A southwesterly has held for most of a day, running colder than the water (2°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.
Start with Minkie (6–10) — on the point. Early in the day, nymphs and buzzers fished slowly tend to outperform attractors.
Slow down everything. A booby on a fast-sinking line, left static, can pick up deep fish.
Keep an eye on changing conditions — wind shifts and cloud breaks can trigger short feeding spells.
Bank-only venue. Fish from accessible margins, points, weed edges, and inflows.
Hatch predictions
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Hatch predictions
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Fly recommendations
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A good match for Harperrig Reservoir — most conditions are close to what it fishes best in.
Wild brown trout run the place, with some modest stocking on top, and the fish here have the small-headed look of browns that have worked for a living. Fly only. Bank fishing mostly; the wind decides whether a boat is a good idea or a bad one, and most days it has an opinion. Harperrig is the reservoir you come to when you want to be alone with the hills and the water and the occasional buzzard, and to catch trout that have not been photographed by anyone else this week.
A high, exposed Scottish Water reservoir on the West Lothian flank of the Pentlands, ten minutes off the A70 and a world away from everything.
A southwesterly has held for most of a day, running colder than the water (2°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.
Start with Minkie (6–10) — on the point. Early in the day, nymphs and buzzers fished slowly tend to outperform attractors.
Slow down everything. A booby on a fast-sinking line, left static, can pick up deep fish.
Keep an eye on changing conditions — wind shifts and cloud breaks can trigger short feeding spells.
Bank-only venue. Fish from accessible margins, points, weed edges, and inflows.
Hatch predictions
Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds as a supporter.
Start free trial14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.
Hatch predictions
Top prey shown — see all 4 as a supporter.
Start free trial14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.
Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.
Fly recommendations
Point fly shown — supporters see the whole team, sizes and why.
Start free trial14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.
A good match for Harperrig Reservoir — most conditions are close to what it fishes best in.
Wild brown trout run the place, with some modest stocking on top, and the fish here have the small-headed look of browns that have worked for a living. Fly only. Bank fishing mostly; the wind decides whether a boat is a good idea or a bad one, and most days it has an opinion. Harperrig is the reservoir you come to when you want to be alone with the hills and the water and the occasional buzzard, and to catch trout that have not been photographed by anyone else this week.
Harperrig Reservoir is a reservoir in West Lothian, Scotland. Its recorded elevation is about 237 m above sea level and the catchment geology is peat. The species listed for this water is brown trout. The trout season is recorded as running from 15 March to 6 October. Best window recorded for anglers: Late April to June and September. Core methods listed: traditional wet fly; bank loch-style; buzzer. Nearby waters in our listings include Threipmuir Reservoir at 7.0 km, Glencorse Reservoir at 8.0 km and Loganlea Reservoir at 8.0 km.
