Stillwater · Mixed · East Midlands / Rutland, GB-ENG

Rutland Water

High-altitude aerial view of Rutland Water reservoir showing the full horseshoe-shaped impoundment.

England's largest trout reservoir — 1,255 hectares of open water in the East Midlands.

Fair · Rainbow
Minkie · 6–10
Fairlive now
Good winter conditions for Rutland Water
Good wave on — drift country. A useful wave. Work the productive shore.
55% confidence

Peak season here starts around March — worth planning ahead.

What moved it
  • WindW 13 km/hGentle breeze
Today's fly
Minkie
Minkie6–10
Retrieve, sub-surface
Conditions on the water
Estimate
Wind
Gentle breeze
W 13 km/h
N
W
from the west
Wave20 cm ripple
Water temp7.2°C
Air temp1°C
CloudClear
Pressure1017 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm

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

Head to
NormantonBerrybuttsTransformer

A W wind today is pushing food and drift lanes toward Normanton, Berrybutts and Transformer. Fish stack progressively at the windward bank — work the exposed shore toward the sheltered end.

How to fish it · for Rainbow
When
Buzzers dawn into late morning April through June; daphnia migrating mid-water June into August; sedges and damsels through summer evenings; back-end on lures and boobies through November.
Where
Drift lines on the open water, the dam, the fishing-lodge area at Normanton where fresh stockies cruise. North Arm fishes well in a southwesterly.
Method
Floater with buzzers under indicator in spring, or the washing line on calm days (booby on the point with buzzers on the droppers); midge-tip and team of three through summer; sweeping or fast-intermediate with lures and boobies for the back-end.
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 Minkie (6-10) — on the point. Evening can produce explosive surface takes — try a foam beetle or booby on a long leader. 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

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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
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
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
Rutland Water Fishing Map
Click to expand

Rutland Water Map

Tap to view full map

Angler’s map · Anglian Water (Feb 2025)

What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Condition match
79%
Cloud70%
Wind100%
Temp60%

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

Other water nearby · 5
Eyebrook Reservoir
13 km
Brown trout · Pike · Perch
Elinor Trout Fishery
30 km
Rainbow trout
Sibson Fisheries
30 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Pitsford Water
41 km
Brown trout · Rainbow trout · Pike
Hollowell Reservoir
41 km
Pike · Carp · Perch
Gallery · 6
  1. High-altitude aerial view of Rutland Water reservoir showing the full horseshoe-shaped impoundment.
    Rutland Water Reservoir
  2. Aerial photograph over the full extent of Rutland Water reservoir with both bays visible.
    Rutland Water aerial
  3. The earthen embankment dam at Rutland Water with the reservoir water visible behind it.
    Rutland Water Dam
  4. Ground-level view across the open water of Rutland Water from the Barnsdale shore.
    Rutland Water from Barnsdale
  5. Normanton Church standing in the shallows of Rutland Water with the reservoir stretching to the horizon.
    Rutland Water at Normanton
  6. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Weather takes roughly forty-eight hours to noticeably shift fishing patterns on this large reservoir. Rutland is a destination fishery: huge wild browns to double figures, and hard-fighting stocked rainbows. Boat and bank fishing available; the north arm and dam wall are classic bank beats, while boat anglers drift the open water with teams of buzzers and dries. Prolific buzzer hatches from April dominate the early season; mayfly in late May brings serious dry-fly sport; sedge and daddy-long-legs carry the fishing into September. The reservoir's scale means conditions vary dramatically — sheltered bays fish differently to exposed dam walls. Season runs late March to mid-December. Managed by Anglian Water; day tickets, season permits, and boat hire from the fishing lodge at Normanton.

  • Reservoir
  • Mixed
Why this score
  • Wind conditions (breezy) 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 14 March → 31 January
Related guides
Fly Fishing Near Nottinghamfeatured in this guideWinter Pike on the Flyfeatured in this guideBig Stillwater Playbookreservoir tactics
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts
At a glance

Rutland Water is a reservoir in East Midlands / Rutland, England. It sits at about 99 m above sea level. Our data lists 4 species here, including rainbow trout, brown trout and pike. The trout season is recorded as running from 14 March to 31 January. Best window recorded for anglers: April–June (buzzer and mayfly), September–October (fry feeders and daddy). Core methods listed: Buzzer fishing under indicator; washing line; drifting dries and dabblers from boat. Nearby waters in our listings include Eyebrook Reservoir at 13 km, Elinor Trout Fishery at 30 km and Sibson Fisheries at 30 km.