Stillwater · Mixed · Stirling, GB-SCT

Lake of Menteith

Lake of Menteith - geograph.org.uk - 5878649

Scotland's only 'lake' — a sheltered, low-lying water that feels intimate after the vast Highland lochs.

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

Lake of Menteith is often best in spring through autumn.

What moved it
  • WindSW 14 km/hGentle breeze · Gusts to 21 km/h
Today's fly
Minkie
Minkie6–10
Retrieve, sub-surface
Conditions on the water
Estimate
Wind
Gentle breeze · Gusts to 21 km/h
SW 14 km/h
N
SW
from the south-west
Wave20 cm ripple
Water temp7.4°C
Air temp6°C
CloudBroken
Pressure1015 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm

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

Head to
Kate's BraeDog Island / Malling ShoreRookery

A SW wind today is pushing food and drift lanes toward Kate's Brae, Dog Island / Malling Shore and Rookery. Fish stack progressively at the windward bank — work the exposed shore toward the sheltered end.

How to fish it · for Rainbow
When
Buzzers from April; daphnia mid-water in summer; sedges and damsels through summer evenings; back-end into October. Menteith fishes the international competition window.
Where
Open water drifts from the boathouse — the Heronry, Mailing Bay, the Hotel Bay. Loch-style drift water through and through.
Method
Loch-style drift on a floating line with a team of three; midge-tip with sedges and dabblers through summer; sweeping line for the back-end. Drogue is essential.
Kit
10 ft #7 boat rod; floating, intermediate and fast-intermediate lines; 6 to 8 lb fluoro. Drogue and a long-handled net.
The plan
Plan A

Set up a broadside drift and cover the water systematically. Work Minkie on the bob and Booby 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

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

Boat — drift

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

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
Black buzzer, orange thorax
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
Lake of Menteith Fishing Map
Click to expand

Lake of Menteith Map

Tap to view full map

Fishery map — attribution pending

What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Condition match
77%
Cloud70%
Wind65%
Temp100%

A good match for Lake of Menteith — most conditions are close to what it fishes best in.

Other water nearby · 5
Loch Ardinning
22 km
Brown trout
Allan Water
22 km
Brown trout
Loch Coulter Reservoir
23 km
Brown trout
Swanswater Fishery
23 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Carbeth Fishery
24 km
Rainbow trout
Gallery · 8
  1. Lake of Menteith - geograph.org.uk - 5878649
  2. Loch, no Lake Menteith
    Loch, no Lake Menteith
  3. Early-morning mirror-calm surface of the Lake of Menteith looking westward in still conditions.
    Lake of Menteith at dawn
  4. Open water of the Lake of Menteith with the wooded island of Inchmahome in the middle distance.
    Lake of Menteith and Inchmahome
  5. The open surface of the Lake of Menteith under a stiff wind, choppy water viewed from near Port of Menteith.
    Lake of Menteith
  6. Elevated view of the Lake of Menteith from the Menteith Hills, the open water ringed by rolling uplands.
    Lake of Menteith from the Menteith Hills
  7. Wooden jetty at the Port of Menteith with the Inchmahome ferry on the open lake, tree-lined shoreline behind.
    Jetty at the Port of Menteith
  8. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Mix of stocked rainbows and wild browns makes fishing engaging throughout the season (March–October). Buzzer fishing in spring and early summer is particularly productive; sedges from June onward create predictable hatches. Depth ranges from 0–10ft in shallow northern bays (Gateside Bay, around islands) to over 60ft south of Inchmahome and in the Otter Bay / Lochend Bay area. Crannogs (ancient lake dwellings just below the surface) are marked on the fishery map — navigation hazards. Boat fishing from Port of Menteith boathouse; no fishing north of buoy line from boathouse.

Surface area
2.5 km² (623 acres)
Mean depth
6.0 m (20 ft)
Max depth
24 m (77 ft)
Length
2.4 km (1.5 mi)
Width
1.6 km (1.0 mi)
Area, mean depth, max depth, length and width: Wikipedia, Lake of Menteith
  • Loch
  • Mixed
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Moderate
  • Chemical: Unknown
What this classification means

SEPA WFD 2022 (loch layer) — Lake of Menteith: Moderate status. Re-tagged 2026-06-18 from Kelty Water, a river/burn waterbody, to the loch's own SEPA water body. Source: SEPA WFD 2022 classification (spatialdata.gov.scot / SEPA Aquatic Classification Hub).

SEPA (Scotland) · UKSC100271

Why this score
  • Temperature (cool) is in the sweet spot for winter fishing.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 April → 31 October
Related guides
Scotland Playbookloch & river fishingSmall Stillwater Playbookstillwater tacticsFly Fishing for Beginnersnew to fly fishing? start here
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts
At a glance

Lake of Menteith is a loch in Stirling, Scotland. It sits at about 16 m above sea level. Our data lists rainbow trout and brown trout here. The trout season is recorded as running from 1 April to 31 October. Best window recorded for anglers: April to October. Core methods listed: traditional wet fly; dry fly; buzzer. Its Water Framework Directive ecological status is recorded as moderate. Nearby waters in our listings include Loch Ardinning at 22 km, Allan Water at 22 km and Loch Coulter Reservoir at 23 km.