Stillwater · Peat · Stirlingshire, GB-SCT

Loch Ardinning

Loch Ardinning - geograph.org.uk - 8102733

A small, slightly secretive loch on the edge of the Campsie Fells, 15 km north of central Glasgow and sitting inside a Scottish Wildlife Trust reserve.

Fair · Trout
Minkie · 6-10
Fairlive now
Daddy Longlegs expected on Loch Ardinning
Useful ripple, fishable wave. Worth a session if the wind holds.
60% confidence

Loch Ardinning is often best in spring through autumn.

What moved it
  • WindSE 25 km/hModerate breeze
Today's fly
Minkie
Minkie6-10
Retrieve, sub-surface
Conditions on the water
Estimate
Wind
Moderate breeze
SE 25 km/h
N
SE
from the south-east
Wave40 cm chop
Water temp16.2°C
Air temp16°C
CloudOvercast
Pressure1000 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm

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

How to fish it · for Trout
When
May to August
Where
Work Black Pennell on the bob, Olive on the middle dropper, and Marabou Damsel on the point.
The plan
Plan A

Work Black Pennell on the bob, Olive on the middle dropper, and Marabou Damsel 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.

Bank

Bank-only venue. Fish from accessible margins, points, weed edges, and inflows.

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 · September highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Heather FlyHatch
2
2
Daddy Long LegsHatch
2
3
2
Claret DunHatch
2
3
2
Murrough (Great Red Sedge)Hatch
2
3
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Trout fly box
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Condition match
45%
Cloud50%
Wind30%
Temp60%

Conditions are away from Loch Ardinning's sweet spot — it usually fishes best in ripple wind with cloud skies.

Other water nearby · 5
Gallery · 2
  1. Loch Ardinning - geograph.org.uk - 8102733
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

A small, slightly secretive loch on the edge of the Campsie Fells, 15 km north of central Glasgow and sitting inside a Scottish Wildlife Trust reserve. Wild brown trout, no stocking. The fish are not big — a half-pounder is typical, a pound is a good one, anything beyond that is bragging-rights territory — but they are properly wild and they behave like it. The reserve itself is worth the trip in its own right: moorland, birch scrub, the occasional hen harrier working the ridges. For a Glaswegian who wants a wild hill loch without driving to the Highlands, Ardinning is about as close as it gets.

  • Loch
  • Peat
Why this score
  • Wind conditions (windy) are not ideal for this water.
  • Daddy Longlegs are in their seasonal window, boosting the chance of targeted feeding.
Directions
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 15 March → 6 October
Related guides
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts