Stillwater · Peat · North East / County Durham, GB-ENG

Blackton Reservoir

Aerial view of Blackton Reservoir in the Pennine hills of County Durham, with the River Balder feeding in through a stone-walled channel
Fair · Trout
Minkie · 6-10
Fairlive now
Reasonable autumn fishing likely at Blackton Reservoir
Good wave on — drift country. A useful wave. Work the productive shore.
62% confidence

Blackton Reservoir is often best in spring through autumn.

What moved it
  • WindW 19 km/hGentle breeze · Gusts to 29 km/h
Today's fly
Minkie
Minkie6-10
Retrieve, sub-surface
Conditions on the water
Estimate
Wind
Gentle breeze · Gusts to 29 km/h
W 19 km/h
N
W
from the west
Wave40 cm chop
Water temp9.5°C
Air temp5°C
CloudBroken
Pressure1001 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm

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

Head to
Wind driftW wind
Western end

A westerly has held for 13 hours, running colder than the water (6°C air against 10°C water). The end it blows into is taking that chilled surface water, so try the sheltered western end instead — off the back of the wind, where the undertow returns food along the bottom. That chill sits in the top of the water, though, and the bed is slower to feel it — on a bottom bait it is the undertow, not the temperature, that puts you at this end. Treat it as a tiebreaker between good swims rather than an override — features and angling pressure usually count for more.

How to fish it · for Trout
When
March to October
Where
Start with Minkie (6-10) — on the point. If that does not produce, switch depth or speed before changing the pattern entirely.
The plan
Plan A

Start with Minkie (6-10) — on the point. If that does not produce, switch depth or speed before changing the pattern entirely.

Plan B

A fry-imitating pattern stripped through the margins can save a blank in autumn.

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 3 guilds as a supporter.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 5 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
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
1
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.

Buzzer team todayfor the conditions now
Point
Black buzzer, orange thorax
In this water’s box: Black Buzzer
#10
How to fish it
Intermediate line · let the breeze drift the team, then hang it 15–30 s

Fly recommendations

Point fly shown — supporters see the whole team, sizes and why.

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Ranked for today
Fly box · Trout
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Condition match
74%
Cloud100%
Wind65%
Temp60%

A good match for Blackton Reservoir — most conditions are close to what it fishes best in.

Other water nearby · 5
Gallery · 2
  1. Aerial view of Blackton Reservoir in the Pennine hills of County Durham, with the River Balder feeding in through a stone-walled channel
    Blackton Reservoir, Baldersdale, County Durham
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Why this score
  • Cloud cover (cloud) suits the fishery well.
  • Buzzer is in its seasonal window, boosting the chance of targeted feeding.
  • Reservoirs of this kind fish well at this time of year.
Directions
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 22 March → 30 September
Related guides
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts