Stillwater · Mixed · East / Cambridgeshire

Grafham Water

Grafham Water fishing venue photo
Fair · Rainbow
Marabou Damsel · 8-12
Fairlive now
Evening session looks promising 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.
57% confidence

Peak season here starts around September — worth planning ahead.

What moved it
  • WindNW 10 km/hLight breeze
Today's fly
Marabou Damsel
Marabou Damsel8-12
Retrieve, sub-surface
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Wind
Light breeze
NW 10 km/h
N
NW
from the north-west
Wave20 cm ripple
Water temp—
Air temp31°C
CloudClear
Pressure1015 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm

Some readings unavailable — check directly before fishing.

Head to
Heat refugeHeat refuge
Marlow jettythe Dam

At 30.6°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 Marabou Damsel (8-12) — on the point. Early in the day, try buzzers on a slow figure-of-eight or a booby on a fast-sink line near the bottom. 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.

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

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
54%
Cloud70%
Wind65%
Temp25%

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

Other water nearby · 5
Elinor Trout Fishery
18 km
Rainbow trout
Sibson Fisheries
21 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Pitsford Water
37 km
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Eyebrook Reservoir
40 km
Brown trout · Pike · Perch
Rutland Water
46 km
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
Why this score
  • High temperatures may push fish deeper and reduce surface activity.
  • Daddy longlegs are in their 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
Clubs & associations