Dave Martin - Profile

Dave caught his first Trout in 1970 at the age of 13 and his first fly caught Trout a couple of years later – both from the River Wharfe in the Yorkshire Dales. During a pre-Go Fly Fishing UK business career of 22 years Dave went fishing on at least 100 days…every year! He is very keen!

Moving forwards in time Dave and his wife Christine have had some superb fly fishing in the last few years, including in August 2012 fishing in Montana and Yellowstone, an amazing two weeks in Alaska in August 2010 (see Flickr), some brilliant Trouting days on the Derbyshire Wye (see Flickr) and some excellent Trout and Grayling sport on the River Wharfe in Yorkshire, the rivers Test and Itchen in Hampshire and on the Welsh River Wye.

Whilst Dave loves his river Trout fishing and upstream dry fly is his favourite method, he has a soft spot for Grayling. It’s a love affair going back over 40 years. His local River Wharfe is a superb wild Brown Trout and Grayling fly fishing water but Dave also fishes for 'the lady of the stream' in Hampshire, mid-Wales and Alaska! And while Dave's favourite method is upstream dry fly, when he is in Yorkshire or Wales in the winter months he loves to use a float and trot for Grayling.

Dave has been featured five times in 'Trout & Salmon' magazine Grayling fly fishing features – one each on the rivers Itchen (October 2010 edition), Kennet (December 2009), Coln, Lambourn and Anton. The 2012 Orvis UK catalogue used a double page spread photograph of Dave playing a River Kennet Brown Trout.

As well as running Go Fly Fishing UK in the south of England Dave is a full time professional fly fishing guide and instructor in the Yorkshire Dales, especially on the River Wharfe. Dave is Secretary of the Ilkley Angling Association and has been fishing their stretch of the River Wharfe for over 40 years. Until late-2012 Dave lived in Hampshire and guided around 100 days a year on the chalk stream rivers of Hampshire and Berkshire – most often on the River Test – as well as doing days on the River Coln in the Cotswolds and tuition days on stocked lake locations in Surrey and Hampshire. Since becoming a professional fly fishing instructor/guide Dave has carried out over 1200 client bookings of which well over 400 have been on the famous River Test in Hampshire.

Dave is an Orvis Endorsed Fly Fishing Guide and has the SportEngland Level 2 Certificate in Coaching Game Angling qualification and licence. He holds a valid first aid certificate, has been CRB checked and has public liability insurance.

Contact Dave by email to dave@goflyfishinguk.com or phone 07899 034728.