What is everyone talking about this week: How Gen Z fell in love with fly-fishing
They may look closer to Brad Pitt's Paul Maclean than to the grandfathers who taught them how to cast. But they are flocking to the sport in their hundreds, lured by Nature's bounty.
The image of the fly-fisherman waiting to tempt a trout is among the most British clichés one can find. Robin — let’s call him Robin — wears waders, wellies and a cap, with a flannel shirt he hides under a gilet when the temperature drops below 15°C. When Gen Z discovered Guinness seven years ago and found they could cosplay as their grandfathers, they took a leaf out of Robin’s wardrobe and donned a Barbour to the pub. They did not, however, take up fly-fishing; though this may be changing.
For £85 per annum, budding fishermen have been quietly joining City Flickers since the group was founded in 2020. The project grants access to subsidised angling around the world, as well as introductory classes and parties for the hook-minded. Membership now stands at 350. ‘It’s been a steady trickle,’ says co-founder Lucy Mantle, ‘although Britain’s move from rod fishing licences to a paperless system in 2023 certainly lent a hand.’ The main draw for young people is proximity to Nature. ‘Unlike here, where it’s often seen as an inaccessible hobby due to the cost of fishing permits,’ Miss Mantle says, ‘the sport has no such connotations in Australia or the US, where young people take it up because it connects them to the natural world.’
Since social media tends to dissolve these cultural boundaries, young fishermen in Britain are now more likely to resemble Brad Pitt’s Paul Maclean than our very own Robin. ‘It’s seen as cool,’ one tells me. Ned Varley, a jurisprudence student hoping to become a sports solicitor, is one of the young bucks whose love of fly-fishing nearly saw him go down the riverine path. ‘It’s quite a different thing to go fly-fishing for pleasure than it is to make it your life’s work,’ he cautions. Mr Varley first fell in love with the sport in Yorkshire, with his grandfather as a mentor. ‘People have this false impression of fishing as a sedentary activity,’ he says, ‘when in fact it’s a long, scenic walk with the hope of catching some fish along the way.’
After attending Sweetwater Guide School in Montana, US, Mr Varley did a stint as an assistant at Kau Tapen, one of the luxury lodges on the Rio Grande in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. ‘I accidentally spooked some of the fish when I was going out to familiarise myself with the 80-odd fishing sites I had to know off by heart,’ he laughs. As with most Gen Z-related news, not all people are thrilled. ‘The last thing I want is a young man intruding on my time in the river,’ says one of the Robins.
This feature originally appeared in the June 3, 2026, issue of Country Life. Click here for more information on how to subscribe.
