Stillwater · Mixed · Angus, GB-SCT

Crombie Reservoir

Crombie Reservoir venue image

Monikie's smaller sister, set inside Crombie Country Park a few miles further into Angus.

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

Crombie Reservoir is often best in spring through autumn.

What moved it
  • WindSW 19 km/hGentle breeze · Gusts to 31 km/h
Today's fly
Minkie
Minkie6–10
Retrieve, sub-surface
Conditions on the water
Estimate
Wind
Gentle breeze · Gusts to 31 km/h
SW 19 km/h
N
SW
from the south-west
Wave40 cm chop
Water temp7.2°C
Air temp3°C
CloudOvercast
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 most of a day, 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 Rainbow
When
Current conditions suit Crombie Reservoir well for winter tactics. The ripple should help fish move and feed more confidently.
Where
Start with Minkie (6–10) — on the point. Rainbows respond to more active retrieves — try short strips between pauses. If that does not produce, switch depth or speed before changing the pattern entirely.
The plan
Plan A

Start with Minkie (6–10) — on the point. Rainbows respond to more active retrieves — try short strips between pauses. If that does not produce, switch depth or speed before changing the pattern entirely.

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

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

Other water nearby · 5
Monikie Reservoir
4.0 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Monikie Reservoir
4.0 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Forbes of Kingennie
8.0 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Rescobie Loch
11 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Ledyatt Fishery
25 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Gallery · 1
  1. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Another Scottish Water reservoir run as a stocked rainbow and brown trout fishery, smaller and more intimate than Monikie, with fewer boats and a bank that's easier to work comprehensively in a session. It's a good water for an angler new to stillwaters — the scale is manageable, the fish are forgiving in the first weeks after stocking, and the facilities (tea, toilets, tarmac car park) lower the barrier to a quick after-work cast. The regulars know exactly where each fresh stocking goes in and fish accordingly. If you're new, ask; the Angus crowd is open-handed with information.

  • Reservoir
  • Mixed
Why this score
  • 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 → 31 October
Related guides
Scotland Playbookloch & river fishingBig Stillwater Playbookreservoir tacticsReservoir Entomologymatching the hatch
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts
At a glance

Crombie Reservoir is a reservoir in Angus, Scotland. It sits at about 168 m above sea level. Species listed for this water: rainbow trout and brown trout. The trout season is recorded as running from 1 April to 31 October. Best window recorded for anglers: April to June and September. Core methods listed: buzzer; nymph; lure. Nearby waters in our listings include Monikie Reservoir at 4.0 km, Monikie Reservoir at 4.0 km and Forbes of Kingennie at 8.0 km.