Stillwater · Mixed · Fife, GB-SCT

Lindores Loch (Golden Loch Fishery)

An angler fly fishing from a small boat near the pier on Lindores Loch

A secluded valley loch a couple of miles from Newburgh in north Fife, run as the Golden Loch Fishery.

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

Lindores Loch (Golden Loch Fishery) is often best in spring through autumn.

What moved it
  • WindSW 18 km/hGentle breeze · Gusts to 35 km/h
Today's fly
Minkie
Minkie6–10
Retrieve, sub-surface
Conditions on the water
Estimate
Wind
Gentle breeze · Gusts to 35 km/h
SW 18 km/h
N
SW
from the south-west
Wave40 cm chop
Water temp7.5°C
Air temp4°C
CloudOvercast
Pressure1013 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 8°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
No strong hatch signals at the moment — general searching tactics should work best. Drift conditions look good — cover the wind lanes.
Where
Set up a broadside drift and cover the water systematically. Work Minkie on the bob and Booby on the point.
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
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Condition match
71%
Cloud50%
Wind65%
Temp100%

A good match for Lindores Loch (Golden Loch Fishery) — most conditions are close to what it fishes best in.

Other water nearby · 5
Eden Springs Fishery
9.0 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Lomond Hills Fishery
13 km
Rainbow trout
Ledyatt Fishery
15 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Ballo Reservoir
16 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
River Eden (Fife)
17 km
Brown trout
Gallery · 2
  1. An angler fly fishing from a small boat near the pier on Lindores Loch
    Fly fishing from a boat on Lindores Loch, Fife
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Eight hundred years of recorded fishing history and, at its best, one of Scotland's most atmospheric trout waters — a shallow fertile loch ringed by farmland and woodland, reached down a lane most visitors miss on the first attempt. Mixed stocked rainbow, brown and blue trout. Bank, boat and float tube. The fishery has had recurring Argulus (fish louse) issues over the years and operating status has shifted around as a result; it's worth phoning ahead before you drive. When it's on, Lindores fishes like nothing else in Fife — quiet water, serious fish, and a sense of being somewhere older than the road you came in on.

Surface area
41 ha (100 acres)
Mean depth
1.5 m (5 ft)
Max depth
3.0 m (10 ft)
Length
1.3 km (0.8 mi)
Width
500 m (547 yd)
Area, mean depth, max depth, length and width: Wikipedia, Lindores Loch
  • Loch
  • Mixed
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
Stocked Trout Variantsblue, tiger & golden troutScotland Playbookloch & river fishingSmall Stillwater Playbookstillwater tactics
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts
At a glance

Lindores Loch (Golden Loch Fishery) is a loch in Fife, Scotland. It sits at about 0 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: May to September. Core methods listed: buzzer; loch-style drift; nymph. Nearby waters in our listings include Eden Springs Fishery at 9.0 km, Lomond Hills Fishery at 13 km and Ledyatt Fishery at 15 km.