The Lea at Eaton Manor

[Richard C]

I have just returned from my secondment at the Olympics/Paralympics transporting athletes on a coach to and fro venues in the Olympic park, North Greenwich Arena (02) and Excel.
Spent a lot of time parked at the transport hub at Eaton Manor awaiting duties and a good deal of that time observing the Lea from the bridge that links Eaton Manor transport hub to Hackney Marshes.
I have heard and read reports prior to my secondment regarding the state of the Lea which included a comment that it was so polluted you could develop film in it.
I am aware that the powers that be (LOCOG) would do its utmost to whitewash such an eyesore prior to hosting the Olympics and no doubt spent a fortune clearing the area up. This was my first time in the area and was interested to see it myself.
During my time observing I have witnessed aquatic birds including Kingfishers, Coots, Herons, Cormorants and Mallard ducks as well as amphibious newts,frogs and a seemingly healthy stock of fish. As normal, when without a rod, I have seen large Carp, huge chub and vast shoals of smaller fry and minnows inhabiting the river leading me to the assumption that this seemingly miraculous transformation has come about a good deal longer than any clean up operation in preparation to the games.
I imagine that this is the result of continual work of many years by conservationists and the local angling club and wish to pass on my praise. The river here looks stunning and natural and was teasingly inviting and I hope that maintenance continues now the Olympics have finished.
As an aside, due to the ungodly hour which I started work I witnessed several dawn awakenings and spotted vast numbers of parakeets in the trees. Not just one or two but several dozen! Was I dreaming or had I unknowingly imbibed on hallucinogenic drugs administered by LOCOG via the bottled water supply to affect my observations? Perhaps someone living near or familiar with Hackney Marsh/Leyton area can shed some light on this tropical ornithological invasion!

[Mark]

Lovely pictures 4ngler. :thumb:

[The Tuesday Swim]

4angler, I know this area very well and the exact spot where each photo was taken. To be honest it is not fished too much and yes there are some good carp and huge bream schooling around the bridge over the A102. I don't really fish there any more but in the past I have had carp and pike out of that area.
I know John L has fished down there last year as we met up for a chat.
Good news is I'm moving back to that area tomorrow! My plan is to have a winter pike out of the near by canal and then next year a River Lea carp, they are real untouched beauties.

No hallucinations, green Parakeets (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rose-ringed_Parakeet) have finally moved east from the Regents Park/Hampstead, well they do say this area is on the up!

[J.T]

We get loads of those green Parakeets round my way, some say its a bad thing but I quite like them.

[MGs]

I must admit to being a bit spooked on an early morning barbel session on the Middlesex Colne by strange noises and fluttering, which turned out to be a large flock of said parakeets. It all adds to the experience

[Tench Dreamer]

Just picked up this thread. The old( tidal) lea and the Navigation canal, lea that flw through this are a river anglers all features theme park, only its all natural....

The area was cleaned up , and the it went on for years leading up to the olympics.A new lock was even put in.

But apart fom a few lone anglers none of its fished much. Suppose east londons coarse fishermen are out carping in Essex!

I really dont want to fish anywhere else really, apart from trying the Roding maybe, and Tench in the summer

[JerryC]

We get loads of those green Parakeets round my way, some say its a bad thing but I quite like them.

You try fishing the Mole and Ember at Ember Court - you can sometimes feel like an extra from the set of Hitchcock's The Birds.

[DaveM]

Just noticed this thread, I have fished the Lea all the way along since I was a boy. The
particular stretches around the olympic park always looked polluted and devoid but were actually
teeming with roach, dace, bleak, bream, carp, pike etc, there is quite a lot of water to go for, but even in its heyday, you would rarely see more than the odd angler on these bits. Some bits were tidal some not, it was a whole network of waterways, don't really know where it becomes tidal now?

I grew up in Hackney and on a sunday morning, I would walk up to the corner of my road to pick up the coach, willow basket stephens rod bag, canvas bait bucket (remember them?) and I would see up to 10 coaches from various clubs picking up anglers, but these clubs would all be heading for the Thames, the Fens, the Broads, Ouse, suffolk stour, the mole, in fact everywhere except the very local Lea. Most anglers fished the Lea midweek or summer evenings.

There were also all the docks and they all had fish and anglers on them, though sometimes you felt like you were taking your life in your own hands being there, they were very rough run down places back then.

Further up, all the stretches above Tottenham locks were fished much more. In the summer there would be an evening match every night and two matches at the weekend plus pleasure anglers all along the towpath.

I can remember fishing springfield park stretch on the Lea and there was a permanent oil slick on it so bad that your eyes would sting, yet we would catch roach and dace through it!
I would love to take a trip down memory lane and fish some of these places again. maybe I will in the not too distant future.

[The Tuesday Swim]

Just noticed this thread, I have fished the Lea all the way along since I was a boy. The
particular stretches around the olympic park always looked polluted and devoid but were actually
teeming with roach, dace, bleak, bream, carp, pike etc, there is quite a lot of water to go for, but even in its heyday, you would rarely see more than the odd angler on these bits. Some bits were tidal some not, it was a whole network of waterways, don't really know where it becomes tidal now?

I grew up in Hackney and on a sunday morning, I would walk up to the corner of my road to pick up the coach, willow basket stephens rod bag, canvas bait bucket (remember them?) and I would see up to 10 coaches from various clubs picking up anglers, but these clubs would all be heading for the Thames, the Fens, the Broads, Ouse, suffolk stour, the mole, in fact everywhere except the very local Lea. Most anglers fished the Lea midweek or summer evenings.

There were also all the docks and they all had fish and anglers on them, though sometimes you felt like you were taking your life in your own hands being there, they were very rough run down places back then.

Further up, all the stretches above Tottenham locks were fished much more. In the summer there would be an evening match every night and two matches at the weekend plus pleasure anglers all along the towpath.

I can remember fishing springfield park stretch on the Lea and there was a permanent oil slick on it so bad that your eyes would sting, yet we would catch roach and dace through it!
I would love to take a trip down memory lane and fish some of these places again. maybe I will in the not too distant future.

Dave, you may be interested in this little piece I wrote on my blog recently...

http://thetuesdayswim.wordpress.com/201 ... -stations/

Tadpole.

[The Tuesday Swim]

Oh, and I wasn't referring you to being a hundred years old!