clients come to me frustrated as the equipment they have just doesn’t suit their application making it difficult to enjoy it fully.
The water is just coming to a nice height now so i find myself exploring a little bit along the river.I have seen some nice trout resting up in different areas so plan to tackle them in the coming weeks.
I got to take some clients from the Caribbean out early on two occasions, They wanted to experience one of Irelands early mornings. We met up at 4.45am and listened to the birds as they greeted daybreak. Walking down along the bank the fog was quite thick but picturesque. Funny how fog along the river in the mornings is considered beautiful and picturesque yet if its late evening or early night its considered eerie. We decided to swing wet flies for the morning and had many trout which the guys were delighted with, admiring the trout’s golden colours and eagerness to evade capture when hooked.
A green wells glory seemed to be the favorite during the morning. Just as we were leaving the fog had lifted a bit and a hatch took place. I saw quite a lot of mayflies along the Nore this season. I watched a wagtail dance around one in the air before grabbing it and heading to the cover of a horse chestnut to feast on its catch.
I did find this week fishing a single wet fly was best, I did try using a dropper but it was quite noticeably less effective. Greenwells patterns tied by my good friend Kevin O Neill were order of the day. A little dry dropper fishing in the evening probably produced our larger fish, Olive nymphs and flash back pheasant tails worked very well.
Taking a look around at the end of the day while sitting on the bank i counted my blessings and thanked my Dad who started my fishing journey. Many of us have days we wish never happened or look upon something and realize a different approach may have been better. Being out on the river your mind goes into auto pilot and sheds light upon these days. While the fishing part of your brain is engaged and busy the other part of your brain unknown to you is working through the knots of life, untangling them and spooling them back more evenly. What a wonderful sport we have.
For information on day tickets or memberships please call Dan on 0857652751 or email [email protected]
Dan O’Neill
Mount Juliet Estate.
Go fishing…
Mount Juliet House is set on a large estate, which offers private fishing on 2.5 miles of the middle to lower reaches of the River Nore. Mount Juliet Estate offers fishing of the highest quality, just a short stroll away from the Manor House. There is a fishing room on site in the Manor House for your convenience i.e. for storage and drying of fishing equipment. Mount Juliet Estate can also provide the necessary equipment on site if needed.
