Sunray Team
Whilst preparing to take his fly fishing masters AAPGAI casting instructor test in 2012, Tom set about cutting and welding a home made 64' 52g spey fly line. It has 16 welds and is made up of 7 separate fly lines, in 4 different colours. Keen to understand how energy was travelling through the complicated taper, Tom commissioned a piece of software that displays taper data in graph format.
That software is still used to design tapers and send to the factory. Tom's obsession with taper and materials progressed until, in 2014, he invented the Micro Thin Fly Line. Considered the most important development in fly line manufacturing since the 1960's, Sunray license the technology to other brands.
The combination of 4 decades fly fishing, a casting technician, a degree in the arts and a UK business owner for 2 decades has given Tom a potent mix of design, creative & business skills which underpin Sunray daily.
England Team Manager
Driven by two fundamentals; conservation of wild habitat and the key of presentation. Jeremy Lucas is known for his simplicity and minimalism which he refers to as the 'ultimate refinement'. Cambridge science graduate, author of Presentation Fly-Fishing, Tactical Fly Fishing & long standing England team member, Jeremy’s name is synonymous with light line fly fishing. Uncomfortable with listing competitive achievements, the list is as broad as it is long.
First ever winner of the European Open Championship 1987Team gold, silver and bronze medals in World and European Championships
Individual bronze (World Championships 1993)
Winner of River and Lake Home internationals 1994 & 2004
Australian National Team Coach
Present England Team Manager
Stuart Crofts is considered one of the UK's finest ambassadors for fly fishing. A pioneering entomologist discovering new species. Stuart is a tutor with UK based organisations Riverfly Partnership and the Freshwater Biological Association.
Along with Jeremy Lucas, he was a competitor for England during a period of focused creativity. A period which produced many fly fishing masters. Competing in Six World Fly Fishing Championships Stuart gained the admiration of the competitive scene for his obsessive and eccentric attention to detail. Stuart not only dissects the organs of the insects he is studying, he makes the tools to do it!
Stuart's riverside and classroom demonstrations are famous. The childlike, excited energy and intense, broad knowledge that Stuart brings to entomology and fly fishing is treasured in the UK.
A genuine asset to our country.
David Southall Testing & Articles
A retired Biology & Science teacher, David is a scientist, entomologist, conservationist, innovator and author. His articles in UK magazines draw on his fly fishing entomology and fishing a variety of ultra light line styles around the world.
David’s fly patterns are the product of his daily observations and fishing. A protagonist of Tenkara & the Italian Style of Casting, David chooses the approach that is needed for individual fisheries, sometimes individual fish. David's articles in UK print publications and on our own blog are widely read.
They reveal his approach in the UK, USA, Canada, Italy, Austria, Sweden, Poland, Slovenia & New Zealand.