Stillwater · Mixed · Perthshire, GB-SCT

Butterstone Loch

Two anglers fishing from a boat on the calm waters of Butterstone Loch with wooded hills behind

A famous competition venue on the eastern edge of Dunkeld, tucked into the woods just off the A9.

Closed season · Rainbow
Minkie · 6–10
Closed season
Season reopens 1 April. Try elsewhere.
Closed — confidence not applicable today.

Butterstone Loch is often best in spring through autumn.

What moved it
  • WindW 18 km/hGentle breeze
Today's fly
Minkie
Minkie6–10
Retrieve, sub-surface
Conditions on the water
Estimate
Wind
Gentle breeze
W 18 km/h
N
W
from the west
Wave40 cm chop
Water temp7.0°C
Air temp6°C
CloudBroken
Pressure1014 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm

No gauge on this water — readings are regional estimates from weather, not a live gauge.

How to fish it · for Rainbow
When
No strong hatch signals at the moment — general searching tactics should work best. Drift conditions look good — cover the wind lanes.
Where
Set up a broadside drift and cover the water systematically. Work Minkie on the bob and Booby on the point.
The plan
Plan A

Set up a broadside drift and cover the water systematically. Work Minkie on the bob and Booby on the point.

Plan B

If the main plan is not working, switch to a smaller, more imitative pattern fished slower and deeper. A change of drift angle can also make a difference.

Watch for

Keep an eye on changing conditions — wind shifts and cloud breaks can trigger short feeding spells.

Boat — drift

A gentle ripple is ideal for drifting — broadside drift covering the wind lanes should be productive.

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 4 as a supporter.

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Through the year
0–3 scale · November highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
1
Reservoir BuzzerHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
2
Daphnia SwarmHatch
2
3
3
3
2
Lake OliveHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
2
Silverhorns & LonghornsHatch
1
2
2
2
1

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

Buzzer team todayfor the conditions now
Point
Black buzzer, orange thorax
Not in this water's box
#10
How to fish it
Slow-sink line · slow figure-of-eight, pausing to let the flies hang

Fly recommendations

Point fly shown — supporters see the whole team, sizes and why.

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Ranked for today
Rainbow fly box
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Condition match
86%
Cloud100%
Wind65%
Temp100%

Conditions are ideal for Butterstone Loch — wind, cloud and temperature all line up.

Other water nearby · 5
Ledyatt Fishery
28 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Loch of Lintrathen
30 km
Brown trout
Loch of Lintrathen
30 km
Brown trout
Lindores Loch (Golden Loch Fishery)
33 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Orchill Fishery
37 km
Rainbow trout
Gallery · 2
  1. Two anglers fishing from a boat on the calm waters of Butterstone Loch with wooded hills behind
    Anglers boat fishing on Butterstone Loch, Perthshire
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Stocked rainbow and brown trout, boat and bank, fly only, and a long track record of producing Scottish international team selections. Butterstone had a difficult period in 2018–19 with an IHN disease outbreak that forced closure and a complete restock, but it has been back and stable since then, and as of 2026 it is once again holding competitions and fishing properly. The loch is small and sheltered by comparison with the Pentland reservoirs — closer in feel to an English competition stillwater than a Highland loch — and the fish behave accordingly: wary, technical, and capable of making a good angler look foolish twice in the same drift. The Dunkeld & Birnam Angling Association runs it for members and their guests only, so there are no day tickets.

  • Loch
  • Mixed
Why this score
  • Cloud cover (cloud) suits the fishery well.
  • Temperature (cool) is in the sweet spot for winter fishing.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 April → 31 October
Related guides
Scotland Playbookloch & river fishingSmall Stillwater Playbookstillwater tacticsFly Fishing for Beginnersnew to fly fishing? start here
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts
At a glance

Butterstone Loch is a loch in Perthshire, Scotland. It sits at about 331 m above sea level. Our data lists rainbow trout and brown trout here. The trout season is recorded as running from 1 April to 31 October. Best window recorded for anglers: May to September. Core methods listed: buzzer; loch-style drift; nymph. Nearby waters in our listings include Ledyatt Fishery at 28 km, Loch of Lintrathen at 30 km and Loch of Lintrathen at 30 km.