Inside fishing history
Our angling historian Keith looks back on the free-to-fish park lakes that were the backbone of urban angling for thousands
“They all held greedy little perch we could catch on worms”
GROWING up where I did as an angler, in North London not far from Arsenal Stadium, most of my early days were spent on park lakes.
Within a single bus or bike ride I had Finsbury Park, Clissold Park, Alexandra Park (Ally Pally, now famed for the darts) and Hampstead Heath. The latter included Highgate Ponds, where I’m sure I caught my first perch.
These lakes were important for children like me to begin their angling journey. Every city had these free-to-fish venues. They all held greedy little perch we could catch on garden worms. Many of these ponds have been lost to angling for a variety of reasons, but some survive, and I’m delighted that the very pond where I caught my initial perch has been restored as a fishery by a group of enthusiasts led by Bob Gibbs under the title Hampstead and Highgate Angling Society... HAHAS. They run taster sessions for local children who do far better than my first little stripey.
In South London there are great fisheries in Camberwell’s Burgess Park where sessions can be pre-booked online and fish us baby-boomer kids could only dream about are caught. Similar waters exist across the country.
The angling part of London Youth Games, now sadly not included, was fished at Crystal Palace Lakes where the upper pool is controlled by a club but the lower boating lake, which usually provided the individual winner with carp, is now more dinosaur habitat... honestly!
Losing so many of these free or very cheap but accessible waters is the prime reason why angling isn’t recruiting the young people it used to. There are, however, signs that the tide is turning and there may soon be a new breed of inquisitive nippers like I was who peer into the water and see a little fish hiding under the bank. One dangled worm and spiked finger later they’re holding a bristling perch and hooked for life.