Stillwater · Mixed · East / Essex, GB-ENG

Ardleigh Reservoir

Ardleigh Reservoir venue image
Prime · Pike
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Autumn pike — big fish, big flies
Good wave on — drift country. Drift the windward shore. Wet flies on the wave.
85% confidence
What moved it
  • WindSW 9 km/hLight breeze
Conditions on the water
Estimate
Wind
Light breeze
SW 9 km/h
N
SW
from the south-west
WaveRipple
Water temp13.0°C
Air temp11°C
CloudClear
Pressure1014 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm

No gauge on this water — readings are regional estimates from weather, not a live gauge.

How to fish it · for Pike
When
Pike are feeding aggressively as water cools, building reserves for winter. Weed is dying back, concentrating both pike and prey fish into predictable holding areas.
Where
Autumn/winter pike on the fly — big fish season. Pike are putting on condition and take large flies confidently. Fish dropping weed edges, deep channels, and structure. Start with a sinking line and move to faster-sinking as the water cools. Biggest pike of the year come in this window.
The plan
Plan A

Autumn/winter pike on the fly — big fish season. Pike are putting on condition and take large flies confidently. Fish dropping weed edges, deep channels, and structure. Start with a sinking line and move to faster-sinking as the water cools. Biggest pike of the year come in this window.

Plan B

If surface work dries up, try a diawl bach or hare's ear on the point and skate a sedge pattern on the bob at last light.

Watch for

Keep an eye on changing conditions — wind shifts and cloud breaks can trigger short feeding spells.

Bank

Bank-only venue. Fish from accessible margins, points, weed edges, and inflows.

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 4 guilds as a supporter.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 4 as a supporter.

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Through the year
0–3 scale · October highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Reservoir BuzzerHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
2
Daphnia SwarmHatch
2
3
3
3
2
Lake OliveHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
2
Silverhorns & LonghornsHatch
1
2
2
2
1

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Condition match
66%
Cloud25%
Wind100%
Temp60%

A reasonable day here, though cloud isn't quite in the sweet spot.

Other water nearby · 5
Gallery · 1
  1. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Why this score
  • Wind conditions (ripple) closely match what this water fishes best in.
  • Caperer is in its seasonal window, boosting the chance of targeted feeding.
Directions
Seasons & zones
  • Coarse 16 June → 14 March
Related guides
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts