Stillwater · Sandstone · South West / Somerset, GB-ENG

Clatworthy Reservoir

Clatworthy Reservoir venue image

A small Somerset reservoir tucked into the Brendon Hills, where the coombes hold the water close and the coves give it the bay-and-headland structure that rewards exploratory boat fishing.

Closed season · Rainbow
Minkie · 6–10
Temporary closureReported 20 Oct 2026

Closed for the rest of the season

Wessex Water has closed Clatworthy early because of low water and deep mud.

Wessex Water — fishing at Clatworthy ↗

Temporary notices from official orders and recent fishery reports — they clear automatically once out of date. Always confirm locally before travelling.

Closed season
Season reopens 28 February. Try elsewhere.
Closed — confidence not applicable today.
What moved it
  • WindSW 9 km/hLight breeze
Today's fly
Minkie
Minkie6–10
Retrieve, sub-surface
Conditions on the water
Estimate
Wind
Light breeze
SW 9 km/h
N
SW
from the south-west
WaveRipple
Water temp6.9°C
Air temp0°C
CloudOvercast
Pressure1020 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm

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

Reservoir levelas of 28 Sep
▼ Dropping
28% full
Low & dropping
▼-2 ptsthis week
Source: Wessex Water, via Stream open data (CC BY 4.0)
How to fish it · for Rainbow
When
Current conditions suit Clatworthy Reservoir well for winter tactics. The ripple should help fish move and feed more confidently.
Where
Start with Minkie (6-10) — on the point. Rainbows respond to more active retrieves — try short strips between pauses. 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. Rainbows respond to more active retrieves — try short strips between pauses. If that does not produce, switch depth or speed before changing the pattern entirely.

Plan B

Slow down everything. A booby on a fast-sinking line, left static, can pick up deep fish.

Watch for

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

Either bank or boat

Good ripple suits both bank and boat. Bank: work inflows, dam walls, and points. Boat: broadside drift covering wind lanes.

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 2 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 · November highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
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
Bloodworm
Not in this water's box
#10
How to fish it
Slow-sink line · slow figure-of-eight, pausing to let the flies hang

Fly recommendations

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

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Ranked for today
Rainbow fly box
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Condition match
73%
Cloud50%
Wind100%
Temp60%

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

Other water nearby · 5
Wimbleball Lake
7.0 km
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
River Tone
12 km
Brown trout
Exe Valley Fly Fishing
13 km
Rainbow trout
Hawkridge Fishery
18 km
Rainbow trout
Hawkridge Fishery
18 km
Rainbow trout
Gallery · 1
  1. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Cruising rainbows are the signature — fish that quarter the margins and cove mouths rather than milling in open water, and on the right evening they'll take a dry fly from the surface without a second look. Ten boats available, with bank fishing on the dam and accessible end. Stocked and run by Wessex Water from its fishing lodge, with enough wild character to keep things honest.

Surface area
52 ha (128 acres)
Mean depth
about 11 m (36 ft)
Area © OpenStreetMap contributors. Mean depth: Wessex Water's published capacity ÷ area.
  • Reservoir
  • Sandstone
Why this score
  • Wind conditions (ripple) closely match what this water fishes best in.
  • Reservoirs of this kind fish hard at this time of year.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 28 February → 31 October
Related guides
Big Stillwater Playbookreservoir tacticsReservoir Entomologymatching the hatchThermal Layers & Troutreading depth and temperature
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts
At a glance

Clatworthy Reservoir is a reservoir in South West / Somerset, England. The catchment geology is recorded as sandstone, and the water sits at about 280 m above sea level. Species listed for this water: brown trout and rainbow trout. The trout season is recorded as running from 28 February to 31 October. Best window recorded for anglers: April–June. Core methods listed: Boat drifting; bank buzzer and nymph. Nearby waters in our listings include Wimbleball Lake at 7.0 km, River Tone at 12 km and Exe Valley Fly Fishing at 13 km.