Top fishing schools

It’s never too early to shape up for next season’s salmon and trout, and these top fishing schools are here to help, writes Sarah Fitzpatrick

It might be tempting to think that fishing is one of those things you can pick up as you go along and that one just has to get one’s line in the water. However, there is a little more to it than that.

I spent years thinking fishing was all pretty much luck – hearing tales of beginners catching a salmon in their first morning and passionate lifelong fishers not actually banking a fish for years or even decades – but the scales fell from my eyes when I started to notice that there were just a very few people who somehow managed to catch fish consistently. It wasn’t because of their kit or even necessarily because they spent longer on the water – though they’d always be in the most committed group. It was because they were better. Better at casting, reading the water, understanding the river and playing a fish once it was on, even if the reel fell off. (Read: how to get your children hooked on fishing.)

The range and quality of tuition available here at these top fishing schools means there is little excuse for slacking. For beginners, and even ‘compleat anglers’, the benefits of good instruction are huge. You might want to nail Spey casting at last, start tying your own flies or enjoy a family holiday where different generations can foster a shared passion, with appropriate guidance for all. “It’s one of the only things that you can do that crosses the generational divide; we get parent, grandparent and child groups,” enthuses Arabella Monro from The Arundell. (Read our guide to the top 10 trout rivers.)

All the fishing schools here offer a variety of instruction and can tailor individual lessons to specific requirements and different levels of experience.

The Arundell, Devon

This Devonshire institution has 22 miles of water and six guides, including David Pilkington. “We can fit the gillie to the client; going with someone you click with changes the whole day,” says The Arundell’s Arabella Monro. They also cater for “different types, from absolute novices to improvers and purists”. Something for everyone, then. Dedicated courses for beginners, grayling and fly-tying punctuate the year and are a fun way to learn as part of a group, but bespoke experiences and instruction are also available. It is easy for a mixed group to stay and enjoy different fishing tuition, meeting up to compare notes and enjoy good food later.

Guiding/tuition per day: £275 per person, including all tackle and equipment. Courses, guiding and fishing are available to residents and non-residents.

The Devon School of Fly-Fishing, Devon

‘Meaningful’ is the word conjured up by fishing for Gerald Spiers. “I want to find out who the people are and give them a journey,” he says of his clients. “We’re interested in immersing people in the ecology, the rivers, the importance of clean water.” And it’s a lovely place to do just that; guides and instructors have access to more than six miles of Devon’s famous River Taw and another four miles of private fishing on the Tamar and the Exe. This means the school can offer excellent salmon, sea-trout, brown trout and grayling fishing, and explore wild and romantic Dartmoor fishing too. A range of courses are run from the Fox and Hounds Hotel near Eggesford as well as bespoke lessons and experiences to suit both beginners and seasoned anglers.

Beginner lessons: from £225 per day.

Orvis Fly-Fishing Schools, Hampshire

Chalkstream fishing is like no other and instruction with Orvis is available on the gin-clear Test or the Itchen. Learn everything from fly selection to casting, knots, catching and safely releasing your fish. Of course, you will learn all about the kit involved too. Beginners and advanced anglers alike can enjoy the fabled waters with the care of a qualified instructor in individual guided sessions or in limited groups, including the popular Improvers Fly-Fishing Weekend School.

Beginner day on the Test: £250. Customised individual day on the Itchen: £450

UK Fishing School, Norfolk

Based in Norfolk, the UK Fishing School has a national network of licensed coaches and instructors. “We think of ourselves as educators rather than guides,” explains course director Duncan Holmes. The school is also developing online learning and even has a project in primary schools for Key Stage 1 and 2. Tri-discipline, it offers coarse fishing, has access to stream-fishing for small brownies and a lake with rainbow trout and exciting sea-fishing around Norfolk. There are also opportunities further afield, including salmon on the River Tyne.

One-to-one session: £35 per hour

Peter Hartley’s School of Fishing, Rutland

A strong advocate for his local fishing, Peter Hartley is adamant that “still-water fishing in the Midlands is as good as it gets” and, being predominantly for rainbows, it can be enjoyed year round – just like his school’s beginner classes on Rutland Water. Experienced and award-winning, Hartley advises starting younger children with coarse fishing “to get an understanding of how rod and line works” as well as maximising their chances of early success before taking the next step with fly-fishing. He can help at every stage, and takes on more experienced anglers too.

Beginner classes: £130 per day, including all kit and lunch.

Northern Fishing School, Yorkshire

Marina Gibson and her team of qualified fly-fishing guides are based on the Swinton estate. “We cover everyone from never-picked-up-a-fly-rod to world-travelling angler,” says operations manager Sam Harrison, revealing that they “talk to clients about what they want to get out of a session… Each is completely bespoke, the content is unique to the clients” and their “ethos is for an incredibly high level of service”. Still-water and river tactics are the mainstay of instruction here but the school is expanding into predator fishing for pike, among other species. Emphasis is also placed on river safety, especially regarding wading. Occasional mixed day courses are available, and hosted and guided trips are offered too, including salmon on the River Spey.

Tuition starts at £120 for a two-hour casting lesson.

North Wales Fly-Fishing School, Wales

Robert Glynn is a licensed instructor and an all-round countryman with a passion for woodcock, snipe and stalking but seatrout are his “other love”. He and his team have 50 years’ fishing, guiding, instructing and tournament casting under their belts, covering Mid and North Wales (as well as overseas trips) with various courses for all abilities, including trout, sea-trout, salmon and grayling, plus bass and pollock. Salmon fishers should take note that Glynn confessed there are “plenty of salmon in the Welsh Dee, and not enough people fishing for them at the moment”. Make haste to drop him a line.

One-day trout/grayling course: £250

Fishing Wales, Wales

Youthful-looking Steffan Jones has been guiding since he was 15 so is experienced beyond his years. “I specialise in sea-trout and have guided on the sea-trout rivers of Wales for nearly three decades,” he confirms. He caters less for absolute beginners than for those who are wanting to extend their experience and ability. “Beyond the sea-trout (known as ‘sewin’ in Wales) fishing, I also offer guided days for wild brown trout on the River Usk near Brecon, which is a special place and experience.” The trout fishing tends to be April to June, then the sea-trout fishing July and August. So, for Jones, the seasons dovetail beautifully and allow for excursions abroad.

Prices vary according to the session length and number of anglers, with a one-person five-hour sea-trout guided session costing £300.

TwinPeakes Fly-Fishing, Aberdeenshire

On the banks of the River Dee and with its own four-rod beat, TwinPeakes offers access to some prime salmon country: something to look forward to after one of its intensive, bespoke courses. There’s a focus on salmon and trout fishing with single- or double-handed rods. Learning the craft as well as the art of fishing is important here. Putting “work into the theory and mechanics” matters, stresses co-owner Alastair Peake, because “if you don’t understand the mechanics, it’s hard to progress”. The two-day beginner course starts with theory and casting practice using wool before you are let loose with a fly. You will be tested on your homework but it could result in an Atlantic salmon, so it is definitely worth swotting up. Find TwinPeakes on YouTube for a taster too.

Spey-casting course: £350 per person

Gleneagles, Perthshire

All sorts of sporting fish are available when staying amid the luxurious surroundings of Gleneagles. Perfect your Spey casting for Atlantic salmon on the Tay or try for a brown trout on a local river. There are rainbows to chase in the hotel’s own lochs. And grayling are waiting too, for those keen to fish over winter. It is an ideal location for a party with mixed interests as there will be plenty for everyone to do, even if they are, foolishly, not interested in casting a line.

Brown trout and grayling fishing: £425 per person (12 and over) per half-day. On the loch: two-hour lessons (eight years and up) from £190.

Please note: Be aware of requirements for a rod licence and check with the guide or fishing school to see whether you need to buy your own before attending lessons on water.