Autumn/winter pike on the fly — big fish season. Pike are putting on condition and take large flies confidently. Fish dropping weed edges, deep channels, and structure. Start with a sinking line and move to faster-sinking as the water cools. Biggest pike of the year come in this window.
If the main plan stalls, drop to a size 14–16 midge — switch to a washing-line or suspender rig and change drift line before you change food group.
Keep an eye on changing conditions — wind shifts and cloud breaks can trigger short feeding spells.
Bank-only venue. Fish from accessible margins, points, weed edges, and inflows.
Hatch predictions
Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds as a supporter.
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Hatch predictions
Top prey shown — see all 4 as a supporter.
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Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.
Probably the best pike fly fishing window of the year. Cooling water activates pike metabolism and baitfish shoal up before winter, concentrating the predators. Fish are aggressive feeders moving to windward banks, dropoffs, and points where baitfish are pushed. Large profile baitfish streamers on intermediate lines retrieved at medium pace, with pauses at structure edges. Count-down retrieves to find the active depth. Fish move — cover ground rather than working one spot.
Conditions are ideal for Longham Lakes — wind, cloud and temperature all line up.
A 25-acre lake with twenty-plus swims, stocked with carp, pike, tench and bream; rudd and roach too. A noted pike water with many doubles (record 31 lb), carp to 48 lb 4 oz and bream to 18 lb. Open all year, 7 am to an hour after sunset; closed Christmas Day. No bait boats. Run by South West Lakes Trust for Bournemouth Water; on the all-waters season permit for day fishing only.
Gravel-pit reservoirs at Longham, near Ferndown, dug on Bournemouth Water land and opened as a mixed coarse fishery in 2009.
Autumn/winter pike on the fly — big fish season. Pike are putting on condition and take large flies confidently. Fish dropping weed edges, deep channels, and structure. Start with a sinking line and move to faster-sinking as the water cools. Biggest pike of the year come in this window.
If the main plan stalls, drop to a size 14–16 midge — switch to a washing-line or suspender rig and change drift line before you change food group.
Keep an eye on changing conditions — wind shifts and cloud breaks can trigger short feeding spells.
Bank-only venue. Fish from accessible margins, points, weed edges, and inflows.
Hatch predictions
Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds as a supporter.
Start free trial14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.
Hatch predictions
Top prey shown — see all 4 as a supporter.
Start free trial14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.
Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.
Probably the best pike fly fishing window of the year. Cooling water activates pike metabolism and baitfish shoal up before winter, concentrating the predators. Fish are aggressive feeders moving to windward banks, dropoffs, and points where baitfish are pushed. Large profile baitfish streamers on intermediate lines retrieved at medium pace, with pauses at structure edges. Count-down retrieves to find the active depth. Fish move — cover ground rather than working one spot.
Conditions are ideal for Longham Lakes — wind, cloud and temperature all line up.
A 25-acre lake with twenty-plus swims, stocked with carp, pike, tench and bream; rudd and roach too. A noted pike water with many doubles (record 31 lb), carp to 48 lb 4 oz and bream to 18 lb. Open all year, 7 am to an hour after sunset; closed Christmas Day. No bait boats. Run by South West Lakes Trust for Bournemouth Water; on the all-waters season permit for day fishing only.
Longham Lakes is a reservoir in South West / Dorset (Ferndown), England. The catchment geology is recorded as gravel, and the water sits at about 8 m above sea level. Species listed for this water: pike and carp. The coarse season is recorded as running from 1 January to 31 December. Best window recorded for anglers: Pike October–March; carp May–October. Core methods listed: Pike lures and deadbaits; specimen carp tactics; feeder for bream. Nearby waters in our listings include River Allen (Dorset) at 11 km, Damerham Trout Fisheries at 18 km and Rockbourne Trout Fishery at 20 km.
