Stillwater · Mixed · North West / Cumbria, GB-ENG

Ghyll Head Reservoir

Ghyll Head Reservoir venue image

Sheltered 11-acre reservoir fishery a few miles south of Bowness-on-Windermere, WADAA-managed and open all year to members and day-ticket anglers.

Fair · Rainbow
Minkie · 6-10
Fairlive now
Reasonable autumn fishing likely at Ghyll Head Reservoir
Good wave on — drift country. A useful wave. Work the productive shore.
64% confidence

Ghyll Head Reservoir is often best in spring through autumn.

What moved it
  • WindW 16 km/hGentle breeze
Today's fly
Minkie
Minkie6-10
Retrieve, sub-surface
Conditions on the water
Estimate
Wind
Gentle breeze
W 16 km/h
N
W
from the west
Wave20 cm ripple
Water temp10.8°C
Air temp7°C
CloudBroken
Pressure1002 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 7 hours, running colder than the water (8°C air against 11°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 Rainbow
When
Conditions are not ideal but fishable at Ghyll Head Reservoir. 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

If the main plan stalls, drop to a size 14–16 midge — switch to a washing-line or suspender rig and change drift line before you change food group.

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 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 · October highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
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
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
Rainbow fly box
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Condition match
65%
Cloud70%
Wind65%
Temp60%

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

Other water nearby · 5
Gallery · 1
  1. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Sheltered 11-acre reservoir fishery a few miles south of Bowness-on-Windermere, WADAA-managed and open all year to members and day-ticket anglers. Regularly stocked with rainbows averaging 2lb+ (fish to 8lb) plus occasional browns; strong nymph water with Hawthorn, beetle and big Caenis hatches.

  • Reservoir
  • Mixed
Why this score
  • 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 1 January → 31 December
Related guides
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts