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
Fairlive now
Good summer conditions for Blackton Reservoir
Good wave on — drift country. A useful wave. Work the productive shore.
59% confidence

Blackton Reservoir is often best in spring through autumn.

What moved it
  • WindW 22 km/hModerate breeze
Today's fly
MD
Marabou Damsel8-12
Retrieve, sub-surface
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Wind
Moderate breeze
W 22 km/h
N
W
from the west
Wave40 cm chop
Water temp—
Air temp22°C
CloudBroken
Pressure1017 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. If that does not produce, switch depth or speed before changing the pattern entirely.
The plan
Plan A

Start with Marabou Damsel (8-12) — on the point. If that does not produce, switch depth or speed before changing the pattern entirely.

Plan B

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

Watch for

Watch for Silverhorn towards evening — this could be the best window of the day.

Bank

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

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 5 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
65%
Cloud70%
Wind65%
Temp60%

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
  • 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