Walthamstow in December onwards
Walthamstow has been fishing well for a good few weeks now. Over 1,000 more fish were stocked in No4 and No5 last week, but the reservoirs were already producing good catches before that, with a good chance of grown-on 4-5lb fish.
Black & Green, Coral, Peach and Cat's Whisker Boobies will all catch at Walthamstow from December onwards.
A common pattern is for the fish to be lying deep early morning, when you might need to use a DI7 and fish your flies along the bottom.
The 40+ Expert will help give you the distance necessary.
Mid-morning the fish will start to rise in the water, so a DI5 will be better, with a DI3 or Fast Intermediate better around mid-day to mid-afternoon.
Two flies on a long leader can be useful. You can fish these fast along the bottom after a wait of 1 to 2 minutes on a DI7. Or fish them with a slow retrieve on a DI5, after just 30 secs, when they will fish a lot higher.
For the mid-day period a single Booby on a 15ft leader and the DI3 or Fast Intermediate may be easier to manage.
Nymphs can still work on fine days, though, with fish often feeding hard on bloodworm, hoglice, and the occasional large buzzer. Last year's Walthamstow FFC Fur & Feather was won with four fish taken in the first hour on floating line and Diawl Bachs.
During January the fishing gets progressively more difficult as the fish begin to stay deep. Even so, there will often be a hot spell around 12.30-2.00pm when fish start being taken. During these periods a shorter leader with a single Booby on a DI7 may be more effective, in that it enables you to fish deeper.
You will find more information on the Walthamstow Fly-fisher's Club website at
Walthamstow Fly-fisher?s Club
Walthamstow FFC
