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Rutland Fly Fair

A good crowd of dedicated fly tiers made its way to the Barnsdale Lodge Hotel on the north shore of Rutland Water on a miserable February Sunday for the first Rutland Fly Fair, writes Terry Lawton. The Fair was organised very well by Stuart and Sue Illsley of Rutland Fishing from Stamford, in conjunction with Fly-Fishing & Fly-Tying Magazine. It was held in aid of the English Disabled Fly Fishing Association, raising £750 towards the costs of staging the 2002 International which they are hosting at Eyebrook Reservoir.

There were trade exhibitors including DJ Hackles, Cookshill Fly Tying, Cochy-y-Bondhu Books, Rutland Fishing, Gordon Griffiths, Lakeland Fly Tying and Whittlesea Gun Shop. There was an excellent range of fly tying materials on show and some great bargains to be had. As everyone agreed, it is so much easier to buy hackles, capes, threads etc when you can see and handle them.

Professional fly tiers including, Kevin Bucknall, Graydon Bell, Ian MacKenzie, Steve Thornton, David Westwood, Michael Filtness, Gordon MacKenzie, and Terry Griffiths from The Fly Dressers Guild were either hard at work showing off their considerable skills or putting on special demonstrations in a separate small lecture theatre. Best tying tip of the day? In my opinion using Super Glue to rescue a fly when the thread - or fine copper wire if tying a PT nymph - breaks at a critical moment. Simply run a tiny spot of Super Glue along the broken thread or wire and make a few turns to secure it. You can then tie-on again, safe in the knowledge that the broken end is now anchored securely. This tip came, amongst other good ones, from Ian Mckenzie who is quality control manager for Fulling Mill Flies, and ably stepped in for Micky Bewick who went down with 'Flu' on the day and was unable to attend.

Although the event was small, dense fog and the terrible weather, and the fact that there were visitors from as far afield as Penzance and Berwick on Tweed many had disappeared soon after lunch. Everyone seemed very pleased with the day which can be judged a great success. Stuart and Sue told Fish & Fly that they were so encouraged by the success of the event that a provisional booking has been made for 3 February 2002. when, all being well, there should be more trade stands and fly tiers to marvel at.

If you went, Stuart would be pleased to have any comments. You can contact him at rutlandfishing@btinternet.com