Allan’s Day Fly Fishing on Farmoor Reservoir

Posted in: Diaries & Reports Newsletters

Farmoor reservoir in Oxfordshire is a great trout fishery, it’s run by Thames water – they do an excellent job of keeping rods bent right through the year with quality rainbow and occasional brown trout. The fishery is made up of two concrete bowl water supply reservoirs separated by a causeway. Although this doesn’t sound very pretty, the concrete has weathered and the reservoirs fit comfortably into the surrounding landscape.

My recent visit was on a Sunday and we decided to fish from a boat on Farmoor 2 allowing my boat partner Phil D and I to cover lots of water and keep away from the busier sections of bank. As we headed away from the jetty it was obvious that buzzers would be the order of the day. Lots were hatching although this was not a day for a lot of surface activity.

We both tackled up with 10’ 7 weight Sage fly rods – I had a new One model and Phil used his trusty XP. These were matched with floating fly lines. I opted for a 7weight Guideline 4-Cast, this line loads the Sage One to perfection. I like to fish buzzers on a long leader so I tied 7lb fluorocarbon to the end of a 9’ tapered leader tied a water knot to make a dropper to give me a 20’ leader with a dropper and a point fly.

Anglers and Sailors Co-Exist Happily at Farmoor

There was quite a cold wind on the day so it was quite fresh in spite of the bright sunshine. This definitely kept the fish down and most of the fish came to the point fly.

Choice of fly was important – star fly was the Fulling Mill black/red buzzer nugget – it caught around 80% of the 25 or so rainbows we caught and released steadily through the day.

Phil Lands a Hard Fighting Farmoor Trout

So all in all a top day out – I really love fishing with my 10’ 7weight Sage ONE, it’s so light and responsive.

This is definitely my favourite rod for reservoir trout fishing. I quite fancy a 10’ 5 or 6 weight for fishing dries – better start saving!

Allan’s reservoir tackle favourites:

If you enjoyed Allan's fishing diary or have been to Farmoor… please leave your comments below – it’s great to share & chat! You can also share with all your friends via our social sharing buttons below.

With water temperatures heating up during summer and many small stillwaters closed for fishing to protect the welfare of the fish, Allan Shepherd heads to Farmoor Reservoir in Oxfordshire.

Farmoor reservoir in Oxfordshire is a great trout fishery. Run by Thames Water who do an excellent job of keeping rods bent right through the year with quality rainbow and occasional brown trout, the fishery is made up of two concrete bowl water supply reservoirs separated by a causeway. Although this doesn’t sound very pretty, the concrete has weathered and the reservoirs fit comfortably into the surrounding landscape.

My recent visit was on a Sunday and we decided to fish from a boat on Farmoor 2 allowing my boat partner Phil D and I to cover lots of water and keep away from the busier sections of bank. Having a boat partner is always recommended when fishing from a boat, both from a safety point of view but also for the company.

A good boat partner can liven up the day especially when the fishing is dour. Movement whilst afloat should be kept to a minimum and casting made sitting down. A long handled net is an essential piece of kit, enabling you or your partner to land your catch without over-stretching and possibly tipping the boat.

Very importantly we were offered life jackets which are mandatory on most good fisheries, or if not, should be. We also use our own ‘England Survivor Life Jackets’ on occasions. These jackets are CE approved with both manually and fully automatically activated and with an impressive 174 Newton’s which should keep you afloat.

It is generally accepted that most drowning’s are a result of losing consciousness by hitting your head as you fall or by the effects of hypothermia. The jackets should be worn on, boat, bank or river. On activating these jackets inflate and should position your head upright with your face out of the water.

Anglers and Sailors Co-Exist Happily at Farmoor

As we headed away from the jetty it was obvious that buzzers would be the order of the day. Lots were hatching although this was not a day for a lot of surface activity.

We both tackled up with 10’ 7 weight Sage fly rods – I had a new model and Phil used his trusty XP. These were matched with floating fly lines. I opted for a 7 weight RIO Gold line, this line loads the Sage rod to perfection. I like to fish buzzers on a long leader so I tied 7lb fluorocarbon to the end of a 9’ tapered leader tied a water knot to make a dropper to give me a 20’ leader with a dropper and a point fly.

We were greeted by a cold wind on the day so it was quite fresh in spite of the bright sunshine. This definitely kept the fish down and most of the fish came to the point fly.

Choice of fly was important – star fly was the Fulling Mill black/red buzzer nugget – it caught around 80% of the 25 or so rainbows we caught and released steadily through the day.

Phil Lands a Hard Fighting Farmoor Trout

So all in all a top day out – I really love fishing with my 10’ 7weight Sage rod, it’s so light and responsive.

This is definitely my favourite rod for reservoir trout fishing. I quite fancy a 10’ 5 or 6 weight for fishing dries – better start saving!

Our reservoir tackle favourites:

If you enjoyed Allan's fishing diary or have been to Farmoor… please leave your comments below – it’s great to share & chat!