Eagle Pond Snaresbrook London

[Ian.R.McDonald]

An important part of my youth, much of it spent on the pavement alongside the long bank.

The school , which seemed to be for kids with very interesting parents eventually closed. Now a Crown Court. Pressure from the owners of expensive houses overlooking the lake stopped fishing. The fish were then removed.

I think this photo was around 1969 on the short bank which didnt have tarmac cover

A multitude of happy memories - many of which would have scared a grown up me

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[MWithell]

A great picture and a very nice carp from the days when it was an exceptional fish.

[Aitch]

Lovely fish, there some crackers in the Eagle... the Tench were our main quarry whilst fishing there... bread paste or corn were the going baits at the time.

In my youth I fished "The Eagle Pond" the road bank during the day and "Guested" the courthouse bank by night... myself and a friend were "Nighting" at the Eagle the night the owner of the pub down the road from the Eagle was shot dead ( Think the pub was called "The Rising Sun"

We had a policeman sitting with us all night which precluded a hop over the fence into the courthouse bank. After that incident "The Hollows" became our night venue which was just as iffy with various goings on... one of our gang had his gear robbed by some ne'er-do-wells, so our fishing in that area stopped and we resorted to the Forest ponds and river Roding in Loughton...

Once I joined Loughton AS, the coach outings saw us on proper venues, more fish and into safer times...

[Ian.R.McDonald]

Lovely fish, there some crackers in the Eagle... the Tench were our main quarry whilst fishing there... bread paste or corn were the going baits at the time.

In my youth I fished "The Eagle Pond" the road bank during the day and "Guested" the courthouse bank by night... myself and a friend were "Nighting" at the Eagle the night the owner of the pub down the road from the Eagle was shot dead ( Think the pub was called "The Rising Sun"

We had a policeman sitting with us all night which precluded a hop over the fence into the courthouse bank. After that incident "The Hollows" became our night venue which was just as iffy with various goings on... one of our gang had his gear robbed by some ne'er-do-wells, so our fishing in that area stopped and we resorted to the Forest ponds and river Roding in Loughton...

Once I joined Loughton AS, the coach outings saw us on proper venues, more fish and into safer times...

I think it was the innocence of youth that allowed us to enjoy fishing in very " dodgy" situations- and we survived !

[Ian.R.McDonald]

A great picture and a very nice carp from the days when it was an exceptional fish.

to be honest about my priorities- June 16 was also the day of my english O level. I rushed through the test and shoved my hand up to be released early. And then up to the Eagle.
Somehow I managed to pass with a decent grade

[Dave Burr]

If ever a time machine is invented it's anglers that will be queueing around the block to go back to places like this.

[Aitch]

The "Forest Ponds" of Epping Forest were great places to Learn ones craft... every one had its own appeal... the Goldings Hill road ponds were full of small Rudd Perch and Roach, Baldwins Hill pond had good Perch and some secretive Tench, Blackweir Pond (also known as the Lost Pond) had loads of small crucians and the Wake Valley pond had Tench and huge Pike... The Woodyard pond at Epping was rumoured to hold carp, but we never fished it.
The Copped Hall estate Lake was carefully poached, as the Bailiff (a nasty chap called Wofford)( IIRC) was free with his hands and took tackle away... fishing at night, hiding in the bushes by day was the order of business. South Weald park lake was visited when we'd saved enough for the ticket, as was Hainault, and Fairlop waters was always rammed, Connaught waters was a regular, although fishing from the boats was frowned upon and the weed was always horrendous...

Sadly us youngsters were never good enough to unlock their potential and we never ever saw anyone catch anything of note... our time spent on them was based on hearsay and rumour... a couple of years back I had a fit of nostalgia and did the rounds of them all... I got lost trying to find the Lost pond ( as I often did) the Goldings hill road ponds were sadly neglected and the inner pond has now gone... silted over and dried out... Baldwins was shallow and silted, although there were still fish in it, same with the Woodyard pond...

I've never been back to Copped Hall as it is now a carp Syndicate water... Fairlop water is now a bird sanctuary, I may take a run over to Connaught waters in the spring on the motorbike... a nice run out and walk about... Sadly the tale about never going back often rings true... Its sad how the councils have neglected our ponds and lakes, youngsters have nowhere really as we did in our youth...

Ho hum...

[MWithell]

A great picture and a very nice carp from the days when it was an exceptional fish.

to be honest about my priorities- June 16 was also the day of my english O level. I rushed through the test and shoved my hand up to be released early. And then up to the Eagle.
Somehow I managed to pass with a decent grade

I caught my first double-figure carp on 16 June 1976 before an O level in the afternoon. 10lb 13oz common at about 5am on bread from the Diana fountain pond in Bushy Park, near Hampton Court. Oh, and I got a B in the exam too.

[Ian.R.McDonald]

I remember three or four people fishing from boxes with " proper" bamboo poles. All catching 8 - 12 oz roach every second cast. Good Bream, Perch over 3lb and eel to 4lb. But then we did spend half of our life up there. Reg Cooke of the LAA complete with gold earings and romany waistcoat was a major force. He supplied a flatbed lorry each close season which we filled with rubbish thrown in. I remember the truck driving away with Tonys shoes and normal clothes. The walk to Stafford in borrowed three size too big waders will never be forgotten

The van stopping at midnight- the splash of 5 smashed open electric meters.

The taxi driver walking towards me carrying my sprat wobbling rig after it had hooked his taxi on the back cast

[Ian.R.McDonald]

The place where Derek Stritton , carp fishing superhero, used a " rod pod" on the pavement.

we used to wait as he packed up so we could seatch the margins for his discarded bait. trout pellets.
as ever it was the presentation and timing that was crucial, not a secret bait