Dan O’Neill is back with his latest installment of the River Whispers…
The River whispers 19
This edition we look at my past couple of weeks and how the fishing has been. I will discuss what set ups i used on the day with my clients. Our event in Southern County fishing resort is fast approaching and George went to the lake for some quick practice and to see what worked best for his tying demos. The Irish Spring angling fair is just around the corner, and it is really shaping up to be the best one yet. The northwest angling fair is this weekend and some of the APGAI team are there to demo and do some fantastic talks. Thinking of taking up fly fishing or perhaps improving, my free zoom classes are available fortnightly to attend, email me at [email protected].
Thankfully my guiding season is now well underway. I have taken out quite a few guests since the 17th of march and had a cast with Anthony on the Kings River. The water was running high but was clear and very fishable. Wonderful to see activity on the bank of the Nore and Kings again. For the first day Anthony and I fished the Nore and after lunch moved to the kings. Both rivers produced fish for us with a couple of decent sized ones for the time of year. When fishing the Nore we used a size 16 pheasant tail nymph under a traper indicator. Not fishing far into the river but more concentrating our efforts no further that a rod length from the bank. Just coming up on midday there was a hatch and trout began to surface, there was a bit of a wind that picked up, so we tried swinging wet flies. This produced some exciting takes, and we fished until just after 1pm before heading for a well-earned lunch
After lunch we headed for the Kings River in search of gold again. Fish were behaving the same here, surfacing mid-way along the runs and glides. Sticking on a wet fly we started swing wets and had a few fish on each glide we visited. Once about 3.30pm hit the breeze became colder and the fish moved down, we fished nymph under an indicator and had a few more trout before calling it a day at 4.15.
My clients since the 17th of March came mostly from the USA. Hearing their stories was fantastic and I missed them over what is always a long off season. I did have people from Ireland, Hungary and England also, who had some fantastic stories of their adventures. Some caught their first trout while others mastered the cast. Great to be back on the water with people and i look forward to the times ahead.
We mostly fished nymphs and wet flies; the wet fly has so far been the better more successful method on the river. I fished streamers along the white bridge beat and had some trout but nothing consistent. The wet flies I used were Greenwell’s patterns and march brown. Nymphs were mostly all pheasant tail with orange or green undertail hotspots. Sculpins were mostly what I used when streamer fishing again no real consistency but had a great time trying.
Southern County Open Day
So, the event is getting close now. George Burdess who will be giving a fly-tying demo and a seminar on fly tying / fly types was in southern county on Sunday with Liz McEnaney. George and Liz tried some various patterns to home in on what to base Georges tying and talks on. They had many fish on the day which was a difficult day weather wise. Its days like this when you are struggling a little with variants that the open day will help with. We will speak about different techniques and ways that will get you that fish on a difficult day. After the event you can fish either lake to put your newfound knowledge to the test. George and myself will also be around after the demo for any questions you may have. If you would like to know more about the demo day, then contact me on [email protected]
Super Catch for Emmet
Some of you will have seen this picture of young Emmet O Shea, a fantastic angler who caught this wonderful R. Nore brown trout over the weekend. Not only is it great to see fish of this stamp in the Nore is great to see kids such as Emmet fishing and being very succesful. Well done Emmet, best of luck in the southside fish of the month competition.
Upcoming Events
Northwest Angling Show 29th and 30th March
The Northwest angling show takes place this weekend and APGAI Ireland members will be in attendance, be sure to stop by and say hello to our members and take a look at them in action over their demos and talks
Southern County Fishing Resort Open Day 12th April
The open day will take place on the 12th of April. The event is hosted by Dan O Neill and George Burdess. On the day we will speak about set ups for river and lake fishing, Rods, reels and lines suitable for different techniques, tying flies, match the hatch, kids fishing and much more. For details on the day email Dan at [email protected]
Irish Spring Angling Show 3rd and 4th may
The eagerly awaited Irish Spring Angling Fair is on the 3rd and 4th of May. A show i look forward to every year. The show is fantastic as it caters for beginners right up to advanced anglers. I am delighted to be included in the lineup this year and looking forward to working with some of the young anglers on the casting pond. New this year to the fair is the designated demo area where some of the industry’s best anglers will be demonstrating and explaining in detail different techniques and equipment. This fair is a great opportunity to ask the questions that will take your angling to the next level. There is also kids casting and kids fly tying and I will be there with some of my APGAI Ireland team members, be sure to stop by the stand.
Zoom Classes
My zoom classes have become quite popular, and feedback is good. I recently received a picture of someone who attended one of my free zoom classes of them with their first trout on a streamer. All streams are in HD so it’s more interactive with the people who attend. I have 6 zoom classes available so email me for more information.
[email protected]
Guiding and Tuition
I have some space available in April for guided trips on the Nore and tuition days. For more information on the guided trips and tuition days contact me via email or phone.
[email protected]
0857652751
