Stillwater · Mixed · South East / Essex, GB-ENG

Hanningfield Reservoir

Hanningfield Reservoir on a summer day showing the open water surface and surrounding landscape.

A 364-hectare Essex reservoir whose concrete-walled banks break every rule in the stillwater textbook.

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

Closed for fishing until the 2027 season

Fishing is closed because of low reservoir levels. Waterside Parks says it will reopen for the 2027 season.

Waterside Parks — Hanningfield fishing ↗

Temporary notices from official orders and recent fishery reports — they clear automatically once out of date.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

Closed for fishing until the 2027 season
Check with the fishery before travelling.
Closed — confidence not applicable today.

Peak season here starts around March — worth planning ahead.

What moved it
  • WindW 6 km/hCalm · Gusts to 13 km/h
Today's fly
Minkie
Minkie6–10
Retrieve, sub-surface
Conditions on the water
Estimate
Wind
Calm · Gusts to 13 km/h
W 6 km/h
N
W
from the west
WaveRipple
Water temp7.2°C
Air temp1°C
CloudClear
Pressure1020 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm

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

Head to
Wind shiftWind shift
West BankMiddlemead BayMain Dam

The wind has been westerly for about a day, but a day of a northerly has loaded food into West Bank, Middlemead Bay and Main Dam. The fish may not have moved on yet — check there before following the new wind direction.

How to fish it · for Rainbow
When
Conditions are not ideal but fishable at Hanningfield 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

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
66%
Cloud25%
Wind100%
Temp60%

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

Other water nearby · 5
Chigboro Fisheries
17 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Chigborough Farm & Fisheries
17 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Norton Fishery
25 km
Rainbow trout
Thornwood Springs Trout Fishery
29 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Thornwood Springs Trout Fishery
29 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Gallery · 5
  1. Hanningfield Reservoir on a summer day showing the open water surface and surrounding landscape.
    Hanningfield Reservoir in August
  2. Open water of Hanningfield Reservoir whipped into waves on a windy autumn day, flat Essex landscape beyond.
    Hanningfield Reservoir
  3. Hanningfield Reservoir viewed from the Hawkswood Road Dam showing open water and the wooded shoreline.
    Hanningfield Reservoir from the Hawkswood Road Dam
  4. The jetty and harbour area at Hanningfield Reservoir with open water beyond.
    Hanningfield Reservoir harbour
  5. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

The lee-shore-mud penalty simply does not apply here — wind-behind the angler outfishes wind-in-face, established over decades. Daphnia drives almost everything; the water stays clear even in a blow because there is no silt to lift. In a cold northeasterly that shuts down natural-bank reservoirs across the country, Hanningfield's Main Dam centre fishes on while the wind shelters the rod against the wall. West Bank, Goldfish Bowl, and Hall Point keep fish through the season; evening rises over Middlemead Bay in late spring are worth planning around. Managed by Essex & Suffolk Water.

Surface area
3.4 km² (846 acres)
Mean depth
7–8 m (21–25 ft)
Max depth
17 m (55 ft)
Width
3.3 km (2.0 mi)
Area © OpenStreetMap contributors. Mean depth: Northumbrian Water's published capacity ÷ area. Max depth, length and width: Wikipedia, Hanningfield Reservoir
  • Reservoir
  • Mixed
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 1 March → 30 November
Related guides
Big Stillwater Playbookreservoir tacticsReservoir Entomologymatching the hatchThermal Layers & Troutreading depth and temperature
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts
At a glance

Hanningfield Reservoir is a reservoir in South East / Essex, England. It sits at about 75 m above sea level. Species listed for this water: brown trout and rainbow trout. The trout season is recorded as running from 1 March to 30 November. Best window recorded for anglers: April–June, September–October. Core methods listed: Lure from bank; buzzer from boat; washing line. Nearby waters in our listings include Chigboro Fisheries at 17 km, Chigborough Farm & Fisheries at 17 km and Norton Fishery at 25 km.