Fishing at The Serpentine, Greater London, England

• Overview

  In England, The Serpentine falls inside Greater London. Tidal water begins 24 miles from here. It runs to roughly 30 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. Roughly 1.1 miles of bank means you can walk to a fresh area when one goes quiet. The nearest place of any size is Knightsbridge and Belgravia, 0.1 miles away. City of Westminster sits 1.2 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on The Serpentine

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Across Greater London, recorded fish include European eel, common carp and perch. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. The Serpentine responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about 5°C in January to roughly 18°C in July. The surface stays open the year round. Shade and hour of day matter more than month. February into May fishes hardest as the water warms. Plan around that when you fish The Serpentine. The week either side of a change of season often fishes hardest.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. Park at Triangle Carpark, half a mile from the water. There is a jetty half a mile off, worth knowing on a busy day. There is a toilet block some half a mile out. A wire trace and a big bright lure handle the pike; deep water asks for a heavier spoon. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. The Long Water, 0.5 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Ask locally about The Serpentine if anything is unclear.