Ever heard of the Pondip urban fishing revolution? Well, this is a community of city-dwelling angling enthusiasts who know all about the top places to go fishing in London. Why not join the revolution?

Once you’ve seen these hidden hotspots you’ll soon be ditching hunting for birds in nightclubs for late night fishing for bream. Probably.

London – with its numerous parks offering lakes and ponds, as well as the Thames running directly through the city’s heart – spoils anglers for choice. In fact, you’ll need a slap in the face with a wet fish once you’ve seen this list of fishing locations on your doorstep, some of which are free of charge.

So here we go:

1)      Richmond Park
First on the list is a park that is steeped in history, full of diverse wildlife and set in 2,360 acres of parkland, Richmond Park is home to thousands of wild deer as well as some of the best looking carp this country has to offer – okay, maybe that’s taking the move from birds to fish a bit too far? But seriously, if you like your carp big, this really is the place to go –  40lb+ is the largest caught to date; yes, 40lb, which is bigger than some pet dogs!

2)      Clapham Common Ponds
This location is great for beginners. If you want to wet your line and be in with a chance of bagging a fish over 20lb, then head on down. Oh, and fishing there is free, so there’s absolutely no excuse not to get your rod out and start catching some bait.

3)      Burgess Park – Southwark.
Burgess offers day-ticket anglers the chance to catch plenty of bream, roach, tench and carp. Situated in 56 hectares of beautiful parkland it’s the perfect spot for a family trip.

4)      Hampstead Heath
Yes we know there’s plenty of the other kind of rod dipping going on here, but Hampstead Heath also offers six ponds where you can fish. They’re also free of charge (although you need to get a fishing permit first). Here, there are enough bream, roach, tench and carp to satisfy any fish lover…

5)      The Thames
You can’t miss this one – in fact, many of us have probably jumped in to attempt catching a fish with our bare hands when drunk. We would recommend sticking with the angling approach, however, and heading over to stretches at Kingston, Hampton Court and Thames Ditton – every species under the sun can be caught within its mystical depths.

6)      The Southeast Docklands
This is home to some of the most urban looking fishing spots and some of the most handsome and varied carp you’ll ever see. It doesn’t offer much in the way of grassy banks, but the pretty canal boats will make up for it.

Any of these “wet” your appetite?

If you want more information, tips and advice on how to get started with fishing, what to buy and where to go, head to www.pondiptacklebox.com. Or subscribe to PondipTackleBox.com.