Freestone · Mixed · Lothian, GB-SCT

River Almond (Lothian)

Photo of River Almond (Lothian)

The Scottish Government grades the River Almond (Lothian)'s salmon Poor (Grade 3) for 2026, so every salmon must be released all season.

Poor · Atlantic Salmon
Closed season
Out of season. File this water for the right month.
Closed — confidence not applicable today.
What moved it
  • Level0.31 mLast reading 5h ago
  • Water temp7.7°C
  • ClarityClear
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.31 m
Last reading 5h ago
Water temp7.7°C
ClarityClear
Weather5°C
WindSW 23 km/h
Pressure1011 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead1.8 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
Cool — slow
8°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.
Likely species
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 6 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 4 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 · November 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
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.

What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Gallery · 2
  1. Photo of River Almond (Lothian)
    River Almond (Lothian) — image via Wikipedia (River Almond, Lothian)
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

It is one of two Almonds in Scotland (the other is a Perthshire Tay tributary, which has its own entry), and the Lothian version is a genuine urban success story — badly polluted in the industrial era, now recovered enough to hold wild brown trout throughout, with sea trout and the occasional salmon pushing up from Cramond through the summer. The upper river above Livingston fishes in the classic Scottish freestone style: pockets, short runs, a team of spiders upstream on a 4-weight. The lower river through Cramond is tidal and holds sea trout that come on the evening flood. Fishing is controlled by local clubs (Cramond Angling Club and Almond Angling Association) and day tickets are accessible and affordable. A quietly rewarding river for any Edinburgh-based angler.

Sea trout here

Summer-autumn runs (June–September), nocturnal pattern in peak season

  • Mixed
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 / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Directions
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon 1 February → 31 October

Sea trout: Variable seasonal (2026)

Related guides
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts
At a glance

River Almond (Lothian) is a freestone river in Lothian, Scotland. It sits at about 33 m above sea level. The river is described as roughly 45 km long. Species listed for this water: brown trout, sea trout and atlantic salmon. It is classed as a salmon river. The salmon season is recorded as running from 1 February to 31 October. Best window recorded for anglers: April to September; sea trout July to August. Core methods listed: upstream wet fly and spider; upstream nymph; night fishing for sea trout on the tidal reach. Level and flow data for this water is linked from 1 gauge. Nearby waters in our listings include Water of Leith at 7.0 km, River Carron (Stirlingshire) at 29 km and River Devon at 33 km.