Just to let you all Walthamstow Lovers know that Walthamstow is fishing well at the moment.

I was up there yesterday evening and the fishing was just great. Yes it was windy and bit chilly at times but the fishes were all feeding right up on the surface. There were a lot of small sedges fluttering about around the banks and guess what ? most takes were on small sedges and elk hair caddis flies. Well...I caught most of mine on them anyway. Others were also catching them on buzzers and some stockies fell on lures too.

Happy hunting and tight lines..........

Nice one Deo!!

I was there on Tuesday, took the afternoon of work. Doing the same next week - cant wait.

Saw fish moving thoughout the afternoon, but didn't get a take till the evening, and that was on Boobies. Had about 5 good pulls and only landed one, hook had straightened out!! Then it got to dark and it was a shame as there were loads of fish in front of me, and people either side were on CDCs and couldn't get any action.

Did try buzzers and dries and had a couple of swirls but nothing like the action you had.

Also saw a massive fish hiding under the algae in one of the corners spent way too long trying to get it to take a fly. Would see it for a few seconds and then it would come back after 10 or so minutes. I will be looking for him next time I go!! Think he was feeding on snails, so will have a black and peacock handy with a bit of lead in it.

Deo, have you jined the club, worth doing and having a go at the competitions, learn loads, have a laugh and a few pints after?

PS #5 was stocked while I was there by the 3 pipes at the far end.

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This Seasons Blog

Thats a first ,not seen that for some years ,when number one was the fishery used to have great rises to the sedge .
Must have some stock in as well ,that will keep the black death happy

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Andy Wren
Winter grayling taking a year off !
Claret not just a great dubbing colour!

Good to hear from you vince and glad to hear that you are out n' bout with your rod and line.

I don't know why, but I have had a good season at Walthamstow this year. Probably getting better at what I do or probably I am reading the water well or just sheer good luck ....I do know. I am catching fish when others are not...and sometimes I surprise myself.

Anyway, whatever it is, beyond the Comorant Island and the Comorants, I find Walthamstow quite challenging and unless you know a thing or two, it can be quite daunting at times.

I do not understand why some hate Walthamstow and some have even vowed never to go back there again....but if everyone stops going there just because there are comorants around or it is hard fishing. How is the place ever going to improve and how on earth are you going to improve in the sport.
Might as well pay £35/£40 and go to some where were you are guarnteed your bag limit in a couple of hours time. Nothing wrong with that and I sometimes do it as well.......But what I am trying to say is if you live in the London area....you been fishing small stillwaters for sometime and if you want to improve on your fishing skills ......and if you looking for venue to do just that and bit challenging then...... I say £18 for a day (£15 half day) fishing at Walthamstow is worth every penny, and if you catch a fish on the process ...even better.....and you know you are doing something right....improving....

And most of fellow fly fishers I meet around the banks have been very friendly and informative, and are always willing to share there ideas and flies if they have enough spares in their boxes...that makes me even eager to up there more often.......

Perhaps I am unlucky first fished Walthamstowe 1971 ,I am sure of that its in my fishing diary .
When it first opened and for the first 15 or so years the fishing could be difficult ,but one always felt there were fish in reasonable numbers .
Them it slowly went down hill ,poaching and fish arriving at one gate and leaving by another .
This coupled with the cormorant problem ,not to mention the canada goose turds,put me of .
I tend to give it a whirl once or twice a season ,had a couple of evenings this summer ,saw very little movement despite good hatches !
I am a reasonably competant angler ,and feel the stocking levels have often been insufficient .
this post has made me want to visit again ,maybe see you up there .
With petrol prices and recession it could well be a more attractive proposition for North London anglers !

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Andy Wren
Winter grayling taking a year off !
Claret not just a great dubbing colour!

Andy,

All being well I should be there tuesday afternoon if you fancy it?

(cant promise you a fish though)

I'm with you Deo, can be a right hard challenge, and can change from day to day, but if you perservere and spend a bit of time there you can suss it out....

There are plenty of top fishermen who fish it regular, including Internationals, so that must say something for it!

I think the poaching and rustling has been sorted, and its a shame that there aint a strain of bird flu that would wipe out the comorants.

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This Seasons Blog

I am 110% with you Vince....shame about the comorants though. I think the stocking is quite regular now and as for poaching......I have had rangers come up to me and ask me for my membership number or for my fishing ticket. And I think it is down to each individual angler to report of any misdoing to the rangers. Its no good keeping it to yourself.

But anyway, I think Walthamstow has come along a long way since those days you have described Andy and I think it is good venue to visit once again.

It has its bad days and have blanked out on one or two occassion but isn't that what fly fishing is all about....you try to out smart the fish and so on and so forth........

I'm not a londerner, but did live in london for 10 years nearly 20(!) years ago (struth...don't time fly?). That was when I was only a coarse fisherman and I fished the Copper Mill Stream a few times - isn't that next to Walthamstow Ressie or is my memory playing up? Interesting reading anyway. I'm like you - if its stillwaters I much prefer bigger waters, with a bit of a challenge. Off to Draycote tomorrow sharing a boat with my pal from that way (my home area) - thats another challenging big water, but once you know it its superb. Actually he won a comp there yesterday (I couldn't make it), with an 8 fish limit of nearly 24lb - good stamp of fish. Its probably only about and hour and a half up the M1 from you - worth a trip if you've not fished it.

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Thank you for your suggestion my friend........well Walthamstow is North London (N17 to be precise), about halfway between Tottenham Hale and Blackhorse Road tube stations.

For more info visit: www.walthamstowffc.org.uk

Just looked at the website - yep thats what I was thinking of - Coppermill Stream gets mentioned on the website, plus a photo. It used to be an excellent, if rather bizarre, urban coarse fishery, not sure if it still is.

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