River Roding

[Tench Dreamer]

Well Ive had a good look on Google maps and it looks fabulous.Its within a 20 min drive for me ,so now its just finding the time.

[Bigoll]

There have been some pollution incidents over the years, mainly thanks to agricultural run-off and industrial spills but the main problem today is excessive abstraction and bad river management which reduces the flow to a trickle at times. But as well as the occasional bad day there are a lot of great days, especially with all the rain this year. A healthy river with healthy fish! If I've done this right, here are a couple of the perch caught last Saturday.

[Mark]

What a lovely little stripey. :thumb:

[Tench Dreamer]

Natures finest..what did you get these on then bigoll? worm or maggot trotting or rolling the ledger?

I think Im gonna like this river....alot :thumb:

[Bigoll]

Those two plus a couple more were caught on trotted triple maggot and lobworm, with size 10 hooks to keep the pesky minnows at bay. Speaking of which, if you want a challenge, try catching the chub that sit in a huge shoal of the damn things; it's like fishing for a needle in a haystack!

[GazTheAngler]

Hi Bigoll,

I'm one of the other Epping pond anglers on here(though I haven't got out yet this season).


I used to fish the Roding a lot in the early 90's mainly from wanstead through to ilford. Had some nice fish, Chub, Perch, Dace, the odd Roach and I once saw someone land a 3lb brownie!

I never cracked the 4lb chub barrier on that stretch but did have a cracking Dace of 12oz.

Stopped fishing it when it got polluted again haven't fish the Roding for years now apart from a couple of Blanks on the Debden stretch a few years ago. Glad to know its fishing OK again.

Might try the Debden section again for a rove in the Winter. Apart from Wake what other Forest ponds are you thinking of fishing this season?

Gaz

[Bigoll]

Hi Gaz

Good to hear from another forest ponds angler! The Roding is a new venue for me in 2012 but one I've been meaning to try for years. I first came across it when I used to fish Ornamental Waters and Perch Pond in Wanstead Park about 7 years ago and it looked like a sad trickle at the time so never really investigated it properly. This year's ambition was to give it a proper go so I used the off season to go on a few recces and am now addicted to the Woodford to Debden stretch. I've not managed a 'decent' chub yet as I've only spotted and caught smaller specimens on my expeditions but I know they're in there and will hopefully land a good size later this year.

I'm not surprised you saw a trout in there as they were supposedly introduced in the 80s/90s but were probably wiped out by the pollution incidents. But it wouldn't surprise me if there are some still in there as some sections, particularly near Abridge, look very trouty indeed; not to mention the Norton trout fishery near there being connected to the river, presumably for abstraction / drainage purposes. When I was fishing the Roding last weekend I saw something very quick and speckly dashing upstream, so you never know! Hopefully you'll get a chance to fish there later in the year and the river and fish remain fit and healthy for a long time to come.

WVP is a water I keep going back to, regardless of success; it's just a beautiful place to spend time. I had a look at Goldings Pond a few weeks back but was put off a bit by how shallow it was and the murky water with its slightly rotten smell, not to mention the large family of noisy eastern Europeans who probably didn't have a rod licence between them. But I may have to give it a try having seen the recent photos of the carp, tench and rudd on the Goldings thread on this very forum!

I also intend to recce and fish Baldwin's Pond and Lost/Blackweir Pond, both of which I've heard good things about. Any chance of a pike from either of those?

I have friends who live on the Green in Theydon Bois, so I often have a look at the pond there but have never seen much in the way of activity so not got around to fishing it yet (plus it lacks the seclusion and natural beauty of the venues I normally seek out). But I will have to give it a go because of what my friend sees in there every morning when she's walking her dog..............

[GazTheAngler]

I used to fish the Ornies all the time in the mid late 80's

My tench and crucian water.

On a slow day i climbed down to the roding behind my swim and saw quite a few chub. next time I went fishing i was tipping for them. As i said I did that regulatly till about 95 when I got into Sea fishing in a big way. Now back coarse and turning trad.

I had two small Pike out of Baldwins the season before last, one took a prawn on the retrive and one a small Roach I had caught. Last season A guy on the CEMEX site had a 4lb tench out of Baldwins but I've only maggot fished it,which with those Ponds means a small silver a chuck.

I want to fish Blackweir and Goldings this season too.

I fished Theydon Pond a couple of years ago to again just a test day with maggot, loads and Roach and Rud and a little carp. I fished Earls Path quite a bit last season and the season before and had god catches of small Tench and Crucians on soft pellet and bread.

I think pellet, bread, corn and worms are a good way to the better fish.

I shall be over Theydon with my son when we have a decent Saturday!

Gaz

[Tench Dreamer]

Popped out with me dog for a recce trhis afternoon. David Lloyd sports centre area and then down to the far more open section at Bancroft rugby club.

bigoll the river leading up to the Underground railway bridge is beautiful...But pretty much a jungle of nettles etc and quite difficult to get down i would have thought.

I would be suprised if it was fished much....But you are dead right a pretty darn place to wet a line.

I will be back...next time without dog and with rod( when?.......not sure!

[Bigoll]

Good to hear you went for a stroll along the Roding, John. You're right that the section leading north to the tube bridge is a jungle at the moment - that's the result of all the rain and sprinkling of sunny days (the same reason I have to mow the lawn every blinking week). It'll be more accessible in the autumn/winter. I doubt that section ever gets fished to be honest; all the better for catching those inexperienced chub and perch! To be honest, I'm a bit of a pioneer when it comes to finding swims so am probably more likely to crawl through nettles, brambles and bogs to get to a suitable spot than the average angler.

The easiest section to fish at the moment is through Roding Valley Park, which has a whole range of accessible swims. I looked at the river as I passed over it on the tube on the way to and from work today and it looked high and fast, thanks to the latest series of downpours. Hopefully it'll have settled a bit by Wednesday evening, when I plan to have another little session. I'll post some pics if I manage to get out.