How long have you been at Bewl Water?
20 years – I started as a Ranger in 1997 and became a senior ranger in 2007 but I have fished there as a keen fly-fisher for 40 years!
What’s your favourite thing about working at Bewl Water?
My love of fly-fishing has led me to representing England in the sport five times. When I joined Bewl I had the opportunity to train as a fly-fishing instructor, gaining both STANIC and GAIA qualifications. The best part of my job is sharing my knowledge with all who want to learn about fly-fishing whether they are beginners or improvers
Talk us through a typical day at work
During the summer I usually work early shifts or late shifts. The beginning of the day sees us preparing the fishing boats for anglers, checking lifejackets and ensuring safety boats are fuelled and ready both for us and the various water sport participants. The middle part of the day may be taken up with fly-fishing instruction, grounds or equipment maintenance, first aid and rescue work, or any other tasks which may be needed to help special events that are taking place. On weekends litter clearance, car parking, rescuing cyclists and finding missing persons add to the tasks! As the day draws to a close we focus on ensuring all of our visitors are safely back and boats are moored up and the site secure. In the winter months we focus more heavily on repairs and preparation for the following season.
What do you find the most challenging?
Possibly getting up each day, but that’s maybe my age!
What’s the most rewarding?
The excitement that I see when one of my new anglers catch their first fish.
What are the team like at Bewl Water?
Very capable with an ability to do most aspects of the job although we all have our own specialisations. We communicate well with one another and get on very well.
Make sure you head over and check out all of our Ranger’s hard work. Why not hire a bike and cycle the whole route!