Mrs FD wants to learn to fly fish.

A couple of things spring to mind when I do some googling. It appears to be very expensive for lessons/taster sessions ie £250 for an afternoon.

I wouldnt have a clue who is good or who is bad.

So any one know anything about fly fishing, we’re based in North Bradford, West Yorkshire and fly fishing does happen on the River Wharfe. Can anyone recommend where to go or what to do?

Ta

isn’t there a good book about it?

Fly Fishing by J.R.Hartley i think…

Only places I could recommend are on the Test, I’m afraid, and as such may be more than a little too far away!

Do you have any family, friends, friends of friends or other acquaintances you could tap up and get an in with?

It’s not difficult to pick up. I suppose getting the kit would be where the cost is.

As above, really – go out for the day with someone who does.

Note to self – haven’t been fly fishing for a very long time….

Bought my Dad a day with Stuart at Yorkshire Dales Fly Fishing – he thoroughly enjoyed the day. They fished at Arncliffe in the Yorkshire Dales and lunch was included at the Tenant Arms. Handy if you fancy leaving her there and heading up Mastiles Lane for a ride

http://www.flyfishingyorkshiredales.co.uk/tuition.htm
http://www.lockwoodfishery.co.uk/events/
http://www.stonebridgefishinglakes.co.uk/tuition.php
http://www.fishingwithstyle.co.uk/instruction.htm
http://www.tek2flyfishing.co.uk/services.html
http://www.fly-fish-yorkshire.co.uk/Home
http://www.jimcurry.co.uk/home.html
http://www.goflyfishinguk.com/fly-fishing-lessons/index.php
http://www.gsflyfishing.co.uk/index.html

A wide range of prices but some quite reasonable options there

Thanks neinja, I got a lot of them by googling too, have you used them all ? 🙂

Domino thanks for that will investigate further.

I’d probably look to start on stillwaters rather than the river. Have a look at somewhere like Stocks reservior, I dont think that’s too far from you. Lots of space and some good guides to help you get started. Not too pricey either.

http://www.stocksreservoir.com/guiding/index.htm

May I suggest fishing in a fish farm to start with – not exactly as sporting, but she will stand a much greater chance of catching something before she gives up.

At Kilnsey there is http://www.kilnseypark.co.uk/events/20-fishing-events/86-fly-fishing-beginners-courses

And it has the added benefit of having one of the ‘original’ classic MTB rides on its doorstep – that of the great Mastiles Lane.

Has she ever fished before?

FunkyDunc and Mastiles – Stuart at Dales fly fishing uses Kilnsey Park for his tuition.

I learned at Ladybower which is not that far from Bradford but you may have some closer options there

Domino – that makes sense.

Lovely part of the world.

And I totally missed your post that pretty much said the same as mine.

🙂

Thanks for the further info.. Kilnsey looks like a good option as I can ride the bike if Jnr FD can be sold off for day/half day or we can just sit in the pub 🙂 good Father that I am…

She’s not fished before but really fancies the idea of fly fishing.

Yep,
Agree with all of the above, a still water is by far your best option to start with.
For a true Die-Hard it has to be a chalk stream for wild fish but they are few and far between and also small fish compared with still water fish (usually Rainbows).
Be prepared…if she gets hooked its going to cost.!
Basic gear, once you factor in clothing, boots etc you could be looking at four figures easily.
On the plus side its a great pass-time (its not a sport) Also unlike course fishing you get to take a few fish home for tea.

If she catches something and if she can get over the Yuck its all slippry bit, she will be hooked for sure. May try to drag you in too, so be ready with the excusses if you dont fancy it.

Good luck.

Special thats kind of what I wanted to hear. She has a very hard job (long hours/stress) and too knackered to mtb when she has time off and doesn’t currently have any hobbies to really get away from it, shes always says she fancied having a go, so if she did get in to it I think it would do her the world of good.

As to 4 figures… I can’t really complain can I owning a 4 firgure mtb 😆

Respect to her if she does it and enjoys it. When I am old(er) and (really) past it I will take up fishing again. A lovely and relaxing pastime.

I was mainly a course angler but did a bit of all types as a kid – fly, spin, pole, boat, beach, rock, lake, stream, pond, river. All my kit is safely stashed away ready to be used again one day.

Go to a fishing shop and ask.
I decided to give it a try, visited a local shop and bought a second hand rod, reel and line for under a ton. Owner was busy but told me to come back a couple of days later, he took me to the park and spent an hour or so on basic casting lessons. Also recommended the local stillwaters, many of which offer tuition at reasonable rates.
Properly stocked stillwaters (fish farms) are expensive and little sport. I fish away from the crowds, hardly catch anything and love the peace and quiet and watching the wildlife.
Not expensive at all. Am around £20/year for a licence on a stocked river (tbh lucky that it’s there), was £40/yr for access to a local reservoir. £300’ish on rod reels, lines, bag etc. Cheaper than blinging up a decent bike

I did the course at Lockwood Beck just south of Middlesbrough (second link from neninja). It was £60 for a full day and included all the equipment hire. The guy who teaches the class is great and its definately a full day (course ran 9-4 and we were still fishing at 6). They also have a great shop there and give good advice on looking for a first setup. The location is really nice too, very picturesque and quiet.

The location also makes it an ideal riding spot, right on the moors with Guisborough woods a short distance away so you can head off riding while Mrs FD fishes 😀

I can reccommend Steve Cheetham from the fly fishing with style website mentioned above, he is a member of the Game Angling Intructors association, which is what I am a member of, so he will have insurance to go with his many years experience, he will also have decent tackle to use and can advise on what needs to be bought.

If you were closer to me in Bolton I could have offered myself.

You do get what you pay for and have a look here for local instructors GAIA

Edit: remove thick post…

nmost stillwaters have tuition available. In additon to the links above you could check out flyforums who could direct you accordingly. Could also try THIS

I’ve got no experience of the places I linked to. I have done a fair bit of fly fishing though (marriage, kids and other interests mean less often than a few years ago though).

I would agree with the comments above that a stillwater is the place to start. Generally on still waters you have much more space to cast.

Once you’ve been taught the basic cast, you can practice on any open grassy place using some sheeps wool or something instead of a fly.

She will also need to make sure that she gets a rod license from the post office once she gets started (but shouldn’t need one when with an instructor with a coaching license).

Hawkshead fishery on Esthwaite in the Lakes are running some free 4 hour beginners tuition days on a few dates this year (well free apart from a £10 admin fee). It’s a stunning location which I’ve fished a few times before. There’s great access to the Grizedale bridleway network from literally just above the fishery so happy days.

http://www.hawksheadtrout.com/school.html

http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=335952&Y=495525&A=Y&Z=115 – the byway into Grizedale with the green dots is good fun in both directions.

I would agree with the comments above that a stillwater is the place to start. Generally on still waters you have much more space to cast.

Definately. No trees to contend with and no rapids to mask poor casts.