Stillwater · Mixed · London / Waltham Forest

Walthamstow Reservoirs

Walthamstow Reservoirs venue image
Google Places

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

Fair · Rainbow
Diawl Bach · 12-14
Fairlive now
Reasonable summer fishing likely at Walthamstow Reservoirs
Good wave on — drift country. A useful wave. Work the productive shore.
60% confidence
What moved it
  • WindW 8 km/hLight breeze
Today’s fly
Diawl Bach
Diawl Bach12-14
Washing-line, sub-surface
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Wind
Light breeze
W 8 km/h
N
W
from the west
WaveRipple
Water temp—
Air temp16°C
CloudClear
Pressure1021 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm

Some readings unavailable — check directly before fishing.

How to fish it · for rainbow
When
The fry is on at Walthamstow Reservoirs. The ripple should help fish move and feed more confidently.
Where
Start with Booby (8-10) on a fast strip on floating line or static on sinking. 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. In the ripple, a bushy searching dry (Hopper, Shipman's, Elk Hair Caddis) outperforms flush emergers — it stays visible and holds the surface tension.
The plan
Plan A

Start with Booby (8-10) on a fast strip on floating line or static on sinking. 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. In the ripple, a bushy searching dry (Hopper, Shipman's, Elk Hair Caddis) outperforms flush emergers — it stays visible and holds the surface tension.

Plan B

If the lure is ignored, change retrieve speed and try a smaller, sparser fry pattern twitched through the margins.

Watch for

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

Bank

Bank fishing near inflows, dam walls, and weed beds. Move to find feeding fish.

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
78%
Cloud25%
Wind100%
Temp100%

A good match for this venue — 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
River Wandle
23 km
Brown trout · Barbel · Chub
Rib Valley Fishing Lakes
26 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Redbournbury Fishery
31 km
Rainbow trout
Gallery · 1
  1. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

London’s most significant fly fishing venue — a chain of Victorian reservoirs in the Lee Valley managed by Thames Water. Reservoirs 4 and 5 offer day-ticket fly fishing; East Warwick is members-only catch-and-release. 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 summer fishing.
  • Fry 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