Fishing Pitsford Reservoir
By Alex Clayton · Updated 23 October 2026
Pitsford reservoir fishing means fly fishing for stocked rainbow and brown trout from the bank or a boat, with pike and other predators allowed only in set windows. Pitsford Water, near Northampton, is run as a trout fishery with a fishing lodge by Anglian Water Parks.
The reservoir covers about 413 hectares. It was built in 1956, it is an SSSI, and its northern half is a nature reserve with no fishing access.
This guide sets out the 2026 trout and boat prices, how the bank fishes, what the fishery’s weekly reports say is catching, and the predator method windows in one table.
Pitsford Trout Permits, Prices and Season Dates for 2026
Choose your permit by how many trout you plan to take home. Keeping none costs £12 less than keeping eight.
The 2026 trout season runs from 28 February 2026 to 31 January 2027 (predator dates differ). Day permits listed on the Anglian Water Parks fishing prices page:
| Permit | Fish you can keep | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Full | 8, plus catch and release | £40 |
| Half | 4, plus catch and release | £34 |
| Senior | 6, plus catch and release | £34 |
| Sporting | None, catch and release with barbless flies | £28 |
Accompanied children fish free within the permit rules and limits.
Season tickets cost £1,330 (Gold), £910 (Silver), £820 (Bronze) or £720 (Sporting), and need a photo. They include fly fishing for predators, and Silver and Gold add lure fishing for predators; confirm the terms with the lodge.
Book online through Anglian Water Parks or at the lodge tackle shop (01604 781350).
Anyone aged 13 or over also needs an Environment Agency rod licence (free for 13 to 16). A trout and coarse licence covering two rods costs £7.30 for one day, £14.70 for eight days or £36.80 for 12 months, according to GOV.UK. Check the price before you buy; our rod licence guide has more.
Pitsford is stocked with rainbow and brown trout, and Anglian Water publishes an annual stocking policy alongside the fishery rules. Read both before your first visit.
If you release most of your fish, start with the £28 sporting permit. If you want a brace for the table, the £34 4-fish permit saves £6 on the full ticket.
Boat Hire at Pitsford: Prices, Evening Boats and Wind Limits
Driving to Pitsford on a blowy day only to find the boats tied up is an avoidable mistake. Boat hire is charged on top of your permit:
| Boat | Price |
|---|---|
| Day boat | £32 |
| Half day (before or after 2pm) | £25 |
| Single-manned day | £20 |
| Single-manned half day | £17 |
| Sunset boat (after 6pm) | £17 |
Evening boats can only be booked on the day, subject to availability. Walk-in boats that aren’t prebooked carry a 10% surcharge.
Wind decides the rest. The fishery’s weekly report states that boats are not expected to go out above an average wind speed of 17mph for one angler or 24mph for two. Check the forecast, ring the lodge if it looks marginal, and follow the lodge’s boat safety briefing.
Trout and pike fishing can’t share a boat (see the pike section).
Two anglers sharing a £32 day boat pay £16 each rather than £20 each for single-manned boats, and get the higher wind limit.
Fly Fishing Pitsford From the Bank
Boats out-fished the bank in the fishery’s latest report, but bank anglers were still catching, and they pay no boat fee on top.
Bank tickets are fly fishing for trout only. There is no predator bank fishing outside the winter deadbait window covered in the pike section.
The northern half of the reservoir is a nature reserve with no fishing access, so check the fishery’s anglers map, online or at the lodge, before you walk the bank.
A few habits pay off on any big reservoir bank:
- Travel light and keep moving until you find fish
- Start with a floating line, since recent reports have fish high in the water
- Fish a wind blowing onto your bank, when it’s safe to cast into it
Pitsford fly fishing from the bank suits beginners and anglers on a budget using the sporting or 4-fish permit. Skip it if you want pike outside the winter deadbait window.
Pitsford Fly Fishing Tactics: What the Fishery Reports Show
In the week ending 18 October 2026, the Pitsford rod average was 6.0. Boats were most productive and most fish came from the top couple of feet of water. That is one week’s snapshot, not a promise, but it shows how to read the reports.
According to that Anglian Water Parks report:
- Lines: floating lines did the damage
- Flies: Popper Fry, small boobies, fabs or wet flies stroked through the surface took most fish
- Nymphs: Crunchers and Diawl Bachs took a few
- Dries: less productive in the cold wind
- Areas: the Narrows, Main Basin and Cliffs, with Duffers and Bog Bay coming into play
Treat those areas as where recent reports point, not permanent hotspots.
Across the season, general stillwater trout patterns give you a starting point:
| Season | Line | Fly types | Retrieve |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early season | Intermediate or sinking | Lures, buzzers, nymphs | Slow |
| Warm, settled summer | Floating | Dries, buzzers, nymphs | Slow, near the surface early and late |
| Autumn | Floating | Fry patterns, boobies, wets | Steady through the surface |
Early-season fish are often deeper and less active. In autumn they come up for fry and surface food, which matches the October report.
Patterns change week to week, so read the latest report before you travel.
If you only take one line in autumn, make it a floating line with a few surface-fished patterns, then adjust to what the lodge tells you on the day.
Pike Fishing at Pitsford: Permits, Method Windows and Rules
Turn up with lures on the bank and you’ll be breaking the fishery rules. Pitsford’s predator dates depend on your method and on whether you’re in a boat.
A predator day permit costs £34, plus a rod licence. The £420 predator season ticket covers Rutland, Grafham, Pitsford, Ravensthorpe and Hollowell, with season restrictions.
The predator fishing page lists these windows for 2026-27:
| Method | Where | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Fly and lure | Boat only | 28 Feb to 14 Mar 2026, then 16 Jun 2026 to 31 Jan 2027 |
| Deadbait (sea deadbaits only) | Boat | 1 Oct 2026 to 31 Jan 2027 |
| Deadbait | Bank | 1 Nov 2026 to 14 Feb 2027 |
There is no other predator bank fishing. The venue page still shows an older 2025-26 bank window beside the new one, so confirm dates with the lodge before booking.
The main predator rules:
- Return all pike, perch and zander alive
- No livebaiting, and a maximum of two rods
- Lures must be barbless; the rules state fluorocarbon only with single barbless hooks
- Wire trace compulsory when using trebles
- Don’t target trout, and return any trout caught immediately
- Use an unhooking mat and a suitably sized net
Extra rules cover flies over 10cm and sea baits over 18cm at certain dates, and check-clean-dry applies to all kit, so read the predator rules in full.
On big reservoirs pike follow the prey fish, so boat lures over drop-offs and weed edges, and static winter deadbaits, are the usual approaches. The windows above decide which you can use for Pitsford pike.
For most predator anglers, the overlap from 1 October, when boat deadbaits join fly and lure, is the most flexible time to book. Bank-only anglers wait for 1 November.
Planning Your Visit and Where to Fish Next
Put the lodge number in your phone before you leave. Pitsford Water Fishing Lodge is on Brixworth Road, Holcot, Northampton NN6 9SJ (01604 781350, parksinfo@anglianwater.co.uk).
The lodge is listed as open 08:00 to 14:00 from March to November, 09:00 to 14:00 from 14 to 28 February, and closed in December and January. That listing may be generic, so ring ahead, especially for a winter predator trip.
Parking is £4 a day, valid only in the car park where you bought it, or £80 for an annual pass covering all Anglian Water car parks.
For more big waters, browse our UK lake and reservoir guides, including Draycote Water, Hanningfield Reservoir, Chew Valley Lake and Kielder Water.
Check with the fishery before you travel.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a rod licence to fish Pitsford Reservoir?
Yes. Anyone aged 13 or over needs an Environment Agency rod licence as well as a fishery permit, and licences for 13 to 16 year olds are free. See our rod licence guide and the permits section above.
Can you fish for pike from the bank at Pitsford?
Only with deadbaits, from 1 November 2026 to 14 February 2027. Fly and lure fishing for predators is boat only. The venue page shows an older date line too, so confirm with the lodge.
Is there a close season at Pitsford?
Pitsford runs its own trout season, 28 February 2026 to 31 January 2027, plus separate predator windows. Check with the fishery for anything beyond those dates, and see our guide to UK fishing seasons.
How much is a day ticket at Pitsford?
Trout day permits cost £28 to £40 depending on how many fish you keep. A predator day permit is £34. Boat hire is extra, from £17.
Can children fish at Pitsford?
Yes. Accompanied children fish free within the permit rules and limits. Anyone aged 13 or over still needs a rod licence, which is free for 13 to 16 year olds.