My dad, my cousin and myself are likely to go fly fishing at Walthamstow Resevoirs next week. Whilst my dad is a pretty good angler, I'm a novice and my cousin is a complete beginner.

Any hints or tips about where to fish, what fly to use, dry or wet etc would be most gratefully received.

Umm, I live in Walthamstow and I'd find somewhere else to fish !

Any particular reason Jedi?

Sorry, just noticed this was the Fly forum !

I thought you were going to the main coarse reservoirs, sorry. Never really fly fished them but I found a link here from last year that might help.

`Not fished there for donkeys years.However,i understand that the place is crawling with cormorants,hence its nickname cormorant city .
I fished Nortons not that long ago(which is not a million miles away from there) and the guy there said that it was crawling with them,he too having a few problems himself.Have also read posts elswhere about the problem and subsequently the poor fishing that goes with it.
Personally i think i would rather try elswhere.
Shame as it used to be quite a popular venue.

Yes it was Chuby. It used to owned and managed by Thames Water and was a great coarse and fly fishery, most of my early years where spent there either trotting floats down Coppermill stream or carping on the main reservoirs. Sadly the combination of illegal poaching and the cormorants have destroyed what was once a great place to go fishing. I did go over to the carp lakes last year for a day and I left after a couple of hours, it was soul destroying to see what had happened to the place.

Is Walthamstow not still run by Thames Water? Any other local (within 3 miles) fisheries that you might suggest. TBH it's very likely that we'll be fishing Walthamstow despite the problems that you've mentioned, so any tips about the area would be most appreciated.

Fished there once and managed to Catch a Mitten Crab on a whit Fritz ! .

All I can say is go travel light The walk to the lake is Epic!

Did it fight much

I left the fly in the water whilst trying to sort out a tangle in my line as I was unpicking the tangle I noticed that the line was paying out into the lake I lifted the rod tip and found the crab hanging on for dear life, it was the first time I had come across one so It took me a bit off gaurd.

Crabs in fresh water I ask you

You can pick up 'crabs' anywhere mate,be careful

Not usually in fresh water though, Romford yes, fresh water no

Well, we're off there this afternoon, I'll let you know how it went when we get back.

Good luck, but as others have said, the Fishery has gone down hill.

Many years ago I used to fish for Trout & Perch with spinners and the sport was good.

The most recent trips have been for Carp and I blanked and apparently the trout lakes have also seen a decline in action.

But I hope things have improved, any way there is plenty of water to cover with your flies, and I am sure there are still some decent Trout swimming around.

It seems we got there just as the fish stopped biting! I saw 5 other guys who had caught earlier in the day and most of the fish looked to be around 5-6lb. Unfortunately neither myself, my dad or my two cousins had any takes.

Apparently the Causeway (just between 4+5) with Buzzers is the place to be.

4 fish ticket was £18, 2 fish ticket £13.

We all had a lovely day despite not catching anything. In particular my dad enjoyed it and is hoping to go fishing in Erith, Cambs next week. I might join him.