About Me

I’m David—yes, that’s me above in my fly fishing gear (and yes, I do own normal clothes too).

I’m a photographer and angler based near the stunning Yorkshire Dales National Park. Most days you’ll find me either on the river, waving a rod about, or out exploring the countryside with a camera in hand—often both, with a GoPro strapped to my chest, talking to myself like it’s perfectly normal 😀.

Fishing has been my first passion since I was 8 years old. I’ll let you in on a little secret—I couldn’t take hooks out of fish for years, until I finally plucked up the courage while spinning for sea trout in Scotland. I think my dad breathed a huge sigh of relief that day.

These days, rivers have completely taken over. I’ve done my fair share of stillwater fishing, but nothing compares to moving water. The only exception? Scotland—put me in front of a loch and I’m straight back in looking into the deep, dark water waiting for that big one to hook itself on the end of my line.

Photography came a little later. I started with a simple point-and-shoot film camera from my mum, gradually working my way through digital compacts before stepping up to a DSLR. Over time, that curiosity turned into a real passion, and I’ve since moved into the Canon mirrorless system I use today.

In the early 2000s I started a YouTube channel, where I now share mostly fishing content—capturing my time on the river and the experiences that come with it.

For me, both fishing and photography offer the same thing: a sense of escape. Time outdoors gives me space to think, breathe, and step away from the noise of everyday life—while staying connected to something constantly changing and unpredictable.

More recently, I’ve started exploring digital art on an iPad, alongside a bit of watercolour, as another creative outlet - Links: Digital Art | Watercolour

Looking ahead, I’d love to move into working as an ambassador/content creator within the fly fishing industry.

The word 'dael' comes from Old English (Anglo-Saxon). The new word to replace is 'dale', meaning an open valley. 'Dael' is a synonyn to the word 'valley'.

Heading outside photography and fishing gives me a place of solitude, somewhere I can go to the countryside, to breath in the fresh clean air that surrounds me. A place where I can think. A place I can get away from the ‘real world’, forgetting  all my troubles. Somewhere I can step into nature and tune into the unknown world that is changing around us every second of each day.