Walthamstow - Week #17

Went three times this week after work, and each time was quite different. The water in both reservoirs were crystal clear.

Here is a brief summary of what happened:

23/04/07

Arrived about 5:00 pm and fished in number 4 - had nothing, then went to #5 and fished the corner near the tower.

Had one fish on a buzzer and a couple of takes and that was it. Wind was blowing from the South.

1 - 1 - 0

24/04/07

Arrived at 3:00 pm. Saw people fishing along the causeway, near the west corner. Wind was still blowing from the same direction as Monday.

Bloke corner caught as I walked along, and then the last person (about 4 people along) caught one. So I fished along from him.

Tactics were 4 fly cast; orange sight bob fly, dial bach, buzzer (both as pics below), and the point fly was changed on several occasions. Wind was blowing nicely slightly accross me from the left. Cast my flies out slightly in to the wind and let the wind move them across. Takes came rapidly and had 2 fish on at the same time on my second cast. Had plenty of action for a couple of hours, although the fishing went dead for a while very now and then.

Early evening the fish went of altogeter. I heard a rise in #5 behind me and cast to a fish, and bang it was on. Casting in to the wind with buzzers was very difficult and although the fish were rising close to the bank it was very hard presenting the team of flies to them and had to give up on them in the end.

Meanwhile, the fish started rising in #4, and there was a prolific hatch of green buzzers. I have never seen so many, had to keep waving my hand in front of my eyes to see whet I was doing. the fish were well on them, and I never got a tug, probably because my flies were 1 in a million.

4 - 3 - 3

26/04/06

Arrived just after 5:00 pm. Wind had swung round and was cold and blowing from the North. Fished on the 2nd platform from the corner near the pylon on #4 (near the road / railway line).

Had a fish on my second cast. Same tactics as Tuesday. Played it in quickly and he swam under the platform, then snapped my buzzer of as I was passing my rod under the platform.

Lost a monster while winding in, fish pulled the line, reel spun, birds nest, fish pulled again........ SNAP!

Moved along the bank to the other corner, and got no joy. Walked round to the causeway and was told that no one was catching. Went back to my first position and had a fish shortly after on the drop on a long cast, also had another on the retrieve (these 2 were in the last hour).

4 - 3 - 0

Of on hols for 2 weeks, be back soon!

Walthamstow - 10/04/07

Arrived around 12:00. In the lodge was details of a fish screen that was fitted to #4 to stop the fish swimming in to the Higher Maynard where some of the carp boys have been pulling out a few nice rainbows. The water flows from the Higher Maynard into #4 and it's quite natural for a trout too want to swim upstream and this how quite a few have ended up in there.

The water in #4 was still quite brown, contrastly the water in #5 was very clear, probably due to the drain down in #4 last year. I made my way to the Causeway and fished in to both resevoirs for a couple of hours and managed one fish from one take in #5 and saw a few fish rise in the corner of #4. the fish took a Damsel nymph on a 3 fly leader on a floating line.

1 = Causeway, 2 = #5 Corner

I then moved round to the corner in#5. Half way along, one bloke had caught a 5-6lb'er on an olive.

The fishing quickly improved, even though it was a mild wind, it was a lot more comfortable fishing with the wind. I cast out a black holographic buzzer, dial bach and bloodworm, with a bung. Moving the flies very slowly after leaving them static for a good few minutes, I begun to get action. I had a double hook up, fish taking on the first twitch of the flies after a long cast, and even had a fish on the last cast winding in. Unfortunately had to leave early to watch Chelsea overcome the odds to beat Valencia in the Champs League Semi final. Packed up at 6:30 and was indoors with a stella for 7:30. Marked 3 fish down.

A couple of the fish had Cormorant puches on them and a few were diving/swimming around pannicking the fish. Would be good if someone could get in a boat and set fire to the rotten trees on the islands that are full of the nests (anyone got a light?).

Black Holographic Buzzer (click for larger pic.)

Hook: Size 12 Sedge
Body: Black Holographic Tinsel (varnished for protection after ribbing)
Rib: 4lb Fluorocarbon
Breathers: White Poly Yarn
Thorax: Hares Ear

Dail Bach (click for larger pic.)

Hook: Size 10 Partridge Traditional Wet Fly - Heavy Wire
Body: Green Peacock Herl
Rib: Fine Copper wire
Thorax: Black Peacock Herl
Tail & Underwing: Brown Cock Feather fibres
Cheeks: Pearl Flashbou

6 - 3- 0

Farmoor 2 - 01/04/07 First day of the boats

Got up nice and early, and got too Farmoor around 9:30. Was really looking forward to having one of the first boats on the water this season. Unfortunately, although it was a nice bright day, there was a very cold, blusterly wind blowing down from the North East. Due to the wind direction and speed, Marco and Myself were completly gutted to hear that the boats were cancelled.

We therfore bought our tickets and fished the East Bank. With the wind coming over the right hand shoulder, it was very uncomfortable. I manged to get in to a fish after about 1/2 hour at point number 1, just past the no fishing sign (the right side of it!). Marco fished from the Causeway for a couple of hours and then moved round to the boat pontoon.

I continued to fish in the same point with a couple of boobies on the 40+ Di7 line. I also tryed a sink tip with buzzers. All in all I managed 3 fish on the boobies, and nothing touched the buzzers. The fish were full of green daphnia and some little black buzzers. Nice to see the stockies were twice the size of some of the fish that were stocked last year. The fishing was hard and it seemed like you had to sit it out and wait for the shoal to swim past, rather than try and find em.

Marco had a very rare good day. He managed 5 in really difficult conditions and it is particularly remarkable as normally he fishes consistently worse than me. Well done for managing to out fish me! He had 5 on deep water tactics, and also (unbelivably) caught the seasons biggest so far! A 5lb 5oz over wintered beauty (caught at posisition 3). The largest rainbow last year was 5lb 10oz.

Jammy Shit Bag with a Farmoor 5lb 5oz Beauty

Paul told us that he was going to be fishing Farmoor 1 shortly, trolling with lures to try hunt some of the monster residents. Next year it will be a big fish, bank only venue, £40 for 4 fish. I will definately be having a go there next season, and am waiting for Paul to invite me to the pioneering trolling day.

Competition results

Marco 5

Vince 3