Farmoor are opening their doors again for pike fishing this winter – and anglers will have a better chance than ever of tangling with some of their massive fish.

Until now, Farmoor has been off-limits to coarse anglers apart from a couple of months, but this year they will be able to fish throughout the winter for the first time.

Thames Water’s 1 and 2 reservoirs are home to heavyweight fish, with two being caught in recent years that have tipped the scales at more than 30lb, but they are notoriously difficult to catch.

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 UK record pike is 46lb 13oz caught in South Wales.

A day pass costs £15 or season tickets (Nov 1-Feb 28) can be purchased for £90.

THE Oxfordshire branch of the Pike Anglers Club of GB are staging a fish-in on the Thames at Clifton Hampden on Sunday, October 27.

Entry is £5 per angler, meet in the car park opposite the Barley Mow at 7.30am.