About Nick Hart

I am 36 years old and have been messing around with fishing rods for in the region of 32 years.  By age 9 I was a fanatical angler and this passion just grew stronger the older I became.

By my late teens I decided to do something about it and pursue a career as a fly fishing guide & instructor.  I was privileged to be coached by top instructor Simon Gawesworth, which is similar to being coached by a top flight football manager or tennis coach!  This process lead to examinations by AAPGAI/ STANIC/LEVEL 2 who deemed me qualified to teach fly fishing on a professional basis.

Qualifications are one thing but in my book “experience” is a lot more important.  During the last 15 or so years I have spoken with, guided and instructed thousands of anglers keen to further their fishing skills.  This in my book is the best bit about the whole job, working with you lovely lot and most important of all ensuring you have a great experience.  Fishing is after all not just about the fish, far from it!

Fortunately I am privileged to have the chance to allow my passion to overspill onto the pages of magazines such as Trout Fisherman who I freelanced for over several years and more recently the awesome new Adventure Fishing magazine.  As luck would have it I was even offered the chance to make some programmes about this great sport of ours, culminating in the creation of a 5 part series called Nick Harts Fly Fishing School.  You can see some excerpts here.

Around 2006 I took the decision to open a retail wing of the business, Hart Flyshop supplying tackle from our retail store and online.  There are of course a ton of retail outlets out there but ours is slightly different to most UK based stores, operating first and foremost as a guiding outfit/fly fishing school with a retail store attached.  This concept is influenced by the highly successful American style “outfitters”.

So I count myself pretty lucky especially as I have had the chance to guide and fish some incredible worldwide venues including Argentina (Rio Gallegos), Spain (Ebro & Pyrenees) Africa (Namibia & Angola) , Bahamas (Inagua) , Florida (Islamorada, Marathon), Ireland (the South mainly), New Zealand (all over – the most amazing fishing in the world!), Norway (Rost – huge Coalfish on Fly), Montana (WOW!  Right up there with New Zealand) and Venezuela (Los Roques – several times) with a fly rod in hand.  Global Fly Fishing really does it for me, the variety of species and cultures encountered but I also love my domestic Trout fishing no matter how big (or small!) the fish.  A few years back I took this passion a little more seriously and began entering competitions winding up with my first England International cap in 2005.  Since then life has just been to hectic to continue competing although one day I have no doubt that I will return to the scene.

But enough about me!  If you are keen to take up fly fishing, need some advice or would like to find out more regarding the services I provide then please do give me a shout using the contact form just on the right plus check out the blog to see what I am up to and the latest fish we have been catching.  You can (if you like!) also check out my nick hart fly fishing facebook page.