Walthamstow Reservoirs have been among the most popular carp destinations for decades. Set in the heart of London, a stones throw from the Olympic Village. Now Walthamstow is not for the faint hearted of fisherman. There are several reservoirs that are available for coarse fishing, with the Lower Maynard, No 1, 2 & 3 being the most popular. The 2 & 3 are joined by a spit, in fact all reservoirs are said to be joined by a series of underwater tunnels. Methods are based around a roving discipline, and locating the fish is paramount. All of the reservoir hold many other specimens other than carp, with some huge bream, roach and pike in all of the waters. Tactics once the fish are found is to present a bottom bait over a small free helping of spodded feed. A pop up approach is the most favourable, as the reservoirs are very silty, and their is an abundance of bird life. Using a throwing stick is like ringing the dinner bell for the seagulls.
To simplify the blog, I will stick to the number one reservoir first, as this is one of the most popular. A few years ago a fish kill wiped out all but a few of the carp, leaving the No 1 devastated. It is slowly recovering, and a restocking programme is being done by Thames water. The popular methods are fishing as tight to the island, spodding loose offerings, and fishing a pop up on a heli rig. The venue is ultra silty, so good presentation is virtually guarenteed with this approach. Fish location is key to success, and the fish show themselves often. Popular swims are the causeway with the No 2 & 3 behind you, pegs 9 – 13 in this picture. Swims are comfortable, with many on purpose built stagings, that extend into the water.
The 2 & 3 run parallel to the No 1, and was not affected as badly with the fish kill. The No 2 & 3, hold some famous and crafty old english carp with the common topping 50lb when caught. A usual pattern for the common is to show herself towards the end of the season, as she has done in recent years. As with all the reservoirs, fish location is so important, setting up on showing fish, and then a quick packdown, and move is not uncommon. Tactics seem to be as with the No 1, with many fish showing towards the island, and fishing tight can bring the rewards. There is a spit of about 15 meters wide that seperates the 2 & 3, and the fish move through often. The three has an island that again seems to be a fish holding hotspot, although the 3 is slightly shallower than the number 2.
Most of my fishing at Walthamstow from now will be on the 1, 2 & 3, so I will update this blog, as my sessions transpire. I will share with you swims, tactics and catches, and look forward to sharing my times on there with you. I am planning to fish there more often in these coming months, as it is so close to my home. Winter time can also be good for silver fish, with roach over 2lb not uncommon. The bream fishing on the number one reservoir was some of the best in the land, and a few sessions will be planned in search of double figure bream as well. I look forward to adding to this blog as the season transpires.
