Stillwater · Peat · Stirlingshire, GB-SCT

Carron Valley Reservoir

Carron Valley Reservoir venue image

A big, windy, half-wild reservoir sitting in the gap between the Campsies and the Gargunnock Hills, 25 km north-east of Glasgow.

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

Carron Valley Reservoir is often best in spring through autumn.

What moved it
  • WindSW 17 km/hGentle breeze · Gusts to 32 km/h
Today's fly
Minkie
Minkie6–10
Retrieve, sub-surface
Conditions on the water
Estimate
Wind
Gentle breeze · Gusts to 32 km/h
SW 17 km/h
N
SW
from the south-west
Wave20 cm ripple
Water temp6.5°C
Air temp3°C
CloudBroken
Pressure1012 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm

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

Head to
Wind driftSW wind
South-western end

A southwesterly has held for 15 hours, running colder than the water (4°C air against 7°C water). The end it blows into is taking that chilled surface water, so try the sheltered south-western end instead — off the back of the wind, where the undertow returns food along the bottom. That chill sits in the top of the water, though, and the bed is slower to feel it — on a bottom bait it is the undertow, not the temperature, that puts you at this end. Treat it as a tiebreaker between good swims rather than an override — features and angling pressure usually count for more.

How to fish it · for Trout
When
Wild browns only — no rainbow stockies. Buzzers April through June at first light; sedges and daddy long-legs through summer; small black flies into October.
Where
Drift lines on the open water; weed margins on the bays; the deeper edges of points. Carron Valley fishes more wild than the southern reservoirs.
Method
Drifted team of three on a floating line. Buzzers in spring, sedges and dabblers in summer. Slow the drift with the drogue and fish each lane properly.
Kit
10 ft #7 boat rod, floating and slow-intermediate lines, 6 to 7 lb fluoro. Drogue and a long-handled net.
The plan
Plan A

Start with Minkie (6–10) — on the point. Early in the day, nymphs and buzzers fished slowly tend to outperform attractors.

Plan B

Slow down everything. A booby on a fast-sinking line, left static, can pick up deep fish.

Watch for

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

Either bank or boat

Good ripple suits both bank and boat. Bank: work inflows, dam walls, and points. Boat: broadside drift covering wind lanes.

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 3 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
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
Bloodworm
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
Trout fly box
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Condition match
86%
Cloud100%
Wind65%
Temp100%

Conditions are ideal for Carron Valley Reservoir — wind, cloud and temperature all line up.

Other water nearby · 5
River Devon
11 km
0
Brown trout
River Carron (Stirlingshire)
13 km
0
Brown trout
Loch Coulter Reservoir
3.0 km
Brown trout
Wellsfield Trout Fishery
5.0 km
Brown trout
Swanswater Fishery
7.0 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Gallery · 1
  1. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Fly-only. Wild and stocked brown trout. No rainbows. Carron Valley has the reputation of being a competition angler's reservoir, and it earns it — the Scottish National Trout Fly Fishing Championships are fished here most years — but the truth is that it fishes best for people who don't treat it as a competition at all. The fish average around three-quarters of a pound to a pound, with enough bigger ones to keep you honest. The wind is part of the deal; on a dead calm day you might wonder what you came for, and then the ripple arrives and the fish start moving and you remember. Since 2021 it has been run as a private members' club, and day rods are no longer sold.

  • Reservoir
  • Peat
Why this score
  • Cloud cover (cloud) suits the fishery well.
  • Temperature (cool) is in the sweet spot for winter fishing.
  • Reservoirs of this kind fish hard at this time of year.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 April → 30 September
Related guides
Scotland Playbookloch & river fishingBig Stillwater Playbookreservoir tacticsReservoir Entomologymatching the hatch
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts
At a glance

Carron Valley Reservoir is a reservoir in Stirlingshire, Scotland. The catchment geology is recorded as peat, and the water sits at about 272 m above sea level. The species listed for this water is brown trout. The trout season is recorded as running from 1 April to 30 September. Best window recorded for anglers: May to July. Core methods listed: traditional wet fly; loch-style drift; buzzer. Nearby waters in our listings include Loch Coulter Reservoir at 3.0 km, Wellsfield Trout Fishery at 5.0 km and Swanswater Fishery at 7.0 km.