fly tying Archives - Neil Keep Fly Fishing

March 2, 2018March 2, 2018

Deer park Fishery Open Day

Deer Park Fishery Open Day

Deer Park Hotel, Weston, Honiton EX14 3PG

Sunday 29^th April 2018 10.00am – 4.00pm

To celebrate the new season on the water, the Deer Park fishery on the river Otter is holding a FREE bankside open day which is open to all, whether you are a fly fisher or someone who is looking to get into the sport.

Join us on the hotels 3 miles of the river Otter to see what the fishery has to offer, walk the bank or bring your kit and have a complimentary fish.

Our fishing school instructor Neil Keep will be on hand to talk all things fly fishing and show you around. Get a free casting tune up with Neil who will be happy to pass on any tips and techniques for fishing the river. There will also be some on the water demonstrations in modern nymph fishing techniques and river fly casting.

Along with all this there will be the latest range of Marryat river rods for you to try out and maybe even some bankside fly tying if the elements permit.

A short walk from the river bank will see you at the splendid Deer Park Hotel which will be open for lunch and refreshments throughout the day and if the weather permits there will be an afternoon barbeque on the bank.

On arrival please park in the hotel car park and walk down to the river where you will find us set up on the river bank, if you are unsure please pop into the hotel reception and they will point you in the right direction.

If you would like any more information about the day please get in touch with Neil Keep –

Telephone: 01225 313729

Mobile: 07821 647055

Email: enquiries@neilkeepflyfishing.co.uk

Web: www.neilkeepflyfishing.co.uk

November 16, 2014January 16, 2015

Grayling Flies

I have been spending a couple of hours tying some grayling flies.

The rain has scuppered attempts to hold this weekends grayling course, the river is big, brown and angry.

I have been messing around with some different colours and trying some variations of some classic patterns, all tied on the awesome Partridge Jig hooks.

It’s not fishing but the next best thing if you can’t get on the water and any D.I.Y around the house is just overrated!

November 12, 2014January 16, 2015

Stuck At The Tying Vice

I’m stuck at the tying vice as it seems lately that all the winter grayling fishing has come to a halt with the persistent rain in my neck of the woods so I’m tying up some patterns ready for when the rain finally stops and the rivers drop.

It’s getting just a little annoying now as it looks like the rescheduled grayling weekend I’m running is going to be postponed once again.

I seem to have spent all summer praying for rain………seems my prayers have been answered now, even if a little too late.

October 27, 2014

Back To Fly Tying.

It’s finally happened……I’ve gone back to the tying vice properly after many years of just dabbling with it.

I tied my first fly some forty years ago when fishing trips were hard to come by for one reason or another and fly tying was the next best thing. At that time I remember being in love with deer hair and spent many hours trying to perfect muddlers, I found the material fascinating and spent many an hour trying to hone the technique.

My father, who taught me to fly fish, passed away a few years ago and recently I came across an old tin fly box full of flies which I had tied for him many years ago as a birthday present, I now realise how much I had struggled to perfect the aforementioned muddler, even though at that time I thought they looked awesome!

The other eye opener these days is the array of materials on offer…..synthetic quills would have been only a luxury material I could have dreamt about back then. I used to be amazed by the fluorescent colour of the chenille as a youngster as I tied yet another gaudy Wimbleball Wonder.

Now that I’m working alongside Partridge Hooks it seemed inevitable that I went back to tying. With their impressive range of hooks at my disposal coupled with my fly orders that I farm out for the guiding side of the business not always being quite right and how I would like them. Time restraints had always stopped me tying the quantities of flies needed for a season and I’m still not sure I will be able to find enough of this precious commodity but I’m determined to give it a go this winter……time will tell.

A few things have come to light during my first hours back at the vice, mainly that the standard of fly tying out there is generally very high now and I’ve discovered that my patterns at present are a bit “crude and scruffy” in comparison. My other finding is that my eyes aren’t what they used to be and don’t work quite as well as they did some forty years ago but the most important of all is that I’m really enjoying going back to the tying vice and knocking up some different patterns of an evening and want to get back on it at every available opportunity.