The Autumn League is now underway.
Week 2
Saturday 19 October
The conditions were excellent, with a South West wind approx. 8mph, clear skies and clear water. Perfect.
As is often the case, the West bank of Reservoir 5 was packed with anglers taking up every available platform. This was also the case in the South West bay.
John O’ Reagan and Jacek Klekowski had both found spots on the West bank and fishing was prolific. From the off they were into fish and both reported a catch rate in the high twenties!!
Peter Gulliver – a late arrival, and John Ferguson both tried the harder route on Reservoir 04 and boy was it hard! At approx. 1.30pm they both came to the same conclusion that it was time to move to Reservoir 5. Peter headed to the South West bay while John headed to the houses bank only to find the water was thick like pea soup.
John didn’t stay long before heading over to see if there was any space on the West bank. When he arrived, he met John O’Regan who was positively fatigued and in true Walthamstow FFC fashion offered him both his swim and the fly that he had been doing the damage on. What a sport, testament to the nature of the members in the club!
He would regret his kind gesture quickly however, as with 5minutes to go, John Ferguson caught and absolute beauty of a fish (approx. 4lbs)
In Johns F’s words ‘one man’s joy is another man’s sadness’.
John O’s words couldn’t be repeated and he let his feelings known! Nothing a few pints couldn’t sort out in the ferry boat inn though.
Jacek meanwhile was also regretting letting a few 3lb fish go throughout the day.
Full results as follows:
Saturday 19 October
The conditions were excellent, with a South West wind approx. 8mph, clear skies and clear water. Perfect.
As is often the case, the West bank of Reservoir 5 was packed with anglers taking up every available platform. This was also the case in the South West bay.
John O’ Reagan and Jacek Klekowski had both found spots on the West bank and fishing was prolific. From the off they were into fish and both reported a catch rate in the high twenties!!
Peter Gulliver – a late arrival, and John Ferguson both tried the harder route on Reservoir 04 and boy was it hard! At approx. 1.30pm they both came to the same conclusion that it was time to move to Reservoir 5. Peter headed to the South West bay while John headed to the houses bank only to find the water was thick like pea soup.
John didn’t stay long before heading over to see if there was any space on the West bank. When he arrived, he met John O’Regan who was positively fatigued and in true Walthamstow FFC fashion offered him both his swim and the fly that he had been doing the damage on. What a sport, testament to the nature of the members in the club!
He would regret his kind gesture quickly however, as with 5minutes to go, John Ferguson caught and absolute beauty of a fish (approx. 4lbs)
In Johns F’s words ‘one man’s joy is another man’s sadness’.
John O’s words couldn’t be repeated and he let his feelings known! Nothing a few pints couldn’t sort out in the ferry boat inn though.
Jacek meanwhile was also regretting letting a few 3lb fish go throughout the day.
Full results as follows:
Week 1
Saturday 12 October
Checking the forecast throughout the week, Saturday was not going to be a pleasant days fishing and those involved were drenched to the core. Perhaps the weather is the reason why only 2 hardy fools turned up on the day.
Weirdly, unlike the previous week at the annual WaterAid competition, even with a stocking of 1500 fish for good measure, the fish for the most part chose to avoid the event too.
John started fishing on no 4 and managed 2 fish by approx. 1.30pm but had returned both fish due to size. Jacek was faring no better on no5 and had also released a couple of fish hoping for some larger fish later in the day.
It was not until both anglers arrived at the house bank, at approx. 2.45pm that they realised they were the only 2 fishermen that had turned up for the day.
It was here that they found fish wanting the flies. On his second cast Jacek hooked and lost a really good fish at the net and it turned out that he would only manage to get one further fish to the bag.
John fared slightly better, as he was lucky enough to catch 2 fish.
At the weigh-in, John realised that he had forgotten to take the scales (sums up the day really) and so the pair had to rely on judgement. Not wasting any time, they estimated 3lb a fish and waddled of to the pub like 2 drowned rats.
Here’s hoping (rugby world cup permitting) that there will be a better turnout Saturday
Full results as follows:
Saturday 12 October
Checking the forecast throughout the week, Saturday was not going to be a pleasant days fishing and those involved were drenched to the core. Perhaps the weather is the reason why only 2 hardy fools turned up on the day.
Weirdly, unlike the previous week at the annual WaterAid competition, even with a stocking of 1500 fish for good measure, the fish for the most part chose to avoid the event too.
John started fishing on no 4 and managed 2 fish by approx. 1.30pm but had returned both fish due to size. Jacek was faring no better on no5 and had also released a couple of fish hoping for some larger fish later in the day.
It was not until both anglers arrived at the house bank, at approx. 2.45pm that they realised they were the only 2 fishermen that had turned up for the day.
It was here that they found fish wanting the flies. On his second cast Jacek hooked and lost a really good fish at the net and it turned out that he would only manage to get one further fish to the bag.
John fared slightly better, as he was lucky enough to catch 2 fish.
At the weigh-in, John realised that he had forgotten to take the scales (sums up the day really) and so the pair had to rely on judgement. Not wasting any time, they estimated 3lb a fish and waddled of to the pub like 2 drowned rats.
Here’s hoping (rugby world cup permitting) that there will be a better turnout Saturday
Full results as follows:
Craig Gaffney wins WaterAid
Water Aid
Saturday October 5th 2019
Perfect overcast conditions and a gentle easterly wind greeted the 29 anglers that took part in this years charity WaterAid competition held by Thames Water and it promised to be a great day following reports that both reservoirs have been fishing well. Thames Water kindly waive the fishing fee for the event so that all of the entrance fees are donated to charity. Thames water then also kindly match the total raised from entrance fees and provide all prizes including a season ticket for 2020 and day tickets for Walthamstow / Farmoor respectively. An amazing total £1160 was raised for this great cause this year, thanks to all that organised and took part.
Normally fished in September, when fishing can be quite hard following the hot summer, moving the event to October was a master stroke, with high numbers of fish caught on both reservoirs.
After our usual briefing and the draw for your position for the walk off, anglers then head for their chosen swim for a 10 am start.
Most of these anglers headed to number 5 and were rewarded with good numbers of fish, Jim Dillon in particular, consistently catches good fish on his trusted Charlie Farley, a fly he invented some years ago that has accounted for numerous lumps over the years. Jim had set up on the East bank one pod north of the point and had dispatched his 04no. fish by 12.30pm.
Either side of Jim, Matt Mccoll and Andrew Smith were also catching in good numbers while John O’ Regan, Jacek and Dave Jarvis were also into good numbers of fish on the house bank and the adjacent bay respectively.
10 or so anglers had opted to tempt the larger fish on Reservoir 4. Craig Gaffney and Billy Bridgeworth being 2 of them and they found fish half way along the Railway bank, keeping 2 good Fish each by 11am. John Ferguson meanwhile had managed to get his favourite spot at ‘the boils’ ( an area he had such success during the summer league) but found it hard going. Fishing can be a curious game at times but following little success in his usual hot spot, found fish 10 yards to the west slightly further along the bank.
Lunchtime was a good time for all to take stock and discuss which areas had been productive and it was clear that the Houses and East bank on No5 was producing the most fish but as is often the case, the larger fish were being caught on Reservoir 4.
For the afternoon session the anglers walk of in reverse order and it was no surprise where the majority were heading - the East bank of Reservoir 5. Whilst a number of stockies were being caught some of these were substantial so it often pays to play the numbers. While lots of fish were caught throughout the afternoon on 5 they were just not coming out as consistently as they were in the morning and importantly, the bigger ones were not playing ball either.
The rest of the anglers headed for the East Bank of No4 and true to form, this was where the biggest fish of the day were caught but unfortunately for most, they had already taken their fish for the weigh-in in the morning session. That’s what makes the format of this competition so exciting.
Earl Johnstone landed a 6lb plus fish, from the steps at the outlet and Matt McColl caught two 4lb plus fish. All of these fish were safely returned (hopefully to be caught in the autumn league) before John Ferguson then landed a 4lb 11oz fish which gladly went into the bass bag and turned out to be the largest fish of the day.
With approximately 45 minutes remaining, Craig caught and kept his 4th fish also from the steps at the outlet
The anglers then regrouped at the hut at 6pm for what promised to be an exciting weigh-in. There were some cracking bags weighed before it was announced that Craig Gaffney was the eventual and most worthy of winners. Well done Craig, who won a season ticket for the 2020 season, no doubt he will put it to good use.
Last year’s winner Jim Dillon took second place with Dave Jarvis in 3rd place.
Heaviest Fish of the day went to John Ferguson who was incredibly unlucky not to find his 4th fish. With three quality fish in the bag a large fry would probably have sealed the competition for him!
A big thank you to Thames Water, for this great event, and top prizes and Cliff the Ranger, for all his hard work on the day.
Final scores.
1st Craig Gaffney 4 Fish 12lb 12.5 oz
2nd Jim Dillon 4 Fish 12lb 8 3/4 oz
3rd Dave Jarvis 4 Fish 12lb 2 3/4 oz
4th John Ferguson 3 Fish 11lb 13.5 oz
5th John O’ Regan 4 Fish 11lb 6oz
6th Billy Bridgeworth 4 Fish 11lb 3oz
7th Jacek Klekowski 4 Fish 10lb 15 3/4 oz
8th Matt McColl 4 Fish 10lb 3.5 oz
9th Tony Fox 4 Fish 10lb 1oz
10th Earl Johnstone 4 fish 9lb 9 1/4 oz
11th Alan Blake 4 Fish 9lb 7.5 oz
12th Peter Costin 4 Fish 8lb 14oz
13th Andrew Smith 3 Fish 8lb 9oz
14th Frank Daley 2 Fish 6lb 9oz
15th Donald McColl 2 Fish 6lb 8 3/4 oz
Did not weigh;
Pat O’Neill, Vince King, Louis Russell, Sam Emansi, John Hayward, Kil Hamilton, Micheal Robinson, Justin Laskin, Sam Hawkins, Richard Wiggin, Bill Northcote, Romesh, Erol Canavan, and Gary King
John Ferguson wins the Summer League
John Ferguson (left) being presented with the trophy by last years winner Frank Daley
FINAL TABLE
WEEK BY WEEK REPORTS
Week 8
24 July
A south wind and the prequal to the hottest day on record did not provide a great prospect for an evening’s fly fishing but as always, the anglers were jolly and hopeful that they had a method that would tempt the fish.
Whilst a few turned up for pre match drinks in the Ferry Boat Inn, there were no beers for John as he was so keen to get started it seemed that he had been camping near the boils of Reservoir 4 since the previous Sunday, such was his desire to replicate the form that has ensured he has been top of the leader board for the majority of the competition.
John was flying solo on Reservoir 4 whilst the majority of the anglers focussed their attention on number 5 with Dave, Frank, Peter Gulliver and Tony setting up on the West bank, Matt and Jacek in the south west bay and Peter Baker on the houses bank.
Fish could be seen all over the Reservoir but the majority of rises were approximately two full line lengths out, presumably the fish were enjoying the cooler water away from the banks.
Dave and John were in pole position but Matt and Jacek had an outside chance if the two leaders were to struggle. However, hoping that others have a bad evening just simply isn’t the spirit of the club or the competition and Matt and Jacek were delighted to see Dave’s rod arch over in the distance on what must have been his first or second cast. Matt’s prospects were over before his line had even hit the water!
Dave was then into his second fish approximately 10 minutes later. He had chosen the right tactics on the night to fish deep with a team of buzzers on a long 20 plus foot leader. For the first half hour anyway, he also reported that he didn’t have a touch after that.
Jacek was also soon into a smaller fish on a floating line with small diawl bachs. During these summer months the fish can struggle with the heat of the water around the edges and with a thick blanket of algae around the edge it can make it difficult to release the fish unharmed. Jacek was contemplating releasing his fish but despite the size chose the only option available and dispatched it for the weigh in.
Meanwhile, John was into some better fish on the boil with his trademark stinger minkie on a di 3. This spot has been good to him throughout the competition and after a few nights prospecting before the final match he reported “I can’t buy a fish on 5” and did well to stick to his guns on reservoir 4.
Whilst others reported tentative takes, no further fish were recorded. It’s always tough during the summer league, but the sunshine and banter more than make up for it. All reading should get involved next year.
At the weigh in at the Ferryboat, Dave was eager to get the weigh in over and done with and following the recording of his fish John then went to his van and pulled out his lunkers. There was no debating who would be the winner in the end!!
Well done to John, Dave and Jacek for 1st, 2nd and 3rd respectively and also for all anglers who have made this a great (if challenging) competition.
Note: We are looking to change the date for the Water Aid charity match due to unavailability of a number of club stalwarts so the suggested date is now the 05 October. Keep an eye out on the website for more details.
The Water Aid match will be ideal preparation for the Autumn league that starts on the 12 October. By then the reservoirs will be on top form again and is guaranteed to produce some amazing sport and the trademark hard fighting fish will be waiting!
Full results as follows:
Week 8
24 July
A south wind and the prequal to the hottest day on record did not provide a great prospect for an evening’s fly fishing but as always, the anglers were jolly and hopeful that they had a method that would tempt the fish.
Whilst a few turned up for pre match drinks in the Ferry Boat Inn, there were no beers for John as he was so keen to get started it seemed that he had been camping near the boils of Reservoir 4 since the previous Sunday, such was his desire to replicate the form that has ensured he has been top of the leader board for the majority of the competition.
John was flying solo on Reservoir 4 whilst the majority of the anglers focussed their attention on number 5 with Dave, Frank, Peter Gulliver and Tony setting up on the West bank, Matt and Jacek in the south west bay and Peter Baker on the houses bank.
Fish could be seen all over the Reservoir but the majority of rises were approximately two full line lengths out, presumably the fish were enjoying the cooler water away from the banks.
Dave and John were in pole position but Matt and Jacek had an outside chance if the two leaders were to struggle. However, hoping that others have a bad evening just simply isn’t the spirit of the club or the competition and Matt and Jacek were delighted to see Dave’s rod arch over in the distance on what must have been his first or second cast. Matt’s prospects were over before his line had even hit the water!
Dave was then into his second fish approximately 10 minutes later. He had chosen the right tactics on the night to fish deep with a team of buzzers on a long 20 plus foot leader. For the first half hour anyway, he also reported that he didn’t have a touch after that.
Jacek was also soon into a smaller fish on a floating line with small diawl bachs. During these summer months the fish can struggle with the heat of the water around the edges and with a thick blanket of algae around the edge it can make it difficult to release the fish unharmed. Jacek was contemplating releasing his fish but despite the size chose the only option available and dispatched it for the weigh in.
Meanwhile, John was into some better fish on the boil with his trademark stinger minkie on a di 3. This spot has been good to him throughout the competition and after a few nights prospecting before the final match he reported “I can’t buy a fish on 5” and did well to stick to his guns on reservoir 4.
Whilst others reported tentative takes, no further fish were recorded. It’s always tough during the summer league, but the sunshine and banter more than make up for it. All reading should get involved next year.
At the weigh in at the Ferryboat, Dave was eager to get the weigh in over and done with and following the recording of his fish John then went to his van and pulled out his lunkers. There was no debating who would be the winner in the end!!
Well done to John, Dave and Jacek for 1st, 2nd and 3rd respectively and also for all anglers who have made this a great (if challenging) competition.
Note: We are looking to change the date for the Water Aid charity match due to unavailability of a number of club stalwarts so the suggested date is now the 05 October. Keep an eye out on the website for more details.
The Water Aid match will be ideal preparation for the Autumn league that starts on the 12 October. By then the reservoirs will be on top form again and is guaranteed to produce some amazing sport and the trademark hard fighting fish will be waiting!
Full results as follows:
Week 7
17 July
North westerly winds and high temperatures met the anglers along with reports of difficult fishing. Difficult was perhaps an understatement and with all anglers blanking ensures that this report is brief.
All methods were tried, with little success. A combined 1470 minutes of fishing would result in a pull for both Matt and Frank and a rise to a dry fly for Peter Baker.
The result has made a significant impact on the leader board as only 4 anglers are now in with a chance of claiming the trophy with John Ferguson and Dave Gary in prime position.
That’s assuming that the fish are cooperative next week and with 33 degree temperatures forecast it may be a similar story and an early night at the Ferryboat.
Full results as follows:
17 July
North westerly winds and high temperatures met the anglers along with reports of difficult fishing. Difficult was perhaps an understatement and with all anglers blanking ensures that this report is brief.
All methods were tried, with little success. A combined 1470 minutes of fishing would result in a pull for both Matt and Frank and a rise to a dry fly for Peter Baker.
The result has made a significant impact on the leader board as only 4 anglers are now in with a chance of claiming the trophy with John Ferguson and Dave Gary in prime position.
That’s assuming that the fish are cooperative next week and with 33 degree temperatures forecast it may be a similar story and an early night at the Ferryboat.
Full results as follows:
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Week 6
10 July After our customary pre-drink in the Ferry Boat, we headed in for our 6th instalment of the Wednesday evening league. Everyone’s hopes were high, with the water gin clear, and a gentle 7mph s/w wind, rods laced up, off we went. Tony Fox, and Peter Baker decided on a good long walk, and headed for the houses bank on no5, to have it all to them-selves. From the off they could see fish moving in the distance. Also feeling his legs needed a good stretch, Peter Gulliver headed to the top bay of no5. Joining up with some of the pleasure anglers already there, Dave Gary settled for the East bank of 5 and Frank and John on the railway bank . With everyone in their place, fishing started. Dave fishing the washing line with two buzzers got of to a good start, landing a nice fish early on, with Peter Gulliver soon also into a cracker on nymphs, fish were moving freely all along the west bank of 5, a lot of last weeks stocking. Now the same could not be said for Frank and John down on no4 , not a fish to be seen anywhere , unlike the previous week where fish were popping up along all banks, after 3hrs fishing between them and just one fish caught, they decided it was time to move. Also on the move were Tony and peter who were fairing no better on the houses with 4hrs combined fishing and not a touch for either. Peter headed for the cause-way of 4 and Tony headed for the west bank of 5, where he started catching from the off on his thrusted dries but not happy with the size, he returned them all. Dave had by now caught his second keeper and was laying back pretty relaxed, only to be disturbed by frank charging in and throwing out what looked like half a rabbit, whatever it was, it worked, Frank was soon into his first fish of the evening and with time running out he had his second. For some it was a night of frustration, lots of fish but few takers and with time up it was the long trudge back to the Ferry Boat where we started. After the weigh in Frank came out on top with Dave a good 2nd. Looking at the table the league is wide open. Full results as follows: |
Franks Fly
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Week 5
03 July The hot weather finally arrived and with it came a fresh stocking of fit, hard fighting rainbows. Whilst the freshly stocked fish could be seen tight against the concrete on the margins of reservoir 5, all anglers chose to ignore these in favour of chasing some larger resident fish. With Tony Fox and Peter Baker away representing Bewl in a club match on Grafham there was a chance to add some decent points to the leader board for those who could make it. Dave, John and Peter again focussed on reservoir 4, where they would catch a fish each on minkies before john caught his 2nd, a nice 3lb fish that he would later regret returning. Matt, Jacek and Frank would all start on the house bank and the adjacent bay on reservoir 5. Frank didn’t fancy sharing the fishing with a couple of resident cormorants though so quickly moved to the point on the East bank where he caught and kept a fish before heading to number 4. It was quiet for Jacek and Matt but a short move 20yards along the bank saw Jacek into fish where he too kept his 1st on a black lure. Matt had hooked into a number of fish but takes were either savage, leaving his leader in pieces or super tentative leading to missed or lost fish. At around 8pm all anglers would around the reservoirs in search of fish for the weigh in. Frank ended up on the East bank of Reservoir 4 where he was having good sport on dries and landed his 2nd keeper. Dave would stop on the causeway of 4 where he reported hooking a large carp (or a huge trout) that would take him to his backing at ludicrous speed before everything went slack. Jacek, Matt and John all ended up in the corner of reservoir 5 near the hut with Jacek tight in the corner. Matt had the pleasure of watching Jacek pull in approx 10 rainbows in a 30min period and not knowing if one of these would be his last Jacek kept rolling the dice before keeping one of the smallest fish ever recorded in the summer league (1lb 12oz). Frustratingly, Jacek would go on to catch a further 3 much larger fish soon after. Either side of Jacek, Matt and John were struggling in comparison. Matt eventually managed to land his only fish of the night and John also couldn’t add to the one fish he had kept early on. Many had small regrets when it came to the weigh in: either missed opportunities, lost fish or returning fish they perhaps should have kept but this is what makes the Summer and Autumn leagues so exciting. Whilst all anglers chose to go in pursuit of larger resident fish, 2 newly stocked fish would have given the angler a minimum of 8 points and an early night at the Ferryboat. Well done Frank with two solid fish and a bag just shy of 7lb. With three weeks remaining frank is cruising up the outside looking to topple one of the early leaders. Full results as follows: |
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Week 4
26 June The scorching hot weather never materialised for the 4th evening of our summer league and from 6pm fish could be seen crashing at the surface about 6-10 yards off the causeway of Reservoir 5. Peter Gulliver was the only angler to target them though as a fierce North Easterly would make it difficult to keep your patterns in the zone for long enough. Instead Matt and Jacek fished the East bank of reservoir 5 whilst Dave, John and Tony would focus around the boil on Reservoir 4. Tony and Dave chose to use a selection of minkies and fry patterns on a floating line while John preferred to pull a bit faster on an intermediate with a larger minkie. Crucially, John’s minkie had a pincer hook at the tail to convert the nips into takes. The action on 4 was intense and all 3 anglers had soon caught and kept their two fish limit. John reported that he would have a pull on almost every cast between 6 and 7pm before things started to slow down. Meanwhile, Matt and Jacek were both using small boobies on DI5s but whilst they were getting lots of attention, this could not be converted into solid takes. Then came the classic 'angler shuffle' at about 8.15pm when all anglers simultaneously went for a wander in an attempt to find fish and catch the two 'keepers' required. Peter Gulliver moved to the North East corner of 5 where he hooked and lost a decent fish on diawl bachs. Jacek moved around to the bay adjacent the house bank where he was quickly into fish and landed his two for the weigh in. Matt however, worked his way along almost every platform on the causeway. With no joy he was seriously considering calling it a day and he was regretting not trying buzzers due to the sheer volume of hatches he had noticed along the way when he finally caught his first fish at 9.16pm, followed by a larger second fish that took him to his backing at 9.23pm. His fish were caught tight in the corner near the hut on his favourite booby on a DI 5 and proved that its worth persevering until the end as the bigger fish are often caught later on in the evening. It was a great nights sport, with all anglers seeing some action. A tight weigh in followed where Matt just edged ahead of a jet lagged Tony to take the full 10 points. I don’t think Tony will mind after catching a 100lb + tarpon earlier in the week!! We are now halfway through this years fixtures and four different anglers have taken the full 10 points so far but as only the top 5 results will be counted in the final table it promises to come to an exciting conclusion at the end of July. Well done all. Full results as follows: |
Matts lovely 4lb rainbow.
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Week 3
19 June Westerly winds, heavy showers and poor water clarity greeted the anglers for round 3 of the summer league. The majority chose to fish the West bank of no. 5 where the wind was more favourable, but John Ferguson set up near the boil on the railway bank of no.4 and Matt Mccoll chose to fish the houses bank. Both John and Matt would benefit from this separation from the crowd. On the West bank and causeway the anglers fished various methods with little success. Nymphs, lures, dries and Peter Baker’s sink, all fished at a variety of depths could not tempt them. This was surprising as conditions appeared great and the reservoirs have been fishing so well recently. On the railway bank John had started well and using a snake to great effect had bagged two nice rainbows. His experience would tell him that the poor water clarity would make things difficult on the night and he chose to keep his first two fish before later releasing a much larger fish. Meanwhile, Matt was into a good number of fish on the houses bank but just couldn’t get them to the net. Five fished hooked – Four snapped leaders and one fish lost - all on small boobies on a di 5. If you hook a fish with a small hot coral / sunburst booby in its pincers please feel free to return the flies to him! He thought he had blown it and used the time to invest in some new leader in advance of next Wednesdays match before heading round to the causeway expecting to find the rest of the anglers with full bags. It was here that he learnt that it had been a tough night for all and with 9 minutes remaining finally managed to land a nice fish by creating a disturbance with small booby on the surface. A tough night indeed, we normally save the ‘blanks’ for later in the competition when temperatures increase but the evenings results have certainly tightened things up at the top of the leader board. A special mention to John, his solid performance and sound judgement catapults him to the top of the leader board. It is all to play for next week and with temperatures forecast in excess of 25 degrees, it might well be even more challenging… Full results as follows: |
Peter joins John for a spell on the railway bank
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Week 2
12 June Apologies, short report this week and we will resume full service next week for round three. With fish visible on the surface of number 5 lots of anglers chose to use dries. Tony and Peter were both in the mix again but Jacek Klekowski won on the evening with an excellent bag – 2 fish for 7lb 04oz. Well done Jacek. Full results as follows: |
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Week 1
05 June A lovely evening and a South Westerly wind met the anglers on the first tie of our summer league and following reports of great fishing on no.5 the anglers spread across this reservoir in lieu of chasing some of the larger fish rumoured to inhabit No.4. Many favoured the West bank but Matt McColl, John Ferguson and Peter Baker settled on the houses bank and it wasn’t long before new member Neil Cohen (not in the competition on the evening) hooked into a fish, followed by Peter and a missed fish for both John and Matt. Early on Matt was catching in higher numbers but a 2 bag limit makes the format exciting and choosing to keep his first two fish would later regret not persevering to catch a couple of larger ones. Peter on the other hand kept an early 4lb rainbow and chose to release a number of fish in search of a larger bag. An admin error on the website (apologies now corrected) meant that Peter had packed up believing the competition ended at 9pm and was regretting not keeping one of his earlier fish. John shouted over that it was 9.30 and as it happened the fish really came on at this time. Peter still had enough time to set up his rod and following some great sport caught his second ‘keeper’ at the death. You will not find many anglers that can rival Tony Fox on dry flies and he had also caught two good fish meaning that the resultant weigh in at the Ferry Boat would be tense. Well done Peter Baker who took the lead with two fish for 6lb 11 ½ oz, just edging past Tony Fox with two fish for 6lb 9 ½ oz. Full results as follows: |
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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 Jacek klekowski 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 Jacek klekowski 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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