This week we look at the Irish Fly fair 2025 that was held in Enniskillen. Want to become a casting instructor or begin your journey? Rivercraft and the importance of this sometimes-overlooked skill. Another nymph pattern that I found productive early season. Canals and where to start when fishing them for some of our favourite species. Trout fishing Ireland news and upcoming events.

My first round of applause

Anytime I give a demo or a talk I get as nervous as I did when I gave my first demo or talk. I suppose I noticed that my nerves began to disappear just that little bit quicker after each demo and the enjoyment part began. When going for my APGAI exam I knew that no matter what, I was going to get that cert and follow in the footsteps of those before me.When out practicing I would cast wherever and whenever I could. People would stop and watch me; I don’t think it was because of my casting but because there was a guy “fishing” on the green.I’d put my headphones on and cast ,mostly to block out the frightfully old comments like “you won’t catch anything there” or “what are you fishing for” ,silence can be the best answer at times 😊 . I would read through the Apgai Ire syllabus most evenings studying and learning. It was very beneficial to me as a guide and angler. It helped me give structure to my teaching and clarity on what it was I was teaching. Once I passed my casting exam a whole new world of casting became visible to me and i met a list of Ireland’s greatest casters who gave me the opportunity to learn from them.

Rivercraft

What an important part of our journey this is. Rivercraft is something that will stand with us on most rivers we go to. Fish hang out in places for a reason, reasons like that of humans at home. We rest, eat and go for walks etc, Fish have the same kind of habits and visit different areas of the river for such. They also have protective lies to keep them safe through floods or danger of some sort also. How do we find these lies and areas. Observation is key and listening to people. I began learning about rivercraft when I bumped into an old estate ghillie. He would make a cast look at the fly and say “ahhhhhh they won’t take that” I would watch and think why. After some conversations and observations I began piecing together the rivercraft puzzle. Learning the areas trout felt safe and comfortable taking flies and feeding in. One exercise when safe to do so is take a look at why the fish took the fly where you caught it, I would wade out to where the trout took my fly and see what the river bed was like, was there an over hanging tree, a seam etc, always ask why. It’s an interesting way to fish and will build knowledge, Nature always holds lessons, if you pay attention and watch then you will pick up rivercraft quite quickly, however it’s a subject like fly fishing itself, you will be learning for life.

If in doubt trim it out!!

How many times has it happened, the fly glides along the run perfectly, a trout gives a pectoral fin push to rise to receive the offering and refuses at the last millisecond. What now? Over the summer I had quite a few trips when water levels were quite low, we had many refusals on our flies. I found going down in tippet diameter to work sometimes but when it didn’t, I would gently trim the fly making it a little less bushy or make it sit a little lower in the water, as simple as it sounds this does work and is worth a try, trim slowly and small bits at a time, the first guy I spoke to about this he gave the fly a haircut as opposed to slight trim, be warned 😊 .With dry dropper I would go to a size 22 or 24 nymph, again nice and small and the fish will usually grab it, it triggers there inquisitive side I find and you get the take.

Where is my Fly??

Another issue I find at times is someone casts and can’t see the fly which in some cases we are using as an indicator. One way to get by this is to practice landing the fly where you are looking, go somewhere and pick a target, cast to the target to improve your accuracy, I use the finger on top grip for accuracy quite a lot so perhaps begin there. Once you get accurate you will at ease land your fly where you’re looking and it will make dry fly and indicator fishing a lot easier for you.

Pattern of the Month April

The fish get a little more active at this time of month and are hungry looking for nice, tasty morsels to feed on, what have we got?

Peeping caddis variant

Hook – Size 14/16 Fulling mill jig force

Thread – Fulling Mill pro thread brown – flat

Bead – 3mm slotted tungsten

Tail – Black pheasant tail fibers

Body – Natural hair dubbing

Thorax – Uv fox squirrel

Rib – Gold

Hot spot under tail – Fluro green fulling mill floss

All our patterns will soon be posted on my social media accounts so you can tie them yourself and as any questions 😊

Guest angler on Trout fishing Ireland

Our guest angler this week is Chuck all the way from Tennessee, lets see how he got on at southern county fishing resort on a guided day with me.

“Our day started out like fishing mornings should, a cup of coffee, chat and watching what the fish were doing. I usually fish for Cutt throat trout back home and at times steelhead, I travel for fishing quite a lot. I arrived here in Ireland and wanted to try some fly fishing and found Trout fishing Ireland. I had some rods with me and few flies from back home which I was excited to try. Watching the rainbows jump around and ocassionally pass by sure was exciting, we began fishing with streamers using a di3 sink tip, takes were for sure exciting and strong to. Watching the lake for a while as I retrieved my streamer I saw some fish sipping on the surface, we use a fly back home called “Bucks wonder” as in wonder why you would use it I guess, well now was the time to give that a go, I tied on the fly and we fished over these it took a good 20mins before a Rainbow trout decided to take and I connected, great fight and also on “Bucks wonder” which is now a wonder why they take it. I enjoyed my time at Southern county fishing resort and also with Dan as my guide, will return for sure.”

Chuck

The Irish fly fair 2025

A super event again this year, my first year as a part of the Irish fly fair team who made me feel very welcome. The free tuition slots got taken up quite quickly much to the joy of the Apgai-ire and Gaia instructors. The fly tying inside was a fantastic display and I got around this year for a quick look, highly skilled people and what an art, all willing to give information and tips which were much needed by me. I have my double handed exam coming up next year so it was great to get out and get some tips from the many double handed casters that were at the fair. It’s amazing how small tips can push you on in your journey. The fair has been firmed up for next year and will take place on the 14^th and 15^th of November at the Killyhevlin hotel. Looking forward to it already.

What’s upcoming for Trout fishing Ireland

Unfortunately, the ladies introductory days are over for 2025 but am looking forward to assisting with them in 2026.

I will be attending the Pescare Show in Rimini, Italy on the 13^th to 15^th of February after receiving an invite from the organisers, very honoured to receive the invite to this fantastic show. Keep an eye on the newsletter for all the latest news on the show.

British fly fair international – I will also be at the BFFI on the 7^th and 8^th of Februar. I will be with Cadence at the event casting some of the rod range and answering questions.

Ardaire springs – Irish spring angling show – I will be attending the Irish angling spring show on the 2^nd and 3^rd of May with Cadence, Fulling Mill and APGAI IRE. Showcasing the Cadence rod range with maybe even a surprise new range to try.

Irish Fly Fair – the iconic Irish fly fair is back on the 14^th and 15^th of November, I will be there with Cadence, Fulling Mill and APGAI IRE.Super to be included in the Irish Fly fair team and work with some of the greats.

Tuition classes – I hold tuition classes all year round on many different fly-fishing applications, for a full list contact me at [email protected]

Pike and Rainbow trout guiding

I am taking bookings for rainbow trout and pike guiding trips. Can take up to 3 people per trip, Ideal for beginners or improvers. Contact me through [email protected] for more details.