Small flies working well on the Nore, very small flies
Dan O’Neill reports from the River Nore…
“Many times, when setting an alarm for anything before 6am I feel tired, when setting an alarm to go fishing at 4am I feel excited. I fish with some regular clients quite a lot who ask me, “Is there a difference in going fishing early morning?”
Fishing your local river early morning will push a new set of challenges your way. It can be as good as a change at times and will broaden our angling minds by experiencing different feeding habits and positions that the fish take.
Speaking about timing, I have been out both early and late the since my last update. Sedges are now more frequent, and the fish have really tuned into them. I find that early mornings are not as good if the trout were feeding on sedges into the dark. They can be slow to take in the mornings.
The feeding patterns of the fish totally change, so what was our best hour of fishing has now moved to a different hour. It can get quite frustrating for anglers and i have had many come to me on the verge of selling their equipment and giving it all up. What can we do to improve our chances and give ourselves more of a chance when it comes to a fishing trip with warmer weather or strong late evening feeding times.
I move about a lot more, don’t get rooted. I fish a spot have 8 or 10 casts then take 2 steps and so on. I also find scaling down on leader diameters, hook sizes and increasing leader lengths all help with a successful trip. I’m using size 20, 22, 24 dries at the moment and if using a dropper my nymph is a size 20 at largest but mostly a 22.
Another question or conversation I tend to have quite a lot is “what nymph or what fly”. I’ve found when fishing that sometimes the fish are either picky or full then we need to target aggression or their inquisitive side. I like to use different flash colours just under the tail, you will learn to know which colour of flash is best.
The lighter, louder colours trigger aggression whereas the more subtle bronze/copper tend to hit their inquisitive side.
I also find that using a smaller nymph with the above flash variations appeals best to their inquisitive side.
If I am trying to trigger aggression I will go for a larger hook size so the nymph is more intrusive in the fish’s “space”.
Keep an eye out on the River Whispers newsletter for breakdowns of flies we used over the season and our upcoming open days.
During last week I was lucky enough to fish with a new and upcoming fly angler. Kyle picked up casting quite quick and it wasn’t long before he had his first few trout on the Nore. Very impressed with this young angler and how quickly he progressed throughout the fishing trip.
Let’s hear from Kyle and see how he got on.
Fishing with Dan
It was a sunny Wednesday evening on the River Nore. I was excited to learn how to fly fish for the first time and anxious to arrive on time.
We met Dan at 4 p.m., and his friendly manner immediately put me at ease—I knew I was in for a great evening.
As we walked along the riverbank, I bombarded Dan with questions about the river, trout, fly rods, and waders. Dan’s enthusiasm for fishing matched mine, which made the experience even more enjoyable.
As the evening progressed, Dan showed me how to use the fly rod, where to cast, and what to look out for. I felt a real sense of joy. When I hooked my first trout, I knew I was hooked on fly fishing for life.
I’ve never caught so many fish in one evening, nor learned so much—from reading the river and choosing the right flies to tasting wild blackberries along the riverbank.
I’ve never felt so happy learning a new skill. My time with Dan was not only fun but deeply rewarding. I’m grateful for the experience and hope to pass on what I’ve learned by teaching someone else how to fly fish in the future.
Thank you Kyle for the very kind words and i look forward to going for a cast again soon.
Upcoming Events
The Irish Fly Fair 2025 25th and 26th October 2025
I am delighted to have been invited back to the Irish Fly Fair in Enniskillen. Even more honoured to be the Fly-casting Manager for the show along with my good friend Ray McKeeman. The show is larger than last year and has many new exhibitors. Keep an eye on the Irish Fly fair over on Facebook and follow the Irish fly fair to see all the latest additions to the show.
ILFA open day
This is the 2nd open day this year for ladies, organised by Maddy Kelly and Julie Gerry of the ILFA. This event will be held in Laois angling centre and i was happy to be asked to return as casting instructor for the event. The event is aimed at ladies over 18 who would like to begin or improve their fly fishing skills. The event is being held at Laois Angling Centre on the 30th August. For a booking form email Proirishladiesflyfishing@gmail.com Hope to see many of you there.
Southern County open day
My second open day at the wonderful southern county fishing resort. This day will be all about improving results when fishing the Autumn and winter months. A full timetable will be released in the coming days. George Burdess,Joe Conway and Dan O Neill will be giving many demos on the day with one-on-one lakeside tuition also, pike fishing demos, coarse demos and of course rainbow trout demos. Information is available by contacting
Dan O Neill
Troutfishingireland@outlook.com
0857652751
Go Fishing
Casting tuition
With the river season ending next month I am now taking booking for casting tuition. More efficient casting can help have more enjoyable fishing sessions. I will be holding classes most weekends so for a list of class dates email me at Troutfishingireland@outlook.com
Fiona Tee
Castle Maiden
Manannan Mac Lir
Membership open to all is €30, €15 for OAP’s/Juniors.
