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Ancestral Angler - A day learning ancient fishing

£120.00

Join us for a unique one-day Primitive Fishing programme where you’ll learn how to craft your own natural fishing hooks and line using traditional techniques. Designed for beginners, bushcraft enthusiasts, and anyone passionate about ancestral skills, this tactile course gives you everything you need to start catching fish using equipment you make yourself.

Your day begins with an introduction to some of the practicalities of fishing, exploring how early cultures created effective hooks, cordage, and tackle from natural materials. You’ll examine examples of traditional fishing tools and discover the principles behind successful hook and line design.

Throughout the workshop, you’ll gain practical skills in:

  • Selecting and sourcing natural materials for primitive fishing

  • Identifying the best woods, bones, and fibres for hooks and cordage

  • Shaping, carving, and refining durable fishing hooks

  • Making strong natural cordage suitable for fishing line

  • Understanding what makes an effective primitive fishing kit

Under the guidance and support of your instructor, you’ll craft your own complete fishing set, including handmade hooks and a length of natural line. In the afternoon, you’ll head to the water to test your new gear, giving you the unique experience of using tools you built from scratch.

This course is perfect for anyone interested in bushcraft, primitive skills, wilderness living, or traditional crafts. By the end of the day, you’ll have a solid foundation in the ancient art of primitive fishing and a functional kit you created yourself.

Date:

Join us for a unique one-day Primitive Fishing programme where you’ll learn how to craft your own natural fishing hooks and line using traditional techniques. Designed for beginners, bushcraft enthusiasts, and anyone passionate about ancestral skills, this tactile course gives you everything you need to start catching fish using equipment you make yourself.

Your day begins with an introduction to some of the practicalities of fishing, exploring how early cultures created effective hooks, cordage, and tackle from natural materials. You’ll examine examples of traditional fishing tools and discover the principles behind successful hook and line design.

Throughout the workshop, you’ll gain practical skills in:

  • Selecting and sourcing natural materials for primitive fishing

  • Identifying the best woods, bones, and fibres for hooks and cordage

  • Shaping, carving, and refining durable fishing hooks

  • Making strong natural cordage suitable for fishing line

  • Understanding what makes an effective primitive fishing kit

Under the guidance and support of your instructor, you’ll craft your own complete fishing set, including handmade hooks and a length of natural line. In the afternoon, you’ll head to the water to test your new gear, giving you the unique experience of using tools you built from scratch.

This course is perfect for anyone interested in bushcraft, primitive skills, wilderness living, or traditional crafts. By the end of the day, you’ll have a solid foundation in the ancient art of primitive fishing and a functional kit you created yourself.

“The course centres on students crafting their own primitive fishing hooks and hand-twisted line; simple tools that reveal how deeply connected we are to the natural world. Under the steady guidance of the instructor, guests will shape bone, wood, or thorn into elegant hook forms and learn the patient rhythm of making cordage, discovering that these quiet tasks echo the timeless calm of angling itself.

Primitive fishing kits show us something profound: the most unassuming tools, small, handmade, and rooted in nature, can be remarkably effective. They remind us that human ingenuity has always thrived in simplicity. What appears easy in theory becomes a meditative craft in practice, grounding us in our senses as we prepare gear with our own hands.

Throughout the day, students will explore traditional binding techniques and create natural glues, seeing how different fibres, resins, and materials shape the function of each piece of tackle. These methods, still used in our wider primitive skills courses, deepen one’s understanding of how people once lived in quiet partnership with rivers and shorelines.

By the afternoon, the aim is for each student to walk away not just with a functional fishing kit to spend a few hours fishing on our private site with a renewed appreciation for the patience, observation, and gentle discipline that fishing has always required. It is a perfect experience for anyone drawn to primitive skills, slow craft, and the understated art of angling; whether you’re completely new to it or looking to enrich the knowledge you already carry.” Jamie Dakota


What’s Covered in the Fishing Course

  • Tool selection and safe use: All tools and materials are provided. While you’re welcome to bring your own, we may recommend using our specially selected tools for safety and effectiveness.

  • Cutting and crafting techniques: Learn precise methods for shaping and crafting hooks, as well as generating both twined and braided fishing lines.

  • Material selection and processing: Discover how to choose and prepare the best materials for the job.

  • Fishing: In the afternoon you’ll be invited for a couple of hours to fish on our private ponds, you’ll need to secure a rod license before the course but we’ll advise on that in the welcome pack.

Course Details

Time: 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM
Price: £120 per person
Location: Private woodland on the Harewood Estate near Harrogate (exact directions sent with booking pack)

  • Each participant will craft and take home a few hooks, a line and simple rod, as well as some other handmade items

  • Small group size with a maximum of 10 guests ensures a calm, focused atmosphere and plenty of instructor interaction

  • Full kit list provided after booking; you’ll just need warm layers and a mug

  • The course includes a campfire lunch featuring warming soup and bread

  • Suitable for ages 16 and over; under 18s must be accompanied by a participating adult

  • Please review our Terms & Conditions before booking

Lead Instructors: Billy Souter and Jamie Dakota