By : Meade Fishing

Meade Fishing isn't just another fly fishing group—it's a family affair. This tight-knit crew shares a love of the sport that runs deep through their roots. Comprised mostly of family members and lifelong friends, they've spent years honing their skills on waters across the UK and beyond. In this interview, the guys behind Meade Fishing share how they got started, what makes them tick, and why their adventures together are so unforgettable.

How did each of you get into fly fishing, and what led to your passion for the sport?

We all got into fly fishing at a young age, growing up in the countryside in England and with a love of the outdoors it was a match made in heaven. Add in to that plenty of family trips to Wales, Scotland and Ireland each summer and we were all easily hooked from an early age!

How did the five of you meet and decide to come together as a group to form Meade Fishing?

Great question, and the answer is something we think many people forget, and it's that most of the group are related! Out of the 5 of us, two are brothers (Sid and Henry), 4 of us are all cousins and we're all related from our mum's side of the family. And that's where the name came from, our mothers' maiden name was Meade so it was a perfect fit for the group! We do have one member that's not related, but to be fair to Dec he's been in our lives since the age of three so we just see him as that adopted brother we have to put up with. Being family it also means we've been fishing with each other since we were old enough to hold a rod so we know each other pretty damn well and we know exactly which buttons to press the wind each other up...

What have been some of your most memorable experiences or adventures together as a group?

Easy and hard question this! We had a group trip fly fishing in Cameroon with African waters. That was our first taste of pure adventure fishing - camping in the african bush in 40 degree heat and dodging hippos and crocodiles to catch tiger fish during the day and enormous Nile perch in the pitch black at night. Seems like an easy answer but we've also all been on a boat in a lake in england when George caught a 30lb+ pike we nicknamed Bessie, and although it doesn't sound as adventurous as avoiding life or death scenarios in Africa, that Bessie catch was one we'll never forget

What plans or goals do you have for the future of Meade Fishing, and how do you see the group evolving?

The beauty of what we're doing, considering we're just 5 mates who are obsessed with fishing - is that meade fishing will always exist! Even if we lose all our followers and no one wants to watch our antics, we'll still be 5 mates fishing together whenever we can and posting our videos so there's a record of them when we're old and grey! But for some reason people seem to like our stuff, something we are eternally grateful for, so we see it as a great chance to explore fishing as much as we can around the UK as well as abroad so that we can show people what is on offer out there and hopefully inspire as many people as possible to pick up a fishing rod. Plus give people a few laughs and some fun content to watch while we do it! Our cameraman Henry is even currently training up his videography and editing skill so that he can pursue that as a career option in the future

What do you think sets Meade Fishing apart from other fly fishing groups, and how do you maintain your unique approach?

I think the main thing for us is that we are not experts or professionals, we're just fishing obsessed amateurs. So we hope people enjoy that side of things and can just see how much fun we have out on the water. Don't get us wrong, we follow tons of professionals on instagram and learn a huge amount from them and really enjoy their content. But we're hoping that we can show people you don't have to be amazing at fishing to enjoy it, and sometimes it's just as fun to see one of us do a terrible cast and still catch, or mess up for the 100th time striking too early on a trout!

Can you share any challenges you've faced as a group, and how you've overcome them together?

I'd say one of the major challenges is we all do this part time as we speak. And juggling a full time job as well as an insatiable appetite to be fishing every second is a hard one to battle.The great thing with fishing though is it doesn't matter if you're on the salt flats or a little local puddle, as long as you're fishing for something - that appetite is quenched. So we go out as much as we can even if it's for just an hour one evening and we plan trips as far in the future as possible so that there's always something to look forward to. for example we're currently planning a big group trip for the end of 2026 so we have something to dream about until then

How do you balance each member's individual strengths and interests to create a cohesive and successful team?

Yeah we all know each other so well by now we're a pretty cohesive team and we have our roles. But also as epic as it is to catch a huge fish you've been after for a while. It's just as fun when you know one of the team has struggled for a certain fish or with a method, and you can work together to get them that fish. Pretty sure if you can ghillie a mate onto a fish and help them catch and land it, you can claim that fish as at least 50% yours....