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284-acre lake near Durham. The lake tops out around 52 ft. The contours come from a model of the real basin shape and its known max depth. Read them as probabilities, not soundings, and keep them out of navigation decisions. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Traced from the shoreline, Selset Reservoir runs 284 acres with 5.4 miles of edge. That shoreline is heavily fingered (development index 2.3) — bays, points and pockets everywhere, which multiplies the fishable edge. About 24% of the surface sits shallower than 15 ft on the modeled chart — that's the weed-and-bait zone. End to end it runs roughly 1.8 mi, about 0.6 mi across. You'll find it in County Durham. For a second option, Balderhead Reservoir lies 2 mi south.
When the water first warms, brown trout slide up into 3 to 25 ft. By summer they slide out to 16 to 52 ft, and by winter most fish are in 5 to 35 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Break off the point: a drop-off around 23 ft that scores prime in summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in after dark and early morning. Keep a spoon at the thermocline or a deep stickbait (night) rigged through the warm months.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (13 ft) | Stickbait off planer boards (shallow), Small spoon along mud lines |
| Summer | 16 to 52 ft chart-limited; documented 25 to 60 ft | night & dawn | Break off the point (23 ft) | Spoon at the thermocline, Deep stickbait (night) |
| Fall | 5 to 30 ft | dusk & dawn | Main-lake point (13 ft) | Jerkbait over gravel, Casting spoon |
| Winter | 5 to 35 ft | dawn | Break off the point (23 ft) | Jigging spoon, Small stickbait (slow) |
Start shallow in spring: european perch sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 28 ft, and winter fish settle into 12 to 33 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for european perch in spring. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning. Throw a drop-shot micro plastics or a small crankbait (perch pattern) until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Small jig + curly tail, Inline spinner #1-2 |
| Summer | 8 to 28 ft | dawn | Break off the point (23 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small crankbait (perch pattern) |
| Fall | 10 to 33 ft | midday | Break off the point (23 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Drop-shot on deep flats |
| Winter | 12 to 33 ft | midday & dawn | Break off the point (23 ft) | Tungsten jig + maggots, Small balance jig |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: northern pike in 2 to 8 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 8 to 20 ft before dropping to 5 to 15 ft for winter. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for northern pike in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
Spring arctic char on Selset Reservoir hold shallow, usually 4 to 15 ft. They move out to 16 to 52 ft in summer and finish the year down in 10 to 40 ft. Put Deep basin first on the milk run — a deep basin near 44 ft that grades prime for summer. The feeding windows run early morning. The summer box starts with a jigging spoon vertical or a tube jig (smelt).
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | open water | Small casting spoon (silver/orange), Jerkbait (small) |
| Summer | 16 to 52 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 60 ft | dawn | Deep basin (44 ft) | Jigging spoon vertical, Tube jig (smelt) |
| Fall | 8 to 30 ft | midday & dusk | Break off the point (23 ft) | Casting spoon (orange/gold), Beadhead streamer |
| Winter | 10 to 40 ft | midday & dawn | Deep basin (44 ft) | Jigging spoon (glow/silver), Tungsten jig + plastic |
6 pieces of structure are mapped here — Deep basin, around 44 ft, is the deepest of them.
Selset Reservoir is about 52 ft (16 m) deep at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.
Anglers target brown trout, european perch, northern pike, arctic char on Selset Reservoir. This isn't a survey of the water — none is published for it — but an informed estimate from the species common to the region, narrowed by this water's depth, size and each species' range.
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for european perch in spring. The interactive chart above rates every spot for each species and season.
For brown trout, the summer bite is best in after dark and early morning. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Balderhead Reservoir 2 mi · Grassholme Reservoir 2 mi · Cow Green Reservoir 8 mi · Sunbiggin Tarn 16 mi · Derwent Reservoir 20 mi · Semer Water 21 mi · Whinfell Tarn 26 mi · Haweswater Reservoir 26 mi · Lochnaw 27 mi · Scar House Reservoir 29 mi · Ullswater 30 mi · Tindale Tarn 30 mi
See how Selset Reservoir stacks up: best northern pike lakes in United Kingdom · best european perch lakes in United Kingdom · best brown trout lakes in United Kingdom · best arctic char lakes in United Kingdom
More water nearby: County Durham fishing maps (5 charts). Browse all United Kingdom fishing maps. See every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.