The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

I noticed that this pond was mentioned in a recent River Mole thread.

Does anyone here visit or fish it these days? If so, how is the fishing there?

It & the Mole were my first fishing venues as a teenager in the 70s & I caught my first larg[ish] fish, a tench, from Stew Pond.

Chavtastic.

I have very fond memories of catching lots of tench there as a youngster.
But these days the comment above hits the nail on the head

I too fished the Epsom Stew Pond. You could hear the lions and tigers roaring during the night in Chessington Zoo a mile or so up the road. This was in the 60's. They were some big crucians in it - this being the closest lake to the road by walking over the old infill and before the second pond was created. I never caught a tench but had crucians to over 2lb when night fishing with a float and a torchlight shining on the tip! No isotopes then.

Nearly 5 years on, is anyone fishing it?

At nearly 61 & only @ 35 miles away I'm getting nostalgic.

Maybe my 12 oz tench of 1975 is now 12 lbs or .....

Four years on Olly and your still a forum 'salmon'? I have to say that a session of crucians caught by float in torchlight sounds absolutely traditional and also bloody marvelous!

Epsom has gone from being a pleasant little market town, the home Mrs Beeton, Norman Wisdom and a big race course. With some nice clap board houses in and around the high street, decent pubs and even a theatre into a bit of a thug town.... especially on Saturday nights.

Why is this so?

Probably a general malaise besetting blighty.

As ever,...

Moley

They did close the asylums - care in the community and all that!

The 'walking wounded' were allowed out to roam and go into town. I had them, men and women, jumping into the pond fully clothed where my float was - fortunately it was usually as we were packing up to cycle home in the morning.

I did get to fish the RAC lake in Epsom, how and why we were allowed I have forgotten, but the fish were goldfish x crucian carp mostly, 100+ each a day plus the odd tench, koi, etc. A house owner adjoining the water stocked it with ornamentals so his children could catch them!


Twenty years later I also collected water rate arrears in the town for 3 years