Fly Fishers International

My name is Holger Herold and I come from Coburg, which is located in beautiful Upper Franconia near the Thuringian border.

I am 48 years old, married and have two children, both of whom also fly fish. I have been fly fishing exclusively for 25 years and have gained a lot of experience on my trips on a wide variety of rivers in Germany and abroad. In 2011, I successfully passed the FFI (Fly Fishers International) exam to become a casting instructor. I opened my fly fishing school “Easy Fly Fishing” and from then on offered workshops for beginners and advanced anglers. In 2018, I successfully completed my Master Fly Casting Instructor in Austria. I have been a member of the “Vision” and “Fly Scene” teams for several years. I also accompany and organize tours to Swedish Lapland to fish for char, brown trout, and grayling.

As a passionate fly fisherman, it was always clear to me that I wanted to tie my own flies. In 2005, I joined the “Fly Scene” team and took part in numerous trade fairs in Germany and abroad. A good friend once asked me if I would like to take part in a tying competition. From then on I successfully took part in the “Slovenian Open”, “Scandinavian Open”, and “German Open”.

I am looking forward to nice conversations at our stand of the FFI.

Yours
Holger Herold (FFI/MCI L1)

I have been a passionate fly fisherman for about 18 years and have been fly tying with the same enthusiasm for a few years now.

I am very lucky that I have been traveling with my wife, also an enthusiastic fly fisherwoman, for over 10 years with my own caravan for 4-5 weeks every summer in Montana, USA. One of the most precious fly fishing paradises.

My greatest passion and joy is teaching, I am always very happy when I bring interested people to fly fishing.

Certified Fly Casting Instructor - 66 years

Ulrich is an all-rounder when it comes to fishing. In more than 50 fishing trips, he has gained experience on five continents around the world. In 2011, he and his team landed the largest halibut ever caught with a fishing rod - 245 kg - on his fishing boat “Bluefin” in Norway.

His particular passion, however, is fly fishing. He started fly fishing in 1985 with Hans Gebetsroither and Hans Aigner on the Gmundner Traun. Fly fishing still fascinates him until today and he enjoys passing on his knowledge to others.

He has his own area of a trout river on the Blau near Ulm and is committed to this beautiful river and nature conservation.

Hello, I am Ralf Hoppe, certified casting instructor with the FFI (Fly Fishers International), Orvis Pro Team Europe and Orvis Endorsed Guide. I have been fly fishing exclusively for 30 years now and in 2016 I turned my hobby into a profession and founded the 1st Pullinger Fly Fishing School.

I prefer to fish the streams and rivers in my adopted home - the Bavarian Forest. But you can also find me in the Czech Republic (insider tip!!!) and in Italy. I regularly give courses on the Passer in South Tyrol, but I also love fishing in the small mountain rivers in Val Trebbia and Val d'Aveto. As I fish very often on small rivers, I have specialized in “Indian fishing”, i.e. trick casts under trees and bushes - casts that you won't find in any textbook!

I cordially invite you to visit me here at the FFI stand at the EWF.

Thomas “Tom” Lüscher, who lives in Switzerland, started fishing exclusively with a fly rod in 1991.

Since 2011 registered guide, master instructor of Fly Fishers International (FFI), mentor and examiner with heart and soul.

Single and two-handed rods, classic, traditional, modern and from longbelly spey to skagit, Tom is a master of many techniques.

"Remember that life is short and for a lot of us we're here to fish and enjoy the nature."

A motto that says a lot and meeting Tom at the pool and being infected by his relaxed, cheerful manner is an experience not to be missed.

My name is Thomas Urbig. My fishing career started pretty much 30 years ago, as a fly fisherman. After taking my first steps, I was lucky enough to live - and of course fish - in the Boston area for several years. Despite its population density, New England offers countless opportunities and I explored rivers, lakes and, of course, the coast. At the monthly meetings of the United Flytyers, I was also able to learn fly tying from professional fly tyers.

In the following years I lived in Stockholm, Sweden, where my great passion for salmon and sea trout began.
Driven by the need to catch these unattainable fish, I worked intensively on my casting training and in 2010 I obtained my certification as a single-handed instructor from Fly Fishers International.

At the same time, however, I was particularly fascinated by fly fishing with a two-handed rod. The two-handed courses after the EWF were a great help here, where I was able to learn from speycasting world champions such as Ian Gordon and especially Gary Scott, my mentor.

In 2023, I became the first two-handed instructor in Germany to be certified by the FFI.

My name is Mark Surtees I am 66 years old and based in London. I am an FFI Master Casting Instructor and one of the lead instructors of the British Fly Casting Club. I first visited the EWF in 2009 and I have been coming regularly ever since.

I learned to fish for trout in the freestone rivers of the north of England when I was a boy. I am now based in London and my local fishing is mainly on the hallowed chalkstreams of the south.

I have been fortunate to have fished in many places around the world, Guiding in Chilean Patagonia in the early 1990s and regularly visiting the awesome rivers of Iceland.

I believe a lesson should be an easy and happy experience for a caster and I have tried over the years to make it so. This does not necessarily involve a rod and line 100% of the time 😊

I am here to help.

My name is Peter and I have been holding fly fishing seminars with enthusiasm and joy for 37 years now. I teach beginners, advanced fishermen and "professionals" in almost all aspects of effective and successful fly fishing.

As a teenager I was able to get to know the fascination of our local waters and the fish that live in them. Fishing was both a leisure activity and a hobby. Fly fishing then developed from fishing.

A Black Forest river near Freudenstadt shaped my introduction to the technique and presentation of fly fishing.

In this little river, the Murg, there were grayling swimming, and what grayling they were, and these grayling could only be tricked with artificial water insects, fly imitations tied to a hook.
This is how I became an enthusiastic fly fisherman.

In the autumn of 1987 I proudly offered my first fly fishing course on the Murg.
This was also the successful start of many years of courses and lessons.

Since then, I have worked steadily and constantly on substance and style in order to keep up with the rapid development of equipment.

From 1991 to 1998, there were annual excursions to Belize/Caribbean for tropical fly fishing in salt water. Over the years, some course participants were able to hook and land magnificent fish such as Tarpon, Bonefish, Redfish, Snook, aso.

In October 1999, as part of a fly fishing show in the Netherlands, I completed the Basic Casting Instructor Test of the FFFE (Federation or Flyfishers Europe), now FFI (Fly Fishers International).

After passing the test, I received the certificate of an FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor, in order to guarantee each of my course participants fly fishing training at the highest level.