Instruction
By visiting my site you have already made a great decision in seeking qualified fly fishing instruction in Devon, there are always well meaning relatives and friends out there who already fly fish, but very often they will just transfer their bad habits to you!
I have been awarded the Angling Development Board (ADB) Level 2 coaching licence, and in addition the Game Angling Instructors Association (GAIA) fly casting certificate in trout fly fishing, which I passed simultaneously.
As I have completed both you can be rest assured you are in good hands, you will get the best fly fishing lesson available.
You will be pleasantly surprised how quickly you can learn this great art, in fact up to 4 people can pick it up within a half day session, see my fee's page for full details.
Why not arrange a fly fishing course in Devon, imagine having a few hours tuition on a lake with me, then the following day down to the river fishing for wild brown trout, great fun!
When you place a booking with me, you get me! I do not employ any other fly fishing instructor, there is nothing like the personal touch, something you may not experience with a large fly fishing school, who wants the feeling of being back at school? I have found that my clients want to get fly casting as soon as possible, so that is how i structure my session's, using my tried and tested techniques.
I find continuity is key, my clients have the option of returning to me after their initial instruction to fish the rivers, or brush up on their casting, either way it's great to meet you all again.
You can only learn so much from fly fishing instruction books, DVD’s, and video’s, there is nothing better than physically getting out on the water with fly rod in hand and experiencing the feel of casting with a fly rod.
I structure your session according to your requirements, there is nothing regimented in the way I teach and it is always relaxed, flexible, friendly, and fun!
The fly fishing lesson is provided on a small private still water or reservoir, where you can use your new found skills to catch a trout.
Whether you are an absolute novice, or the more experienced fly fisherman looking to polish your casting, I will cater for all your needs.
You will learn the basics initially, safety, rod action, reels, lines, leaders, knots, fly selection and watercraft.
Once you are confident in your casting we can then approach the rivers for the next stage of your development if you so require. Here I can combine instruction, with the guiding aspect of fly fishing for trout on rivers,including useful casts for moving water and showing you how to 'read' the water and basic entomology.
But I don’t want to bore you with too much information; I intend to keep you interested, and awake!
As soon as possible I will get you started on the first cast you will need to learn, the roll cast, then move onto the basic overhead cast, and then ‘false casting’.
Important, always wear sunglasses and hat whilst casting, even experienced fly fishermen can make mistakes, and safety always comes first.
For safety reasons (your safety is of the up most importance to me) when you are learning, the fly you will be casting will be a tag of wool, then as your skill and confidence increase we can tie on a fly and actually start fly fishing for trout, after all that’s what it is all about.
You will leave with a good foundation in fly fishing, now you will need to practice your new found skills, and when ready, I suggest you return to me for the next stage in your development on the road to becoming a successful fly fisherman, when we fish on the river!
But it doesn't end there, I am always available for advice after the day has come to an end, please feel free to contact me with any query you might have, just drop me an e-mail or give me a call.
You can practice with your new kit, see below and my equipment page.
From time to time little faults can creep in and need ironing out, or more advanced casts need to be learnt to cope with difficult fly fishing conditions, for example wind direction, river currents or perhaps the trout are rising just out of reach of you casting distance.
All the above can be rectified using variations of your existing fly fishing skills and learning new techniques.
Please be aware that the guiding of your hands and arms will be necessary when being taught, and this may involve physical contact.
I will cater for all your fly fishing needs, and will build your fly fishing session based upon the information you supply, and your own exact specifications and requirements.
The above can also includes another aspect of fly fishing, fly tying, I can give you a demonstration should you require it, or an actual fly tying lesson, ever since I first picked up a fly fishing rod I have tied my own flies. Fly tying is traditionally done during the winter months to while away the hours of frustration waiting for the new season to start. There is nothing more satisfying than tying your own fly (often your own design) and deceiving the fish into taking it, it just completes the whole fly fishing experience. For details on cost and time's see my fee's page.
For a demo of my fly tying see here The Devon Half Stone Dry Fly, I tied this on a visit to South Africa when I was invited to the Durban Flytyers evening. Just a bit of advice, anyone tying the same fly use 8/0 thread, all I had available was 3/0 which is too thick for the tying of any dry flies.
A word on fly fishing instruction.
When I successfully completed my fly fishing instructor exam (Level 2 coach) in 2006 the syllabus contained 2 parts administered by the Angling Development Board, Part 1 was theory (coaching)and sitting in the classroom, this was the easy part to pass, Part 2 was the technical fly casting (instruction) and was tested by the Game Angling Instructors Association, this ensured I could actually cast faultlessly, identify, demonstrate and rectify casting faults to the client. If you made a single mistake you failed the whole course. Since then many new 'coaches' have completed the L2, but it was decided that the technical part was no longer required, to this day this is a mystery to me. So I thought it necessary to clarify this so you can rest assured you will get the best instruction available.
If you are in any doubt ask to see a coaches casting certificate as displayed via the link below.
My certificate can be viewed here.
See my fees page for details of rates.