Stillwater · Mixed · Perthshire, GB-SCT

Loch Tay

Winter sunrise over Loch Tay with Ben Vorlich and the Ben Lawers massif silhouetted behind the loch in dawn light.
Today · Marginal — persistence required
Claret Bumble
Forecast · Today
Marginal — persistence required
A short window at best — fish the sure lies and move on.
40% projected
Today's fly
Claret Bumble
Claret Bumble
Conditions on the water · Today
Proxy gauge
Level
Rising
Proxy
via River Lyon
Water temp16.3°C
ClarityVery coloured
Weather15°C
WindN 23 km/h
Pressure1003 hPa
Rain · recent0.1 mm
Rain · ahead1.0 mm

No gauge on this water — conditions are inferred from River Lyon. The trend transfers, the absolute level does not.

Water temperature for Atlantic Salmon
Warm — slow
16°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Atlantic Salmon
When
All day — lough fishing is best in a good wave. Early morning and evening can produce in calm conditions.
Where
Work the drift lanes from the upwind shore across the productive zones. Cover bay edges, underwater reefs, and any areas where the bottom shoals.
Method
Fish a sensible line-and-fly combination for the height and pace of water.
Kit
10 ft #7/8 single-hander, floating line, 10–12 lb fluoro leader. Boat seat and waterproofs for the drift.
Why this works
Fair conditions based on river hydrology and migration patterns.
Likely species
Stoneflies
Caddisflies
Chironomids
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 12:00

12:00(now) — Heather Fly

Stage: Terrestrials on topApproach: Dry flyActivity: 57%
Also:Daddy Long Legs35%
Peak emergence window

Peak activity at 12:00 — Heather Fly (Heather Fly, Peak emergence window)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds as a supporter.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 5 as a supporter.

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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 · September highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Salmon runRun
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Heather FlyHatch
2
2
Daddy Long LegsHatch
2
3
2
Claret DunHatch
2
3
2
Murrough (Great Red Sedge)Hatch
2
3
2

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

Ranked for today
Fly box · Atlantic Salmon
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
River Teith
36 km
50
Brown trout · Atlantic salmon · Sea trout
River Lyon
21 km
30
Brown trout · Atlantic salmon · Sea trout
Allan Water
35 km
Brown trout
River Tummel
39 km
Atlantic salmon · Brown trout · Grayling
River Garry (Tayside)
40 km
Brown trout · Atlantic salmon · Sea trout
Gallery · 6
  1. Winter sunrise over Loch Tay with Ben Vorlich and the Ben Lawers massif silhouetted behind the loch in dawn light.
    Sunrise over Loch Tay
  2. Wide view of Loch Tay at its western end under a golden sunset sky, still water reflecting the evening light.
    Sunset on Loch Tay
  3. Panoramic view of Loch Tay at Kenmore showing the loch mouth, wooded shoreline and hills beyond under blue sky.
    Loch Tay at Kenmore
  4. Overcast morning at Loch Tay showing the open loch surface under a heavy grey sky with hills on the far shore.
    Cloudy morning at Loch Tay
  5. Small boats moored on Loch Tay at Kenmore with the broad loch stretching west into the hills.
    Loch Tay and boats, Kenmore
  6. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Good
  • Chemical: Unknown
What this classification means

SEPA WFD 2022 (loch layer) — Loch Tay: Good status. Re-tagged 2026-06-18 from Allt a Chobhair (a small burn) — the recorded Bad was a mis-tag, a river/burn waterbody, to the loch's own SEPA water body. Source: SEPA WFD 2022 classification (spatialdata.gov.scot / SEPA Aquatic Classification Hub).

SEPA (Scotland) · UKSC100233

The full read · show the working · for Atlantic Salmon · confidence 75%
How the river scores — hydrology factors
Water heightMedium Ideal0.0
Recent riseNone0.0
Falling after liftNot Applicable0.0
Water temperatureCool To Moderate0.0
Time in seasonOpening Period0.0
ClarityClearing0.0
Hydrology base0.0
Legal gate: Unknown Check Local Rules
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowproxy via River Lyonproxy
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon 15 January → 15 October
  • Char 15 March → 6 October

    Loch Tay trout and char permits cover arctic charr from 15 March to 6 October. Arctic charr in Scotland are usually by-catch of trout fishing rather than a mainstream target. Return requirements may apply — check current permit conditions. Arctic charr are conservation-sensitive in Scottish lochs.

Related guides
Fly Fishing Near Perthfeatured in this city guideScotland Playbookloch & river fishingThermal Layers & Troutreading depth and temperature
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts