Guest FP | Wednesday, 10 December 2025
How many times have we as fishing guides heard this? Do I enjoy it? Of course I do. In fact, I obsess about guiding and fishing. Is guiding just about fishing? This may sound strange, in fact I think I may have lost some readers already. Fishing has been portrayed in recent years as an experience, this experience has many factors, simple factors.
I believe that creating an experience adds more benefits to angling, there are many day-to-day things that fishing can help with. Think of fishing as an umbrella and underneath that umbrella are many day-to-day and life challenges, that can be washed away by the experience, to travel down the river and out to sea, where they become a droplet in the ocean. That’s right, fishing can put things into perspective while you're on autopilot or in this case casting to our friends, the fish.
Back to creating an experience, by creating more factors on an angling journey you broaden your audience, people are more inclined to go as there's coffee/tea involved, nice treats, picture opportunities, information from the guide about nearby wildlife. You become a friend in the first 15 minutes, and the person learns to relax around you, be themselves and unwind.
I have heard it all from lost baggage in airports to more serious issues. It again makes it an experience; it gets people outside and shows them that nature is there and it will help.
We have all known someone that we asked to go fishing and we get the same response “ahh no, I don't fish, I don't like it and I can't do it” when I hear this I know that the person hasn't had a fishing experience, they may have stood at the water's edge and chucked it and chanced it. They didn't reap the many other benefits a fishing trip can offer like a fantastic cup of tea/coffee with a slice of apple tart, you all know it tastes better outside right!
I fish with couples where one fishes and the other watches, while enjoying some other benefits angling has to offer. The end of these trips usually results in a handshake and a thank you, you begin to learn to read people very quickly and plan your line of conversation. Some like to talk about their work while others don't, some like to speak about how great their country is, some don't, and some want to know more about you and your backstory, some don't!
Ok I think I got the point across!
The other side of fishing of course is the fishing, which is the tricky part, you can be one of the most experienced anglers in the world and have a hard time nabbing a fish. An issue I hear the most is “I can't cast”, no problem, let’s learn.
Everyone has different styles and that's fine it keeps it all interesting for sure. I became an instructor to tap into the different teaching analogies and using what people do day-to-day to see if I can use that in a casting situation. The usual is the paint brush; there are many others also that I would be all day listing, my point being there are many ways to get through to someone to assist with fly casting instruction.
This brings me to why iwanted to join APGAI-Ire. The instructors in any organisation, have been in the industry some time and have gathered and dealt with many different situations in teaching, which they pass as mentors, anglers, at meetings or questions and answer scenarios.
When on the road to being an instructor you gather bits and pieces of information from different mentors, or people who cast, you may like a few things one person does and a few things another person does. You take all of this information process it and put it into your lessons, plans and angling journey, making you a hybrid of casters. This hybrid you create will suit some people and not others, so all you can do is your best and work on your “hybrid” to accommodate more caster’s needs, long after you pass your exam or begin your guiding journey.
I love what I do, I look at casters at fairs and always hold the thought that they are a different hybrid than me, so will have different ways and teachings. I watch, learn, listen and process, adding to my hybrid.
Is it the best job in the world?
Dan O’ Neill