Stillwater · Mixed · East / Cambridgeshire, GB-ENG

Grafham Water

Grafham Water fishing venue photo

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

Fair · Rainbow
Minkie · 6-10
Fairlive now
Reasonable autumn fishing likely at Grafham Water
Water temperature is the limiting factor today, not the wave. Fish dawn or dusk if you go at all, and handle everything with extra care.
63% confidence

This is peak season for Grafham Water, though today's conditions aren't quite ideal. Worth fishing — the timing is right even if the weather isn't perfect.

What moved it
  • WindSE 23 km/hModerate breeze
Today's fly
Minkie
Minkie6-10
Retrieve, sub-surface
Conditions on the water
Estimate
Wind
Moderate breeze
SE 23 km/h
N
SE
from the south-east
Wave40 cm chop
Water temp21.1°C
Air temp24°C
CloudBroken
Pressure1012 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm

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

Head to
Heat refugeHeat refuge
Marlow jettythe Dam

At 24.4°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 Viva (10-12) on a figure-of-eight with occasional strip. 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

Keep an eye on changing conditions — wind shifts and cloud breaks can trigger short feeding spells.

Bank, sheltered shores

In wind, bank fish the lee shore — boats can anchor in productive areas if conditions allow.

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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14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Through the year
0–3 scale · September highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
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.

Ranked for today
Rainbow fly box
Grafham Water Fishing Map
Click to expand

Grafham Water Map

Tap to view full map

Angler’s map · Anglian Water (Feb 2025)

What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Condition match
64%
Cloud100%
Wind65%
Temp25%

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

Cooler water nearby · 4
Water here around 21°C — probably warm enough to stress Rainbow . These are likely cooler.
Eyebrook Reservoir
40 km
~15°C
Brown trout · Pike · Perch
Pitsford Water
37 km
~15°C
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Elinor Trout Fishery
18 km
~15°C
Rainbow trout
Rutland Water
46 km
~21°C
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
  • Cloud cover (mixed) suits the fishery well.
  • Buzzer is in its seasonal window, boosting the chance of targeted feeding.
  • Reservoirs of this kind fish well at this time of year.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 April → 30 September
Related guides
Big Stillwater Playbookreservoir tacticsReservoir Entomologymatching the hatchThermal Layers & Troutreading depth and temperature
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts