Freestone · Mixed · Lothian / Edinburgh

Water of Leith

A rocky, moss-covered stretch of the Water of Leith running through dense green woodland at Colinton Dell, Edinburgh.
Prime · Brown Trout
Elk Hair Caddis · 12-16
Primelive now
About as good as it gets
River steady at a fishable height. On the feed top to bottom — start on the rises with a dry, drop a nymph if they stay down.
75% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.47 mLast reading 6h ago
  • Water temp15.2°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Elk Hair Caddis
Elk Hair Caddis12-16
High-confidence seasonal pick
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.47 m
Last reading 6h ago
Water temp15.2°C
ClarityClear
Weather14°C
WindW 20 km/h
Pressure1019 hPa
Rain · recent0.7 mm
Rain · ahead1.1 mm

The nearest gauge doesn't record temperatures, so we've estimated it — defer to the river keeper's advice.

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Ideal
15°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Brown Trout
When
Nymphing can work through most of the day.
Where
Cover mixed depths.
Method
Start with tight-line nymphs and adjust if fish rise or drift higher.
Kit
9 ft #4 rod, floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 4–5 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Excellent — water temperature is right today, though time of day could be better.
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 6am

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 7 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 3 guilds with Pro.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

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Evidence
Survey-backed · regionalHigh confidence

Backed by regional invertebrate surveys; no sampling on this exact reach yet.

Through the year
0–3 scale · August highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Daddy Long LegsHatch
2
3
2
GrannomHatch
2
2
Evening SedgeHatch
2
3
3
3
2
Large Dark OliveHatch
1
2
2
1

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Brown Trout fly box
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Clubbiedean Reservoir
7.0 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
River Almond (Lothian)
7.0 km
Brown trout · Sea trout · Atlantic salmon
Glencorse Reservoir
11 km
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Threipmuir Reservoir
11 km
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Loganlea Reservoir
14 km
Brown trout
Gallery · 2
  1. A rocky, moss-covered stretch of the Water of Leith running through dense green woodland at Colinton Dell, Edinburgh.
    The Water of Leith tumbling over mossy rocks through the wooded Colinton Dell.
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Poor
  • Chemical: Unknown

SEPA (Scotland) · UKSC003700

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 75%
How the 81 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time45 × 13%5.9
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity60 × 12%7.2
Conditions total= 81
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitysurvey-backed invertebrate datasurvey
What would change the calculation
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Related guides
Scotland Playbookloch & river fishingYorkshire & SpidersNorth Country methodsEuro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts