Charles Jardine

     

 
Charles was born into a family of fly fishers and artists; his father being the late wildlife artist and respected salmon fisher: Alex Jardine. In 1976, after a near continuous association with the streams and still waters of the south, Charles was invited to work with Dermot Wilson at Nether Wallop Mill in Hampshire as a full time guide and later instructor. During this period Charles gained the APGAI certificate as well as starting to contribute to the national angling press.

Charles left the Mill in 1981 having also achieved the National Anglers' Council award in salmon and trout casting and also fly dressing (now the Salmon and Trout National Instructors Certificate). This culminated in him being asked to write about angling matters for the London Daily Telegraph. It was this, which prompted him into full time wildlife painting and angling writing which he continues to do to this day.

In the early 90's he, together with IPC, Terry Griffiths, Peter Cockwill, and Chris Ogbourne started the ground breaking magazine: Still Water Trout Fisher, then leaving to work exclusively on Trout and Salmon magazine and Trout Fisherman. He has written extensively in the past for publications abroad such as The FFF journals, Germany's Fliegenfischen, American Angler and also Italian and Scandinavian fishing magazines.
Jardine now writes, and makes images exclusively for Fly Fishing and Fly Tying magazine in the UK.

Charles has written four books; The Sothebys Guide to Fly-Fishing for Trout, the critically acclaimed Dark Pools, Small Water Trout Fishing and the pocket book: The Fly Fishers Catch. He has also co-authored with Bob Church, Stillwater Trout Tactics and illustrated a further twenty or more books on fishing and wildlife.

Charles' paintings can be found in private collections throughout the world and he continues to demonstrate casting techniques at the national Game Fair, Chatsworth Angling Fair and many other shows in Europe and the USA. He also demonstrates fly tying, particularly at past Federation of Fly Fishers conclaves in the US. He is an honorary member of the FFF Casting Board of Governors in America and a Vice president/chair of the Fly Dressers Guild and previously sat “on” the FFF European Casting Board as well as holding the FFF Masters certificate (fly-casting) and APGAI…but still learning and not knowing much.

More recently he has been a champion for the campaign for Angling with Countryside Alliance and perhaps his greatest achievement to date is his Fishing For Schools that has reached thousands of young people in the UK over it’s 17 years.
In 2023 Jardine had arguably his greatest honour by being inducted into the Flyfishing Hall of Fame at the Catskill Flyfishing Museum – the only living Englishman to hold the honour.
At 72…he is not stopping …not stopping casting, tying…fishing, writing, painting or educating …or learning.