Less than two months away and what was once a distant plan is shortly about to become a reality. There’s a certain sense of coming home with this project and having spoken to and organised a lot with Pat from Quay House today I am now very excited about the October saltwater fly-fishing workshops.

Our week starts on Monday of October 03 through Wednesday with the 3-day workshop for the first group of nine saltwater fly fishers. This is followed closely on Thursday through Saturday for the second group of nine anglers. Tying casting and fishing, groups of three anglers will rotate three times through each discipline over the three days in a blended learning environment. Kilmore quay in south Co.Wexford will provide us with an ideal base for our week. From a fishing perspective we have a solid jump off point to many different shore locations. Locations that I know intimately and where I have guided over for more than ten years.

The essence of the workshops is based around bass fishing techniques but will crossover into both seatrout and mullet. This will be carried further into comparisons and strategies for bonefish fishing techniques. Our main objectives and areas of focus will be

• Tying flies for drifting
• Concepts behind drifting flies to fish
• Casting and line management techniques for drifting flies
• Fishing in moving water with the fly – giving the fish the fly
  • Line and equipment types
  • Fly types
  • Fishing strategies ~ leaders, timings, presentations

• Tying flies for approaching weather fronts
• Concepts behind understanding weather patterns
• Casting and line management techniques for windy/wavy conditions
• Fishing in difficult conditions / water with the fly – expecting the fish
  • Line and equipment types
  • Fly types
  • Fishing strategies ~ leaders, timings, presentations 

• Tying flies for hunting the fish – blind casting tactics
• Concepts behind hunting for fish
• Casting and line management techniques for ‘quartering’
• Fishing whilst moving on the water with the fly – hunting the fish
  • Line and equipment types
  • Fly types
  • Fishing strategies ~ leaders, timings, presentations

Light double handed fly-fishing techniques for bass fishing will also be covered briefly in the casting workshops with Gary – casting will be conducted at the sheltered beach area at Kilmore Quay, tying will take place at Quay House and fishing will take place in many locations along the southern Wexford coasts according to the whereabouts of fish!

Evening time will find us no doubt in the many local restaurants in the area – Mary Barrys, The Silver Fox, Kehoes Bar and maybe even a drift into Wexford to visit La Cote or The Yard.