Until now Farmoor has been off-limits to fishermen from November to February, but the site is staying open for pike fishing throughout the winter for the first time. Thames Water’s reservoir at Farmoor is home to several heavyweight fish, with two being caught in recent years that have tipped the scales at over 30lb.
William Barnard, Thames Water’s angling development co-ordinator, said: “The most exciting thing about Farmoor is that we just don’t know how big the pike have become. There is the chance to catch the fish of a lifetime here.
“The previous big fish could just be the tip of the iceberg. There could be more monsters lurking beneath these waters.” The UK record for a pike is 46lb 13oz caught in South Wales and in May this year, the head of a pike was discovered in the nearby River Cherwell that experts believe could have belonged to potential record breaker.
Although small windows of pike fishing have taken place during winter, this is the first time that both Farmoor ‘pools’ have been opened during winter. A day pass costs £15 or a season past that allows fishing from November 1 to February 28, can be purchased for £90.
