River Nore (Durrow–Thomastown stretches)
Baseline tacticsCo. Laois / Kilkenny · River · wild
Weather check
Issued 08:31| Time | Sky | Wind | Air | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 05:00 | cloud | NW 5 km/h | 3 °C | dry |
| 07:00 | cloud | S 1 km/h | 1 °C | dry |
| 09:00 | cloud | NE 3 km/h | 5 °C | dry |
| 11:00 | sun and cloud | N 9 km/h | 9 °C | dry |
| 13:00 | cloud | NE 10 km/h | 10 °C | 0.2 mm |
| 15:00 | sun | SE 8 km/h | 12 °C | dry |
| 17:00 | sun | ESE 8 km/h | 10 °C | dry |
| 19:00 | rain | ESE 7 km/h | 9 °C | 0.6 mm |
Times are UTC · wind in km/h · sun and rain read left to right across the day.
- Air
- 0–12°
- Wind
- 13 km/h
- Rain
- 4.6 mm
Water
measuredCool 9 °C
Steady sport — the fish will come up for it.
Measured at Mount Juliet · OPW
Ripple on the forecast.
Today · River Nore (Durrow–Thomastown stretches)
Best window today is morning, around 09:45.
Water · Cool (8–12°C)Fishability is the engine's own hourly score. Why these conditions matter.
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Check season dates with the fishery (link below).
Getting there
- Nicholas Mullins Bridge, Thomastown · BridgeThomastown Anglers Association double-bank water either side; day tickets from Simon Treacy Hardware, Market St — confirm boundary and price at purchase.
- Ballyragget Bridge (N77) · BridgeUpper end of Kilkenny Anglers Association water (left bank down to Lismaine Bridge) — per club listing, confirm at permit purchase.
- Bennettsbridge · BridgeKilkenny AA water runs to about a mile above the village; large weir by the old mill — hazard reported by anglers (single source), keep well clear until checked locally.
- Durrow (Erkina confluence area) · TownDurrow & Cullohill Parish Anglers water on the Nore and the Erkina (Boston Bridge to the old mill); tickets locally (Lawlor's Gala Shop / Bobs Bar) — snippet-sourced, confirm locally.
- Inistioge Bridge · BridgeTidal limit at the ten-arch bridge — mainly salmon/sea-trout water from here down, with only modest trout; Inistioge Anglers' Association licence from O'Donnell's pub in the village.
Features
Local notes
Character changes markedly along the fished length: Durrow, Ballyragget, Kilkenny city and Bennettsbridge to Thomastown is the heart of the trout water — alternating runs, riffles and glides with productive nymphing water breaking up the longer glides, day-ticket access via several clubs, and trout from 10-12in up to several pounds, holding deep in low daytime water but moving onto sedges at dusk (a dry-dropper or duo of size 12 Klinkhamer over small nymphs is a proven local approach). March brown is the standout early hatch; olives and sedges follow, but — in contrast to the Boyne — the mayfly hatch here is generally described as small and sporadic rather than a headline event, so don't oversell it. Below Thomastown, Mount Juliet Estate holds a private beat with named pools (fly-fishing tuition available to guests, not open access), and from Inistioge's ten-arch bridge downstream the river turns tidal and becomes primarily a salmon/sea-trout fishery (springers from February) with only modest, mixed-size trout remaining — treat 'Nore trout fishing' as a Durrow-to-Thomastown story first, an Inistioge footnote second. The King's River (Mount Juliet water near its Nore confluence) and the Erkina (Durrow & Cullohill club water, Boston Bridge down to the old mill at Durrow) are the two tributaries clubs actively promote for trout.