Latest Fishing News and Tweets

Latest From Albury

Updated 22nd March

Good news, 2025/26 season rods are now available to purchase online. If you buy it this month, you get it at this seasons price and come April 1st the price will go up. Please note that next seasons fish tokens will be available from April 1st.

A season rod offers fantastic value for money and has many benefits outlined below. Season rods can have unlimited visits to Weston, Vale end and season rod only water Powdermills which is often less busy than the day ticket waters. This includes unlimited visits to our fly only carp lake at Weston and catch and release fishing on our river beats during the river season. Season rods can also buy tokens in larger quantities which reduces the cost per token. Season rods may also bring a guest that has valid day membership and they can use your tokens.

Some really good fishing last week with 337 fish caught between all the lakes at Albury. The forecast for this week looks really good and with all this seasons green tokens expiring at the end of the month, its a great time to get out on the bank. Tactics seem to be lures in the morning and then smaller more natural flies in the afternoon when it warms up. If its bright sunny weather then let the fly get down in the water.

It is with great regret that we have to inform you that we have made the difficult decision to close Syon Park Fishery after 30 years in operation and it is set to close its doors at the end of the month (31^st March). The decision comes after a combination of environmental pressures, including climate change, deteriorating water quality, fluctuating water flow and increasing predation. We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the anglers who have supported Syon Park Fishery over the years and hope we will still see you out on the banks at Albury which is open for business as normal. Also we would like to thank all the staff, past and present who’s hard work and dedication made Syon such a special place to be.

With only six weeks of the season left, please remember that all this seasons green tokens will expire at the end of March 2025 and will not be extended beyond this. If you don’t catch your fish before the end of the season you can exchange them for frozen fish, to be collected from the fishing lodge Tuesday to Friday 8.30am -2.30pm. This will run from Tuesday 11th march until the end of the season 31^st March. Alternatively fresh fish can be collected from the fish farm from March 17th to 21^st by appointment only. Please call fish farm manager Richard King on 07967 461063.

2025/26 season rods will be available to purchase from mid March. A season rod offers fantastic value for money and has many benefits outlined below. Season rods can have unlimited visits to Weston, Vale end and season rod only water Powdermills which is often less busy than the day ticket waters. This includes unlimited visits to our fly only carp lake at Weston and catch and release fishing on our river beats during the river season. Season rods can also buy tokens in larger quantities which reduces the cost per token. Season rods may also bring a guest that has valid day membership and they can use your tokens.

By now a lot of you will have met our new member of staff Amy who runs the lodge cafe. There is now an exciting new menu of delicious homemade food, keep an eye on the board for daily specials. Also available at the lodge is a selection of flies and tackle should you need to top up anything on the day. Lodge opening hours are 8.30am – 2.30pm Tuesday to Friday.

Important news, next season we will be launching a new website along with a new system for booking your fishing. Purchases will be made through Clubmate. Clubmate will be easier to use and make repeat orders with just a few clicks once your account is set up. It will also become our primary method for keeping in contact, with news and reports via email.

Keep an eye out for events happening this season, we hope to run a few tuition days with Peter Cockwill and possibly some carp and river based instruction.

We may also have a few spaces on the Albury Estate Syndicate this season. Syndicate members have access to all Albury Estate waters including Park Lake in Albury Park and around a mile of wild brown trout fishing on the River Tillingbourne. Please contact fishery manager Cameron Craigs for details.

May we all wish you a successful season and look forward to seeing you on the bank soon.

Tight Lines

Last week produced good catches with 259 fish caught. This included some nice rainbows in the 4lb to 5lb range and some nice mixed bags of rainbows, spartics and bowns.

Please remember that this seasons green fish tokens expire at the end of March 2025. For anyone wanting to exchange fish tokens for fresh fish at Littleford Fish Farm may do so between the 17th and 21st March by appointment only. Please contact Richard King on 07967 461063. Frozen fish exchange from the fishing lodge at Weston will be from Tuesday 11th March (Tuesday to Fridays only 8.30am to 2.30pm).

John Sawtell caught this cracking 7lb 4oz brown from Weston on a small nymph (see pic above).

Tactics mainly involved fishing lures (damsel, cats whisker, and humungus patterns) at various depths and speeds but also fishing static under an indicator with eggs, worm and blob patterns.

Also Mill lake at Vale End is now full after its drain down and was stocked yesterday.

The cafe is now back up and running after a short closure over the Christmas period and will be open Tuesday to Friday, 8.30am to 2.30pm. It’s a great place to warm up and grab a bite to eat during the colder months. There has been one noticeable change to the café as Amy has sadly left us to follow a career in teaching. The good news though is that we have another lady called Amy now running the café, so please pop in and say hello. Amy has already been busy rustling up home made leek and potato soup and delicious cakes. Also just a reminder we have lots of cold and hot smoked trout for sale which is available to purchase in the café as well as all your fishing essentials such as flies, leaders etc.

We have been stocking lots of spartic trout this Winter (500 so far) to compliment the fish from our own fish farm and we have another 250 arriving next week which will be circulated around all the fisheries. The Spartics always prove to be very popular so get down and try and catch one. They are a great fighting fish well suited to the colder months.

Tactics wise for the next couple of months will predominantly be using a floating line but if its really cold a sink tip or slow intermediate line might be useful. If you can, setting up two rods with these two options can be really handy. At this time of year the fish might be slightly deeper first thing in the morning but any slight lift in temperature will see them move up the water column, so its important to find the feeding depth of the fish at different times of the day and having two rods set up with different lines on certainly helps to do this. Another bit of advice is to keep mobile to locate the fish, once you find one there is a good chance more will come from the same area. Fly wise at this time of year the fish will show a preference towards larger lures. My advice would be to swap between olive, black and white lures fished at varying depths and retrieval speeds. Also, although not everyone’s cup of tea fishing static under an indicator can be really effective and you can fish large flies under the indicator such as blobs, worm patterns, egg flies, shammies as well as smaller buzzers.

Some really quality brown trout caught last week (see pics above).

Latest From Syon

Updated 28th February

Stocking update! We have had 130 hard fighting Rainbow trout stocked today Friday 28th of February.

Anglers are finding the fish are striking quite close in so fishing along the margins with small flies should bring success. For the deeper water try damsels and if it’s sunny try a black and blue BFD. The hatches have begun with lots of activity and egg laying on the surface which has seen the long awaited surfacing of the trout with mornings and before dusk showing the most fish.

Please remember that green 24/25 fish tokens expire at the end of March. We cannot accept any green tokens in the catch returns box from 1st April, so please try to get out and use them.

The fishery is very wet and muddy at the moment, please be careful around the banks, and wellington boots with good grip are definitely recommended.

We have had a stocking today of 120 quality Albury reared rainbow trout (Wednesday 12th February.) Both sides of the net were stocked. We only have six weeks left until the end of the season, so you must try to get out and use those fish tokens before 31st March 2025 – time fly’s.

12/02/2025

Brian and Chris have had a cracking session here today at Syon, with a total of 9 fish between them. Well done chaps!

Please like and follow our facebook page. Keep your eye out for some great fishing pictures. You can also find us on X (previously twitter), where we also post regular updates and photos.

Albury Estate Fisheries – Syon Park | Facebook

7/2/25 – Gary has had a good morning here at Syon. 3 rainbow trout by the island, all on lures. Conditions are good, and we have lots of hungry trout around.

Flys to try – larger lures e.g BFD, cats whisker, humongous, Ally McCoist, wooly buggers, leach.

On milder afternoons, buzzers are also working well.

30/01/2025

Richard has had a great session here at Syon today. Fishing by the island, he had 4 rainbows and a chunky hard fighting brown. 15 foot leader, large BFD, letting it sink, retrieve, stop, let it sink, retrieve, stop, let it sink. He used this technique repeatedly, and it paid off. Nicely done Richard.

29/01/2025

We have had another stocking here at Syon yesterday (28/01/25). There were 120 rainbows and 5 large browns. These were unloaded at the bridge, so it will be worth concentrating your fishing around the bridge over the next few days.

15/01/2025

We have had another stocking today, 120 quality Albury Estate rainbow trout, and 10 large stunning browns. With a reduced day membership on offer, its a great time to come down to Syon.

We had a stocking of 125 Albury brown trout on 31/12/2024. These were stocked either side of the net. They are already coming out (well done Harry Gardner), and seem to have stirred the rainbows up and are getting them going! Absolutely stunning fish, almost resembling Tiger Trout with their pattern. They put up a great fight!

Joe had a belter of a day 09/01/2025. A lovely brace of rainbows – one large brown and 2 rainbows in all. All on a small BFD, fast retrieve, and top 2-3 feet of water.

We have put the net across the lake at Syon, so the side before the bridge as you enter the fishery is enhanced fishing (smaller area=higher stocking density), the other side is more for those up for a challenge. Both sides of the net were stocked.

Please remember to purchase all day memberships and tokens via our website, as this speeds up the booking in process on the bank.

Please can all of our members make sure you sign in and out of the fishery, record the fish that you take, and tokens MUST be placed in our returns box. If you run out of tokens whilst fishing, please call the bailiff to top up your tokens, as all anglers must be in possession of fish tokens to cover the fish that you have caught, plus any other fish you wish to catch.

It is all about method and finding the depth of the fish at this time of year. We aren’t seeing fish showing on the surface, so this indicates that they will be low.

Jan has fished at Syon and had this lovely bag of Albury Estate rainbow trout.

He regularly changed his depth until he found the fish. This is his method and has paid off. 1 foot down 15 mins – nothing, 2 foot down 15 mins – nothing, 3 foot down, bingo! 3 feet down under an indicator using an Olive tungsten head scud.

If indicators aren’t your thing, an intermediate line with a sinking/poly leader with tungsten head lures or nymphs will give you that depth without touching the bottom. These poly leaders all sink at different rates, so read the description before you buy any.

If you only have a floating line, make sure you still use a sinking/poly leader or attach a sink tip to your floating line and use a fluorocarbon leader with a weighted lure. Sinking/poly leaders are readily available online.

There is so much information online now. Guys have tried full sinking lines with boobies but their fly comes back in with weed off of the bottom.

Something we commonly see here is anglers stripping lures on a floating line with monofilament leader, often too short, which will not reach the depth of the fish, leaving anglers frustrated. It’s about presentation of your fly within the water column. Rule of thumb the leader should be the length of your rod at least (9-10 foot). Fluorocarbon line/leader sinks faster in the water than a monofilament line/leader.

Floating lines are great here at Syon in spring and summer months when we begin to have buzzer hatches, emergers and surface insects. The fish begin rising and are higher in the water column.

Change your method, move around and cover different areas of the lake. This is the best advice. Also, speak to our other members and their tactics if they are catching. Speak to the bailiff regarding where the fish are or have been being caught.

The lake here at Syon is a vast expanse of water, and the fish have the ability to go deep. The lake in the deeper water is 10-12 foot deep. Its about locating the fish and the method approached.

If you are after a nice breakfast before you start fishing, there is a restaurant on site in Hilliers Garden Centre that serves a good breakfast, other hot food, and hot and cold beverages.

We are trialling line disposal bins around the lake. They are around the lake and one box at the hut. We would like to ask our members kindly, to not fill these with general rubbish. General rubbish can still be disposed of in the bin at the fishery hut. Thank you.

*** We would like to remind our members to purchase your day membership and tokens via our website before arriving at the fishery. *

Some improvements to the fishery entrance have now been completed. We have removed the green exit button, so you will now need to use your membership card when both entering and exiting the fishery.

Please continue to sign in and out of the fishery, and ensure that fish tokens are posted into the returns box.