Freestone · Mixed · North East / Aberdeenshire, GB-SCT

Ythan

A meandering stretch of the River Ythan flowing through lush green pasture with trees along the banks near Ellon.
Prime · Atlantic Salmon
Silver Stoat's Tail · small double / microtube
Primelive now
Prime conditions — go now
River steady at a fishable height. Settled and taking. Work it methodically.
85% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.73 mLast reading 1h ago
  • Water temp12.8°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Silver Stoat's Tail
Silver Stoat's Tailsmall double / microtube
From the river-specific salmon pack.
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.73 m
Last reading 1h ago
Water temp12.8°C
ClarityClear
Weather13°C
WindSE 30 km/h
Pressure1016 hPa
Rain · recent8.9 mm
Rain · ahead3.7 mm

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

Water temperature for Atlantic Salmon
Ideal
13°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Atlantic Salmon
When
Morning into early afternoon.
Where
Pool tails, steadier runs, and any water with pace.
Method
Fish a sensible line-and-fly combination for the height and pace of water.
Kit
13 ft #8/9 double-hander in spate, 10 ft #8 single in low water. Floating line plus a fast-sink tip. 12–15 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Excellent — water temperature is right today, though river flow could be better.
Likely species
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 14:00

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 12 active hatches hour by hour as a supporter.

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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

Supporters see what else is on the menu.

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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
1
Daddy Long LegsHatch
2
3
2
CapererHatch
2
3
3
2
Hawthorn FlyHatch
2
2
GrannomHatch
2
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
Gallery · 2
  1. A meandering stretch of the River Ythan flowing through lush green pasture with trees along the banks near Ellon.
    The River Ythan winding through green meadows near Ellon, Aberdeenshire.
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Moderate
  • Chemical: Unknown

SEPA (Scotland) · UKSC023231

Why this score · for Atlantic Salmon
  • Temperature10030% weight
  • Flow6025% weight
  • Clarity9520% weight
  • Feeding Time8015% weight
  • Pressure8510% weight
Directions
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon 11 February → 31 October

Sea trout: Variable seasonal (2026)

Related guides
Casting instructors near here
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