Stillwater · Mixed · Perthshire, GB-SCT

Loch Tay

Winter sunrise over Loch Tay with Ben Vorlich and the Ben Lawers massif silhouetted behind the loch in dawn light.

Loch Tay sits at the head of the Tay system in Perthshire — fifteen miles long, deep in its central basin (over 500 feet, more than most people realise), and holding the strange Highland combination of spring salmon, wild brown trout, Arctic charr, and ferox.

Today · Closed season
Peeping Caddis
Forecast · Today
Closed season
Out of season. File this water for the right month.
40% projected
Today's fly
Peeping Caddis
Peeping Caddis
Conditions on the water · Today
Proxy gauge
Level
Rising
Proxy
via River Lyon
Water temp7.5°C
ClarityVery coloured
Weather5°C
WindN 17 km/h
Pressure1007 hPa
Rain · recent0.7 mm
Rain · ahead6.9 mm

No gauge on this water — conditions are inferred from River Lyon. The trend transfers, the absolute level does not.

Water temperature for Atlantic Salmon
Cool — slow
8°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Atlantic Salmon
When
All day — lough fishing is best in a good wave. Early morning and evening can produce in calm conditions.
Where
Work the drift lanes from the upwind shore across the productive zones. Cover bay edges, underwater reefs, and any areas where the bottom shoals.
Method
Fish a sensible line-and-fly combination for the height and pace of water.
Kit
10 ft #7/8 single-hander, floating line, 10–12 lb fluoro leader. Boat seat and waterproofs for the drift.
Likely species
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 10am

12pm(now) — Black Midge

Stage: On emergersApproach: Emerger or dryActivity: 22%

Peak activity at 10am — Black Midge

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 4 guilds as a supporter.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 2 as a supporter.

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Evidence
Survey-backed · regionalHigh confidence

Backed by regional invertebrate surveys; no sampling on this exact reach yet.

Through the year
0–3 scale · November highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Salmon runRun
1
2
2
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.

Ranked for today
Atlantic Salmon fly box

More traditional, darker-fly and rough-water biased. Bushy wets, bob flies, dark patterns and strong covering-water flies matter most.

What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Gallery · 6
  1. Winter sunrise over Loch Tay with Ben Vorlich and the Ben Lawers massif silhouetted behind the loch in dawn light.
    Sunrise over Loch Tay
  2. Wide view of Loch Tay at its western end under a golden sunset sky, still water reflecting the evening light.
    Sunset on Loch Tay
  3. Panoramic view of Loch Tay at Kenmore showing the loch mouth, wooded shoreline and hills beyond under blue sky.
    Loch Tay at Kenmore
  4. Overcast morning at Loch Tay showing the open loch surface under a heavy grey sky with hills on the far shore.
    Cloudy morning at Loch Tay
  5. Small boats moored on Loch Tay at Kenmore with the broad loch stretching west into the hills.
    Loch Tay and boats, Kenmore
  6. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

The Scottish Government grades its salmon Good (Grade 1) for 2026, as part of the River Tay SAC. Every salmon caught before 1 April must be released by law; after that, follow the district board's and the beat's policy, and many ask for all fish to be returned. The salmon come up from the river below and hold in the shallower bays at the east end for much of the spring — trolling is the traditional method and still the most productive, though fly fishing from anchored boats on the morning calm can produce when conditions are right. Brown trout fishing in the eastern and western basins is classic Highland loch-style work, with a team of three wet flies drifted on a moderate ripple from April through June. Arctic charr live in the deep central basin and surface rarely; catching one is a specialist pursuit involving down-rigged deep presentation and long patient days. The loch opens on 15 January for salmon, matching the river — one of the earliest openings in Scotland. Boats and permits through the Kenmore and Killin hotels and the Loch Tay Fisheries.

  • Loch
  • Mixed
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Good
  • Chemical: Unknown
What this classification means

SEPA WFD 2022 (loch layer) — Loch Tay: Good status. Re-tagged 2026-06-18 from Allt a Chobhair (a small burn) — the recorded Bad was a mis-tag, 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) · UKSC100233

The full read · show the working · for Atlantic Salmon · confidence 75%
How the river scores — hydrology factors
Water heightMedium Ideal0.0
Recent riseNone0.0
Falling after liftNot Applicable0.0
Water temperatureCool To Moderate0.0
Time in seasonOpening Period0.0
ClarityClearing0.0
Hydrology base0.0
Legal gate: Unknown Check Local Rules
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowproxy via River Lyonproxy
Directions
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon 15 January → 15 October
  • Char 15 March → 6 October

    Loch Tay trout and char permits cover arctic charr from 15 March to 6 October. Arctic charr in Scotland are usually by-catch of trout fishing rather than a mainstream target. Return requirements may apply — check current permit conditions. Arctic charr are conservation-sensitive in Scottish lochs.

Related guides
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts
At a glance

Loch Tay is a loch in Perthshire, Scotland. It sits at about 106 m above sea level. Species listed for this water: brown trout, char and salmon. It is classed as a salmon river. The salmon season is recorded as running from 15 January to 15 October. The char season is recorded as running from 15 March to 6 October. Best window recorded for anglers: May to September. Core methods listed: traditional wet fly; dry fly; buzzer. Its Water Framework Directive ecological status is recorded as good. Nearby waters in our listings include River Lyon at 21 km, Allan Water at 35 km and River Teith at 36 km.