Rutland Water

Rutland Water near Oakham is a reservoir on a proper scale: approximately 3,100 acres rather than a little pool where you can keep an eye on every peg. The fishing lodge is at Normanton, with LE15 8HD the postcode to use. Trout fishing is available from both bank and boat, while the predator fishing is boat-only.

• 1 lake: Rutland Water
• Fish: trout, pike, zander, perch
• Tickets from: Day permit — eight fish — £40 day permit: eight fish plus catch-and-release.
• Find it: Oakham · LE15 8HD

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

Rutland Water near Oakham is a reservoir on a proper scale: approximately 3,100 acres rather than a little pool where you can keep an eye on every peg. The fishing lodge is at Normanton, with LE15 8HD the postcode to use. Trout fishing is available from both bank and boat, while the predator fishing is boat-only. That’s the first choice to make before getting too carried away with the tackle: a bank session with the fly rod, or a day afloat?

Rainbow trout and brown trout are stocked, and the 2026 stocking plan allocates 71,000 trout to Rutland. That’s a planned allocation, not a promise about what you’ll catch, but it gives you an idea of the trout operation here. The trout season runs from 14 March 2026 to 31 January 2027. One important bit for the net: brown trout must not be killed, so don’t treat a fish allowance as permission to take a brownie home.

The trout permits give you a few ways to shape the day. There are eight-fish and four-fish day permits, each with catch-and-release afterwards, plus a senior permit allowing six fish and catch-and-release. If taking fish home isn’t your thing, the sporting permit is catch-and-release only and requires barbless flies. Accompanied children fish free within the adult permit’s rules and limits, which is a handy option for sharing a session without assuming they get a separate fish allowance.

Fancy predators instead? Pike, zander and perch are on the list, but this isn’t a case of turning up with whichever method takes your fancy all year. Predator fly fishing starts on 1 May 2026, lure fishing on 1 September, and sea-deadbait fishing on 1 October. All three finish on 31 January 2027 and all are boat-only. You also can’t mix trout and predator fishing in one boat, so get everyone agreed on the plan before booking.

Boat hire is extra to the fishing permit, so budget for both rather than getting caught out. There are day, half-day and single-person boat options, plus sunset hire after 6pm. Half-day sessions run before or after 2pm. Walk-in boat bookings attract a 10% surcharge, making that another detail worth sorting ahead. Wheelyboat hire is also available, for Blue Badge holders only. It’s a useful option to know about when working out how you’ll get afloat.

Finally, keep lodge opening hours separate from fishing-season dates and session arrangements. The lodge has different hours through the year, and both the lodge and park close on Christmas Day. Overnight stays in park car parks are prohibited; overnight fishing permission needs checking rather than assuming it comes with access to a big reservoir. Get those practical bits bob on and the choice is straightforward: trout from bank or boat, or a dedicated predator trip within the right method’s season.

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 proper big-water fishing: approximately 3,100 acres, bank and boat fly fishing for trout, and boat-only predator sessions. There’s plenty of choice, but permit types, boat costs and method-specific seasons need sorting before you load the tackle.”

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.