UKMA: Can you explain briefly how you got into angling?

Ron Sharp (RS): My uncle gave my brother and me the famous book “Mr Crabtree Goes Fishing”, by Bernard Venables.  We read it from end to end, again and again, and eventually one Christmas we persuaded my dad that we really wanted to go fishing (he was a golfer and I think was a bit disappointed at our lack of interest in caddying for him).   We were kitted out with some basic rods and reels, and we began fishing for perch in the local pond. 

I’ve been a fisherman ever since, apart for the customary interlude in my teens and early twenties when my attention was briefly diverted by women and drink – but it wasn’t long before I was back seeking refuge in fishing.

UKMA: How did you start in the angling trade?

RS: I worked as an electronics design engineer, but always fancied opening a tackle shop.  As it happened, the company I was working for went bust, and I was made redundant just as my brother was selling his own business – so it seemed like the time was right to open a tackle shop together.

UKMA: What made you decide to start your own business within the angling industry?

RS: As I said, I started a shop with my brother.  That was 1990.  We had the shop for ten years, and during that time, the internet came along, and I realised that that was going to be the future.  After ten years, the lease for the shop was up for renewal and we decided to close it.  I taught myself HTML and Javascript, and ended up teaching web design and programming at a local college.  During that time I started www.fliesonline.co.uk, mainly as a demonstration site to show advanced students how to set up an e-commerce business.  After a couple of years, the site was so busy, that I had to leave my lecturing job to run Fliesonline full time.  I now sell about half a million flies a year from the site.

UKMA: How long has the company been running?

RS: Fliesonline was started in 2002

UKMA: How do you see the future with regards to company expansion over the forthcoming years?

RS: I am always under pressure from customers to expand into other areas of tackle, but I prefer to concentrate on selling good quality flies at a good price.  The site is constantly expanding, with new patterns being added all the time, but with retirement looming in a few years time, there are no plans to expand into other areas.

For further information on Flies Online, please click the image below.