Walthamstow (London)

[tolla]

For those of you that might come to London on business and don't have much time to go fishing further a field, might want to try walthamstow.
It is 2 reservoirs (concrete bowls) linked with a causeway, i know it is not your normal lake, dam or fishery out in the sticks, but it is nice to have a fishery that is a half hour from where i live.
This place can be very easy some days or hard as hell , our club blanked there 2 weeks ago and we have guys fishing for england and this is our home water.
I went there on 22/7/2009 after work and the fishing was brilliant, the fish were high up in the water with the overast conditions and south westerly that was blowing.
I started with a team of buzzers on a floating line and missed a couple of fish, changed the point fly to a small sedge dry and started fishing the washing line.
Nailed one on the top dropper (black buzzer), had a couple come up and inspect the sedge , but no takers, changed the sedge to a cdc buzzer and was into my biggest for the evening. Nothing beats seeing a fish take a fly with confidence. Had one on the second dropper that i changed to a daiwl bach , saw some fish chasing fry and i changed to a muddler, second cast and i was into another fish, one of the club guys joined me and i told him to try a muddler and on his first cast he was into a fish.Well it was time to pack up and head to the pub and end a great evening.
So if you come to london give walthamstow a go.
here are some pics

[Sudesh Pursad]

Hello Tolla...

Good looking peice of water. Will be in London in a few weeks. I was also introduced to Syon Park by Trevor Jones (2009 Captain of the Welsh Commonwealth team) which is just 8 miles on the A5 from Marble Arch. He rates this fishery quite highly. Was planning on fishing the Usk or Taff in south Wales, but if time does not permit, then will have a look at Syon Park or Walthamstow, which I see is just in Zone 3.

Gareth Jones from Airflo reminded me that the South Wales rivers might be in flood, so I may head up north to fish the Dee and Llyn Brenig. Last year around Sep, I got lucky when the flooded rivers dropped 5 feet in three days and gave me a chance to fish the Honddu in south Wales.

Was at the Dee and Brenig at the beginning of June this year and had an awesome time, getting two grayling and a couple trout on the Dee and losing count of the fish in the afternoon session on Brenig, after just two in the morning.

Thanks for the fishery venue. Will defintely have a look if time permits.

Incidentally, the CDC buzzer, tied parachute style has been my most successful fly in all my UK fishing.

Tight lines always.

Regards
Sudesh

[Sudesh Pursad]

Hi Tolla...

Apologies, did not mean to be rude. If you are available, maybe we can have a thow together, either at Syon or Walthamstow. I will unfortunately only know when I am in London about my free time.

Let me know if you are keen and we can stay in touch.

Regards
Sudesh

[Rendier]

Syon Park was my "home" water when I lived in SW London. Great fishery. Idf you have the time, it might be worth travelling wdown the A3 to Albury Estates, the owners of Syon Park. 3 additional lakes avaiable there.

[Sudesh Pursad]

Hi Rendier...

Many thanks for the heads up. Will probably check them out since Syon Park is not a catch and release place.

Many thanks
Sudesh

ps. my "home" waters was up north in the Northumberland county. Also fished a lot in Cumbria, and a little in Scotland - all over a 2.5 year period. Loved the buzzer fishing

[tolla]

No problem Sudesh, give me a shout if you wanna go.
I have not fished at syon park yet, but some of our club guys say that it is a bit small and can get very crowded, we could always go to Bewl , Grafham or Hanningfield and do some boat fishing on a weekend?

[JamesW]

Syon Park is good fun, but litter better then fishing at Brookwood or any other heavily stocked, near city, water. . . can sometimes have over 20 guys fishing a lake not big enough for 5! But fun for an afternoon out - no C&R though and at 6 quid a fish you feel very poor very quick. . .

Walthamstow looked awesome when i was there, fished hard but i still hadn't mastered the buzzer techniques. . . has potential! Although in a rough neck of the woods!. . . Awesome little pub across the road for after fishing though

My best venue within 40 mins of london was a place called Haywards in Reading, 30 mins train ride from Paddington, and 2 mins walk from train station and you can fish C&R for a reasonable price, or put and take like the rest - good fishing with awesome insect life. . . Fish in C&R lake fight HARD!

Has anyone tried the river Wandle in SW? Heard its got some trout now?

If you ever get the time head to Dover Street (Green Park tube) and go to the Orvis shop, two Saffa's Jimmy and Charl manage the place - friendliest guys you could meet and will happily put you in the right direction re decent, affordable fishing

[tolla]

hey James, the other cool thing about heaywards is that the Sportfish tackle shop is next to the lake
jip old Jimmy is a very nice bloke, got my 9wt zero gravity from them.
there was a tv program about trout fishing in london and the guy that fished it only got course fish in the Wandle, but there were rumours that someone got a couple of nice trout

[JamesW]

hey James, the other cool thing about heaywards is that the Sportfish tackle shop is next to the lake
jip old Jimmy is a very nice bloke, got my 9wt zero gravity from them.
there was a tv program about trout fishing in london and the guy that fished it only got course fish in the Wandle, but there were rumours that someone got a couple of nice trout

Sportfish is pretty awesome Fished Heywards a lot, was my fav of the london(ish) joints. . . Have you ever fished Haliford Mere??

Also watched that show, where the bloke tried to get a trout within the M25. . . He eventually did but somehwere random. . . Wanted to try the Wandle, saw on the UK FT threads that there certainly were trout there and being taken. . . But my time in London is done (for now), and not keen to come back anytime soon!! So will rather focus on our trout here now, no need for jam packed, overpriced, overfished dams/ rivers anymore Its amamzing, for one day fishing an average lake/ river in UK you could fish an awesome lake/ river in SA for a whole weekend, accom included!! Fishing in SA is the BEST!

[Sudesh Pursad]

... go to the Orvis shop, two Saffa's Jimmy and Charl manage the place - friendliest guys you could meet and will happily put you in the right direction re decent, affordable fishing

Hello James...

Thanks for the Haywards fishery referral. Don't like catch and keep places, so won't try Syon Park. Will probably check out Walthamstow or Haywards.

Sorry I have to disagree about the "friendly" guys in the Orvis shop. Maybe its just me, but the Orvis shop and Sportfish in Pall Mall have the unfriendliest and most unhelpful guys. The orvis shop is small, and not a single salesperson asked if I needed assistance for about 10mins of me browsing in the shop. I had a worse experience in Sportfish. These are experiences from last year September and June this year. Fortunately I knew what I was looking for, then browsed and left. No one spoke to me. I knew one of the previous managers in the Orvis shop. He was also a South African and I guided him here in SA. This was after invting him to come out fishing with me - he was very friendly and helpful - this was way back in about 2001 or so.

During my second visit to Sportfish in June this year, the sales guys again were too busy stocking the shelves to ask me if I needed any assistance (and I did this time). Eventually, after about 8mins, one of the guys who was walking past, asked me if I needed assistance, all in a by the way manner. I did not appreciate this kind of service and left the store without extending any browsing, paid for what I found and then left. Wont be hurrying back to any of these stores unless I really need something.

Maybe its just me, or that's the way of the Londoners. However, I received a completely different reception at stores outside of London and in Wales.

Thanks again for the Haywards referral.

Regards
Sudesh