Guided Fly Fishing Trips
Allow me to be your guide on the beautiful rivers and lakes of Devon.
Being raised in the county of Devon, I know the area better than most, I am the only full time fly fishing guide living within 10 minutes drive of the rivers Teign and Yeo, slightly further away, are the rivers Creedy and Dart. I have been guiding on the Upper Teign Fishing Association stretch longer than any other of the guides on the scene at the moment.
Because I live so close to the rivers I am aware of the ever changing conditions, this is an advantage to you when you book me, it's of little use booking a guide who lives miles away from the river, some even charge you extra to pay for thier fuel to get them on the river!
You'll learn from me how to read the water, select the correct fly, and the tactics required to fish it effectively in much less time than it would take on your own. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced angler you can always learn something from a guide who spends all his spare time on the water fly fishing for trout.My guiding service is in high demand and one of the best in the business. My goal is to help you relax and enjoy your time on the water and, of course, catch trout!
As I am a qualified fly fishing instructor I can also combine the day with some tuition if needed.
If you don't have all the equipment there is no need to worry, I have a complete stock of fly fishing equipment available for your use at no additional cost, and of course the necessary flies needed for the session all tied by me.
Whether it's casting for a stocked rainbow trout, or to a wild brown trout, I give you the best advice to fulfil your expectations of a great fly fishing experience.
River Fishing
The client in the picture above deceived the Wild Brown Trout with a size 18 Adams; you need lightening reactions to hook one of these.
If you can trick the wild brown trout into taking your artificial fly you will have reached the pinnacle of your fly fishing experience.
What sets average guides apart from great guides are difficult conditions, its having the watercraft and in built fishing 'sixth sense' in relation to what's happening, or to be precise, what's not happening that separates us.
And yes I have that 'sixth sense'!
Accurate casting and perfect presentation are the order of the day on rivers, you will lose flies, but the rewards can be spectacular!
Sea Trout Fishing
If sea trout fishing is your passion, then you could not be in better company, it is my passion as well!
Sea Trout are only fly fished for at night, but you get a real feeling of being at one with nature, waiting for the solid pull at the end of the line and a silver fish leaping from the darkness and stripping line off your reel.
See the adjacent photo, she was delighted with the advice I gave her to catch this beautiful 6lb 2oz sea trout.
Due to Sea Trout only being fly fished for at night on the Upper Teign Fishing Association water, I like to arrange for my clients to be on the river at least one hour before total darkness sets in.
This is important, it gives you a better idea of obstructions that could cause you problems after dark, and it enables me to show you the most productive spots and tactics.
On the River Teign, although it is a spate river, we fly fish for Sea Trout in still pools, and wading is unnecessary,the banks of the Sea Trout pools are well maintained by the Upper Teign Fishing Association.
You need to be a fairly competent caster, otherwise you will quickly find your leader turns into a ‘birds nest’ or your fly is in a tree behind you.
I suggest you use clear safety glasses to protect your eyes; I always have these available for your use.
There are various tactics I employ to catch Sea Trout, and in fact when one pool is fishing slow it can pay dividends to pack up and drive to another pool on the river, this has worked for me on several occasions.
The tackle I recommend is a fly rod of 9ft in length, rated 6 weight; a floating fly line, this can be adapted with the use of different types of leader to fish at varying depths when the conditions dictate.
The reel is also important, the amount of times I have heard experienced fly fishermen state it is only for holding the fly line, they could not be more wrong!
When you hook your Sea Trout and it heads off back to sea, you will be glad you spent a few more hard earned pounds on a reel with plenty of capacity for backing and a good braking system.
I have a comprehensive selection of Sea Trout flies, all tied by me, and proven flies for the Upper Teign.
These range from large tubes, down to small wake lures, its knowing when and how to fish them that makes a successful nights Sea Trout fishing.
Still Water Fishing for Brown Trout and Rainbow Trout
Kennick, Fernworthy and Roadford reservoirs are all within 30 minutes drive.
At Kennick you might be mistaken into thinking you have arrived at a Montana lake, surrounded by woodland and Rhododendron bushes, and stocked with Rainbows its part of a trio of lakes operated by the South West Lake trust. Fernworthy is stocked with brown trout and is challenging fishing, as is Roadford,where the fish grow on quickly fed on a rich diet of varied insects to found in this reservoir.
Opposite is the product of a combination of tuition and guiding supplied by me to a very keen young fisherman, he succeeded in catching his full bag of six fish at Kennick reservoir using my tried and tested methods.
Techniques are changing continually, but I keep up to speed with the latest developments and combine them with traditional methods to produce excellent results from reservoir bank or boat.