Rutland Fly Fishers Waters

Rutland Water is the big one near Oakham. We’re talking about 3,100 acres of water, roughly 26 miles of perimeter tracks and bank access, plus 4,200 acres of open countryside around the park. The fishing lodge sits at Normanton on the south shore, postcode LE15 8HD. So, plenty of room to stretch your legs, find a likely-looking bank and get properly set up before the first cast.

• 1 lake: Rutland Water
• Fish: trout
• Tickets from: Adult day permit: 8 fish plus catch-and-release — £40
• Find it: Oakham · LE15 8HD

Based on how each lake is set up — not a ranking.

Rutland Water is the big one near Oakham. We’re talking about 3,100 acres of water, roughly 26 miles of perimeter tracks and bank access, plus 4,200 acres of open countryside around the park. The fishing lodge sits at Normanton on the south shore, postcode LE15 8HD. So, plenty of room to stretch your legs, find a likely-looking bank and get properly set up before the first cast.

This is fly fishing only for trout, with rainbow trout and brown trout as the main quarry. Rutland is particularly known for large grown-on brown trout, which adds a proper bit of excitement to the mix. You can fish from the bank or book a boat, so the choice is there whether you fancy working the margins and accessible bank water or getting out across the reservoir and covering more ground.

The 2026 trout season runs from 14 March 2026 to 31 January 2027. Adult day permits start at £34 for 4 fish plus catch-and-release, or £40 for 8 retained fish plus unlimited catch-and-release. There’s also a £24 beginners permit, £28 sporting ticket, £34 senior ticket, £19 junior ticket, £17 summer sunset ticket and a £202 week permit. Check which ticket fits your plan before booking, especially if you’re deciding between keeping fish and going fully catch-and-release.

Boat options include a £32 day boat, £25 half-day boat, £20 single-manned day boat and a £17 sunset boat after 6pm. Evening boats cannot be booked in advance and are available on the day if there’s room. Walk-in, non-prebooked boats carry a 10% surcharge, so booking ahead is the bob-on move where possible. Take the kit you’re confident with, plus spare leaders, flies and clothing for a proper day on a big exposed water.

Season tickets are the serious route in, with Gold, Silver, Bronze and Sporting options giving unlimited visits during the season. The daily and overall fish limits vary between them, so have a look at the detail before handing over the quid. Predator fly fishing is included with all trout season tickets, while Silver and Gold also allow lure fishing for predators. Predator fishing has its own boat-only dates and method restrictions, including different periods for fly, lure and sea-deadbait fishing.

For a first session, start at the Normanton lodge, grab the anglers map and ask the fishery team about the current bank and boat plan, wind, access and any areas worth prioritising. The lodge has a tackle shop and sells permits, with the Waterside Café above it. Parking, Normanton Church and the Rutland Belle are nearby. Boats and permits are booked through the Anglian Water Parks booking system, while the published fishery rules, boat-safety guidance, stocking policy and biosecurity procedure are well worth a look before clipping up.

Good background reading. Most of it is a few years old, so treat it as a starting point and ask on the day.

Videos linked by the fishery

• Our read

  Checked Sept '26 — “Rutland Water is a huge, trout-only fly fishery near Oakham, with cracking bank and boat fishing, grown-on brown trout and a proper spread of day, weekly and season-ticket options.”

This is our own summary of recurring public feedback and the venue details we checked, not a copied customer review or a promise you’ll catch. Feedback changes, so we keep it separate from the Tackle Index score.