Vince King wins Haven House charity event.
£1319 raised for great charity
The club turned out in high numbers to take part in our annual event supporting Haven House – a charity that provides care for young children and their families.
The format was exciting and a bit different. At start of the day, numbers were drawn from a hat to decide the order in which competitors were to head to the water to pick their spots. High or low numbers were favoured as the order was reversed at the start of the afternoon’s session - a middle number could mean losing out on a favourite fishing area in both sessions, either side of lunch provided by our friends at the Ferry Boat Inn. https://www.classicinns.co.uk/theferryboatlondon
Following the draw and a briefing by club chairman Dave Jarvis, the group quickly dispersed across the two reservoirs. The majority heading off to fish no 5, whilst a small group lined up along the railway bank of number 4,
Committee members Vince King and John Ferguson both kindly provided reports for the day that tell the tale of their different fortunes. A light North Easterly wind meant that all banks were accessible - all was to play for.
Vince King.
Vince’s high draw meant that he was one of the last to depart and he made his way towards the causeway and West bank of number 5. He found the first half hour quiet. Noticing that the other anglers were experiencing similar lack of action, he decided to walk up to the bay on the east bank of 5, adjacent to the houses bank. On the way, however, he stopped half-way along the causeway where regular Earl had hooked into a nice fish far out using a floater and a single buzzer, proving that sometimes less is more.
When Vince got to the bay, he saw new club member Jacek into a fish. Jacek fishes the reservoirs regularly and informed him that the water had been fishing very well recently. Jacek was soon into his better, second fish.
Vince went natural, fishing a team of buzzers under a bung (not so natural) but this meant that he could control the depth of his flies. He soon missed a fish and then started to catch in good numbers, however he noticed from the off that the size of his fish were much smaller in comparison to Jacek’s and returned all of his early fish safely back to the water in the hope that he could tempt a few larger fish to the net. Vince’s strategy worked and by lunchtime he had managed to land two solid fish that he kept for the weigh in.
A stop for lunch provided an opportunity to discuss the morning and assess the most successful techniques and areas of the reservoirs.
Not forgetting Vince’s high draw, he was one of the first off after lunch meaning that he could go straight back to the spot in the North East of 5 where he had good success in the morning. Vince continued to catch on buzzers and watched Jacek catch another two ‘keepers’ taking his total to four fish. Vince also noted that whilst three of Jacek’s fish were large, one of them was considerably smaller and knew that there was an opportunity if he could tempt some larger fish throughout the afternoon.
Vince went for broke, changing tactics to a large white snake fly and as soon as he did, the action hotted up. He was getting a take nearly every other cast and with two hours to go, he had totalled three good fish. He knew he would need to beat Jacek at the very least, so worked on his fourth ‘keeper’. This finally came at approximately 5pm.
With a full bag, Vince then moved on to the point at the edge of the bay and on his first cast he connected with a lunker of at least 6lb. The strong fish swam off to the island and fought like a demon. Vince was sure the fish was fowl hooked and was left with no backing on his reel on a number of occasions, but sometime later found that it was an impressive 6lb specimen in excellent condition. The fish was photographed and quickly released marking the end of a fantastic day’s sport for Vince.
John Ferguson
John was part of a group of 5 anglers that settled along the railway bank of reservoir 4 and things got off to a cracking start.
John and Tony Fox had both bagged a brace of decent fish by 10.30am, whilst Peter Baker had hooked, played and lost as decent fish too.
Frank Daly and Barry Sheddon, who had travelled down from Rutland for the event, had settled in up near the inlet, with Frank taking a good fish on the buzzers.
Despite an incredibly positive start, the initial action soon dwindled, presumably due to angling pressure pushing the fish out of reach.
With the half time scores as follows, the group all headed off for lunch at the hut on the causeway between 4 & 5 and timed their journey just right. Intercepting Cliff the ranger coming in with the food, giving the group a lift. Bonus!
Frank Daley 3
Tony Fox 2
John Ferguson 2
Peter Baker 1
When they arrived at the hut, most of the anglers had already gathered, telling great tales of fish caught and lost, and it became apparent that reservoir 5 was the prime water on the day. In particular, the bay by the houses and the causeway.
John set off for the afternoon session, deciding to move around and cover as much water as possible, but unfortunately, after such a promising start had to settle for his two fish caught early in the morning on the Railway bank.
The weigh in.
At the weigh in, lots of anglers were coming in with their full quota of excellent quality rainbows and it is worth noting that these were caught all over both reservoirs. All bays seem to be holding quality fish.
With some great weights recorded, the scores were close until Vince (second last to weigh in) stepped up to the scales with 4 whoppers, beating second place Jacek by almost a pound. Barry Sheddon took third place along with the best fish of the day at 4 ½ lbs.
Full scores as follows:
1st Vince king 14lb 4 fish
2nd Jack klekohski 13lb 2.5 ounce 4 fish
3rd Barry Sheddon 12LB 13.5 ounce 4 fish
4th Frank Daly 11lb 3oz 4 fish
5th Jim Dillon 10lb 10 oz 4 fish
6th Earl Johnstone 10lb 8.5 ounce 4 fish
7th John o’ Reagan 10lb4 fish
8th Tony Fox 10lb 4.5oz 3 fish
9th Gorka Fernandez 9lb 8.5 oz 3 fish
10th Andrew Smith 8lb 0.5 oz 3 fish
11th john Ferguson 7lb 3.5 oz 2 Fish
12th Dave Jarvis 6lb 2.5 oz 2 fish
13th Bob Dalton 5lb 1oz 2 Fish
14th Mike shepherd 4lb 10oz 2 fish
15th Peter Baker 3lb 1 fish
16th Pat O’Neil , Dave Garry, Steve Ball, Billy Northcote, and Alastair Brown Nil.
After the prize giving Ginny from Haven House gave a wonderful speech about the charity and how the money raised helps with the day to day running of the Hospice. It really put the significance of this event into perspective.
A big thanks to Thames Water and the individual contributions of Cliff and Myland. Thames Water waived the price of the fish ticket for the day and also provided the excellent food at half time.
Also a big thank you to Billy Northcote for generously donating 2 framed rainbow trout displays that were auctioned online. This, combined with money raised on the day and a generous contribution of £500 from Dave Jarvis’s company meant that the total sum raised for the day was £1319.
Thank you to everybody who participated on the day and helped to organise and those that travelled a long way for the event - Frank Daley and Barry Sheddon who travelled down from Rutland and Mike Shepherd who travelled from Bewl.
Don’t forget that the Summer league starts at 6pm on Wednesday 05 June. Fish till 9pm, 2 fish bags and weigh in / drinks in the Ferry Boat Inn at 9.30pm.
The format was exciting and a bit different. At start of the day, numbers were drawn from a hat to decide the order in which competitors were to head to the water to pick their spots. High or low numbers were favoured as the order was reversed at the start of the afternoon’s session - a middle number could mean losing out on a favourite fishing area in both sessions, either side of lunch provided by our friends at the Ferry Boat Inn. https://www.classicinns.co.uk/theferryboatlondon
Following the draw and a briefing by club chairman Dave Jarvis, the group quickly dispersed across the two reservoirs. The majority heading off to fish no 5, whilst a small group lined up along the railway bank of number 4,
Committee members Vince King and John Ferguson both kindly provided reports for the day that tell the tale of their different fortunes. A light North Easterly wind meant that all banks were accessible - all was to play for.
Vince King.
Vince’s high draw meant that he was one of the last to depart and he made his way towards the causeway and West bank of number 5. He found the first half hour quiet. Noticing that the other anglers were experiencing similar lack of action, he decided to walk up to the bay on the east bank of 5, adjacent to the houses bank. On the way, however, he stopped half-way along the causeway where regular Earl had hooked into a nice fish far out using a floater and a single buzzer, proving that sometimes less is more.
When Vince got to the bay, he saw new club member Jacek into a fish. Jacek fishes the reservoirs regularly and informed him that the water had been fishing very well recently. Jacek was soon into his better, second fish.
Vince went natural, fishing a team of buzzers under a bung (not so natural) but this meant that he could control the depth of his flies. He soon missed a fish and then started to catch in good numbers, however he noticed from the off that the size of his fish were much smaller in comparison to Jacek’s and returned all of his early fish safely back to the water in the hope that he could tempt a few larger fish to the net. Vince’s strategy worked and by lunchtime he had managed to land two solid fish that he kept for the weigh in.
A stop for lunch provided an opportunity to discuss the morning and assess the most successful techniques and areas of the reservoirs.
Not forgetting Vince’s high draw, he was one of the first off after lunch meaning that he could go straight back to the spot in the North East of 5 where he had good success in the morning. Vince continued to catch on buzzers and watched Jacek catch another two ‘keepers’ taking his total to four fish. Vince also noted that whilst three of Jacek’s fish were large, one of them was considerably smaller and knew that there was an opportunity if he could tempt some larger fish throughout the afternoon.
Vince went for broke, changing tactics to a large white snake fly and as soon as he did, the action hotted up. He was getting a take nearly every other cast and with two hours to go, he had totalled three good fish. He knew he would need to beat Jacek at the very least, so worked on his fourth ‘keeper’. This finally came at approximately 5pm.
With a full bag, Vince then moved on to the point at the edge of the bay and on his first cast he connected with a lunker of at least 6lb. The strong fish swam off to the island and fought like a demon. Vince was sure the fish was fowl hooked and was left with no backing on his reel on a number of occasions, but sometime later found that it was an impressive 6lb specimen in excellent condition. The fish was photographed and quickly released marking the end of a fantastic day’s sport for Vince.
John Ferguson
John was part of a group of 5 anglers that settled along the railway bank of reservoir 4 and things got off to a cracking start.
John and Tony Fox had both bagged a brace of decent fish by 10.30am, whilst Peter Baker had hooked, played and lost as decent fish too.
Frank Daly and Barry Sheddon, who had travelled down from Rutland for the event, had settled in up near the inlet, with Frank taking a good fish on the buzzers.
Despite an incredibly positive start, the initial action soon dwindled, presumably due to angling pressure pushing the fish out of reach.
With the half time scores as follows, the group all headed off for lunch at the hut on the causeway between 4 & 5 and timed their journey just right. Intercepting Cliff the ranger coming in with the food, giving the group a lift. Bonus!
Frank Daley 3
Tony Fox 2
John Ferguson 2
Peter Baker 1
When they arrived at the hut, most of the anglers had already gathered, telling great tales of fish caught and lost, and it became apparent that reservoir 5 was the prime water on the day. In particular, the bay by the houses and the causeway.
John set off for the afternoon session, deciding to move around and cover as much water as possible, but unfortunately, after such a promising start had to settle for his two fish caught early in the morning on the Railway bank.
The weigh in.
At the weigh in, lots of anglers were coming in with their full quota of excellent quality rainbows and it is worth noting that these were caught all over both reservoirs. All bays seem to be holding quality fish.
With some great weights recorded, the scores were close until Vince (second last to weigh in) stepped up to the scales with 4 whoppers, beating second place Jacek by almost a pound. Barry Sheddon took third place along with the best fish of the day at 4 ½ lbs.
Full scores as follows:
1st Vince king 14lb 4 fish
2nd Jack klekohski 13lb 2.5 ounce 4 fish
3rd Barry Sheddon 12LB 13.5 ounce 4 fish
4th Frank Daly 11lb 3oz 4 fish
5th Jim Dillon 10lb 10 oz 4 fish
6th Earl Johnstone 10lb 8.5 ounce 4 fish
7th John o’ Reagan 10lb4 fish
8th Tony Fox 10lb 4.5oz 3 fish
9th Gorka Fernandez 9lb 8.5 oz 3 fish
10th Andrew Smith 8lb 0.5 oz 3 fish
11th john Ferguson 7lb 3.5 oz 2 Fish
12th Dave Jarvis 6lb 2.5 oz 2 fish
13th Bob Dalton 5lb 1oz 2 Fish
14th Mike shepherd 4lb 10oz 2 fish
15th Peter Baker 3lb 1 fish
16th Pat O’Neil , Dave Garry, Steve Ball, Billy Northcote, and Alastair Brown Nil.
After the prize giving Ginny from Haven House gave a wonderful speech about the charity and how the money raised helps with the day to day running of the Hospice. It really put the significance of this event into perspective.
A big thanks to Thames Water and the individual contributions of Cliff and Myland. Thames Water waived the price of the fish ticket for the day and also provided the excellent food at half time.
Also a big thank you to Billy Northcote for generously donating 2 framed rainbow trout displays that were auctioned online. This, combined with money raised on the day and a generous contribution of £500 from Dave Jarvis’s company meant that the total sum raised for the day was £1319.
Thank you to everybody who participated on the day and helped to organise and those that travelled a long way for the event - Frank Daley and Barry Sheddon who travelled down from Rutland and Mike Shepherd who travelled from Bewl.
Don’t forget that the Summer league starts at 6pm on Wednesday 05 June. Fish till 9pm, 2 fish bags and weigh in / drinks in the Ferry Boat Inn at 9.30pm.
Troutmaster's Fish-off
Saturday 27th April 2019
Following the unseasonal hot weather at the start of April, the day chosen for the fish off would see two club stalwarts battle it out in difficult conditions to decide who would represent Walthamstow in the final at Draycote Reservoir on 07 October.
Reports and whispers suggest that many large fish were caught throughout 2018 but only 3 fishermen officially registered their catch to be eligible for the Trout-masters competition. This was ultimately reduced to two for the official fish off. Jim Dillon, a regular in this competition presumably preoccupied by his love of river trout.
Eager to get on with it, in 45mph winds John Ferguson and John O’Regan set off from the pre-arranged spot ( the car park on the edge of reservoir number 4).
The two Johns were hoping to find a spot on the West bank of Reservoir 5, only to find that no one else was brave enough for the terrible conditions. This included the public who despite their love of cormorant photography kindly avoided the west bank for the day to let the two brave warriors get on with it.
It took an hour before the first fish was landed by John F, quickly followed by a second 30 minutes later. John O then entered the race with his first fish after a series of takes and misses.
This set the tempo for the rest of the day. Lots of fish were hooked and lost by both skilled anglers.
“Oh boy do these fish fight hard” John Ferguson, April 2019
“F**$%%” John O’Regan, April 2019.
The sodden wind beaten pair headed for the weigh in and a well-earned ale in the Ferry Boat Inn. John F just managed to beat John O however, John F was the first to admit that if John O had caught what he had lost, there would have been a very different outcome..
Well done both!
The Fishery has been on top form for the last 3 or 4 months. If you haven’t tried Walthamstow please do and don’t be afraid to ask for advice from regulars and Walthamstow Fly Fishing Club members. A great water where many are happy to help and encourage along the way. Don’t forget to register those catches so you don't miss the opportunity to get involved in this great competition at the same time next year.
Water quality is Gin clear, the reservoirs are full of quality rainbows feeding hard, and with the Haven house charity event taking place this Saturday 11 May it should be a great day for all
February's Fly Tying Evening
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Back in the Ferry Boat Inn was well attended. Tony Fox, who recently won the Final Fling with a stunning 5-11-0 rainbow, is here tying up one of his killer patterns, along with Harry Fox and Kevin Blackwell. Don’t forget, there’s another Fly Tying Evening on Wednesday 6th March, also in the Ferry Boat Inn, beginning at 7.00pm.
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Farmoor Fur & Feather
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Farmoor 2 fished extremely well for its regular Fur & Feather event, sponsored by Craig Barr’s Flash Attack Flies, given the time of year. Under rather more comfortable conditions than last year, 39 anglers achieved a rod average of 1.4, with a top bag of 9 fish for 17-10-0 (inc time bonus) to Mark Haycock. 2nd was Gary Morris with 8 fish for 15-15-0, with Harry Fox (right) 3rd with 7 fish for 14-10-0. Harry has also been selected for this year’s AT TEFF team in the European Championships in Montenegro, so has obviously hit form at the right time! Well done Harry!
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The AT TEFF Bank Qualifier
Saturday 16th December 2018
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Participants enjoyed better conditions than the previous day, which saw driving rain in the afternoon. With a close-to-capacity field, which included several internationals, fish were being caught right from the start, with no areas really being quiet. Winner Andrew Scott landed 13 fish, blanking on just one peg, to finish with 20 points, but WFFC member Billy Bridgeworth made the most of a good start on the Houses Bank to pick up 7 fish and finish a good 5th out of a field of 18. He now goes through to the Southern Semi-final at Elinor in March
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Fur & Feather
Saturday 1st December 2018
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A wet, miserable morning awaited the anglers who braved the 2018 Fur & Feather. With winds blowing from the S/SW, most anglers opted for the Causeway, fishing into No4, with others trying their luck in the Bay by the Car Park. Barry Shedden, who was fishing halfway along the Causeway, had his four fish by 9 o’clock, fishing a DI7 with a short leader and a single Booby. Peter Baker, fishing next to Barry, also caught early on.
Meanwhile, John O’Regan and Dave Jarvis had started fishing on the Houses Bank, where the fishing had been phenomenal, and the trend continued today, with John catching his limit quickly, with an absolute cracker that hit the scales at 3lb 13ozs. Back on No4, late arrival Frank Daley had started fishing along the East Bank, where he was rewarded with a nice 2lb 14ozs rainbow, up from the Steps. The method with the lads on No4 was hopefully to get a few good fish, with the backdrop of No5 fishing so well, then pop over there for the last hour and hopefully get your limit. And this is what happened with most of them. The Houses Bank had been the chosen location, where Jim Dillon, Andrew Smith and John Ferguson managed to get their limits, but with so many now on the Houses Bank, the last hour with the fish probably pushed them further out, and things started to get hard. Like last year, Andrew Smith did a tour of the lakes, getting names and addresses, as well as the whip for the biggest fish, and ‘guess the total weight’. Later back at the Ferry Boat, when everyone had got their drink, we had our usual weigh-in outside. After that, with the scores added up, Dave Jarvis did the formalities, and crowned John O’Regan the 2018 winner, followed by new Rutland resident Frank Daley, with Jim Dillon finishing in 3td place. Well done to everyone for making this our best day of the year. Happy Christmas to you all! |
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