Stillwater · Mixed · London / Waltham Forest, GB-ENG

Walthamstow Reservoirs

Walthamstow Reservoirs venue image

London’s most significant fly fishing venue — a chain of Victorian reservoirs in the Lee Valley managed by Thames Water.

Fair · Rainbow
Minkie · 6–10
Fairlive now
Good winter conditions for Walthamstow Reservoirs
Good wave on — drift country. A useful wave. Work the productive shore.
63% confidence
What moved it
  • WindW 7 km/hLight breeze · Gusts to 16 km/h
Today's fly
Minkie
Minkie6–10
Retrieve, sub-surface
Conditions on the water
Estimate
Wind
Light breeze · Gusts to 16 km/h
W 7 km/h
N
W
from the west
WaveRipple
Water temp8.1°C
Air temp6°C
CloudClear
Pressure1018 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
The buzzer is on at Walthamstow Reservoirs. 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 try different depths 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 · 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
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
78%
Cloud25%
Wind100%
Temp100%

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

Other water nearby · 5
Norton Fishery
16 km
Rainbow trout
Thornwood Springs Trout Fishery
16 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Thornwood Springs Trout Fishery
16 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
River Wandle
23 km
Brown trout · Barbel · Chub
Rib Valley Fishing Lakes
26 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Gallery · 1
  1. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Reservoirs 4 and 5 offer day-ticket fly fishing; East Warwick is members-only catch-and-release. The other reservoirs in the chain are separate coarse waters for carp, bream and chub (not covered by this page's forecast), with night fishing on the first and third weekends of the month, an Angling Academy tuition pond, and free fishing for under-16s with an adult. All bank fishing only — no boats. The deep concrete-banked margins put 15–20 feet of water within casting range, making depth control and straight-line buzzer technique the key skills. Around 11,000 rainbow and brown trout stocked across the season. Excellent public transport access (Blackhorse Road tube, 10-minute walk) makes this a genuine after-work option for London anglers.

  • Reservoir
  • Mixed
Why this score
  • Wind conditions (ripple) closely match what this water fishes best in.
  • Temperature (cool) is in the sweet spot for winter fishing.
  • Buzzer is in its seasonal window, boosting the chance of targeted feeding.
  • Reservoirs of this kind fish hard at this time of year.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 January → 31 December
Related guides
Big Stillwater Playbookreservoir tacticsReservoir Entomologymatching the hatchThermal Layers & Troutreading depth and temperature
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts
At a glance

Walthamstow Reservoirs is a reservoir in London / Waltham Forest, England. It sits at about 14 m above sea level. Our data lists brown trout and rainbow trout here. The trout season is recorded as running from 1 January to 31 December. Best window recorded for anglers: April–June, September–October. Core methods listed: Buzzer fishing (hang or figure-of-eight); Lure stripping (early season / coloured water); Nymph under indicator. Nearby waters in our listings include Norton Fishery at 16 km, Thornwood Springs Trout Fishery at 16 km and Thornwood Springs Trout Fishery at 16 km.