“I inherited my uncle’s fishing rods when I was nine years old,
and went through torture to teach myself how to fish.
I don’t want others to have to go through the same bad experience.”

Glenda has come a long way since then!  

She first entered the tuition field in her teens at various still-water trout fisheries in Northern Ireland.
In 1993, at the age of 18 she moved to Scotland for three years, where she qualified with SANA (Scottish Anglers National Ass.) as both Salmon & Trout instructor and fished in the Scottish Ladies International Fly-fishing Team.

Since 1997, she has been based at the
Blackwater Lodge Salmon Fishery in Upper Ballyduff, County Waterford
where she instructs and guides on the Blackwater Lodge Fishery.

In 2004, she became (& indeed still is) the only female to attain the APGAI-Ireland Salmon qualification, followed by the Trout qualification in 2006
In September, 2006 she became the Emerald World Masters Ladies Salmon Distance Casting Champion. In November 2006, she added the APGAI-Ireland Trout qualification

Glenda has achieved an enviable reputation both for her tuition capabilities and casting skills.
Her knowledge of the physics & mechanics of fly-casting embraces all of the latest technology, tackle & equipment.
She is always on the lookout for new developments which will enable
newcomers and more experienced fisherpersons (!) alike to both improve their skills and gain more enjoyment from their sport.
She talks with ease & vast knowledge about the latest spey lines, rod development and casting techniques.
She can teach all levels from complete beginner to the highest levels of advanced spey-casting including
Snake roll, Snap T & C, Skagit with all other forms (roll, single & double spey) using either single- or double-handed rods.

She has a very gentle manner with her tuition, and has an uncanny ability to judge the needs of clients
and tailor her approach to their lessons to ensure that they feel at ease and gain the maximum benefit.
Clients are given clear & concise explanations of the way their rod & line works so that they better understand
 what they are trying to achieve with their casting and why.
Such is her manner that many a fishing widow has been encouraged to take up the sport under her expert guidance.

Glenda demonstrates at angling fairs throughout Ireland,
and was one of the star demonstrators at the Tweed Angling Fair
held at Kelso, Scotland in May, 2007.
 

It was there that she met the owners of Loop Tackle from Sweden
who were so impressed that they immediately
took her on as a member of their No. 1 Pro Team
and are providing sponsorship to help Glenda with her projects.
 

She has already been asked to re-appear at the Tweed Fair in May, 2008.

Determined to give something back to the sport, Glenda has been very active in the 2007 season encouraging women and children into fly-fishing.

Less and less youngsters are taking up the sport, which has to compete with computers and video games.  Bringing women into the sport has the added benefit of promoting parental encouragement for their children.

Glenda  ran free introduction courses for children in the summer
in conjunction with three of the major trout clubs on the Blackwater
to boost their juvenile membership.

In her home village of Ballyduff - which has only 250 habitants
– no less than 37 children enrolled in the course there.

Ladies Introduction Days have also been a great success
and raised a great deal of money for the Action Breast Cancer charity.

The first was held at Ballyduff, where about 20 women had a great day on June 9
with demos, casting clinic and fishing – not to mention a superb buffet lunch.
This has been followed by a further three days at various trout fisheries in Wicklow
in conjunction with the Eastern Region Fisheries Board and The Slaney River Trust.

This attracted such interest that the second one was filmed and broadcast
as a 10 minute feature on RTE’s Nationwide programme.

Already for 2008, the Waterford Sports Partnership
will be providing grant aid for another juvenile course on the Blackwater.