STEVE PARTON R.I.P

It is with great sadness that I announce the passing of one of the angling industry’s legends steve parton , I knew Steve some years back when I lived in derby and worked in nottingham and steves little industrial unit making all sorts of fly fishing gear and dyed feathers rods and float tubes was half way between the too in long eaton so quite often I used to pop in for a bag of maribou or other material .

Back then maribou was the only real material I used to make large pike flies with and used to go into steves unit at least once a week to buy it , he was asked what I was doing with all the maribou , I then showed him a 12 inch mauler fly made from just maribou he laughed and said you need a bloody 20wgt to cast that bugger I can build you one if you want.

Steve was just one of the people I think you'd call him a marmite bloke (love him or hate him) because he always spoke exactly what he thought and that let me tell you used to ruffle a few feathers but a nice guy honestly you couldn’t meet , it wasnt even that long ago that I bought some chenille from him and he included a few extras with a card saying “free gift because im retiring”

I suspect steve will be at the pearly gates just now giving god an earfull , steve also did a whole lot more which will be no doubt covered by the magazine he wrote but this is just my way of saying see ya later fella 

steve you will be sadly missed mate