I feel lucky to live in Devon and as a fly fisherman I am spoilt with choices available which allow me to fly fish for trout, sea trout and salmon all within a few minutes drive.
The Devon School of Fly Fishing is able to offer you fly fishing lessons or guiding in some of the most stunning scenery in Mid Devon. We are located at the famous fishing hotel The Fox and Hounds which has been opening its doors to anglers for many, many years and importantly understands the needs of the fly fisherman!
You do not need to be a guest of the hotel to enjoy the fishing and the Devon School of Fly Fishing is able to offer you guiding on over 5 miles of the River Taw and also has access to other private beats just a few minutes drive away. You will be spoilt for choice with the amount of water to choose from!
Fly fishing for Trout
If you are a newcomer to fly fishing then our lake is the perfect venue to learn how to cast a fly with our fly fishing instructors. It is much easier and more enjoyable to learn to fly cast on still water rather than moving. As the lake is private there is no need to worry about who is watching. Sometimes, learning on a public fishery can be a little daunting but you will have the lake to yourself.
On a typical day course we will teach you about the safety aspects of fly fishing, how the tackle works, how to put it together and then the casts you will need for fly fishing. This will lead up to a session of fishing on the lake where you can put everything you have learnt into practice and hopefully you’ll be able to tempt one of our trout. You can take one home with you if you wish or if you are staying at the hotel they will be able to cook your catch! The important thing for us is that you learn everything in an easy to understand manner and that you go home knowing how to fly cast. If you can cast then you can go fly fishing for the rest of your life!
All of our fly fishing team hold the hardest to attain casting instructors qualification, AAPGAI (Association of Advanced Professional Game Angling Instructors) and we do this for a living, but most of all we want to make sure you have fun.
When it comes to river fishing for trout we are lucky that the beats we will be guiding you on are un-stocked meaning you will be catching truly wild fish. I often say to guests that if you can tempt one of our fish you will have a good chance of catching trout from just about anywhere in the world. This is probably a bold claim but wild fish don’t come easily and if you have combined stealth with a pinpoint accurate cast and the right fly then you have put the odds much more in your favour. I don’t think there is anything more exciting than seeing a trout rise to take your dry fly. It’s certainly something I will never tire of seeing!
Being full time fly fishing instructors and guides we are out on the water all day every day and if it is your first time fly fishing on a river we will be there to help you every step of the way!
We are extremely lucky in being able to offer guided fly fishing on over 5 miles of the River Taw, one of Devon’s famous fly fishing rivers but we also have access to other private beats just a few minutes drive away. We feel it is important to offer a good selection of water for you to fish but also having so much allows us to rest it so that it is not fished too heavily. You will not be fishing club waters, all beats are private.
For something completely different we often take guests of the fishing school up into Dartmoor and to some of our favourite spots up there. It really is a truly stunning setting with fishing to match. You will be fishing tiny streams sometimes only 8 feet wide for some beautiful fish. I often head up here on my days off and just take a rod, reel and line and a sandwich and just walk. It is rare to see someone else as there is so much water to cover and so many exciting challenges. The rivers tumble down over rocks and boulders creating holding areas for fish and we are looking to land our fly into likely looking holes. It is often the case that the fish are looking up so a dry fly will cover most situations. The takes are lightening quick so if you land your fly in the right spot be ready!
If you would like to try fly fishing a larger still water then the Devon Fly Fishing School instructors/guides can take you up into the heart of Dartmoor and to Kennick Reservoir. At just over 50 acres Kennick is perfect for the fly fisher looking to make the next step up from small still waters or big enough to be more than interesting for the more experienced angler. Stocked with some stunning rainbow trout there is also a good head of wild brown trout. We are able to guide you from bank or boat and there are also opportunities to try float tubing from time to time.
