The weather looks to finally be improving this weekend. I am therefore very keen to get out fishing on Sunday. I want to get out after pike, however normally I fish for them on rivers rather than lakes and I fully expect the rivers to still be unfishable. Does anyone know of a day ticket pike lake within an hour or less of London they would recommend that is suitable for fly-fishing? None of the pits out to the west (Savay etc) that I used to fish as a youngster are day ticket any more, and I’ve never been able to find anywhere in recent years.

I was thinking of trying Halliford Mere, as at least there I’ll have another option if the pike aren’t playing. Anyone know if it’s really worth fishing for pike?

Cheers.

John

Fairlop water is day ticket and has pike to 20lb. contact Tom Riches 01277 356870.

Walthamstow ressie might be worth a call as well, they have good pike in there but dont know if they let you fly fish on the coarse lake.

__________________
Around the steel no tortur'd worm shall twine,
No blood of living insect stain my line;
Let me, less cruel, cast feather'd hook,
With pliant rod athwart the pebbled brook,
Silent along the mazy margin stray,
And with fur-wrought fly delude the prey

Ta for that. Have you ever fished Fairlop it's not somewhere I know but it's not far too away?

I fish Walthamstow quite often but have never had any pike out of the resorvoirs despite trying. I think there are some in there but the cormorants have had all the prey fish. I'd be interested to know if anyone aware of any pike in the trout ressies. I have more luck on the Copper Mill Stream which runs through the complex and had a few pike to low doubles out of there last winter. However I've not had anything out yet this year. Someone however caught a 39lb fish a couple of months back. which is an enormous fish for such a small water.

Ha! We used to have sailing lessons on Fairlop Water when I was at school. In fact, I even remember them digging it. I had no idea it was such a big fishing venue these days.