Freestone · Mixed · Perthshire, GB-SCT

River Earn

The River Earn flowing beneath trees near the village of Bridge of Earn in Perthshire, Scotland

The Earn drains Loch Earn through Comrie and Crieff and joins the Tay just above its estuary at Bridge of Earn.

Tomorrow · Closed season
Czech Nymph
Forecast · Tomorrow
Closed season
Out of season. File this water for the right month.
70% projected
Today's fly
Czech Nymph
Czech Nymph
Conditions on the water · Tomorrow
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.22 m
Water temp7.3°C
ClarityClear
Weather6°C
WindN 22 km/h
Pressure1007 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.9 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
7°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
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · tomorrowPeak at 11am

12pm(now) — Autumn Needle Fly

Stage: Creeping nymphsApproach: Heavy nymphActivity: 36%
Also:Black Midge30%Autumn Olive24%
Peak emergence window5 food groups active

Peak activity at 11am — Autumn Needle Fly (Autumn Needle Fly, Peak emergence window)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 3 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
Tay
26 km
0
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Upper Forth
35 km
0
Brown trout · Sea trout · Atlantic salmon
River Teith
36 km
0
Brown trout · Atlantic salmon · Sea trout
Allan Water
28 km
Brown trout
River Devon
36 km
Brown trout
Gallery · 2
  1. The River Earn flowing beneath trees near the village of Bridge of Earn in Perthshire, Scotland
    The River Earn passing Bridge of Earn, Perthshire
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

The Scottish Government grades its salmon Poor (Grade 3) for 2026, so every salmon must be released all season. It is a gentler, slower river than its big sister and has the character of a decent English-style trout river through much of its length — meandering, tree-lined, and holding both wild brown trout and a salmon run that peaks in the autumn. The salmon fishing is modest compared to the main Tay but the summer and autumn months can produce good days, especially on the middle beats between Crieff and Bridge of Earn where the river has proper holding pools. Trout fishing through the Crieff area is first class, with good hatches of olives in May and June. Day tickets are available through local clubs and estates.

Sea trout here

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

  • Mixed
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Moderate
  • Chemical: Unknown

SEPA (Scotland) · UKSC006800

Why this score · for Atlantic Salmon
  • Temperature4330% weight
  • Flow6025% weight
  • Clarity9520% weight
  • Feeding Time8515% weight
  • Pressure8510% weight
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon 1 February → 31 October

Sea trout: Variable seasonal (2026)

Related guides
Fly Fishing Near Perthfeatured in this guideScotland Playbookloch & river fishingAtlantic Salmonsalmon tactics
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts
Clubs & associations
  • Perth and District Anglers Association
    Members only: no day tickets, join the club to fish here
At a glance

River Earn is a freestone river in Perthshire, Scotland. It sits at about 14 m above sea level. The river is described as roughly 74 km long. Our data lists atlantic salmon, brown trout and sea trout here. 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: May to June (trout), August to October (salmon). Core methods listed: Spey casting; small double (salmon); dry fly (trout). Level and flow data for this water is linked from 1 gauge. Its Water Framework Directive ecological status is recorded as moderate. Nearby waters in our listings include Tay at 26 km, Allan Water at 28 km and Upper Forth at 35 km.