Fishing Coach · led by Coach Willy

Fishing courses that make you a better angler, one skill at a time

Each course is 3–5 practical steps with a task, common mistakes, check questions and a printable worksheet. Coach Willy is a virtual AI coach, he knows almost everything!

Coach Willy

77 courses available now. Free members choose any one available course per calendar month (UK time). Angler Plus opens all available courses forever.

New skills every week

One new course a week for each of carp, coarse, fly and predator — here’s what’s coming over the next two months. Released courses stay in the full list below.

Just released: deep dives

Out now

Week of 12 Oct

  • carpWhy fish become difficult to catch: pressure, learning and selection

    Complete guide

  • coarseReading a river in three dimensions

    Complete guide

  • flyThe underwater food web for fly anglers

    Complete guide

  • predatorThe predator's temperature map

    Complete guide

Week of 19 Oct

  • carpMoon phases: science or myth for carp anglers?

    Complete guide

  • coarseThe great silverfish migration: where roach and bream go in winter

    Complete guide

  • flyThe science of the drift

    Complete guide

  • predatorFollow the prey: predators and their food

    Complete guide

Week of 26 Oct

  • carpThe mechanics of feeding: inside a carp's mouth

    Complete guide

  • coarseCanal ecology: how a canal really works

    Complete guide

  • flyThe trout's energy budget

    Complete guide

  • predatorDo pike have territories?

    Complete guide

Week of 2 Nov

  • carpThe carp's biological clock: daily and seasonal rhythms

    Complete guide

  • coarseUnderstanding bream shoals and feeding

    Complete guide

  • flyAfter-dark sea trout

    Complete guide

  • predatorWhy predators strike

    Complete guide

Week of 9 Nov

  • carpThe vertical carp: understanding midwater behaviour

    Complete guide

  • coarseThe secret life of tench

    Complete guide

  • flySalmon and sea trout migration

    Complete guide

  • predatorUrban predator ecology

    Complete guide

Week of 16 Nov

  • carpWeedbeds: the ecology of carp hotspots

    Complete guide

  • coarseCommercial fisheries: biology under high stocking

    Complete guide

  • flyChalkstreams vs spate rivers

    Complete guide

  • predatorThe search for exceptional pike

    Complete guide

Week of 23 Nov

  • carpPressured carp after dark

    Complete guide

  • coarseMatch fishing as decision science

    Complete guide

  • flyThermal limits of trout and grayling

    Complete guide

  • predatorPredator welfare: recovery and release

    Complete guide

Week of 30 Nov

  • carpThe economics of feeding: when more bait means fewer bites

    Complete guide

  • coarseCrayfish, nuisance fish and competition for food

    Complete guide

  • flyWhat triggers a hatch?

    Complete guide

  • predatorZander location through the seasons

    Complete guide

25 of 77 courses

All fishing · advancedAvailable

Rising and falling rivers: the complete science

You'll finish with: river gauge log and hydrograph comparison sheet.

5 steps · bankside

coarse · advancedAvailable

Barbel and floodwater: predicting feeding opportunities

You'll finish with: barbel flood log and refuge map.

5 steps · bankside

All fishing · advancedAvailable

The perch feeding switch: from bugs to fish

You'll finish with: perch diet and conditions log.

5 steps · bankside

All fishing · advancedAvailable

The underwater insect calendar: UK river flies through the year

You'll finish with: insect sampling sheet and 12-month river calendar.

5 steps · bankside

All fishing · advancedAvailable

Gravel, clay and silt: the science of the lakebed

You'll finish with: lakebed spot-ranking card and seasonal bed map.

5 steps · bankside

All fishing · improverAvailable

Underwater optics: Snell's window, colour loss and what fish really see

You'll finish with: approach and colour-test log.

4 steps · bankside

All fishing · advancedAvailable

Thermoclines, wind and oxygen: why banker swims suddenly die

You'll finish with: depth-temperature and wind log.

4 steps · bankside

All fishing · improverAvailable

Barometric pressure, swim bladders and how fish sense the world

You'll finish with: pressure-and-conditions log.

4 steps · bankside

All fishing · improverAvailable

Complete Guide to Fish Biology and How it Impacts Your Catch Rate

You'll finish with: conditions log sheet and fish-sign checklist.

5 steps · bankside

coarse · beginnerAvailable

Catch more coarse fish in winter: location, depth and feeding

You'll finish with: winter decision sheet and practice card.

4 steps · bankside

coarse · beginnerAvailable

Start barbel fishing: your first river campaign

You'll finish with: first-barbel preparation and river observation pack.

5 steps · bankside

coarse · beginnerAvailable

Make your own groundbait: ingredients, texture and flavour mistakes

You'll finish with: batch recipe sheet and water-test checklist.

5 steps · at home

coarse · beginnerAvailable

Cast a method feeder more accurately

You'll finish with: target casting scorecard and practice card.

4 steps · bankside

coarse · improverAvailable

Prepare to win your first pole fishing match

You'll finish with: match plan timetable and review sheet.

5 steps · bankside

coarse · beginnerAvailable

Pole fishing: read depth and feed the right line

You'll finish with: depth and feeding-line planner.

4 steps · bankside

coarse · improverAvailable

Find tench and plan a deliberate dawn session

You'll finish with: tench session observation pack.

4 steps · bankside

coarse · improverAvailable

Catch bream on natural waters: build a feeding and presentation plan

You'll finish with: bream feed and observation log.

4 steps · bankside

coarse · improverAvailable

River chub: read cover and improve your approach

You'll finish with: chub approach worksheet.

4 steps · bankside

coarse · improverAvailable

River float fishing: control a trot and read the current

You'll finish with: trotting practice card.

4 steps · bankside

coarse · improverAvailable

Commercial fishery margins: timing, feeding and presentation

You'll finish with: margin session decision card.

4 steps · bankside

coarse · improverAvailable

Short-session silverfish: improve speed without rushing

You'll finish with: short-session workflow and review sheet.

4 steps · bankside

coarse · beginnerAvailable

Pole elastics: pick, fit and tension them right

You'll finish with: elastic choice card and tension check.

4 steps · at home

coarse · beginnerAvailable

Feeder fishing for beginners: cast, feed and hit bites

You'll finish with: feeder set-up card and casting rhythm log.

4 steps · bankside

coarse · beginnerAvailable

Method feeder rigs and pellets: get the details right

You'll finish with: pellet prep card and method rig checklist.

4 steps · at home

coarse · beginnerAvailable

The complete guide to catching roach on stillwaters

You'll finish with: stillwater roach tackle, feeding and bite-response plan.

5 steps · bankside

Learn a skill, catch more fish

Each course walks you through one thing properly in a few steps — tying a hair rig that actually hooks carp, getting the method feeder spot on, finding winter perch or casting further without tangles. You get the kit list, the rig, the bait and a practice drill to take to the bank.

Every course has a free step-1 sample you can read right here, no sign-up needed. Free members unlock one full course a month; Angler Plus opens all available courses forever, with Willy on hand to answer questions as you go.