ABOUT ANDY
Born and raised on the Derbyshire Staffordshire borders my first angling memories are of watching my father casts a split cane rod to wild trout on the river Dove. Bewildered and entranced by the rhythm and beauty of the fly casts, rivers and fish I fell in love with everything angling entailed.
Roll forward twenty five years and that love has taken me on some epic angling adventures. A year spent living out of the boot of a car in New Zealand in my early twenties opened my eyes to just how special fishing for wild fish can be and while the memories of living the “Trout Bum” lifestyle have remained with me the seed that this trip planted was one of how wild waters and wild fish can make the experience of angling far more rewarding and special – this is now something that I am entirely focused on and conscious of.
I have held a number of jobs in the angling industry including three years at world famous country sports retailer Farlows in London, and a spell working as a fly guide on the exclusive and remote Desroches Island in the Seychelles for bonefish, permit and giant trevally amongst others. I also write articles for a number of different angling publications and have created video content for the angling media, as well as writing for my own blog, The Incompleat Angler.
Various angling adventures around the world have given me the opportunity to broaden my skills and experience many styles of angling from tarpon in Mexico to wild grayling and trout in Slovenia. I have also championed fly fishing for enormous wels catfish in Tuscany and guided a client on to the largest fish ever caught on fly fishing kit in Italy.
It hasn’t all been about fly fishing though. For me the most enjoyable aspect of fishing is getting out, exploring water and finding fish. Lure fishing fits this remit excellently and I have long been a passionate predator angler. The modern techniques of ultra light lure fishing gripped me half a dozen years ago and since then I have dedicated a large amount of time to learning the intricacies of ultra light angling for perch, pike and zander.
Teaching and guiding has always been second nature to me, and from the time I was proficient enough to fish for myself I have taught and assisted others on their own piscatorial journey. The Andy Buckley Angling Service is a culmination of my angling past and the realisation of a twenty five year dream – to offer experienced, qualified and most of all enjoyable angling guiding and assistance to those who wish to enhance their own fishing experiences.