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Alastair Gowans AAPGAI and FFF Master Fly Fishing Instructor
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| Ally Gowans AAPGAI & FFF Master Fly Fishing Instructor |
My name is Alastair "Ally" Gowans and I am a professional
fly fisherman and instructor who teaches and demonstrates fly fishing
and fly tying methods in several countries. My home is near Pitlochry
in the Highlands of Scotland where many of the most famous fishing flies
were invented and of course it is the home of the double handed or "Spey"
rod. The River Tummel is within sight and the River Tay is only a few
minutes away. Within a couple of hours virtually every major Scottish
salmon river can be reached from Perthshire, not that you need to travel
because we have plenty of fishing right here!
The late Sir Alec Douglas Home is credited with the statement that "Salmon
fishing is a disease that, fortunately for the afflicted, has no cure".
I caught this disease in its incubation phase when I was just seven years
old.
At first I was only infected by the trout fishing strain but when the
symptoms developed a few years later it escalated into a serious case
of salmon madness. Now more than forty years on I am comforted by the
fact that my condition will prove to be terminal!
Knowing that others are similarly afflicted I try to ease their winter
suffering by writing in fishing magazines like Fly Fishing & Fly Tying,
Trout and Salmon, Atlantic Salmon Journal and others. I confirmed my diagnosis
by becoming an Advanced Professional Game Angling Instructor (APGAI) and
a Salmon and Trout Association National Instructors Certificate (STANIC)
holder. When AAPGAI was formed to represent most of the top professionals in the UK they quickly decided that the APGAI qualification was not comparable with other standards in the World and to remedy that deficiency they introduced the AAPGAI Master Game Angling Instructor examinations for single (trout etc) and double handed (salmon etc) fly fishing. I am one of the founder holders of the AAPGAI Master qualifications in both disciplines. Fly fishing is a World wide sport and so in February 2006 I travelled to Seattle and became the first UK instructor to pass all three of the demanding FFF certifications at one event. So I am also an FFF Master Fly Casting Instructor and an FFF Certified two handed casting instructor. I also hold a fishcoach.org licence for game angling, a requirement for undertaking public authority coaching duties.
These qualifications are fine but they pale into insignificance against
forty odd years experience of being a serious fishing bum. Whilst I cannot
cure the angling disease I can make it more enjoyable, infectious even,
by teaching you trout and salmon fishing and fly tying to the very highest
standards.
All anglers like to tell colourful tales of their wonderful experiences
and the beauty of the rivers and lochs they frequent. Photography became
my way of remembering some unique events and now I have a huge library
of fine game fishing pictures. Many visitors have said how much they enjoyed
looking at my pictures and you will find plenty of them throughout the
site.
Now I guess that I have taken the ultimate step and made fly fishing my
profession. If you would like tuition, guided trips, fishing holidays
or just advice, you have come to the right place. Letsflyfish together!
Please browse my site, I hope that you will find something of interest,
if you don't just "Ask Ally" and I will do my best to help.
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