Stillwater · Mixed · Scottish Borders

Coldingham Loch

Wide view across Coldingham Loch, a spring-fed trout fly fishery in the Scottish Borders near St Abbs.
Contributor photo

Coldingham Loch

Clive Nicholson - CC BY-SA 2.0

A famous clifftop loch on the Berwickshire coast a mile inland from St Abbs, stocked with rainbow and brown trout and run as a competition venue with a long pedigree.

Fair · Rainbow
Kate McLaren · 12-14
Fairlive now
Buzzer on Coldingham Loch
Good wave on — drift country. A useful wave. Work the productive shore.
64% confidence
What moved it
  • WindSW 15 km/hGentle breeze
Today’s fly
Kate McLaren
Kate McLaren12-14
Retrieve, in the film
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Wind
Gentle breeze
SW 15 km/h
N
SW
from the south-west
Wave20 cm ripple
Water temp—
Air temp13°C
CloudOvercast
Pressure1023 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm

Some readings unavailable — check directly before fishing.

How to fish it · for rainbow
When
The buzzer is on. Pond Olive may also come into play as the day warms. The ripple is helpful — fish should move onto the feed and a slow-drifted team or single wet will cover water well.
Where
Set up a broadside drift and cover the water systematically. Work a bushy searching pattern on the bob and drop a contrasting nymph on the point.
The plan
Plan A

Set up a broadside drift and cover the water systematically. Work a bushy searching pattern on the bob and drop a contrasting nymph 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

Evening tends to be the best period in summer — stay late if you can for a sedge or spinner fall.

Boat — drift

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

Through the year
0–3 scale · July highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Daphnia SwarmHatch
2
3
3
3
2
Daddy Long LegsHatch
2
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.

Ranked for today
Rainbow fly box
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Condition match
71%
Cloud50%
Wind65%
Temp100%

A good match for this venue — most conditions are close to what it fishes best in.

Other water nearby · 5
Whiteadder Water
16 km
Brown trout
Blackadder Water
29 km
Brown trout
Markle Fisheries
33 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Chatton Trout Fishery
41 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout · Blue trout
West Water Reservoir
80 km
Brown trout
Gallery · 5
  1. Wide view across Coldingham Loch, a spring-fed trout fly fishery in the Scottish Borders near St Abbs.
    Coldingham Loch
  2. Coldingham Loch seen from an elevated position with surrounding upland grassland, Scottish Borders.
    Coldingham Loch from the hillside
  3. An angler fishing from a boat on the open water of Coldingham Loch, Scottish Borders.
    A boat angler at Coldingham Loch
  4. Angler fishing at Coldingham Loch with the lochside cottage and boathouse in the background.
    Fishing at Coldingham Loch
  5. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

A famous clifftop loch on the Berwickshire coast a mile inland from St Abbs, stocked with rainbow and brown trout and run as a competition venue with a long pedigree. You fish it with the North Sea audible on a quiet day and gannets working the cliffs in the distance, and the combination is, reasonably enough, one of the things that keeps people coming back. Boat and bank, fly only, day tickets. Coldingham has been a fixture of Scottish competition fly fishing for decades and retains the slightly formal, slightly traditional air of a venue that has known every development in modern stillwater tactics and held onto its own character throughout. For a Borders angler or a visitor on the coast road, it's a genuinely memorable water.

  • Loch
  • Mixed
Why this score
  • Temperature (cool) is in the sweet spot for summer fishing.
  • Buzzer is in its seasonal window, boosting the chance of targeted feeding.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout15 March → 31 October
Related guides
Scotland Playbookloch & river fishingSmall Stillwater Playbookstillwater tacticsThermal Layers & Troutreading depth and temperature
Booking & contacts