I’ve had 2 days with Kieron Rich in the last couple of years. 2 great days and learnt loads. You can contact him here http://www.kieronrich.co.uk/.

I can guarantee you will enjoy a day with Andy May – http://www.fishingcoaching.co.uk/

@fourcanals wrote:

no not you me I have a big birthday looming so the family want to treat me to a teach in Who do I choose scottorne speed or may and how much?

Nick speed charges £150 I believe. Nick can be contacted on 07854 123215 for more Information.

Does Alan Scotthorne do coaching, wasn’t aware he did?

Sorry Alan does not do Coaching

Tommy Pickering does
John Allerton does
Nick Speed does
Neil Machin Does
All can be booked and paid for through
Garbolino Lindholme at
http://www.lindholmelakes.co.uk

@Hillbilly wrote:

I can guarantee you will enjoy a day with Andy May – http://www.fishingcoaching.co.uk/

Agreed, money well spent 😀

Ya gotta be mad to pay for a fishing lesson! 😮

Not being funny, but if you fancy a day with a class angler why don’t you just go and sit behind one? If they have a problem with it then they ain’t worth it!!

I think Jamie Masson may still do coaching at Hallcroft, he used to, but I have not been there for a while.
As for being mad for paying Nathan I am not so sure. I have had days with Andy M, Giles ,Steve R, Darren C and the god Alan S. Most have been charity based but not all, apart from picking up loads of tips, without exception they are really nice guys and the days have been fantastic. I would not advise anyone to go and sit behind them as we all know this will unsettle their peg and they are unlikley to tell you anything except hoping you would clear off!!
However approach them as they are packing up and I am sure they will explain their approach and gear etc and answer any questions you may have.

@NathanWatson wrote:

Ya gotta be mad to pay for a fishing lesson! 😮

I think if you can afford angling tuition is a good idea, anglers always glean information off each other thats how they improve, look at some of the young lads thats currently winning everything and there in there early 20s thats come from mentoring from their older team mates, so if your not fortunate to be in a team or mix with top class anglers where information is freely pooled, then why not pay for a lesson ?

Its probably money well spent when you consider the cost of learning if you do it in the natural way as Nathan did. It must costs thousands of pounds for most angers in peg fees and time struggling on the bank until you learn enough to compete for many anglers. Learning on the bank still does not garentee that the important but basic stuff is recognised and changed to make the angler more competent in the way that you fish. A coach can recognise issues and problems and put the angler right in seconds in coaching sessions. However, there is no amount of coaching that will improve angling ability once you get the basics right. The difference between the best and the rest is natural angling ability and being able to think outside the box in some angling situations. Most anglers just follow the in methods and are always one or two steps behind the best in our sport.

If youre a numb head who cant cast or plumb up etc then a couple of hundred quid to show you properly might be worth it…but surely if you ask one of the top boys in the matches that you are fishing in to show you, then, quite possibly they would and for free!!
Just ask them before a match if its possible to sit with them for a match to learn and maybe the angler would allow you to do this, also you will be able to see that they arent as good as everyone makes out and do make bad casts and errors throughout a match just like anyone does.Okay they will do most stuff spot on for 7 eighths of the match and this is what you are looking for.JUST ASK ONE OF THE BOYS IM SURE THEY WILL GLADLY LET YOU WATCH FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS. At the end of the day if you pay for a session with a ‘superstar’ they arent teaching you during match conditions and its far far easier to look good during a pleasure session when the fish dont give a toss…sitting behind a good angler during a match is surely a better learner than sitting on an empty lake catching easy fish, you learn nothing that way…

I think you are right to consider this and think it would make a great gift. It might be that someone of Nathan’s natural talent doesn’t need coaching, but for the rest of us, there is no end you can learn and the boost to your confidence would be great too.

John H and I have done loads of these together, and as he says, all the anglers concerned have been fantastic blokes. Remember though that teaching is a special skill and not all great anglers are good teachers and vice versa.

In part your choice might be dictated by where you live and the types of venues you’d be likely to fish. Eg don’t go to someone who specialises in rivers if you only fish puddles. Also, some of the days we’ve had have been charity bashes and the anglers don’t coach for money. I think that might leave Steve Ringer and Andy May that I can personally recommend. I’d happily pay the same amount again for a day’s coaching with either. They were both absolutely fantastic, as anglers and as teachers.

@NathanWatson wrote:

Ya gotta be mad to pay for a fishing lesson! 😮

Are you offering to do them for free matey?

Yes Richard, I’ve given you plenty but you’re a poor student! :p

If you want to learn how to fire pellets in large quantities all over the place while hanging on to a 16 meter pole. Plus sitting on a tip rod until it almost gets ripped from his grasp. Then Nathan,s the man!

punchmeat, are you saying that all those hundred’s, probably thousand’s, of anglers that have had tuition from the likes of Andy May or Kieron have wasted their money and learnt nothing??

And, im not sure what you mean by “also you will be able to see that they arent as good as everyone makes out”. Try fishing against them in a match, you’ll see that they really ARE that good.

And….LOL @ TB 😀

I think the time you have available to learn is critical. If you can fish 4 or 5 times a week maybe you will have ample opportunity to try things out and rule out what doesnt work from what does. However from my very early angling days I knew I could bag up on hemp pleasure fishing but in a match it was totally different. I then read in a book Kevin Ashurst did in the 70s exactly the same comment. I think I also recall Keith Arthur saying the only thing you could learn practicing was depth of the water as this was the only thing that would not change under match conditions.
Paying for tuition will save you loads of time and for some this is invaluable but its obviously not for everyone.

Why not? there are definitely some short cuts to learn things …. and coaching is one of them.
The ability to adapt the lessons to yourself and a variety of situations is what will keep the top stars out there.

For something a bit different – Dave Harrell is doing coaching now. It’s on his website with some custoemr feedback and pics.

PS – JohnH ….. re. Hemp … nobody told Tony Marshall then?

Why not for everyone? Because £200 is too much for many to pay for some and for others who complete at the top level they need to work things out for themselves to beat the other top rods. Simply copying will only ever lead to coming second..
I didnt say hemp never wins matches, just that it often does not get the same response when a water is matched up. Presumably when pressurred the fish react and respond differently. I was simply making the point that practice practice and more practice will improve your all round ability but coaching is a good shortcut to learn much quicker.

I’m available for lessons, send me a pm if you want to learn a thing or two, my rates are reasonable. 😀

You need to find out what a pellet waggler is first, Tim D 😀

Do you do any coaching yourself keith?

@chrismoorhead wrote:

BOB NUDD charges £225 a day and you can bring a friend who does or doesnt fish trust me ive had many days with him hes a true champion afterall where else in the world of sport can you say that you being with a 4 times world champion
as for nathan watson saying you must be mad ignore him he knows as well as many of us the top anglers dont get millions and the rely on other forms of income ive never met an angler whos made millions out of fishing by winning if you do know one let me know
it would like to shake his hand 🙂

Ya must have more money than sense! 😮

Oscar Wilde once defined a cynic as, “a man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.”

Just saying…

Andy may is the man you should have a day with, it was the best £200 i have ever spent, i fish local club matches and was not winning anything, apart from the odd section, last year i won 4 out of 5 matches and i attribute this to the knowledge i gained from Andy, trust me you wont be disapointed.

Steve.

@crowquill wrote:

Do you do any coaching yourself keith?

Thats not Keith Arthur Crowquill!

@JohnC wrote:

@crowquill wrote:

Do you do any coaching yourself keith?

Thats not Keith Arthur Crowquill!

Hahaha Trueblue AKA Keith, you couldnt make it up 😀

A fool and his money……….

ere cast at that tree with a bomb on,clip up when youre close,change the bomb to a feeder, cast it at that tree again, cheers for the £200 quid now off ya go youre gonna be brilliant…

You lads ( Nathan excluded ) must think you are bloody good anglers if you dont think you would benefit from a days coaching wih the likes of Andy May, Nuddy etc.

I reckon there would be loads to learn, if you can afford it then why not.

@chrismoorhead wrote:

well nathan it seems you dont like people with money
it would seem with your attitude be-rating everyone for wanting to spend a few quid which is there choice to have a 1 on 1 tution with an angling superstar to me is something thats remebered for a life time i have become personal friends with many top anglers around the circuit and many here metioned are all very friendlie
and by the way nathan i pay 50p(supertax) in the pound for every pound i earn
you wont know what that is im sure but let me tell you how i spend my money on whoever i spend it on is up to me i want the best of everything in life ive earned it tax paid on it
so please tell me why im mad

I have no problem with people with money! I just think there are plenty of top anglers about that will help you for free! And it’s friendly, not friendlie! Interested what job you do?

chris

its really not realy lol

Maybe you mean ‘damn it’, lol but I understood. I think I know what Nathan is talking about but have no problem with an angler having a day with a decent angler to learn some things. I think Nathan you perhaps are considering every angler will learn by watching or asking the odd question to a good angler. I think this is where the difference lies. Certain anglers will be able to observe or notice what an angler is doing differently to catch, other less experienced anglers will not. Perhaps they need to be told. It is easy to see something if you have knowledge. If you lack knowledge it is difficult to see.

You can know what you are doing, be very competent and still miss the subtleties of an approach or even be watching too closely to notice: I was ‘running’ for Abu Coventry during a match on the Trent circa 1981/82 and had then legend John Dean on the stretch that I was on.

Myself and fellow CDAA Junior Paul Green watched in awe as he put in a class result to win catching both on the stick and waggler but he would literally catch a fish on one rod and put it down for the next.

After the match I asked why he was swapping between rods when he was still catching well (using both tactics on the same line) and he said that it was because the flow was changing. We had sat and watched EVERYTHING he did but never noticed that!

With regards to days with a star: Personally I think that it is cheap at £200 for a day with a World Champion especially when you consider the cost of fuel then breakdown their preparation, bait and fishing time too.

Don’t forget that people are buying memories as well as improving their fishing by having these days aswell.

However, most anglers are more than willing to help and I had a load of help converting onto the commercial scene from canals about a decade ago from a guy who fished with Browning Central. I’m sure that his name was Terry? He helped me frame and win no end of matches at Parkers in Bulkington and the changes he suggested were tiny compared to the results they produced.

Even roller positions, moving my closest one about 2m from me from the almost fulcrum position that I used to place it at!

But the simple thing is that I asked for his advice on if he thought that I should be doing something that would improve my fishing: I was catching but I wasn’t ‘flying!’ but if you don’t ask the question you will never get the answer.

The chap is a star!

No “top angler” is going to spend the amount of time a professional coach will going through everything you want, for free. You might get a few tips but nothing compared to a full day session.

All the anglers mentioned are value for money compared to golf tuition from a professional.

I have noticed now in the magazines an increasing number of people in the articles list “angling coach” as there occupation (sometimes alongside something else)

Just beware that because they are a good angler won’t mean they’re a good coach, so stick to the recommendations! I’ve no intention of knocking anyone, but if you’re going to part with £200+ make sure you get what you want from the day.

@JohnC wrote:

@crowquill wrote:

Do you do any coaching yourself keith?

Thats not Keith Arthur Crowquill!

Sorry True :confused:

@Johnny Mac wrote:

@JohnC wrote:

@crowquill wrote:

Do you do any coaching yourself keith?

Thats not Keith Arthur Crowquill!

Hahaha Trueblue AKA Keith, you couldnt make it up 😀

Not sure how to take that, Johnny.

FBlues is Keith, the voice of angling. Im Steve and i,ve never coached other anglers professionally. Coached kids that i woked with from childrens homes. Also help my angling mates out when they are struggling with different methods. Make me an offer if you want a days coaching. I might be interesed at the right price.

Think Nathan learnt much of what he knows about fishing though talking to other anglers, watching other anglers while fishing himself and spending lots of time on the bank practicing. So, i sort of know where Nathan is coming from. Thats how i learnt to fish. I was never coached.

I think coaching is a great idea for getting the basics right. Also, a great idea if you want to learn specific methods or solve specific problems with your fishing. Can also see coaching being a big help if you need to change your out look on how to go about winning matches. Nathan of all anglers i know of should recognize this. He is one of the most agressive match anglers around. He fishes to win even if that means that sometimes he has a bad day or even blanks.

£200 is not a lot of money when you consider the time it takes for most quality match anglers to learn the skills that they are attempting to pass on in there coaching sessions. Money well spent if you want a quick fix or simply want an interesting day out with a top quality match angler.

Just to expand on the point i was trying to make. I agree with True Blue, nothing wrong with quality coaching if that’s what you want, but the point i was trying to make is that 99% of the time it is the feeding that wins matches.
I’m far from an expert, but In my opinion, getting those fish lined up so you can pick them off is the key, and this is achieved through feeding. You will be amazed what you can learn from watching somebody who has sussed this out during a match or even just watching somebody pleasure fish.

Baitchef, its very strange to me that feeding is probably the least talked about subject on this and just about every forum i,ve looked at. Feeding almost never gets covered in any depth in most of the magazines or blogs from some of the stars of our sport.

What wins matches imho is feeding, confidence in what your doing and not making basic mistakes. I,ve never won a match from a very bad peg and i dont know of any angler who has. So having a few fish in your peg is a must. However, i,ve seen so many anglers blow out from out and out fliers because they never gave themselves a chance (feeding, confidence and basic mistakes).

If you can find a coach that can sort those 3 major things out. Then, £200 is a very small price to pay. You can win that back in one match on the right venue!

I agree, feeding isn’t covered in anything as much detail as it should be in the media, and that’s because 9 times out of 10 the emphasis is on trying to sell the reader something.
That’s not necessarily a problem as they have a job to do, even though i am quite critical of the blatantness of it all.
If you really think about it you could do a whole feature on feeding just 1 line on its own, from how you built the swim up to the point where you had them feeding so confidently and competitively, and what you should do when bites start to get iffy etc. That skill coupled with the watercraft is what sets the top boys out from the rest of us.

A good coach will guide you through the basics, presentation etc, but feeding is such a huge subject you couldn’t possible scratch the surface in just 1 day. Hence the reason why I always think its good to watch and learn and ask as many questions as you can.

How can you teach someone how to feed, when no two pegs are the same and every peg is different on every day, due to weather etc?
Watercraft on the other hand, is something that can be taught.

Watercraft, lol. Is it watercraft to decide to fish up in the water before you leave the house to fish a match?

Guys if your looking for a day with a star , then look no further than the charity angling site the big bash ,
We have several dys each year where we do a on line draw for a chance to fish with top quality works class anglers , including Bob Nudd , Tommy Pickering and Alan Scotthorne to name but three from last year , and all at just £5 per chance ,
Full details on the bash site under win a day with a star
http://www.bigbash-forum.com

Every penny raised goes to help the fight against breast cancer http://www.thebigbash.co.uk

Kev

Sorry world class anglers it’s ment to say 🙂

You cant teach someone how to feed. You can only give them guidelines.

There is so much more to feeding than just the basic principles and they can be taught, Slider. As an example, anglers should always be looking for responses every time they feed. Those responses give information as to how much to feed next time and how often. Nice if you can then find a feeding pattern quickly and it works for the whole day. However, those responses can often change many times during a fishing session. Knowing how much and how often is dictacted to by the fish and then your responses with the feed the angler puts in which then dictates the next response from the fish in your swim and so on! There is a lttle more to it, such as testing the swim with a little more or a little less and at different time periods between feeding. The idea being to up the catch rate while keeping the fish in your swim and settled. If you dont react to those changes in feeding behaviour. The fish eventually vanish or stop feeding completely and sometimes dont come back. Respond correctly to the information and you can often carry on catching for much longer and keep some fish in your swim that you can pick off when others are struggling. This is often the difference between catching a few or winning the match. How many anglers do you see who catch a few mug fish at the start of a match, then struggle for several hours. Then, catch a few more mug fish at the end of the match when its too late. Those who win catch for longer at the start. Carry on catching a few thoughtout the day. Then, bag up at the end in many matches. Its very strange that its the same few anglers around the country who keep winning matches on almost any venue they decide to fish. Its not just about great draws, better tackle, special or secrete baits or inside info. Its all about feeding imho and it can all be taught. Feeding is not totally a guessing game!

TrueBlue, I think you are giving these guys too much credit. Getting feeding right is not a formulaeic process or something where putting together a few simple rules gives you a panacea. There are far too many permutations and all you can do is have a lot of tricks up your sleeve.

If you read stuff from the likes of Steve Ringer he will often feed different areas of his peg completely differently. This is partly formulaeic (eg, different feeding patterns according to depth of water, target species, etc), but surely you have to accept that it is at least partly down to hedging bets to cover the options of how the fish might want it on any given day?

Tell me how you teach someone to feed a line they are not fishing then Trueblue ?

How do you teach someone to recognise the difference between feeding through a catty, hands, pole cups, kinder pots, sprinkle pots and indeed why all those things that ultimatley deposit feed into your swim are actually so different and can cause a mulittude of different reactions from fish.

Its instinct, experience,knowledge etc etc, things that cant be taught.

I fish with someone who is noted as being a very good match angler, he is a good guy who would help you out with info if you could but the one thing that strikes me every time I speak with him is that the difference between thinking and feeling is massive in fishing, he takes for granted his natural instinct. Some anglers think about doing things, the best anglers have already done it !

By the way, I think having a day with any of these coaches is a great idea they are top blokes who will teach you loads but I think people need to manage their expectations.

They cant possibly pass on in a day, what it has taken them years of experience to learn.

I would love a day with Andy May to tidy up my waggler fishing, wonder how generous the missus is feeling.

Guys if your looking for a day with a star , then look no further than the charity angling site the big bash ,
We have several dys each year where we do a on line draw for a chance to fish with top quality world class anglers , including Bob Nudd , Tommy Pickering and Alan Scotthorne to name but three from last year , and all at just £5 per chance ,
Full details on the bash site under win a day with a star
http://www.bigbash-forum.com

Every penny raised goes to help the fight against breast cancer http://www.thebigbash.co.uk

Kev

Gary and Spider, Yes, it is at least partly down to hedging your bets at the start of any match in attempting to cover as many of your options in how the fish might want it on any given day.

However, i never get to any peg with the idea of just feeding in X way and thats it. As soon as i start to fish any swim. Im looking for different responses and different feeding patterns evolve to get the best out of each new swim. The fish define how i feed, the amount of feed i put in and how often i feed. Im always testing my swims with feed and trying to respond to how the fish are feeding.

Its unlikely that feeding extra swims before you start to fish them will result in getting the feeding pattern right from the start. The aim of feeding other swims before fishing them is really only to put fish in those extra swims and get them settled and feeding confidently before you attempt to catch them. As soon as the angler starts to fish a new swim. He/she has to adapt to the responses the angler gets and this means responding with more or less feed and more or less often to get the best out of those new swims. It all about testing those swims and learning what the fish want. This can only happen by responding to the different responses you get in those swims.

Its a bit like never wanting to catch the last fish in any of your swims. I think most reasonable anglers would agree that it is better to move on to a different swim rather than catch just one more fish and destroying the original swim for the rest of the day. Something that many anglers find very difficult to sort out. Its all about testing and reading the responses you get with your feed and making the right changes at the right times to keep the fish coming and taking a long term view on the peg as a whole.

Different types of feeding can very often effect the way fish respond in your swims as does different types of bait. The key thing in each case is learning to respond to what the fish are doing when you feed.

It can all be learnt. So, it can all be taught!