Stillwater · Mixed · East / Cambridgeshire

Grafham Water

Grafham Water fishing venue photo
Editorial photo

Grafham Rainbow

Damian Rafferty

A 630-hectare reservoir that pioneered modern English stillwater fly fishing.

Good · Rainbow
Diawl Bach · 12-14
Goodlive now
Good summer conditions for Grafham Water
Good wave on — drift country. Drift fishing weather — three flies on a long leader.
66% confidence

Peak season here starts around September — worth planning ahead.

What moved it
  • WindSW 12 km/hGentle breeze
Today’s fly
Diawl Bach
Diawl Bach12-14
Washing-line, sub-surface
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Wind
Gentle breeze
SW 12 km/h
N
SW
from the south-west
Wave20 cm ripple
Water temp—
Air temp17°C
CloudBroken
Pressure1021 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm

Some readings unavailable — check directly before fishing.

Head to
Heat refugeHeat refuge
Marlow jettythe Dam

At 16.6°C, fish have moved off the surface into cooler water — the deep, cool dam corner at Marlow jetty is the place to start.

How to fish it · for rainbow
When
Buzzers dawn through late morning April through June — Grafham is a buzzer factory in spring. Daphnia mid-water in summer; sedges into September; lures and boobies for the back-end.
Where
The dam wall is the classic bank pitch; boat anglers drift the open water from Hill Farm. Wind lanes through the middle hold concentrations of fish.
Method
Drift on a floater with buzzers under indicator early in the year, or fish the washing line on calm days (booby on the point with buzzers on the droppers); midge-tip and team of three through summer; sweeping line and boobies into October.
Kit
10 ft #7 boat rod; floating, intermediate and fast-intermediate lines; 6 to 8 lb fluoro. Drogue and a long-handled net.
The plan
Plan A

Start with Marabou Damsel (8-12) — 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

Evening tends to be the best period in summer — stay late if you can for a sedge or spinner fall.

Either bank or boat

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

Through the year
0–3 scale · July highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
1
Daphnia SwarmHatch
2
3
3
3
2
Daddy Long LegsHatch
2
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.

Ranked for today
Rainbow fly box
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Condition match
79%
Cloud70%
Wind100%
Temp60%

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

Other water nearby · 5
Elinor Trout Fishery
18 km
Rainbow trout
Sibson Fisheries
21 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Pitsford Water
37 km
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Eyebrook Reservoir
40 km
Brown trout · Pike · Perch
Rutland Water
46 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Gallery · 6
  1. Grafham Rainbow
    Grafham Rainbow
  2. A broad open view across Grafham Water reservoir in Cambridgeshire.
    Grafham Water
  3. The open expanse of Grafham Water on a calm summer's day with sky reflected in the still surface.
    Grafham Water
  4. Open water view across Grafham Water reservoir in Cambridgeshire.
    Grafham Water
  5. The earthen dam retaining wall at Grafham Water reservoir viewed from the water side.
    Grafham Water dam
  6. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

A 630-hectare reservoir that pioneered modern English stillwater fly fishing. Allow two full days for major weather systems to influence where fish are holding. Grafham practically invented the lure-stripping and buzzer techniques that spread everywhere else. Consistently produces big fish: rainbows average 2–3 lb with regulars to 5 lb+, and wild browns to double figures lurk in the deeper water. Boat and bank fishing; the dam wall and Savage's Creek are legendary bank marks. Buzzer hatches from April are prolific; the reservoir's exposed position means wind lanes concentrate food and fish. Managed by Anglian Water with day tickets and boat hire from the lodge.

  • Reservoir
  • Mixed
Why this score
  • Wind conditions (breezy) closely match what this water fishes best in.
  • Buzzer is in its seasonal window, boosting the chance of targeted feeding.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout1 April → 30 September
Related guides
Big Stillwater Playbookreservoir tacticsReservoir Entomologymatching the hatchThermal Layers & Troutreading depth and temperature
Booking & contacts