Qualifications
Jim has been instructing fly casting for
over twenty years and is an A.A.P.G.A.I Master Instructor (Association
of Advanced Game Angling Instructors). This is regarded as the highest
and most respected game angling qualification in the country. All
Master Instructors are rigorously tested to the very highest standards
ensuring that every client receives the finest instruction available.
Jim is also a lead assessor and part of
the AAPGAI Assessment team. All A.A.P.G.A.I instructors are fully
insured.
Jim also is a certified F.F.F Instructor
(Fly Fishing Federation USA) and also holds the S.T.A.N.I.C (Salmon
and Trout Association National Instructors Certificate) qualification.
Experience
Jim's first job on leaving school was as a ghillie on the west
coast of Scotland where he enjoyed three great years fishing Salmon
rivers and lochs during the summer months. The winter months were
spent working on the hill with the deer stalkers on the 100,000acre
estate.
He then moved back to England where he worked on and managed several
still water fisheries in the North. He obtained a number of casting
qualifications and at the age of 28yrs became an A.P.G.A.I instructor,
one of the youngest in the country at that time. Increasingly he
started spending the winter months in the Southern hemisphere including
the south island of New Zealand and Patagonia , fishing and guiding
clients from around the world. Since then he has fished extensively
around the globe, chasing trout in Finland , Slovenia and New Zealand,
Salmon and seatrout in Norway, Iceland and Argentina and hard fighting
saltwater fish including Bonefish, Tarpon, Trevally and Sailfish
in the Cook Islands, South Andros and Kenya.
History
Jims love of fly fishing started at an early age catching small
brownies on worms in the stream that flowed through the farm where
he grew up. He landed his first trout on the fly at the age of eight
when introduced to the art by his father. His first salmon on the
fly came from the Findhorn at the age of 12 on a family fishing
holiday.
That Findhorn trip was the highlight of his year and his inspiration
as he learned so much about fish behaviour stalking grilse in the
low clear waters. From then on all his time was spent on local still
waters and surrounding trout rivers, mainly the Ribble and the Hodder.
To this day Jim and his father make the annual trip to fish the
Scottish rivers together and the encouragement given by his father
at an early age has led to the successful business he now operates
guiding and instructing. |
