Ladybower Reservoir: New Season Tactics for Stillwater Trout Success

Published: 13th March 2025 | Author: Rob Edmunds

For the first time in over 35 years, I’ve decided against fishing Grafham Water on its ‘Opening Day.’ Instead my wife and I made the 2-hour journey to the beautiful Upper Derwent Valley in Derbyshire in order to fish Ladybower Reservoir.

The History of Ladybower Reservoir

Ladybower Reservoir is a picturesque water in the heart of the Peak District. At 514 acres and with depths of over 100 feet it’s a sizeable water. The reservoir was officially opened in 1945 by King George VI after a decade of construction. For this project, the villages of Derwent and Ashopton were flooded. This included the church, the ruins of which can be seen if the water level drops significantly.

The reservoir is most famous for being one of the waters that RAF 617 Squadron—otherwise known as the ‘Dambusters’—practiced their low-level attacks before those daring raids on the German dams in WWII. In one of the Dam’s turrets a memorial can be seen that commemorates those practice flights.

Ladybower Reservoir in 2025

Ladybower Reservoir has a rich and diverse history and is now with a brand-new structure for 2025 season. It is available for all to fish on a ‘day ticket’ basis under the new management of Pete Eville and Geoff Smith along with their dedicated team. Pete himself is a fanatical angler with over 40 years fly-fishing experience. He understands exactly what fellow fly fisherman expect and desire from a fishery. An on-site fish-farm allows him to control the number and quality of his fish. At least 34,000+ fish are to be stocked in 2025 giving the reservoir a stocking density of no less than 66 fish per acre. This is extremely high. The size of fish stocked will primarily be 1.75 – 2lb. However, there will be a scattering of larger fish up to 15lb or more which provides both variety and excitement.

It’s a bold venture but Pete’s enthusiasm for the project is infectious. I have no doubt that through his hard work and determination Ladybower will be viewed as one of the UK’s premier fly fisheries in just a season or two. The reservoir has over 13 miles of bank fishing and a fleet of 32 well maintained boats complete with engines including a ‘wheely boat’. Float Tubes are allowed at the venue should you be more adventurous.

On site there is a fully stocked tackle shop and lodge that provides hot drinks should you require any last-minute items before embarking on your adventure. Further details can be found by visiting their website, which I’ve linked here.

Learning From Scratch

I must confess this was my first time visiting the water. So, despite being excited, I had no prior experience or knowledge as to the best or most consistent areas or methods. I would literally have to work everything out myself from scratch, just like most anglers. So, I’d like to run through our thought processes.

The early season months of March and April on any reservoir in my experience are generally a day of extremes. It’s either ‘feast or famine’. Low water temperatures mean the fish aren’t yet ‘on the fin.’ This means they don’t tend to move great distances looking for food. Instead, they tend to hold tightly shoaled up in specific areas. It’s wonderful if you are fortuitous enough to drop on the fish. Then, you get to experience a red-letter day. But, if you are just 50m off them it can be very challenging and equally frustrating.

My First Impressions

On arrival at the fishery, I was stunned. It’s a truly magnificent body of water. My best description of the water is that it’s almost the shape of a ‘Y’ with 2 distinct arms and a main basin and dam. Bridges span the water and there are numerous bays that will allow you to hide away from any wind. It’s very pleasing on the eye and more like a Welsh or Scottish Loch than an English Reservoir.

I immediately started scanning the water trying to identify likely areas that I believe should hold fish. The truth is I was spoilt for choice. There was ‘structure’ literally everywhere. Trees submerged in the water, drop offs, points and even a small cage complex. I looked at the gradient of the banks and the colour of the water to try and roughly establish the deeper and shallower areas. However, it was practically impossible. The water is a typical dark peaty colour, clear but with a dark tinge.

My plan

Experience tells me that early season the fish won’t be on the move so I must try and find them. I will start at the bottom of one of the reservoirs arms and work my way backwards up it to the main basin and dam. Fishing each of the 15 areas I’ve identified for just 30 minutes each until I find a concentration of fish. I feel that I must keep working and covering fresh water. My experience tells me that by moving I will eventually come across some fish by either luck or judgement. Besides I also want to explore just what this beautiful water has to offer and get to know it better.

As regards tactics I like to adopt a very simple approach, especially when I’m not familiar with water and its terrain. Looking at the tree lined banks it was easy to conclude there must be a certain amount of debris on the bottom and it would be easy to get snagged up when fishing deep.

Fly choice is simple. I reasoned that in the colder spring months the fish are lethargic, so you must induce them into the take. The best way to do this is through movement in the fly so a pattern with marabou or fur is essential.

The first 2 hours 09:00 – 11:00am

I usually attempt to fish at the bottom of the wind at the beginning of the day. The wind speed generally increases as the day goes on making some areas unfishable in an hour or two. Especially if the water starts to colour up from repeated wind or wave action. A bonus is that fish are often pushed downwind and are frequently just a few feet from the bank. However on this day there was little wind perhaps 3 or 4mph at best meaning no drogue is even needed when drifting.

Spring mornings are the coldest part of the day after the low overnight temperature. This means that the fish won’t want to chase a fly that’s pulled back at speed. It’s also highly unlikely that there will be anything hatching during this time of the day, so methods and fly choice are limited.

*Some of the very cool bankside structure we fished.*

Starting with a single Booby

I started off by fishing a single booby on a Di-5 with a 8ft leader of 10.2lb Masterclass Fluorocarbon. There was a sharp overnight frost with temperatures reaching -3 degrees. Despite the bright start to the day it’s still only 2 degrees at 09:30am. I opted for a single booby as it gives me better presentation. It also means no tangles and makes any fish compete for a single food source hopefully resulting in more positive takes. The booby eyes also create a disturbance that the fish can feel down their lateral line, so it really can pull fish to your cast! It’s also the ideal fly for fishing deep over structure (rocks or submerged trees) so I decided to start with my favourite Black & Green Booby.

Quite simply black and green is a “must have” colour combo. It’s deadly for recent stock fish and resident fish alike. If there is any colour in the water, it’s always my go to pattern. Its dark silhouette is easily visible, and it makes the fly stand out. As it’s a natural drab colour it is non scary to fish. It’s also the ideal pattern to fish deep and slow whilst still providing a great deal of movement.

*The black and green booby is an essential stillwater fly.*

After making my cast I work the water depths. I initially allow a count of 15 seconds before retrieving. The following cast 20 seconds, 25 seconds etc. I retrieve with a medium paced figure of 8 or short sharp 8” pulls with a 2-3 second pause in between. Both retrieves will impart movement into the pattern that I hope will induce any fish into taking my fly.

Fishless after an hour

After an hour or so and 3 different locations my wife and I were both still fishless. It wasn’t as easy as I thought and being on an unfamiliar water can be quite daunting. I thought about a change of tactics. Perhaps the fish were actually higher in the water and ‘washing line method’ might work. I quickly put the idea out of my head. My tactic (a single booby fished deep) and reasoning is sound. I just obviously hadn’t come across any fish willing to take the fly yet. I needed to persevere.

Halfway down the arm we identified a point and a very small 20m x 20m bay along an otherwise straight bank. It was clear the water was extremely deep close to the bank and there was a ledge around 20 feet out. If any fish were on the move, I assumed they would get funneled into the bay just off the drop off and hold there.

Into the fish!

I started the drift 20m out and attempted to get the boat drifting parallel with the bank so we both fished along the drop off rather than out into the deep open water of the reservoir. I was soon into a fish after a countdown of 25 seconds, Then I lost and missed several others. It was noticeable that the temperature had risen quite sharply over the last half an hour and had probably switched the fish onto the feed. I believed I was fishing at around the 10 -15ft depth, and that the fish were taking just as the fly line started its upwards trajectory. Over the next 20 minutes I netted a further 4 well mended rainbows in the 2 – 2.5lb class. With my wife also picking up a couple of fish. Our confidence was restored.

The Lunchtime Session 11:30am – 15:00hrs

Time for a change as the day was now considerably warmer 12c and we had enjoyed an excellent start! During the Spring Mid-day is undoubtedly the peak time of the day and the opportunity to fish naturally shouldn’t be wasted. I accept the single booby would probably remain the more productive method. However, by changing methods and areas I feel that I am challenging myself more as such I get more enjoyment from the day whilst also learning about the fishery.

Any hatches at this time of the year are usually from 11:30am until 15:00hrs—during the warmest part of the day. Hatches tend to be very short often limited to just an hour or two. I reasoned that it was time to move position and fish with the wind behind us somewhere slightly more sheltered. It will be slightly warmer, and we should experience a hatch. I hoped we could make the most of this limited opportunity.

We motored back and into a sheltered tree lined bay under the first bridge just right of the lodge. We immediately noticed 3 or 4 adult midges skipping across the surface of the water. A hatch had already begun.

Switching up tactics

My wife now had the inside line (closest angler to the bank) and decided to fish the ‘washing line’ method on a 6ft Airflo Fast Tip. It would allow her to effectively cast down the bank and ledge and basically ‘hang on’ and fish her flies on the drop.

She set up with a 16ft leader of 7.12lb Masterclass Fluorocarbon with droppers at 6ft and 12ft with the point fly at 16ft. On the droppers she fished 2 x size 10 black hot head Diawl Bach’s. They’re a natural and non-scary pattern that is an accurate representation of a buzzer pupa. It will stand out well in both clear and coloured water especially when silhouetted against the surface. On the point at 16ft, a small size 12 ‘Fireball Fab’ that would initially hold the cast up before getting pulled under and dropping through the water column.

An initial cast was made then she gave the fly-line a single long 3ft pull to straighten the leader to ensure that she was in direct contact with her flies. Closely watching her fly line for any signs of movement or straightening as flies are often taken ‘on the drop. An ultra slow figure of 8 retrieve is then all that’s needed. It’s an ideal early season method and one that’s worked extremely well for us over the years as the two patterns complement each other perfectly.

I still prefer to fish at least one lure at this time of year. I find the colour in the fly can attract fish to your cast. Even if they ultimately take the nymph on the dropper, the lure has played its part in attracting the fish’s attention and shouldn’t be overlooked.

Success in switching tactics

Her plan seemed to have worked, and she was quickly into a fish. This was followed by another 3 fish in quick succession. For once it was an even split with 2 fish falling to the Diawl Bach’s and another 2 to the small ‘Fireball Fab’ on the point. I could see that she was deeply satisfied with her results. She reacted and changed methods as the conditions and fish dictated. It was clear the fish had come up in the water as the temperature increased. Even more rewarding was the fact the Diawl Bach’s picked up a couple of better-quality fish in the 4 – 5lb range. They really fought well for their size.

The Last 2 Hours 15:00hrs – Dark

The last 2 hours of fishing is often challenging. A sudden drop in temperature can almost instantly switch the fish off the feed meaning you will struggle on any method or fly. The small bay had produced 6 fish but had now gone completely dead. It was time for one last change of location.

With limited time remaining we decided to fish from the boat jetty to the dam wall along the tree lined road bank in the main basin. My standard tactic when the temperature is dropping and the light is fading is to fish a fast intermediate line with a 15ft leader of 10lb Masterclass Fluorocarbon. On the dropper 7ft from the fly line goes that most heinous of all flies: a ‘Blob.’ In this case it was a ‘Fireball Blob’ a new pattern and a variation of the infamous ‘Tequila,’ which is a bright fluorescent yellow blob with a hot orange centre. On the point at 15ft was a Mini Weighted Black Snake.

*The views at Ladybower Reservoir are spectacular.*

The presentation

After casting I again counted the flies down 20 seconds to get to the required depth. A steady medium paced Roly-Poly retrieve was employed with the odd pause halfway back through the retrieve. My sole aim was to cover as much water as possible and pick up the odd bonus fish. So, fishing from a drifting boat is preferable. I was aiming to induce a take through the bright colour of the blob or the movement in the snake. The added benefit is that your active and it’s a method that keeps you warm.

I didn’t even make 5 casts before the line went tight and a fish was on, a solid 3lb stock fish succumbing to the charms of the blob. This pattern was repeated. Another 5 casts and yet another fish. It was obvious the ‘Fireball Blob’ was getting a great reaction. I immediately wondered what would have happened if I’d have fished it earlier in the day on a DI-5. Had I missed an opportunity?

Reflection on the day

On reflection my wife and I had a tremendous day. We were very lucky with the weather and were presented with almost perfect fishing conditions. Light 5mph westerly winds and a warm March day with temperatures reaching 12c. Approximately 20 rainbows were brought to the boat–mostly 2 – 3lb stockfish. However, my wife was lucky enough to also net a couple of bigger fish around the 4.5lb mark. They’re great fish now but in 3 or 4 months they will be leaner, fitter and even stronger.

It’s clear to me that Ladybower is a well-run reservoir in beautiful surroundings that offers fantastic fishing. The water is obviously well stocked as we caught fish or had interest in most of the areas we targeted. Obviously, some areas were better than others, but I never once felt that we weren’t on fish. Under Pete’s stewardship the fishing will no doubt continue to improve due the cumulative effect of his stocking policy and as the water warms.

More to explore at Ladybower Reservoir

There are so many features to explore. I feel I’ve only just scratched the surface of what Ladybower has to offer. The cage complex situated in the middle of the main basin must hold some truly huge fish and I can only wonder at what might be lurking beneath. Next time I must investigate further.

At the boat jetty was discussing my day with a couple of locals. I was surprised to learn that at the far end of the reservoirs arms there are inlets and streams that contain wild browns. Plus the water has a heavy buzzer and Mayfly hatch (not surprisingly in May) which really brings the better-quality fish up and on the feed.

I can’t wait to return later in the season once the water has warmed and the fish are really ‘on the fin’ and actively looking for food in the surface layers. I have no doubt that the nymph and dry fly fishing will be superb and I’m going to pencil in some dates for a long weekend now as I’m not going to miss out. Ladybower has all the ingredients to be a truly special water.

I sincerely wish Pete well in this exciting new venture and implore you to support him by visiting the fishery a couple of times over the course of the season. From our experience you definitely won’t be disappointed.