Peter Driver of Piscari Fly is back with his weekly roundup of the fishing scene, and a look back at some of his personal highlights from 2024…
Happy New Year, I hope everyone had a great Christmas. We are looking forward to the new season which kicks off for us here on St Patricks day on the Nore, but I might taske a trip or two down south to some of the early rivers in Feb. This year is off to a bit of a snowy start but it was nice to get a bit of snow, particularly for the kids to get out and build snowmen and do some sleighing.
So another season beckons and I suppose this time of year everyone is hopefully and anxious to get out fishing, lots of plans being made for different trips and destinations for the coming season. I do the same here, it is often that I have loads of plans and ambitions and never get to realise them. I suppose of you really want a bit of advice for the 2025 season its just get out there and fish, if you have a lake, a river or a country that you really want to try do it. A day will come when you won’t get a chance so do it while you can.
For more information and details about where to fish drop me a line [email protected]
A recap of 2024
Not one that is going to live in the memory for all the right reasons. Wasn’t a great year personal wise and fishing wise. It was a tough year we saw that common trend of those northern winds come back in late spring and stay for a lot of it, really made fishing quite difficult. Had some great days over the season no doubt about that and got some great fishing with some great friends. Here’s a couple of memories from throughout the season that stand out a bit.
Guided Fishing on Lough Corrib is a must if you haven’t already done it. Tom Doc Sullivan is a brilliant guide on the Corrib and has a welth of knowledge on the lake. Check out https://tomdoc.com/ for more information. I try to get down at least once a year to Tom.
Fishing with Lily on Ardaire Springs and she managed better when I wasn’t helping. It is great that Lily is getting old enough now to really start enjoying here fishing and see her develope as a good angler. This coming season I am really going to get her going on the rivers and hopefully she takes to it as much as her dad did some 30 odd years ago.
The weekend of the Irish Spring Angling Fair. I look forward to this one every year, as a social occasion as well as for the business. Meeting so many people that you don’t get to meet throughout the year, having a chat and a laugh as well as a bit of casting along the way. So definitley a good one to remember.
Thanks as always to everyone who supports us at these fairs. Hope to see you again this May Bank Holiday weekend.
The Welsh Dee, this was a great trip with a new team and I really enjoyed the experience of fishing with Mark for the 1st time and Rob. So another good trip for me.
It was the Hanak European Grayling Championships in Wales….Great fishing on a magnificent river with great friends new and old….We were lucky enough to make it over a few weeks before the competition for a practice session too. Huge congrats to all the winners over the weekend and a massive thanks to Hywel Morgan and Dylan Roberts, all the team there and clubs that bring this brillant weekend together. Well done to our own Mark Driver on the longest fish prize with a lovely fish at 47.2cm. Also to our fellow team mate Rob Redman thanks for being on the team and look forward to next years adventures.
Helping with coaching the Leinster and Irish youth teams. So working with the youths teams throughout the year a great group of guys with a great futre in front of them. Just really enjoyed fishing alongside these guys in the Crezh Republic for a few days as well as our training session on the Avonmore in Rathdrum in Co. Wicklow. A fabulous day on the Avonmore River with great team of young lads. Big thanks to Rathdrum Trout Anglers for their fantastic water, which is a replica of the Famous Devil Stones, one of their main sectors that they fished in the Czech Republic.
And of course we had great fun in West Cork chasing Pollock and Mackerel. If you haven’t done this I receommend you go this year. Spend a couple of days adventuring down there around some of the most spectacular coastline you’ll ever see and awesome fishing. Definitely one if you are into saltwater fishing to achieve in 2025.
What’s coming in 2025
On a personal level I have a few trip ideas that I wouldn’t mind see coming to fruition throughout the year. Saltwater flyfishing for sea trout in Denmark, maybe sometime in the spring for 3 days. I like those European trips that are only 3 days. You fly out, you get your 3 days fishing and you fly home and it’s not a great cost or a great sacrifice to family. That’s potentially something that could happen this year.
I qualified for the European Championships in Italy later in the year, still undecided about travelling or not. It will depend on cost and family commitments when the time comes around. So we’ll see, really nice to qualify though.
We have the All Ireland rivers back on the Avonmore sometime this year. Always an exciting competition and heading up to my home waters of the Avonmore makes it more exciting. This years championship will be like no other. A whole new format being introduced here by myself and Mark and really looking forward to seeing how it all goes and getting back up to the Avonmore for a few days. Last time we were up there a few years back it was a great competition and I was lucky enough to get the win. Always great to get back to that river to compete. If you have never fished it I would recommend you get up there and fish it. It is an awesome river, difficult but awesome.
Flies
We are taking orders now for the 2025 season. All our flies are tied here by Peter and Mark to ensure top quality products are used. Patterns have all been tried and tested so get in touch today to order your flies for the 2025 season. It won’t be long now till February 15th when the Corrib opens and some other lakes as well as the rivers down south. So soon enough we see fly hatches come on our waters and then by March all the rivers and lakes will be open. Give Peter a shout if you want to talk patterns and what would best suit you, your venue and your budget.
A Big Thanks
We would like to thank you all for your support throughout the 2024 year and season and we’re looking forward to what’s to come with Piscari-Fly. I suppose as time goes by and kids get older, the realisation of family time and stuff like that and how valuable it is, it gets more and more difficult to pump the same amount of time and effort into a business as I would like to. I really do appreciate your help and support, all those who help us out here. We are a small little family business and in a very competitive online world and it takes a lot of effort to keep going.
About us
Based on the River Nore just outside Thomastown, Co Kilkenny, Ireland. Piscari-Fly is a growing Fly Tying and Fly-Fishing business with a vast amount of experience and knowledge. If there is ever anything I can do to make my service better for you please feel free to suggest it to me and I’ll gladly try my best to accommodate your requests. Thanks again. Peter Driver.
As a small business we depend on the satisfaction of our customers and their word of mouth reference, google reviews are important to our online presence and we sure would appreciate your review. Just head over to this link and give us a quick review.
Thanks for the support, its greatly appreciated.
Peter Driver.
Piscari-Fly, Woolengrange, Thomastown, Co. Kilkenny, R95 Y860, Ireland, 0879787040
