Limestone · South East / Kilkenny, IE

Nore

The River Nore flowing near Kilkenny Castle, Kilkenny city.

One of the finest wild brown trout rivers in the country, limestone-fed and carrying superb mayfly and olive hatches.

Tomorrow · Closed season
G&H Sedge
Forecast · Tomorrow
Closed season
Out of season. File this water for the right month.
70% projected
Today's fly
G&H Sedge
G&H Sedge
Conditions on the water · Tomorrow
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.66 m
Water temp12.5°C
ClarityClear
Weather12°C
WindN 23 km/h
Pressure1019 hPa
Rain · recent9.5 mm
Rain · ahead6.2 mm

The nearest gauge doesn't record temperatures, so we've estimated it — defer to the river keeper's advice.

Water temperature for Atlantic Salmon
Ideal
13°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Atlantic Salmon
When
Spring run from March; grilse from late May; main run summer through autumn. The Nore is a substantial Leinster river — fish 12 to 24 hours after rain on the drop.
Where
Beats from Kilkenny down through Thomastown to Inistioge. Heads, tails, and named lies through the salmon stretches.
Method
Spring: tube on a sink-tip swung deep through the main pools. Summer and autumn: small doubles on a floater across-and-down. Catch-and-release on most beats.
Kit
12 to 13 ft #8 double-hander on the bigger water; 11 ft switch on smaller beats. Floating line plus fast-sink tip. 10 to 12 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
The signs are strong. Water starting to fall after a rise — early stages of coming into shape. Still coloured but fining — improving conditions. 14.2°C — in the ideal taking range for autumn salmon. Conditions are moving in the right direction and should be fishable soon if not already.
Likely species
Stoneflies
Caddisflies
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · tomorrowPeak at 6pm

12pm(now) — Black Gnat

Stage: On emergersApproach: Emerger or dryActivity: 75%
Also:Autumn Olive46%Autumn Needle Fly35%
Peak emergence windowWeather boost8 food groups active

Peak activity at 6pm — Caperer (Caperer, Weather boost)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds as a supporter.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 4 as a supporter.

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Evidence
Survey-backed · regionalHigh confidence

Backed by regional invertebrate surveys; no sampling on this exact reach yet.

Through the year
0–3 scale · September highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Salmon runRun
1
2
2
2
2
2
1
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
1
Daddy Long LegsHatch
2
3
2
CapererHatch
2
3
3
2
Hawthorn FlyHatch
2
2
GrannomHatch
2
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Atlantic Salmon fly box

Boyne/Slaney summer grilse: fish lie shallow at the tail and neck of pools, so a single hook fished just sub-surface won't snag and covers a taking fish better than a treble. Keep dressing sparse — a small silver stoat, blue charm or Ally's shrimp style in a light build fits.

Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Limestone river — club and private water
  • Good public access in places
  • State rod licence required
  • Brown trout C&R encouraged.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Barrow
30 km
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
River Drish
37 km
Brown trout
River Drish
37 km
Brown trout
Suir
45 km
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
River Boro
46 km
Brown trout · Sea trout
Gallery · 6
  1. The River Nore flowing near Kilkenny Castle, Kilkenny city.
    River Nore near Kilkenny Castle
  2. The River Nore drifting through Kilkenny town in early morning fog.
    River Nore, Kilkenny
  3. River Nore flowing through the wooded valley at Inistioge, County Kilkenny.
    River Nore at Inistioge
  4. The River Nore at Thomastown, County Kilkenny.
    The River Nore, Thomastown
  5. River Nore flowing through Kilkenny city centre near the Grey Friary.
    The River Nore, Kilkenny city
  6. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

One of the finest wild brown trout rivers in the country, limestone-fed and carrying superb mayfly and olive hatches. The water runs clear and the rises come often, and March through June gives excellent dry-fly sport. The Kilkenny beats offer something close to chalk-stream water by Irish standards, with genuine sight-fishing on offer. May brings the mayfly, one of the great events of the Irish trout year, and the sedge hatches through summer are reliable. A technically demanding river that asks for careful casting and patient observation rather than persistence alone. For 2026 this is catch-and-release only under the Wild Salmon & Sea Trout Tagging Scheme — every salmon and grilse goes back.

Hatches & food

EPA kick-sample monitoring on the Nore confirms mayflies, stoneflies, a wide range of caddis, midges and blackflies, and freshwater shrimp and hoglice present across its WFD segments. This establishes a broad food base rather than any hatch timing.

Sea trout here

Daytime and dusk fishing on loughs; summer-autumn runs (June–September)

  • Limestone
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Moderate
  • Chemical: Unknown
What this classification means

EPA WFD 2019-2024 — Moderate ecological status; filled 2026-06-18. Source: EPA Ireland WFD 2019-2024 classification (catchments.ie / EDEN).

EPA (Ireland) · IESE_15N012090

The full read · show the working · for Atlantic Salmon · confidence 75%
How the river scores — hydrology factors
Water heightMedium Ideal+2.3
Recent riseStrong Recent Rise After Low Or Stale+9.0
Falling after liftFalling Slightly After Lift+3.0
Water temperatureCool To Moderate+3.5
Time in seasonLate Season+1.9
ClarityClearing+2.4
Hydrology base22.1
Rules that fired
Rise Plus Good Temp Bonus+0.75
Clearing After Spate Bonus+1
Will they take?Willingcaps the band

Fish should be willing to take — clearing, stained water, fresh fish moving on the lift.

Can you trust it?
Water temperaturelive gauge readinggauge
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
What would change the calculation
No prolonged stable spell before the current rise.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon 17 March → 30 SeptemberC&R
  • Trout 17 March → 30 September
Related guides
Atlantic Salmonsalmon tacticsIrish Salmon Rivers Guidefive great salmon fisheriesConnemaraIrish fishing
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts