Stillwater · Chalk · Welsh Marches / Herefordshire

Bigwell Fly Fishery

Bigwell Fly Fishery venue image

Four spring-fed lakes in the Wye Valley on the England–Wales border.

Fair · Rainbow
Buzzer · 12-14
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.
48% confidence
limited data

Bigwell Fly Fishery is often best in spring through autumn.

What moved it
  • WindS 9 km/hLight breeze
Today's fly
Buzzer
Buzzer12-14
Washing-line, in the film
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Wind
Light breeze
S 9 km/h
N
S
from the south
WaveRipple
Water temp
Air temp31°C
CloudClear
Pressure1020 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm

Some readings unavailable — check directly before fishing.

How to fish it · for Rainbow
When
Conditions are not ideal but fishable at Bigwell Fly Fishery. The ripple should help fish move and feed more confidently. Very warm conditions — trout have a narrower safe zone of cool, oxygen-rich water. Fish only at first light or last light, use barbless hooks, keep fish in the water during release, and stop if fish struggle to recover.
Where
Start with Diawl Bach (12-14) — on the bob / top dropper — slow figure-of-eight retrieve. 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.
The plan
Plan A

Start with Diawl Bach (12-14) — on the bob / top dropper — slow figure-of-eight retrieve. 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

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
Rainbow fly box
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Condition match
55%
Cloud25%
Wind100%
Temp25%

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

Other water nearby · 5
Gallery · 1
  1. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Four spring-fed lakes in the Wye Valley on the England–Wales border. Two crystal-clear chalk-fed waters (primary spring source) and two fed from overflow stream with wild brown trout influx. Specimen fish to 12 lb. Wheelchair accessible, cafe and fly shop on site. Stunning riverside location. Blue and tiger trout go in alongside the rainbows. The blues fight a good deal harder than their odd steel colouring suggests; the tigers come along rarely and almost always to something moving, so it's worth swinging a small streamer past the deeper margins before you give up on them.

  • Chalk
Why this score
  • Wind conditions (ripple) closely match what this water fishes best in.
  • High temperatures may push fish deeper and reduce surface activity.
Directions
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 April30 September
Related guides
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts
Clubs & associations