Stillwater · Mixed · Peak District / Derbyshire, GB-ENG

Ladybower Reservoir

Wide autumn view of Ladybower Reservoir with wooded shoreline and Peak District moorland hills beyond

A dramatic Peak District reservoir in the Upper Derwent Valley: 504 acres of Y-shaped water fished from the bank, from boats and from float tubes for rainbow and blue trout and wild browns, on day tickets from Ladybower Fisheries.

Fair · Rainbow
Minkie · 6–10
Fairlive now
Good winter conditions for Ladybower Reservoir
Good wave on — drift country. A useful wave. Work the productive shore.
60% confidence
What moved it
  • WindSW 14 km/hGentle breeze · Gusts to 18 km/h
Today's fly
Minkie
Minkie6–10
Retrieve, sub-surface
Conditions on the water
Estimate
Wind
Gentle breeze · Gusts to 18 km/h
SW 14 km/h
N
SW
from the south-west
Wave20 cm ripple
Water temp6.8°C
Air temp1°C
CloudBroken
Pressure1016 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm

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

How to fish it · for Rainbow
When
Current conditions suit Ladybower Reservoir well for winter tactics. The ripple should help fish move and feed more confidently.
Where
Start with Minkie (6-10) — on the point. Early in the day, try buzzers on a slow figure-of-eight or a booby on a fast-sink line near the bottom. Rainbows respond to more active retrieves — try short strips between pauses.
The plan
Plan A

Start with Minkie (6-10) — on the point. Early in the day, try buzzers on a slow figure-of-eight or a booby on a fast-sink line near the bottom. Rainbows respond to more active retrieves — try short strips between pauses.

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.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 4 as a supporter.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

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
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.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Ranked for today
Rainbow fly box
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Condition match
88%
Cloud100%
Wind100%
Temp60%

Conditions are ideal for Ladybower Reservoir — wind, cloud and temperature all line up.

Other water nearby · 5
Derwent Reservoir
4.0 km
Brown trout
Howden Reservoir
6.0 km
Brown trout
Wharncliffe Fly Fishery
15 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
River Derwent (Derbyshire)
17 km
Brown trout · Grayling
Barnsley Trout Club
18 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Gallery · 2
  1. Wide autumn view of Ladybower Reservoir with wooded shoreline and Peak District moorland hills beyond
    Ladybower Reservoir, Peak District
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Fly only, and wild browns must be returned. The Ashopton Viaduct arm and the dam wall are popular marks. The gritstone-moorland setting means soft, slightly acidic water. In winter the fishery turns to pike and perch (mid-November to late February). The reservoir is Severn Trent Water's.

Surface area
2.0 km² (486 acres)
Mean depth
about 14 m (47 ft)
Max depth
41 m (135 ft)
Length
4.0 km (2.5 mi)
Width
590 m (645 yd)
Area © OpenStreetMap contributors. Mean depth: Severn Trent's published capacity ÷ area. Max depth, length and width: Wikipedia, Ladybower Reservoir
  • Reservoir
  • Mixed
Why this score
  • Wind conditions (breezy) closely match what this water fishes best in.
  • Cloud cover (cloud) suits the fishery well.
  • Reservoirs of this kind fish hard at this time of year.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 28 February → 30 November
Related guides
Winter Pike on the Flyfeatured in this guideBig Stillwater Playbookreservoir tacticsReservoir Entomologymatching the hatch
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts
Clubs & associations
  • Ladybower Fisheries
    Day tickets
At a glance

Ladybower Reservoir is a reservoir in Peak District / Derbyshire, England. It sits at about 202 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 30 November. Best window recorded for anglers: April–June, September. Core methods listed: Dry fly; Buzzer; Washing line with a booby. Nearby waters in our listings include Derwent Reservoir at 4.0 km, Howden Reservoir at 6.0 km and Wharncliffe Fly Fishery at 15 km.