Tag Archives: lower

August on the Lea.

06 Wednesday Aug 2014

Posted by in The Lea Valley

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Of all of the months in the year, August is probably my least favourite month to fish. By August the rivers are low and I’m in a perpetual state of apathy, my mind is wandering towards September and October. With summer stalking for carp pretty much over (even the carp seem to get lazy in August?) I spend more time just watching. Yesterday the Old River Lea in Hackney looked at its finest with gin clear water running through the sun dappled trees and above I could hear a bird of prey, most likely a kestrel.

It makes me wonder that a small silver fish stocking programme would really make this river complete again and encourage the Lea fishermen of old back to some familiar haunts and show their grandchildren how to fish. With next to no tidal variation on this stretch, platforms could be built on the harder to reach swims while low banked runs like the stretch below would be the perfect place to nurture a new passion for angling. With the nearby Middlesex Filter Beds now flooded, this whole area is really becoming an interesting area for conservation and the natural world.

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The village pond.

02 Wednesday Apr 2014

Posted by in General fishing

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Looking back it seems we all experienced the local pond in some form or other, whether it was a village pond or a lake in a park. In hindsight to those of a certain age I think the illustrations in Ladybird books had a lot to do with such halcyon memories, launching wooden toy yachts or fishing for fry with a net, but for me I remember quite vividly trying to catch the goldfish from Lindfield Pond in Sussex until a prim old lady from the local parish and resident of the private road that ran along side the pond, would come over and tick me off then send me packing.

Lindfield Pond Postcard

These ponds seem to have certain features, an island and a willow tree, a few mallards, possibly a pair of swans and occasionally an unwanted pet terrapin would break the surface for air. In the winter the pond would seem quiet, almost lifeless but as spring warmed, frog spawn would appear in the shallows, while water boatmen would skit about on the surface film. The spring would also bring fry darting about in the margins, while roach, rudd, orfe and goldfish (often discarded pets) would swim in shoals in the deeper water. As a boy these signs of life were potential targets, armed with the most basic of equipment and a worm or a blob of bread, this is where many boys dreams began, hunting for fish and larger monsters of the deep. Chris Yates In ‘Casting at the Sun’  writes of his first encounter with the local village pond in Burgh Heath, Surrey and his attempt to capture a golden carp with his ‘boys’ fishing kit. These experiences seem to be the spark for so many life-long anglers.

Two years ago we moved to a new area (although not completely alien to me) Lower Clapton in North East London where just up from our house is a small pond. Lower Clapton Pond was dug in the 1600’s during the reign of James I, originally a watering hole for livestock and then later a reservoir for the supply of water to the local area. In 1898 the ponds were saved from being filled in and re-landscaped by the local Hackney Vestry with gravel paths,  a footbridge, miniature islands, trees and a small fence. In the 1970’s the ponds were re-modelled again but then fell into the hands of drug addicts, alcoholics and other unsavoury characters, Lower Clapton Pond was a bit of a no go area. Then in 2002 the Clapton Pond Neighbourhood Action Group was set up and once again the ponds became a safe haven for  locals to enjoy after another re-design.

And now, in 2014 I peer down and see goldfish, orfe, a lone terrapin and more surprisingly under the weeping willow a single large carp of around eights pounds! How these one off loners get into such ponds is a mystery to me but a good one to ponder over, no pun intended!

The ‘lesser’ storm of 2013

28 Monday Oct 2013

Posted by in The Lea Valley

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After the gale force winds earlier this morning, the Lower Lea took on the colour and pace that resembled the middle stretches of Wye in January. I was quite surprised to find that by the afternoon most of the fallen trees had been moved off the main paths around the Hackney Marshes, some of these trees were quite sizeable. This efficiency from Hackney council is akin to my own dear father who at the age of 82 was repairing his own fallen fence as the tail of the storm was still passing by at eleven o’clock this morning!

Along the Lea a few fallen trees were exposed and shattered, a recent reminder of their sudden and violent demise, while giants still stand alone on the Marsh undeterred by the passing storm.

The Lower Lea – A neglected river & her anglers.

17 Wednesday Jul 2013

Posted by in The Lea Valley

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Since June 16th I’ve not been out fishing due to all sorts of things getting in the way, but I have managed to spend some time observing the Lower Lea, my disguise is my daughters pram and a pair of Polaroids, laden below the perambulator are some free bait offerings and a catapult just in case I come across some feeding carp.  The Lea around Hackney doesn’t really get fished that much although I have seen a few regulars all fishing for a different quarry. It is now mid July and we are having a proper heatwave, the river is running clear and the fish are probably only biting at dawn and dusk or in the night.

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You may ask why am I pointing out these anglers to you on a fairly average stretch of river? Well, the Lower Lea is not an easy place to fish, with past pollution outbreaks and now a dominant presence of the cormorant, the poor old fish population has suffered but there are plenty of above average fish still in the Lower Lea, I know because I have seen them and on the odd occasion caught them. To be a Lower Lea angler you have to be resourceful, banks are over grown and the fish are hiding below the over hanging branches and under-cut banks from the ever-present cormorant. Getting to a swim can be quite demanding although now in mid July long dry trodden grass reveals the routes taken by anglers to the rivers edge. Once a swim is cleared of the Giant Hogweed and the burning blisters subdued, a session on the river can commence, as I said the Lower Lea angler is no ordinary piscator, he has to take his fishing just a little further.

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The rover…

A frequent visitor is the quintessential rover searching for perch and pike, armed with a rucksack, short spinning rod and a few soft and hard lures, he does quite well, I’ve seen some photos of his catches, including a huge perch of 3lbs plus. I’ve seen him walking a good stretch of the river and canal covering a good few miles each time while I dart between glides on a mountain bike, a simple approach but with results.

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The specimen hunter…

This chap reeks of the Jim Gibbinson era with his camouflage jacket, aviator Polaroids and shoulder length hair, he starts fishing at around midnight, no bivvie for him just a thick jumper and the shelter of a overhanging bush. I came across this guy one morning tucked away oblivious to many a dog walker as he sat in wait for one of the huge carp that cruise by in the streamer weed. He told me of monster bream he had caught that night, up to 10 lbs! I’m used to listening to anglers tales of monsters but this guy sounded ok to me, his approach and knowledge of the river seemed pretty sound and his captures matched with my own observations of where the big carp and bream lie.

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The fly-fisher

On the better dressed side of angling I came across an angler sporting a pair of waders and a red beard in search of chub or possibly an elusive London brownie. After climbing down the side of a broken wall he was seen wading out into the head of a weir casting up into some faster flowing water. I told him of some chub further down and he soon departed and disappeared through the tall grass.  A spirited challenge I thought as I moved on pushing the pram.

IMG_1012The Lower Lea has a fascination, quite different from the Walton days and the three hundred years of industrial abuse it has endured afterwards, now I feel that this short stretch of river has reclaimed a sense of being natural again, wild and left to its own. Dog walkers, joggers and pram pushers all pass by, oblivious to the nature and the anglers that lurk, all hidden away.

June 16th & a confusing start.

17 Monday Jun 2013

Posted by in The Lea Valley

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IMG_0958Being quite a indecisive character at times, choosing a venue for the start of the river season can be difficult, but I did have my heart set on some river fishing. On Saturday I made my way over to a small stream I have been looking at only to find some lads in the middle of a boillie fight as they set up camp for midnight, this put a dampener on my plans for the sixteen.

On Saturday evening I was still very much undecided and feeling a little grumpy about my prospects for the following morning, plus I have seen the bream, carp and barbel all spawning over the last few days so I was not feeling too optimistic about the fishing. Then I thought, stay local, get up early and just enjoy the start of the new season, so the Lower Lea was my target, travelling light on my bike , try some trotting along with fish spotting and keep my expectations low.

I awoke at 4.55 am naturally, I very rarely need an alarm clock when going fishing, my inbuilt alarm does the job and very rarely lets me down. By 5.30am I was on the river after taking a short diversion via the canal just incase a feeding carp was in view, they weren’t so I headed straight on to the river.

Surprisingly my first choice swim was already taken as was the second but I soon found a nice over-grown swim with a good long trot of water, the sun was rising just in front of  me and I was happy just being.

Lower LeaFloat and RodLower Lea Lower LeaWith little expectation I was not surprised that I caught nothing, but early morning on the river is a tonic that I needed and while enjoying the sights of heron and kingfisher I planned some trips over the forth-coming summer.

The Inaccessible Angler.

11 Monday Jun 2012

Posted by in Carp

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I wrote this piece a few years back about the Lower Lea just after a new season had begun, so in anticipation of the 2012/13 season here is the piece …

 Last year I made a decision to simplify my angling techniques and reduce the amount of tackle I took with me. Going through my tackle I found I had too many floats, weights, reels, bank stick, swim feeders…the list goes on!

Now armed with only one rod and a small bag of essentials my fishing has become liberated and each week I manage to whittle down the kit further. Not once, last season did I sit at the waters edge and discover that I was short of a particular item of tackle.

After my liberation last year I decided this year I would take my new lightweight approach one step further and start to fish spots that to most anglers are inaccessible.

Steep and overgrown banks are the main culprits. My first new piece of angling kit came from a pet shop, a ground anchor, designed to tether your dog to the ground!

Screwed into the ground like a large corkscrew at the top of a steep bank, with some Para cord attached I am able to lower myself down to the bottom of a riverbank and more importantly I can get myself back up. To make it all easier I have put some loops in the cord for easier grip. A couple of year s ago I was barbel fishing on the Wye in November and I could have done with the ground anchor then, not so much for getting down the bank but more for safety as the flow was immense, and the bottom of a very steep bank was only about 18 inches wide, I digress.

To put theory into practice I set off for the river Lea on the first week of the new season. There has been a spot that I have had my eye on for three years now, looking down I have seen large bream and very large carp cruising about and feeding off the bottom, but access was impossible. Now armed with my ground anchor I could lower myself through some waist high undergrowth, down about twelve feet to a tiny ledge at the bottom, and if I did get lucky I could wade into the Lea as it is only about a foot deep at the edge.

From the start I threw handful of red maggots in and straight away a congregation of four large carp and one bream of about 8lbs froze me! I kept the maggots coming and after 10 minutes my meeting had expanded to about eight large carp all with their heads down and totally oblivious to my statue, just four feet away.

Slowly I moved my rod into position and dropped a bunch of red maggots into the mass of grazing carp, the water was clear so I could see the maggots on the riverbed occasionally obscured by a drifting carp. After a minute one of the smaller carp got its lips over my bait, I was poised to strike but the carp drifted away leaving the bait behind. A minute late the same carp returned and this time committed to my bait, my rod took on a bend as the other gang members scattered in all directions. Being perched at the bottom of the bank, landing this fish was proving tricky, so I slid into the water, after all I was determined to land this golden nugget. After a short hit and hold style battle the landing net engulfed a small but slender river carp of around 8lb.

Update: Four years on I shall not be returning to this spot as it is now in the Olympic Park area and climbing down steep banks attached to ropes could be taken as an act of terrorism! The spot still exists untouched by the landscaping so when the party finishes I shall slip back into position…