Meet your instructor and guide
About Charlie
Based in Somerset, CA fly-fishing is run by Charlie Atherton, providing fly-fishing lessons and guiding for salmon, trout and grayling to all ages and abilities.
I have loved fly-fishing for as long as I can remember. As a boy, I learned to fish for trout on lakes in and around London, before progressing onto the lakes and chalk streams of Hampshire when my parents moved out of London, and was introduced to salmon fishing on family holidays to Scotland. My love of fishing was nurtured further at school by my History teacher who ran a fly-fishing club and took me trout fishing.
After a short spell in the Army, I became a History teacher. In my 20 years of teaching, I ran fly-fishing clubs in my schools, teaching fly-tying as well as basic casting skills and fishing tactics, hoping to hook a new generation as I was by my History teacher.
Helping people discover the wonderful world of fly-fishing
After teaching for 20 years, I decided to focus purely on teaching fly-fishing. I love helping people discover the wonderful world of fly-fishing whether through running clubs in schools, by teaching clients how to cast well, or by taking them to fish on the chalk-streams of Berkshire, Hampshire, Wiltshire and Dorset for trout and grayling, or on the rivers of Scotland for salmon.
To date, I have fished mainly in the UK (including the chalk-streams of south England, Wye in Wales, and various rivers in Scotland) and also in Kenya, New Zealand and Tasmania.
Qualifications
I am a licensed Angling Trust Level 2 coach
I have DBS clearance, first-aid certification and insurance
I am a qualified teacher with a Masters degree in Teaching and Learning (Distinction)
“Fly fishing is not just about catching fish; it’s about immersing yourself in the symphony of nature’s beauty.”