Stillwater · Peat · North East / County Durham

Blackton Reservoir

Aerial view of Blackton Reservoir in the Pennine hills of County Durham, with the River Balder feeding in through a stone-walled channel
Fair · Trout
Marabou Damsel · 8-12
A respectable few hours, if you choose your moments
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.
46% confidence
limited data

Blackton Reservoir is often best in spring through autumn.

What moved it
  • WindS 18 km/hGentle breeze
Today's fly
MD
Marabou Damsel8-12
Retrieve, sub-surface
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Wind
Gentle breeze
S 18 km/h
N
S
from the south
Wave40 cm chop
Water temp—
Air temp28°C
CloudBroken
Pressure1020 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm

Some readings unavailable — check directly before fishing.

How to fish it · for Trout
When
March to October
Where
Start with Marabou Damsel (8-12) — on the point. As evening approaches, switch to dries or emergers if you see surface activity.
The plan
Plan A

Start with Marabou Damsel (8-12) — on the point. As evening approaches, switch to dries or emergers if you see surface activity.

Plan B

Fish early and late, try deeper during the heat of the day with a fast-sinking line.

Watch for

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

Bank

Bank-only venue. Fish from accessible margins, points, weed edges, and inflows.

Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 3 with Pro.

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Through the year
0–3 scale · August 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
Trout fly box
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.

Other water nearby · 5
Grassholme Reservoir
4.0 km
Rainbow trout
Hury Reservoir
6.0 km
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
River Balder
7.0 km
Brown trout · Grayling
River Lune (Teesdale)
12 km
Brown trout · Grayling
Jubilee Lakes
26 km
Rainbow trout
Gallery · 2
  1. Aerial view of Blackton Reservoir in the Pennine hills of County Durham, with the River Balder feeding in through a stone-walled channel
    Blackton Reservoir, Baldersdale, County Durham
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Why this score
  • Cloud cover (cloud) suits the fishery well.
  • Damsel Nymph is in its seasonal window, boosting the chance of targeted feeding.
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