LEE ANGLERS' CONSORTIUM

Click on River Guides above and use green drop down menu to flip between map and text

 

Ponders End to Picketts

 

Location

 

 

Ponders End is situated between Chingford and Enfield and is easily reached via Lea Valley Road with adequate parking in Wharf Road. Picketts Lock has limited parking adjacent to the lock but there is a car-park in nearby Lee Park Way.

 

Description

 

Throughout this section it is a very slow moving river of varying depth and width that can offer some of the best fishing on the Lee.

 

The Navigation PH

 

Above the lock the river is shallower where roach, perch, chub, tench and bream can be found. In the winter the section just upstream of the lock to opposite 'The Navigation' P.H. is fished with bread punch for the roach and skimmers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The cutting below the lock has always been good fishing especially after rain when there is extra water coming from the Mill Stream. However, for some unknown reason the large shoal of roach and skimmers (especially in winter) have moved on and there has been no news of their return. In Autumn pegs 7 to 12 are always worth a try for roach.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Perch will be found in all pegs right down to the Lock

 

The wide area by the Ford factory is noted for big bream that will feed all year round but there are also plenty of good roach and perch here. In winter this area can also be very productive for pike anglers.

 

During the summer months the large bream shoal will regularly patrol down as far as the pipe bridge ( Peg 35) with the section opposite the ‘blue doors’ being the best.

 

On sunny days you can often see them swimming just under the surface. While this is a great sight they don’t normally feed when you can see them. Below the pipe bridge there are no factories and the off-side is lined with trees which is the boundary of the golf course. This section is the home of large carp. In the summer bream shoals can turn up in any of the pegs.

 

For those interested in large carp the reed beds opposite the middle 40’s are very popular with these fish especially in the early part of the season.

 

The river widens in the mid 80’s and this is a good holding area for large bream. The section upstream of Picketts is another very popular stretch for roach, perch, bream and the occasional tench. The bank is a bit lower here which makes the fishing much more comfortable.

 

Section Tips

• The most popular method for the bream in summer is to fish large pieces of bread-flake or sweetcorn overdepth with a bread or cereal based ground-bait.
• When conditions are hard try pinkies and worm with casters.
• As the season progresses a change to caster can bring results while in winter a single maggot or pinkie to a very small hook on light line (22 to 12 oz.) will often tempt them.
• For the roach try hemp and tares in summer and bread-punch in winter.
• Please park sensibly at Picketts Lock and do not obstruct any premises. If there is no room try the disabled car park in Lee Park Way.