Yeoman Hey Reservoir

About

Nestled in the Peak District National Park, Yeoman Hey is the middle reservoir in a series of three.
Surrounded by rolling grouse moorland and high gritstone escarpments, it's hard to imagine you are only twenty-five minutes from Manchester's Piccadilly train station.

There's a very good population of wild browns that average 10 inches. These fish are the descendants of the fish that inhabited Greenfield Brook before the dam was completed in 1880 and are as wild as the hills.

These upland reservoirs with their peat stained waters are as close as you'll get to a Scottish loch.
A team of traditional wet files pulled just under the surface will work best. Most of the food in this acidic environment is wind blown, so terrestrials are high on the trouts' menu. Use any fly you like as long as it's black and bushy.

Because of the lack of invertebrates, fish over 14 inches don't tend to rise to a wet fly. They lie deep, waiting to ambush passing trout parr. Try fishing a larger fly on a sinking line around the many inlets after a good downpour. Especially around the end of the season when these fish are thinking about spawning and are more aggressive.

Historically, permission has been challenging, but there is good news. From 1st April 2019, the estate will make a biannual supplementary Rainbow Trout stocking, and day tickets are available.

Location

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