Our Hosts

Our group led trips proved to be extremely popular this year and we have several planned for 2011. We have found that hosted trips provide an excellent opportunity for clients wishing to avoid single supplements, join a group of like minded people and have an instructor on hand to help. Fishing abroad for the first time can sometimes be a little intimidating and travelling with a group removes much of the hassle. As the lodge operation is normally taken privately it also allows much more flexibility during the week to look for other species and try something a little off the wall if you are that way inclined.

Our group leaders currently are Peter McLeod, Charlotte Chilcott, Nick Hart, Peter Gibson, Peter Baxendale, Howard Taylor, Ben Granger and Gordon Richmond.

Information on our group leaders:

Nick Hart

Nick is the owner of the renowned Nick Hart Fly Fishing School and the Hart Fly Shop in the West Country. Nick is a full time Fly fishing instructor with both APGAI and STANIC qualifications and has considerable worldwide fishing experience. During his time as an instructor he has worked alongside many very well known fly fishers and was coached in his earlier years by the widely respected guru, Simon Gawesworth. He has guided abroad including as Argentina and Spain and has visited New Zealand, Florida, Bahamas, Africa and Ireland with a fly rod in hand. In recent years he has had regular features published in Trout Fisherman magazine and has also appeared on BBC Radio 5 and the popular Discovery Home and Leisure series, "Fishing on the Edge". In Sept 2004 he qualified to fish for the England Home International Team. We will also be working with Nick and Hart Fly Fishing to start the UK's first Saltwater Fishing School in the UK. This will be the perfect opportunity to start fishing in salt with casting lessons specific to those conditions found on the flats, clinics for aspects of tackle and set ups, culminating in a trip.

Peter Gibson

Peter has been a passionate angler since the age of 5, and honed his fly fishing skills on the stunning rivers of his native New Zealand. At a young age he was fortunate enough to be appointed Fishing & Excursions Manager at the world famous Hemingway’s Lodge in Kenya where over 5 years, he acquired a wealth of experience, eventually becoming a fully qualified skipper. London was the next port of call where Peter became Manager of the Pall Mall branch of Sportfish. He is now an important member of the Hardy’s and Greys team. Peter has also fished all over the world and is one of the leading all-tackle and all-method experts in the country. Like Gugu, he truly is a professional angler. He has fished in: The Seychelles (extensively), New Zealand (extensively), Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Zanzibar, Florida, Cuba, Brazil’s Amazon, Russia, South Africa and Bermuda.


Peter Baxendale

Peter Baxendale works for Aardvark McLeod on a consultancy basis from his satellite office in London. He has fished and shot from the age of twelve and has been fortunate to have cast a line (not that tidily) and fired his gun (not particularly accurately) in some fantastic places. He has caught salmon in Scotland, England, Russia, Norway, Canada and Iceland. He has grassed seatrout in Argentina, steelhead in British Columbia and has been paddling in Cuba and Belize after bonefish, tarpon and permit. Peter has first hand knowledge of all our overseas destinations and previously ran the Strutt and Parker Sporting Agency for 10 years. Peter also specialises in the letting of the pheasant, partridge and grouse shooting in the UK and partridge shooting in Spain.

Howard Taylor

Howard Taylor is owner of Upstream Dry Fly , a Hampshire based guiding service that offers some of the most exclusive beats on the worlds most famous chalk streams. To catch a wild brown trout from an English chalk stream using a dry fly cast upstream is the very essence of fly fishing. The pristine rivers of Southern England offer the world’s premier trout fly fishing and are the historic home of this most gracious and relaxing of sports. Howard is also one of the Hardy Greys Academy casting instructors providing excellent tuition whether it be casting a dry fly or punching a crazy charlie into the wind.

If you are interested in joining one of the above group leaders then please contact Peter as space on trips is limited.