Its been me and my fathers ambition to set up a fly fishing school in mid/south wales for some time now, and before we go ahead with it im just doing some background research and generally seeing whether its worth it or not.

I haven't a clue about prices or the structure of it yet, I would just like to get some opinions from other fishers (and maybe inspire some others to do it, but not in wales haha)

So, what do you think of the idea..thus far?

constructive criticism is welcome by the way ... dont be nice


(this is all going on the basis of that old saying, 'Give a man a fish, and he will eat for a day, teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime')

Well, your first problem is that you've got lots of well known competition on your doorstep. Bryan James, Steffan Jones, Marc Roberts, Frank Williams, Louis Noble, Derek Turner etc etc.

Secondly, unless you own a bit of water that's easily accessable, it's really difficult to make money because fuel/fishery costs will REALLY eat into your revenue. So unless you have minimal overheads, ie, your own water and people travel to you, it will be difficult to make money.

Thirdly, you'll get hardly any work in the winter, so you're trying to make a years worth of money in 6-8 months, which is hard, but then factor in cancellations due to spates, bad weather, illness, last minute cancellations that are too late to book anybody else in, no shows etc etc.

90% of the people I know who do this full time either have a part time job to keep money trickling in, a full time job over the winter, or are independently wealthy, ie. retired or well off. Of the few I know who do this that are 'normal', they work seven days a week and travel all over the country, literally Cumbria one day, Scotland the next day, Ireland two days later, back to Scotland etc etc, and even then they need the support of a manufacturer to keep their costs down, as well as evening fly tying classes, magazine articles etc.

In short it's bl@@dy hard work, so you need to be sure you're ready for that sort of commitment, with in all likelyhood very little gain.

Sorry, but it's an honest view from experience, both from my own and from friends who do it/have tried it. In short, unless you're comfortably off and already own your own house, I wouldn't risk it.

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Thats a fair point Darren and thanks for it, i need to know all these type of things so dont think your crushing any dreams mate

It would be something that me and my father would do at a weekend for a bit of extra bucks and as a leisure thing. Hes a construction site manager and im a youth worker, both full time, so 1 or 2 days on the weekends would suit us damn fine indeed. I nor him expect it to boom so greatly that we can leave our jobs.

So, in honesty, do you think we could pull in atleast 1 or 2 customers a week?

Hi James,
Sound reply from Darren I would say.

There are three things a guide needs from what I can see before you even think about it......

~ Vast knowledge of the sport. A proven record or reputation to build on. Recognised qualifications. You are going to be the expert. That means better than the average joe let alone the experienced angler...
~ Good contacts to access fishing that is run of the mill day to day fisheries but also some more exclusive venues. You will need to know where best to fish any given day to give the clients the best possible chance of a good day.
~ Engaging personality. You should be first and foremost a 'people person' as they say.

I would ask yourself and your Dad how well you score in these departments. Be critical.

Hope this helps.

I think between the pair of us we tick all boxes. being a youth worker and an ex I.T and music teacher,I can safely say im a people person. My old man is a grumpy old fart but he means well haha!

Id say the biggest asset would be patience. Not catching a fish is hard enough, when your trying to be the part teaching someone else..and still not catching, is probably even worse, no doubt.

But, i suppose experience all comes when we eventually start.

---------- Post added at 05:57 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:55 PM ----------

Id like to go and see a teacher in action, just to see how he/she has put the structure together. But like I say, im an ex musican and IT teacher for young people, so putting together work based plans is something im very much used to.

James,

It's really good that your father has this ambition / interest.

Couple of questions though -

* Does he have any recognised qualification to 'teach'?
* Does he have adequate insurance?
* Does he have a CRB check?

Let me say that I've not raised these points to put him off his 'quest' but just to make you aware off the breadth of considerations that need to be covered.

As Darren said in his initial response, this is a very competitive environment and your father would be marketing himself in an area where there are a number of seriously 'qualified' and experienced competitors.

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[I]"I still don't know why I fish or why other men fish, except that we like it and it makes us think and feel."[/I] Roderick L Haig-Brown

[url]www.wildfly.net[/url]

[url]http://www.gameanglinginstructors.co.uk/[/url]

He doesn't, but I'm glad you have pointed it out, as he'd need the CRB which i completely forgot about. Thanks for the heads up.

Lots of things to look into before and if we start up, So all the info you are giving us is welcoming.

WHY would he need a CRB check?

Anyhow as a person who has been an instructor in plenty of outdoor activities I suggest you ask yourself WHY YOU WANT TO DO IT? Quite often once you start teaching the sport you love, it takes the edge of it for yourself, ALWAYS bear this in mind!

PLus check the competition, particularly if you start doing taster days for thr uninitiated, when I say competition I don't just mean other fishing schools, there are plenty of other ways people can spend their money!

Simply because not everyone you teach is an adult.

__________________
[I]"I still don't know why I fish or why other men fish, except that we like it and it makes us think and feel."[/I] Roderick L Haig-Brown

[url]www.wildfly.net[/url]

[url]http://www.gameanglinginstructors.co.uk/[/url]

Incase you are working with kids. Its safer to have one behind you if anyone asks.."are you a peado?"

And you have a valid point yes, I need to bear all this in mind which everything has its pro's and cons.