Features

Johnny Onslow, the managing director of Kenyan fly tying firm Gone Fishing Limited, explains why it is trusted worldwide to deliver the best fishing flies time after time.

“Just over 20 years ago, I was mulling plans with a great friend with whom I had grown up here in Kenya.

“We had accompanied each other on many fishing expeditions from a young age, ranging from the wild forest trout streams of Kenya at high altitude, dodging the odd elephant and buffalo, to the deserts of Lake Turkana in the north of Kenya in search of 100lb-plus Nile perch and on to the coast looking for sailfish and marlin... all on fly (or at least most of the time!)

“I had just retired as the principal of a school in Nairobi and was casting about for ideas as I completed an MBA. Why not export fishing flies, my friend had suggested – a crazy idea in my mind, as my ability to tie flies is laughable even to this day.

“This casual comment and a series of coincidences led to the foundation of Gone Fishing, which now employs about 100 people and exports flies all over the world.

“I am glad to say that every tyer has infinitely more skill at the bench than I do. My task is to ensure they receive the support and resources to tie flies so that our customers can confidently compare our flies with the best commercially tied flies from anywhere in the world and, perhaps just as importantly, get a sense of real value for money.

Friendly and professional

T“he fact that Gone Fishing has developed a network of wonderfully loyal customers, some of whom order tens of thousands of dozens a year and some only about 100 dozen, but of their own bespoke and very demanding specifications, speaks for itself.

“The hallmark of doing business with Gone Fishing has always been one of open, friendly, and quick response. We have been complimented on:

• Our ability to meet timelines.
• The consistent high quality of our flies, order after order.
• Straight forward approach to handling the occasional quality issues that do occur and are inevitable with a totally manual process.
• Pleasant and quick communication.
• Ability to supply top-up orders at short notice.

“Twenty years on, Gone Fishing is still developing and is always keen to help both those in wholesale and retail develop their sales and range of patterns. We would love to hear from you.”

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