Drayton Reservoir is a reservoir

Reservoir

A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...

 in Daventry

Daventry

Daventry is a market town in Northamptonshire, England, with a population of 22,367 .-Geography:The town is also the administrative centre of the larger Daventry district, which has a population of 71,838. The town is 77 miles north-northwest of London, 13.9 miles west of Northampton and 10.2...

, Northamptonshire

Northamptonshire

Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. The reservoir is accessible from the A361

A361 road

The A361 is a major road in England and at is the longest 3 digit A road in the UK. It runs south from Ilfracombe on the north Devon coast to Barnstaple, turning south-east to Tiverton then, after a break , north east from Taunton in Somerset through Street and Glastonbury, past Frome and then...

 near the northern edge of Daventry. Drayton Reservoir is a feeder reservoir for the Grand Union Canal

Grand Union Canal

The Grand Union Canal in England is part of the British canal system. Its main line connects London and Birmingham, stretching for 137 miles with 166 locks...

. When water is required for the canal the water level at Drayton can drop by 30 cm or more in a day. Drayton Reservoir is controlled by British Waterways

British Waterways

British Waterways is a statutory corporation wholly owned by the government of the United Kingdom, serving as the navigation authority in England, Scotland and Wales for the vast majority of the canals as well as a number of rivers and docks...

 and is home to Rugby Sailing Club.

It lies near another Grand Union Canal feature, Braunston Tunnel

Braunston Tunnel

Braunston Tunnel is situated on the Grand Union Canal just past Braunston, Northamptonshire, England.Braunston Tunnel is 2042 yards in length...

.

Angling

Drayton Reservoir is known to UK anglers as one of England's premier match fishing venues. It was stocked with 50,000 small carp

Carp

Carp are various species of oily freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fish native to Europe and Asia. The cypriniformes are traditionally grouped with the Characiformes, Siluriformes and Gymnotiformes to create the superorder Ostariophysi, since these groups have certain...

 and these have grown quickly. 9lb (4 kg) Drayton Reservoir carp are commonplace. 20lb (9 kg) carp are caught very regularly with larger specimens available. Anglers are advised to ensure they have angling equipment that can handle the large fish and that they watch their rods and poles; hundreds of rods and poles have been pulled into the reservoir by fish.

British Waterways manage the fishery with bailiffs patrolling every few hours. They provide advice in addition to selling day tickets. There is limited parking by the dam wall and a toilet. With the exception of the dam wall most of the well managed fishing pegs are open to wheelchair access.