Coaching Services
"Extreme success in angling is learnable - NOT just what you are born with"
Whatever your current level, my goal is to help raise your understanding and technique. It doesn't matter whether you have never held a rod or if you have years of experience; through collaboration we can find angles and avenues for improvement.
Dr Paul Gaskell
Author of "The Fly Fishing Bible of Nymphing" & more
email: paul@fishingdiscoveries.com
Tel: +44 (0)7919 157267
Is Fishing Coaching with "Dr Paul" Gaskell a Good Match for Me?
Cards on the table "Coaching with Dr Paul" isn't for the casual angler. It's for the angler who wants to strive TOWARDS mastery (whether or not any of us get there). This culture match with my clients is the single most important factor that determines if we should work together, or every bit as importantly, if we should not work together. We can still be friends either way!
Please don't make the mistake of thinking I only work with anglers who are already experts.
Instead, the deciding factor in a good culture match is a hunger to improve and to build up skills and understanding you can take away to level up the fishing you enjoy in your own time outside of coaching sessions.It's a growth mindset that applies to both coach and client - with a conscious effort made to push ego aside to allow new discoveries and progress.
Time on the water in these coaching sessions is about skills development - rather than having a ghillie or guide experience.
Client's Perspectives:
"I won by an absolute mile..."
"Hi Paul. You may remember one of my goals was to do well at the club competition against the old guys from round here who have been fishing the river their whole lives. Well, the comp was held today and I won by an absolute mile! The biggest fish was the winner and I just kept catching bigger and bigger fish all day to the extent that my 3 best were all bigger than the second place competitor’s entry. Very very pleased! I was fishing the klima leader on the 4wt and then switched to a Spanish leader on the nymph rod when I found that the fish were sitting deep in fast water...At one point I took 2 fish over 1.5lbs out of a run the club champion had just been through.
Testament indeed to the power of the nymph and your tuition."
Adrian Mowat Scotland // Feedback after 1x Coaching Call and 2x back to back 1:1 sessions on the water in Yorkshire)
"without your day there is absolutely no way I would have caught anything"
"Hello Paul
I thought I would update you- I managed to find a day to get out on the river. It was fantastic- not because I caught huge numbers of fish, but because I was able to approach the water with more analytical knowledge and understanding of how and why I would fish a piece a certain way.
It had rained heavily and the water was chocolate coloured. Really tough going but I was able to confidently and accurately cast light nymphs on the Spanish leader, where required. Resulting in fish.
I was able to change to French leader type double nymph and was unsuccessful for a while until I started to manipulate them. I put myself on one side of a large ranunculus and fished the blend of a seam line, manipulating the fly which resulted in about 4 decent fish in 5 casts! Hard work but without your day there is absolutely no way I would have caught anything or known where to begin! So thank you!!!
I hope you are the family are well.
Take care"
Luke Walker England // Feedback after our first 1:1 on the water in Derbyshire
What's Different Here?
Unique Knowledge
One secret to making efficient progress without stress and frustration is to raid the vault of insights stashed away from my background as a professional freshwater biologist. Peeking behind the curtain of aquatic predator/prey interactions provides an amazing fast-track for your progress.
Tried & Tested Techniques
Strong concepts and theory are essential - but are still ineffective if we lack the "flying hours" on stream and the physical skills that come with that. I've used competitions as well as buddy-system fishing with elite anglers to calibrate the skills, techniques, rigs and strategies I pass on to clients.
Teaching experience (concept breakdowns & physical skills coaching)
Whether it is University students, river conservation professionals & volunteers, martial arts practitioners or fishing coaching clients - finding ways to coax understanding and proper execution of skills from people I teach has now become second nature. If you need to get the right feeling for how something works you need to be taught differently from someone who absolutely must understand the mechanics and theory.
Once you truly know a principle - and can execute it properly - it frees you up to find your own ways and situations to apply it in your own fishing. That way, you can constantly raise the ceiling on your potential for special memories on the water.
In Person Coaching (Rivers)
£150 to £500 per person
Standard Duration
Tailored to your specific learning and skills acquisition requirements, standard coaching days run from 9:30am to 4:30pm and the 2024/2025 pricings are as follows:
- 1:1 at £420 for the standard coaching duration (see below for extended option)
- 2 anglers coached by me at £450 total (£225 per person) (see below for extended option)
- 3 anglers coached by me at £450 total (£150 per person) (see below for extended option)
Extended Duration
Daylight hours permitting, standard session durations can be extended to a finish time of 5:45pm for an uplift fee to make the total cost £500 in each of the above cases.
Example Coaching Topics
- Reading the water for trout and grayling
- Modern "Competition" nymphing methods
- Pace of water coverage (including when to double down in an area and when to move on)
- Using the signal:noise ratio to select tactics, flies, rigs and presentation methods
- Traditional wet fly fishing at all angles to the current (rod/reel and also fixed line styles including tenkara)
- Fly manipulation techniques
- Positioning strategies on the river
- Behavioural ecology in fly fishing
- BFS (Bait Finesse System) casting, lure choice, presentation tactics and rigging up skills
Contact me to discuss many more potential topic areas you're interested in covering.
The Doctor's Surgery with Paul Gaskell
£90 per 1:1 session (discounts on block bookings of 4+ sessions)
Primarily based around river fly fishing including nymphing, wet fly, tenkara and dry fly - with a foundation of aquatic ecology. You can submit up to three main questions ahead of time for an hour-long session in conference with my video-streaming surgery (equipped with multi-cam angles and with video call recordings supplied for future reference). Audio calls are also available by specific arrangement. Email paul@fishingdiscoveries.com for further details or check out and book available slots on my surgery calendar.
River Fly Fishing Mastermind
Starting at £50 per month (first month free)
Watch this space for the upcoming VIP digital coaching courses supported by bi-weekly coaching calls for anglers who understand big, meaningful transformations need more than a one-off session.
Be part of a like-minded, global community of passionate anglers journeying together to transform their angling experiences together over time