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.

Closed season · Trout
Minkie · 6–10
Closed season
Season reopens 15 March. Try elsewhere.
Closed — confidence not applicable today.

Loch Ardinning is often best in spring through autumn.

What moved it
  • WindS 11 km/hLight breeze
Today's fly
Minkie
Minkie6–10
Retrieve, sub-surface
Conditions on the water
Estimate
Wind
Light breeze
S 11 km/h
N
S
from the south
Wave20 cm ripple
Water temp6.6°C
Air temp2°C
CloudBroken
Pressure1011 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
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.

Bank

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

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Supporters see the full sub-surface read.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 4 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
2
1
Heather FlyHatch
2
2
Daddy Long LegsHatch
2
3
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.

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
Trout fly box
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Condition match
88%
Cloud100%
Wind100%
Temp60%

Conditions are ideal for Loch Ardinning — wind, cloud and temperature all line up.

Other water nearby · 5
River Kelvin
8.0 km
0
Brown trout
Carbeth Fishery
5.0 km
Rainbow trout
Carman Fishery
17 km
Rainbow trout
Carron Valley Reservoir
20 km
Brown trout
Loch Coulter Reservoir
21 km
Brown trout
Gallery · 2
  1. Loch Ardinning - geograph.org.uk - 8102733
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

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.

Surface area
10 ha (25 acres)
Mean depth
4.5 m (15 ft)
Area, mean depth: Wikipedia, Loch Ardinning
  • Loch
  • Peat
Why this score
  • Wind conditions (ripple) closely match what this water fishes best in.
  • Cloud cover (cloud) suits the fishery well.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 15 March → 6 October
Related guides
Scotland Playbookloch & river fishingThermal Layers & Troutreading depth and temperatureEuro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts
At a glance

Loch Ardinning is a loch in Stirlingshire, Scotland. The catchment geology is recorded as peat, and the water sits at about 119 m above sea level. 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: May to August. Core methods listed: dry fly; team of wets; emerger. Nearby waters in our listings include Carbeth Fishery at 5.0 km, River Kelvin at 8.0 km and Carman Fishery at 17 km.