Once home I thought it was time to put on a ‘proper’ film, I had forgotten about the piggy scene! After much deliberation I fear that this plan could result in my body being riddled with holes from the rozzer, the machete plan is put aside for yet another year. I was fishing with Tony, we had met at the pub for a quick afternoon pint, I was tempted to have another but Tony was eager to go and fish. It regularly throws up big fish in the 2lb+ bracket and a three is a distinct possibility. So a change of plan was needed and we headed to an alternative venue, still on the Lea. Been looking inwards recently and found this in an old tin. By the time I had hooked a carp it was almost nightfall and when I managed to finally scoop the carp into a fully extended landing net, darkness was all around me. Information about the River Lea Anglers Club including contact details and fishing venues. From Epping Forest I re-join the canal, it’s still early but people are starting to embrace the day, cat-ice still covers the canal. I think even now it’s fair to say that that we do not have as many fish in the Lee navigation as some of our neighbouring rivers. Leave a Comment ». I used this in conjunction with much larger amounts of maggots going in and this produced instant results. Annual subscribed members can also fish associated club waters. With ours rods out we settled into the swim, as I turned to speak with Tony I saw from the corner of my eye my rod tip bounce down, then again, I struck and felt a heavy weight heading out and into the full flow of the Lea. We both hoped the roach would show but we had both tackled up with chub and barbel in mind too. With the rivers experiencing some of the worst floods we’ve seen for many years, fishing hasn’t been easy for any species.. I spend more time just watching. Both cover the River Lea and also some fishing on the River Stort. The Lee Valley Park follows much of the river, providing green open spaces, nature reserves, Lee Valley Park Farms and facilities for a variety of sports and watersports. 13. ABOUT US. Posted by The tuesday swim in Fallon's Angler quarterly, Photography and video, The Lea Valley. Thanks for reading YouTube Gallery. The Old River follows a meandering course, starting at Lea Bridge Weir and rejoins the River Lee Navigation below Old Ford Lock. However, as it turned out he didn’t miss much. bridge, de, east, france, lea, london, river, road, tour. Unfortunately today was not to be. At Pike Pool by Enfield Lock I turn right and leave the Cut and take a tributary more akin to a Hampshire chalk stream. Lea Marston is a series of three purification lakes created by the Environment Agency (EA) from former gravel extraction pits. A fool at one end… and a camera on the other. Geoff decided to change to a leger and fish luncheon meat and managed to tempt several barbel before darkness prevented me from trotting any more. By lunchtime the clouds were gathering and a darkness came over the river that suggested it was time to set off for home. Posted in Angling Diary, tagged Bloodword and Maggot Groundbait, chub and barbel fishing, Pallatrax Baits, Small Stream fishing, The River Lea, winter roach on November 28, 2013| Almost one year on and the river season has commenced, I have been keeping a close eye on the river but the carp have disappeared, perhaps the dry spring sent the carp to deeper more oxygenated waters? It’s late February, the river looks alive, streamer weed still hangs on from last summer in the middle flow, blossom and birdsong is starting to show, despite the cold start spring has come early this year. Why not chubba? Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. The carp was a lovely dark old fish of around fifteen pounds that was quickly released back into the inky blackness. Down by the River today #sussex #cuckmere #chubbing, TBH we’ve spent most of the day by the fire, Part of my cultural apprenticeship, thank you #ripchickcorea, Just when you turn a corner...#saveleamarshes, Thinking about the merits of moving to a derelict house in Sussex #littletollerbooks #greenmanofhoram, I’ve been aware of this kit bag all of my life, it went on family camping trips in the seventies but I only understood what it was about ten years ago. I had not fished this swim before I had often seen carp patrolling, moving out from this deep trench into a more familiar swim where I had previously caught carp. With each trot through a pinch of maggots and or hemp were thrown in. My mullet were lurking in the tidal stretch of the Lea by the sanctuary of two discarded water tanks not found on a whim but more likely a regular journey, summer after summer, sifting through the silt for a easy feed? After many emails sent back and forth from his base camp in Normandy, Dexter finally made it to London while promoting his new book – Love, Madness, Fishing after a thirty year absence. I mixed the groundbait fairly light so that a small ball would explode on impact with the water. River Lea Anglers Club - Adult £15, Concessionary £10 Club Secretary 07842 033356 or email: riverleaac@hotmail.com No double or treble hooks, except when fishing for pike or spinning for Perch. Normally I’d be using either liquidized bread or maggots and hemp. I am drawn to the bike’s simple engineering, uncomplicated, it’s silent gears take me from east London along the Lea Navigation and out into the open space of the old flood plains that still line the Navigation. The fish had moved up into the water to intercept the freebies. The River Lea is a natural river that has been improved for navigation, with straight sections added in to shorten the route. They were opened in 1980 and helped remove pollutants from the River Tame. The wizardry of carp fishing strikes again! I hoped that this would pull in the roach and chub. In layman terms the marshes are perfect, we don’t need music festivals, car parks, bigger ice rinks, we simply need the space with a little amount of unobtrusive management to support the local community. and take her down the River Lea. I managed to land a small chub of around 1lb 8oz but lost two much bigger fish to hook pulls. Includes the London Olympics 2012 area around Stratford, Bow Creek, Limehouse Dock and north to the source at Leagrave near Luton. A reminder to all that the close season applies to the Towpath Fishery venues, The River Lea Navigation from Hertford to Aquaduct Lock at Cheshunt, The Old river Lea at Ware and The River Stort Navigation. For those that don’t know the Hidras are professionally dried natural baits that can be soaked in water and rehydrated back to their normal state. I had a couple more around the 1lb – 1lb 8oz mark or tiny ones. In my basement along with a collection of fishing tackle, pots of paint and various tools is a canoe suspended from the rafters that has for the last two years hung dormant, today seemed the right day to get her out (I think one speaks of a boat in a female context?) In a time when we need to be resourceful, thoughtful towards our neighbours, the Lea marshes are proving to be an immensely important place for the people of East London. To sit low down in the water is really quite interesting for an angler who normally spends so much time looking at the river as it passes by, in a canoe you become an integral part of the rivers ebb and flow. Despite our best efforts, we couldn’t find any barbel. Reflections of the River Lea in the 1950s July 22, 2010 Bauer Xcel Recently while re-reading the Compleat Angler I was reminded of my teenage years fishing the River Lea through the 1950’s and went on-line to investigate what is happening there now. Very frustrating but I hoped there’d be plenty more to follow. The challenge? After a few weeks away in both the French and English Riviera I find myself back in London with a twelve-year-old to keep entertained for a few days after the devastating news that his laptop has fallen foul of a hardware failure. Recently I’ve been using the Pallatrax Bloodworm and Maggot Crush Groundbait. anglers, canal, carp, clapton, common, cut, fishing, hackney, history, lea, lee, london, navigation, postcard, river I am drawn to the bike’s simple engineering, uncomplicated, it’s silent gears take me from east London along the Lea Navigation and out into the open space of the old flood plains that still line the Navigation. For some reason though the chub more or less dried up. 58 acre, mainly carp and big tench. 12. The river looks very inviting to the angler, today I see two fishermen but they are not the usual aimless lure anglers but float anglers carefully running floats down the inside crease, as I cycle past I hear their conversation, like their fishing it is more focused, their voices clipped, I want to ask how they are getting on, but on this occasion I restrain myself, instead I wish them “good morning” and cycle on. Geoff had managed some near record breaking Gudgeon and the odd roach but otherwise not much and other than the odd barbel, no one else had caught anything earth shattering. With ours rods out we settled into the swim, as I turned to speak with Tony I saw from the corner of my eye my rod tip bounce down, then again, I struck and felt a heavy weight heading out and into the full flow of the Lea. River carping is not easy but sometimes it all drops into place, it did last year with Dexter and today it looked hopeful. Rod Fees. Tickets can be purchased from River Lea Anglers Club Fishery Officers (Bailiffs) who patrol daily. 55, cardinal, carp, carping, dexter, fishing, glass, Hardy, iv, lea, mark, moon, old, petley, phases, river, rod, school, skool. A number of FGC cards have been purchased by the Club, and these will be available to 2017/18 members on payment of £10 per person in addition to their normal subscription. Formed in 2013 by anglers for anglers with an interest in fishing the River Lee Navigation, running downstream from Waltham Abbey in Essex to Tottenham in North East London. Only twenty years ago I could fish many stretches of the canal for hours and not meet a soul, today things have changed. I had recently discovered a new swim, it was tricky to get to but once in place we were hidden from any passers by and any annoying questions, the same questions that I refrained from asking the two float anglers. Canal Fishing with Maggots - River Lea Navigation - YouTube Initially the chub put in an appearance however I could tell it was going to be one of those days. Then every 30-60 minutes I put out another couple of small balls of groundbait. Don’t forget to read about my perch fishing in 2017 and my article covering 2018 titled Big Perch Fishing. I’m unsure but to witness these mullet as I have done now for the last few days has been a privilege. Tucked away in our hide out, the sun battered down all around us but under the tree and next to the flowing water it was cool. One of my first ever posts on The Tuesday Swim was called Night Stalker on the Lea Navigation, about a young carp fisher I came across one night on the Lea Navigation, perhaps it is he? A breakaway group of three large carp were spotted under the A102 road bridge at around 9.20am but so far no riders…, carp, Centrepin, lea, old, river, speedia. It’s not exclusively for ABF members, in fact all are welcome to give it a go. Kevin was suffering, so sadly couldn’t make it. When I ride I leave early while the tow path is quiet, as the canal opens up past Ponders End by the King George Reservoirs the wind often intensifies here on Rammey Marsh, the metropolis is on my back as it gets blown to the horizon. It was a great day, the new moon cast its spell and I became a moon child. As the waters covered by the Consortium are in an open park, non-fishing people can access the park free. On receiving the groundbait I was impressed by the amount of bits in it. From the path no one would know you are there, a passer-by would not notice these clearings or the small space created for someone to stand and cast a line. As my ride comes to a conclusion I pull off the canal at the scene from a postcard I found in a local market, in the background there is a house now raised to the ground and replaced with a electric power sub station. There is a second branch, the Stort Navigation, which runs from Bishop's Stortford to meet the Lee near Hoddesdon. Olly1. With the nearby Middlesex Filter Beds now flooded, this whole area is really becoming an interesting area for conservation and the natural world. River Lee photos by Peter Marshall from 1980s to current day. Today the river still shines with some remarkable fishing available just fifteen miles from central London. Small dropper shots around 6/7 inches from the hook finished the set up off. Let me expand on that comment. To get as many people as possible to catch a barbel on the reel. Posted by The tuesday swim in The Lea Valley, east, hackney, lea, leyton, london, marsh, marshes, natural, nature, parks, reserve, save, valley. Please see a few videos below. My swim (one of the secret swims) was so small that no space was free to take any decent photos as I disentangled the rod, the net, the line and the hook from one another. The Old River Lea is the natural channel of the River Lea that splits from the Hackney Cut (or River Lea Navigation) at Lea Bridge. The weather had finally settled down a little and remained dry for around a week. It is a complex network of old river, navigation, flood relief channels and tributaries, but this is still very much a river that is alive, the constant cruisers have brought a new vibrancy to the place and it has become a playground for modern London, re-vamped pubs, new-builds, joggers, cyclists, canoeists, dog walkers, birdwatchers and young families have contributed to the rivers new found personality. Name. The River Lea and River Lee Navigation are owned and operated by British Waterways. The River Lee (Irish: An Laoi) is a river in Ireland.It rises in the Shehy Mountains on the western border of County Cork and flows eastwards through Cork, where it splits in two for a short distance, creating an island on which Cork's city centre is built, then passing through Cork Harbour on the south coast, one of the largest natural harbours in the world, to empty into the Celtic Sea. I picture them lined up along the tow path perched on their creels, puffs of smoke rise as they gaze out and onto the canal and dream. ... River Lea Anglers Club also have access to four stretches of the Lee Navigation in Essex / Herts. A short film about specimen angler Bob Hornegold who has spent a lifetime fishing the Lea system, a river close to me, a complicated river that has been changed by man for thousands of years. I believe this is the section I’m referring too. However, specimen angler Phil Buckingham timed it perfectly on a recent session on his local River Lea when he banked this lovely 7lb 8oz chub. I had not fished this swim before I had often seen carp patrolling, moving out from this deep trench into a more familiar swim where I had previously caught carp. We finally called it a day at around 4.30 and it was time for Geoff and I to indulge in a family feast designed for about 4 people at the KFC….it’s finger licking good. I did land a couple though at around 2lb 8oz-3lb. The River Lea runs from Hertfordshire, near Luton, and flows south through several north London boroughs, including Waltham Forest, until its confluence with the Thames at Bow. Bayfordbury River, River Lea. Once again I think back to that warm July day, I think of the other anglers who have fished the Lea in the past, anglers leaving the east-end and disembarking at Lea Bridge, Ponders End or Enfield, rural outposts from the stink of the city. Nevertheless it looked promising. The Lea was looking splendid though, the water was clear and fairly high for the height of summer, the banks over-grown and looking quite wild. I had a number of baits with me but was pinning my hopes on maggots and the Pallatrax Hidra small snails. Lungs burst as I take on Mott Street until I reach the comforting sight of Holy Innocents Church at High Beech and the thickly wooden lanes of heavy oak and beech that meander on a level that leaves the heart a chance to recover. Tucked away in our hide out, the sun battered down all around us but under the tree and next to the flowing water it was cool. Overall bites were few and far between but I wasn’t the only one struggling. The only drawback here is the amount of barbel that frequent this stretch (even in the winter months) and often bully out the big roach. Vale River. Perhaps I should have set up a barbel rod and legered but it had been a very early start and enough was enough. ↳ River Lea ↳ River Loddon ↳ River Ouse ↳ River Roding ↳ River Severn ↳ River Teme ↳ River Test ↳ River Thames ↳ River Trent ↳ River Wensum ... ↳ Traditional Fishing Tackle Shops, Past and Present; Forum permissions. 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. 06-01-2015, 17:35. No angler is to be inconsiderate or abusive towards other users of the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. 11. We headed to a section of the Lea to hopefully secure the barbel each that we needed. Once a 100 or so have completed the task, the idea is for the ABF to hopefully auction the reel off and donate the whole lot to the Macmillan Nurses. The roach remained and I ended up with a nice tally of fish to around the 1lb mark. I continued with the float tactics, altering the depth and speed at which the float travelled downstream through the swim. River Lea Navigation When i get the chance to go fishing the first place i usually go to is the River lea Navigation, being only a few minutes a way from my house it is perfect for quick sessions after work and on the weekends. The river is actually quite patchy. Well this beast is far more terrible than any that have gone before. On the out and out barbel rod I used a size 16 Pallatrax ‘The Hook’ which are incredibly strong and I’ve been using them for quite some time. RIVER LEA ANGLERS CLUB WELCOME to our website . Of all of the months in the year, August is probably my least favourite month to fish. I shot this film over the last few years with a mix of hand-held cameras as I spent time on the marshes, fishing and walking. Lee Navigation, Ponders Green is a stretch of canal east of Enfield, running from Rammey Marsh Lock just south of the M25 near Waltham Abbey and Waltham Cross southwards to Tottenham Lock adjacent to the A503 at Tottenham Hale. The roach bites genuinely seemed to coincide with the burst from the groundbait, which I would expect anyway. Sadly everyone else had the same idea and the stretch was packed out. River Lea - Fishers Green. So last Saturday we entered a new lunar phase, I woke feeling half-hearted about getting up but the celestial pull took me to the river at a respectable 8.00 am, if the carp were enchanted then hopefully they were still under a spell. Notably hard to catch, these stubborn thick lipped variety were positively zip lipped when it came to my free offerings. On the lighter outfit I used a much lighter gauge 16 hook. 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. Written on the postcard it says ‘don’t you think this is a pretty river, it puts me in mind of the Guilford scenery rather than that of a London suburb…’, Posted by The tuesday swim in General, General fishing, The Lea Valley, angling, fishing, lea, mullet, photography, river. I try to re-capture their thoughts now decades old, buried deep into the silt of the Lea. Not much fishing goes on here, well perhaps a little bit? Right now we need space, air, and nature as an antidote to what is going on with the pandemic. Pretty basic but it does the job. I love to catch roach regardless of size, they are just such lovely fish. This particular canoe has taken me into the drink on a few occasions, she seems to sense a nervous pilot akin to a horse. I had recently discovered a new swim, it was tricky to get to but once in place we were hidden from any passers by and any annoying questions, the same questions that I refrained from asking the two float anglers. Very narrow and intimate and a chat with the bailiff proved to be very useful. I was in an area where the chub are very prolific and 20 odd chub a session would be quite normal. Toggle search Toggle navigation MENU . It’s a great thing #raf, Good to be out filming today. Soon after I leave the river, cross a nature reserve and head to the hills of Epping forest. Contact: 01743 272828. The Lee Navigation is named by Acts of Parliament and is so marked on Ordnance Survey maps. The River Lea is a major tributary of the River Thames. As the day wore on I lost another couple of big chub to hook pulls but had failed to find any barbel. Lightly tannin waters, great to wade and polaroid. Today my ride to work took a slight deviation so I could experience a two to three mile section of the Tour de France, that will take place later on this afternoon. With us both fishing, our first three casts resulted in three tiny golden crucians and then nothing, not a nibble! A river on a summers evening is a magical place, and tonight I was on the Lea in search of a lone dark one. Don’t worry fashionistas of Hackney Wick and Dalston, the eighties mullet has yet to return, (for now) you may stick to your acid tones and cool electro beats but only the brave will dress the mullet once more. So, lets cut to the chase. Next week I have a two-week stretch looking after my two-year old daughter, a much more daunting task, this week though I thought a digital free two days with my stepson could manifest itself as a mini boy’s own adventure. 1 Comment ». Ten minutes later I was cradling a carp like a new-born baby, near to twenty pounds in weight. A great cause and commendable actions from both the ABF and Paul Whiteing. Cash payment only. , Posted in Angling Diary, tagged Barbel fishing, centrepin reels, The Association of Barbel Fishers, The River Lea on March 8, 2012| By August the rivers are low and I’m in a perpetual state of apathy, my mind is wandering towards September and October. You know the ones where absolutely everything goes wrong! Fishing Nature and wildlife Places to visit ... 703: River Lea Anglers Club. North Met Pit Cheshunt, Lea Valley, London Tel: 01992 717711 £45 junior £75 adult season. I think they will make ideal chub, roach and grayling baits. Some lumps would still hold together and sink to the bottom, whilst other parts exploded into a cloud of tiny morsels of food. – the river is closed between 31/5 - 01/09. Prices: Free Fishing. If the barbel were active then I had a power float rod and 7lb low diameter mainline and 6lb hooklinks set up that would deal comfortably with these powerful fish. It’s about raising money after all. or more likely this fisher is a night stalker. In the process they get to donate £5 each for the privilege. It contains bloodworm and maggots of course, as the name suggests, but there are other little bits and pieces in there and it offers a very nutritious and highly visible alternative to liquidized bread. Geoff managed to locate some nice roach and I ended up with a couple of small chub. Constructed elements and human features are spelled Lee, such as the canal system and Lee Valley Park.The un-canalized river is spelled Lea, along with other natural features such as Lower Lea Valley.. History. – one river fish per rod per day. Also known as River Lea, and includes the Lee Navigation and associated canals and rivers. Last summer I spent the day with author and angler, Dexter Petley, searching out river Lea carp. It’s not often you’ll hear me complain about the amount of barbel present but here they can be a right pain in the proverbial. ... downstream you have Abbey Cross and Red Spinners as well as quite a bit of private land and a few free fishing spots. Towards the end of the day I shallowed up and trotted through at around a depth of 12-18 inches. How-To Tutorials; Suggestions; Machine Translation Editions; Noahs Archive Project; About Us. After passing by Baldwins pond and walking through ancient woodland which was just starting to turn to gold, The Lost Pond appears in a small clearing, surrounded mainly in reeds broken by six gravel banked swims. The ‘Beast’ is in fact a Barbus Riverking centrepin reel. Soon after I leave the river, cross a nature reserve and head to the hills of Epping forest. On opening day I met with friends Garrett and Tony for a traditional 16th and despite many bream feeding on our groundbait our carp baits only spooked the twitchy bream, the carp were merely ghosts. It’s a hard thing to explain, perhaps it’s an feeling only anglers experience, but catching these old creatures somehow warrants a close affiliation to the place, each time I catch one of these carp, my relationship with the Lea becomes more intimate. I had two set-ups; a light chub one and a much beefier one geared towards barbel. Each year around this time, the 16th June to be precise I get the urge to buy a machete and cross the Hackney plains and down onto the River Lea to clear a few swims from the giant hogweed and stingers. Home; Books; Search; Support. I had several roach to around 12oz and they were in pristine condition. The River Lea near Ware There is evidence that the River Lea has been used for navigation since the Bronze age as a canoe was found that was dated to that time. Thankfully this plan is never put into action as another fisher of the Lea cuts out three or four swims in a very discrete manner along a run I like to fish. River Lea Anglers Club has access to a series of venues around Enfield, Broxbourne, Hertford and Hoddesdon. I started the day by checking the depth of the swim and set both rods up with Avon style floats with the shot bulked around 12-14 inches from the hook. It’s rather shallow, with consistent gradients. The main canal runs from Herford to Bow where it meets the Thames. I hoped it would be good for roach fishing and maybe give me that edge that you sometimes need here. Access to Water. With summer stalking for carp pretty much over (even the carp seem to get lazy in August?) Geoff and I split up, I headed upstream whilst Geoff remained on the lower section. They are a nice shape and can cope with really big fish. No fishing on that part of the waterway adjacent to Treasure Island at Little Baddow. I baited up the head of the swim with a couple of balls of groundbait and rested the swim for half an hour whilst it got a little lighter. Do I have the patience to try and fool one of these or shall I stick to the carp? Guests staying in Clearbrook have sole access to Heskeths dam … Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. Once settled though, a serene calm takes over and the river is experienced from a completely new perspective. (Note: SPINNING, LURE or PIKE Fishing methods are NOT allowed on these sections) 1 Day Membership Ticket Prices: Adult (aged 16 to 64) £5, Concessions (Senior Citizen, Registered Disabled, Juniors) £3.50 I was happy that it was Dexter that caught the near twenty, he only had one chance while I could return anytime, I felt it was the only outcome. Making life better by water. Starting from Cambridge and eventually coming down the Lea Bridge Road, the machine that is the Tour de France will cross the Old River Lea, enter the Queen Elizabeth Park and end up on The Mall. The Vale rises out of the ground flowing south away from Lake Lea, not into it. Luckily though after throwing in another couple of small balls of groundbait the roach seemed to show themselves. You cannot post new topics … That’s when they often let their guard down and you start to catch some decent fish. Despite the conditions looking ideal the fish seemed to have other ideas as usual. The temperature is still cold, the sky is cloudless, vapour pours from my lips, I am reminded how important the changing seasons are to me, just seven months ago I was on the Lower Lea, then it was hot, the air was thick with the scent of summer.