Walthamstow – 30/01/08

With storms forecasted for the last day of the season, I made a switch on my annual leave and took the Wednesday of instead of the 31st. Sunny day with a cold breezy wind blowing from the SW. Tried the usual spots and never got a pull.

Decided to fish the whole length of the causeway of #5 with the wind blowing from the right. I was using a Di5 shooting head and whacking a pair of boobs right out with an apps blood worm on a dropper. Thought I would have fish lined up, but only managed one pull. If I caught one it would have been a whopper, but no joy.

Met Gerry who had hooked a 5lb+ brownie the day before in #5 on a cove nymph and was his best brown in 20 years fishing at Wally!

I managed to catch a Tesco bag that went well at first (long time since anything gave a bend to the rod). The bag had quite a few zebra mussels on it and I threw it to the side on the bank. A few seconds later I was sure I saw something flapping around in it, and was amazed to see I had ‘bagged’ a 3” perch, nicely wrapped up for our eastern European friends – better and fresher than Lidl!!

Whilst moving along the causeway I gave a hefty pull on the double haul, when whack, I felt the line hit the back of my head and the belly of the line flew over the top of my head in front of me. I thought where is my boobies! Then realised one had gone all the way through my ear lobe – barb and all. I then spent around 2 mins trying to extract it, and there was a fair amount of blood. I had to squeeze my lobe with the left had while really pulling hard on the fly to pass the barb all the way back though the lobe. Had one all the way through my neck skin before, but this felt worse, plus I was on my own. Must get a hoodie!

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Walthamstow – 26/01/08

Managed a few hours on a cold breezy afternoon. A competition was being held and a few fish had been caught in #5.

I tried the spot in #4 where I have been having some success, but only managed one pull.
Went to #5 after the competition people had finished and a few fish had come from the corner by the hut and this was where the winner had been fishing. Met Frank who had only caught one. Started fishing the corner next to him and never got a sniff, finally lost 3 flies in 2 casts and packed up.

Gary (WFF editor) had caught a cracking 5.5lb in #5 along the centre of the causeway on an orange booby, and unfortunately caught it a few minutes after the competition had ended.
Also heard quite a few of the small stocked browns were still swimming close to the causeway in #5 and were still being caught and returned and a few of them looked like the had turned in to lepers!

Great to see fish still being caught, even though the last stocking was in November.

Reports the previous days were that fish were being hooked on bloodworms fished near the bottom on bungs.

Had a row with some c*nt on the tube who sat next to me blearing his music from a shity phone on the way there, got me really angry and I was ready for a fight instead of a relaxing few hours fishing!

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27/12/07 – Walthamstow

Fished with Marco and he used his new rod that I built for the first time. The blank I used was a Batson RX7 Rainshadow; 9' #7 4 piece, lovely light rod with a stiff toppy action. Bought the complete kit from J Stockard in the States http://www.jsflyfishing.com/ Got done by the customs and still it probably only cost around £80 - brilliant value.

He had 3 and I had 3, all on boobies. Great fishing for the conditions and time of year.

The fly that done really well for me was a salmon chennile body and black tailed booby. Marco had his fish on a olive booby and caught a fantastic long lean fish over 3lb (he is a jammy bastard!).



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24/12/07 – Walthamstow

Had 6 on boobies at the same spot, talk about consistent! Great stamp of fish, although the fish I knocked were empty on spooning.

Black and green, and red and white with black eye boobies done the business. Most coming to the point fly, 10’ leader.


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1/12/07 - Waltamstow - Fur & Feather comp

Fished my first competition at Walthamstow; The Fur & Feather organised by the Walthamstow Fly Fishers Club (WFFC). Everyone to fish for four fish, and the heaviest catch won.

I turned up at 10:30 thinking that this was the kick of time, the same as the winter competition. Got to the lodge and asked Chris where was everyone and he told me that they had started at 7:00 am! Oh well, I had some catching up to do. The competition was due to end at 2:00 pm.

I made my way round to the ressie’s and was well impressed with the turnout, maybe 30-40 fishermen. Met Gary Inwards the Chairman of the club, he gave me the low-down and last years winner was well on his way, Frank.

I made my way along the causeway to the east corner of #4 and started to fish, after a couple of hours in the fierce wind, I had hooked 2 fish but lost both close to the bank while fishing boobies.

I thought about moving and it would have been a long timely walk to the South bank of #5 that may have produced but decided to sit it out where I was.

There was a sweep for the total weight of fish and the largest fish. I guessed 128lb.

Around 1:30 the spot that had produced for me in the past weeks became available, and I managed to get on it. In the last ½ hour I managed 2 fish which was a right result!

At the weigh in at the Ferry Boat Inn, the total weight of fish was 130 odd lb, so I was quite close, but not close enough, and from memory I think the largest fish was 4.3lb, caught by Franks mate and the eventual winner, who moved in to Franks spot once he had his fill!

I won a bottle of wine and was over the moon! Had a great time and a few pints in the pub and really enjoyed the day. Can’t wait till the next one. Cracking bunch of people and really well run event. Wish I had joined the WFFC years ago.

To contact the club:
wffceditor@hotmail.com

Charlies First Fish - Walthamstow 25/11/07

Managed to get a couple of hours Sunday afternoon. Wind had swung round a bit towards the North but the spot I fished on Thursday was still good to fish although was a pretty exposed to the wind.

First ever trip and he turned 4 in October. After about an hour of not a bite, he said 'Can I come again?'. Before this he was saying he was going to catch a hundred fish.



Eventually I hooked one and handed him the rod, I let him hold the rod as I pulled the line through. The fish oblidged and cleared the water a couple of times, and after a very long struggle we had it in the net.

He was really chuffed and didn't complain once. He enjoyed the hot chochlate and the trifle that we brought along and also threw 2 of his rolls in to a swan.

I had around 10 pulls and 1 fish follow all the way to within 2 foot of the bank, but never hooked another. Well worth it and Charlie sat down and admired his fish!

Walthamstow - 22/11/07 Cracking Afternoon!

Had a bonanza afternoon after quite a few weeks since I was last able to go fishing. The clocks going back meant that I had no chance to get a session in after leaving work. So I took the afternoon off.

Caught 12 in four hours, including some nice real beauties with long lean bodies and great tails.

I started fishing on the west Bank just before the bay by the hut. I have never caught a fish here before, but it really looked like it was worth having a go here. The wind was from the west and it was warm while the sun was out.

I fished a Di5 shooting head with a 10 foot leader, black & green booby on the point and an apps red bloodworm half way down on a dropper. Remarkably only 1 fish came to the bloodworm pattern, the others all to the booby. I left the line to reach the bottom and mixed the retrieves up, with plenty of jerks and pauses. Sometimes I was getting a pull every chuck. Half the fish took fairly close in, where I could see the head part of my line coming up to the rod tip. The fish I spooned had been gorging on green and red blood worms.

Best fish was 3lbs and all were over 2lbs and had plenty of fight in them. Everyone I spoke to had had action. Need to try and get an afternoon in next week……………..

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