Stillwater · Mixed · West Lothian

Linlithgow Loch

Panoramic view north across the full expanse of Linlithgow Loch from the elevated Queen's Bower vantage point.
Contributor photo

Linlithgow Loch from the Queen's Bower

dun_deagh - CC BY-SA 2.0

The loch that sits in the middle of Linlithgow town with a ruined royal palace reflected in the far end, which is exactly as picturesque as it sounds and makes for a slightly surreal fishing experience when the town is getting on with its Saturday afternoon twenty yards from your back-cast.

Fair · Rainbow
Kate McLaren · 12-14
Fairlive now
Buzzer expected on Linlithgow Loch
Glassy and bright — hard work without a breeze. Hard work without breeze. Look for the dimples.
61% confidence
What moved it
  • WindW 5 km/hCalm
Today’s fly
Kate McLaren
Kate McLaren12-14
Retrieve, in the film
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Wind
Calm
W 5 km/h
N
W
from the west
WaveFlat calm
Water temp—
Air temp12°C
CloudOvercast
Pressure1021 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm

Some readings unavailable — check directly before fishing.

How to fish it · for rainbow
When
The buzzer is on. Murrough may also come into play as the day warms. Calm conditions may limit drift fishing — consider buzzers or dry fly if fish are rising.
Where
With limited drift, anchor or fish static from sheltered positions. Work a bushy searching pattern on the bob and drop a contrasting nymph on the point. In the calm, a single dry fly or a slowly-fished nymph tends to out-fish an active retrieve. On a flat-calm surface, swap bushy searching dries for flush-in-film emergers — Suspender Buzzer or Shuttlecock — and fish a long leader.
The plan
Plan A

With limited drift, anchor or fish static from sheltered positions. Work a bushy searching pattern on the bob and drop a contrasting nymph on the point. In the calm, a single dry fly or a slowly-fished nymph tends to out-fish an active retrieve. On a flat-calm surface, swap bushy searching dries for flush-in-film emergers — Suspender Buzzer or Shuttlecock — and fish a long leader.

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

Evening tends to be the best period in summer — stay late if you can for a sedge or spinner fall.

Bank

Flat calm suits bank fishing near features — points, weed beds, and inflows where fish patrol.

Through the year
0–3 scale · July highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
1
Daphnia SwarmHatch
2
3
3
3
2
Daddy Long LegsHatch
2
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.

Ranked for today
Rainbow fly box
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Condition match
59%
Cloud50%
Wind65%
Temp60%

A reasonable day here, though cloud isn't quite in the sweet spot.

Other water nearby · 5
Bowden Springs Trout Fishery
1.0 km
Rainbow trout
Millhall Reservoir
6.0 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Drumtassie Fishery
12 km
Rainbow trout
Allandale Tarn Fisheries
13 km
Trout
River Carron (Stirlingshire)
14 km
Brown trout
Gallery · 6
  1. Panoramic view north across the full expanse of Linlithgow Loch from the elevated Queen's Bower vantage point.
    Linlithgow Loch from the Queen's Bower
  2. Wide panoramic view of Linlithgow Loch stretching across the frame under a partly cloudy sky, West Lothian.
    Linlithgow Loch
  3. View from the water looking east along Linlithgow Loch towards Linlithgow Palace rising on the shoreline.
    Linlithgow Palace from Linlithgow Loch
  4. Linlithgow Palace viewed across the loch with open water in the foreground and the palace ruins on the far shore.
    Linlithgow Palace and Linlithgow Loch
  5. Open expanse of Linlithgow Loch with shoreline vegetation and calm water under a grey Scottish sky.
    Linlithgow Loch
  6. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

The loch that sits in the middle of Linlithgow town with a ruined royal palace reflected in the far end, which is exactly as picturesque as it sounds and makes for a slightly surreal fishing experience when the town is getting on with its Saturday afternoon twenty yards from your back-cast. Managed by the Forth Area Federation of Anglers. Stocked rainbow and brown trout, with a wild brown component and a decent head of fry-feeders by autumn. It fishes better than it has any right to, given the setting — and if you can stop looking at the palace long enough to watch your dropper, you'll find out why it has held a loyal following for decades.

  • Loch
  • Mixed
Why this score
  • Buzzer is in its seasonal window, boosting the chance of targeted feeding.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout1 April → 31 October
Related guides
Scotland Playbookloch & river fishingSmall Stillwater Playbookstillwater tacticsThermal Layers & Troutreading depth and temperature
Booking & contacts