Fantastic weather, great fishing and beautiful browns on the Nore
Dan O’Neill from Trout Fishing Ireland reports on the fishing on the Nore…
What a week, fantastic weather, great fishing and some beautiful browns. This time of year, the first words I hear when I wake up is usually “What time is it, are you mad?”. This of course is a voice that’s not in my head but comes from my lovely wife who doesn’t see the attraction of standing in a river early hours fishing, yet!! Back to the Nore now and my past week has been productive. We had many hatches of olives usually between 11.30am and 2.30pm, a steady flow and enough to tempt the trout to rise.
I fished wets into the evening and had some trout but it’s the casting aspect of wet fly fishing I enjoy the most. Using some of the Spey family casts, watching the line roll out in from of me and touch down is something that I have an addiction to. The sight of a fly line going through its motions is captivating. When I did get some fish on the wet fly it was with a size 16 Greenwell’s glory or a March Brown in a size 16. When it got a little cooler and the fish moved down a bit i used a Hares ear nymph in a size 16 with a 2mm gold tungsten head nymph, this helped me get down a little bit in the water and tempt the fish up a little bit when they were reluctant to move too far.
I did fish dry dropper with some guests also this week, great to be hearing their fishing tales and stories from afar. A little reminder how fishing can bring people closer together and is a universal language I found the fish to be a little shy of the larger offerings so used a size 20/22 olive thread nymph with a 2mm gold tungsten head. The wind was a little blustery, so I shortened up my leader. It was a 7ft tapered leader to my Klinkhammer then 20 inches of .10 tippet to my nymph. This set up helped me quite a bit with the wind and reduced the wind interference. Trout came in good numbers, and they were where I had expected them to be in the runs.
The water of course is perfect now and the fish are hungry to which is a great combination. Water temps hit 13 Celsius over the last couple of days which pushed hatches on resulting in the trout putting on a nice display. I did fish the dry fly, which was a CDC Olive pattern, I had some nice takes in the shallower water, a nice stealthy approach was the best way to go. I find taking this approach is very exciting and more productive also. I tend to target a fish as opposed to every fish in the run. The approach, set up and hook set adds to the experience, and it becomes a challenge.
Using your river craft, sneak up on a spot and cast the fly there, it will help to tune in your reading of the water also. At times i think people look at a large run or beat and get a little messy,they can waste and walkover a lot of very productive water. Watch the water, try to figure out where the fish are and why are they sitting there.
When you go to new rivers the knowledge you gain from doing this will benefit you greatly. Rivercraft is universal and works on most rivers unlike some other things fly fishing.
The Irish Spring Angling Fair
This event is upcoming and is full of some of Irelands best anglers and demonstrators. These events are a super way to learn more about fishing equipment, techniques and to get some one-on-one tuition. I will be there both days and holding a demo on rod weights, lines and leaders. Just trying to make your decisions on equipment that little easier. I am available for one-on-one tuition with APGAI IRE also so be sure to get your name on the list for a slot. Cadence are there again this year and myself or one of the team would be happy to show you some of our range. Most importantly the kids casting and fly tying will be in full swing, this has been the highlight of the fair and is always a great way to get some solid information on getting the kids involved.
River Courses
With the season now moving along it’s a perfect time to try some different techniques or fine tune your chosen ones. I teach river craft, how to get the most from your chosen fishing spot, when and how to choose different tippets or leaders. I can take up to 3 anglers per course making it cost effective for you and your angling friends. For more info on the courses contact me on the below info.
