Spate · Granite · Highlands / Lochaber, GB-SCT

River Lochy

A fly angler fishing the River Lochy, a Highland salmon river near Fort William, Scotland.

The Lochy drains the western Highlands near Fort William, flowing from Loch Lochy to the sea at Loch Linnhe.

Today · Closed season
Partridge and Orange
Forecast · Today
Closed season
Out of season. File this water for the right month.
40% projected
Today's fly
Partridge and Orange
Partridge and Orange
Conditions on the water · Today
Live gauge
Level
Rising
0.76 m
Lifting fast
Water temp7.3°C
ClarityUnfishable
Weather4°C
WindN 13 km/h
Pressure998 hPa
Rain · recent5.4 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

The nearest gauge doesn't record temperatures, so we've estimated it — defer to the river keeper's advice.

Water temperature for Atlantic Salmon
Cool — slow
7°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Atlantic Salmon
When
Morning into early afternoon.
Where
Pool tails, steadier runs, and any water with pace.
Method
Fish a sensible line-and-fly combination for the height and pace of water.
Kit
13 ft #8/9 double-hander in spate, 10 ft #8 single in low water. Floating line plus a fast-sink tip. 12–15 lb fluoro tippet.
Likely species
Stoneflies
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 11am

12pm(now) — Autumn Needle Fly

Stage: Creeping nymphsApproach: Heavy nymphActivity: 35%
Peak emergence window

Peak activity at 11am — Autumn Needle Fly (Autumn Needle Fly, Peak emergence window)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 3 guilds 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
1
March BrownHatch
2
3
2
CapererHatch
2
3
3
2
Heather FlyHatch
2
2
Autumn DunHatch
2
3
2

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

Ranked for today
Atlantic Salmon fly box

A balanced Scottish river profile. Early season nymphs and spiders, then more dry-fly and emerger fishing as hatches strengthen on steadier glides and richer water.

Beats · 3 · 2 reaches

The Lochy is the best-structured salmon river on the west coast — four rotating beats of roughly 2.5 miles, up to four rods each, 38 named pools, with extra fishing on the pools below Mucomir Dam and the Tailrace estuary beat. Rods rotate through the beats over a week; access is by FishPal and estate booking rather than walk-up day tickets. Don't score it as a simple small spate river: Loch Lochy above buffers flow, and the Mucomir Dam controls the head of the system. One current honesty flag: after Storm Amy in October 2025, an estimated 75,000 salmon escaped from a Mowi farm and anglers caught suspected farmed fish in the river — surface escaped-farmed-salmon reporting guidance where relevant. Confirm the Lochaber DSFB conservation code and grade before fishing.

River Lochy — rotating beats · 2 beatsDay rods
River Lochy rotating beats, Lochy Tailrace & estuary
The 2 beats
River Lochy rotating beatsBallot
River Lochy (via FishPal)
The river's core product: four rotating beats of around 2.5 miles, up to four rods each, 38 named pools, rods rotating through the beats over a fishing week. The strongest west-coast salmon import — bookable through FishPal and the fishery direct, often as a weekly let with ghillie support.
Statutory C&R on salmon before 1 April; no Sunday salmon fishing. Verify the current Lochaber DSFB / River Lochy conservation code and Scottish Government grade before fishing. Best on a falling flood — the river rises and drops fast. Report any suspected escaped farmed salmon.
Lochy Tailrace & estuaryAgent booking
River Lochy (via FishPal)
The lower extras: the Tailrace estuary beat and the pools below Mucomir Dam, which take fresh fish straight off the tide and from the regulated head of the system. Accessed through the main fishery alongside the rotating beats rather than as a standalone day rod.
Statutory C&R before 1 April; no Sunday salmon fishing. Tailrace and dam-influenced water behaves differently from natural river flow — local rules and safety take priority. Verify access route through the fishery.
Visit official site ↗
Loch Lochy boat fishingGuide / lodge
A separate loch/boat venue, not part of the river beat product: Loch Lochy is sold as a loch package with permits, boat hire, lifejackets and tackle if needed, and an optional ghillie.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 3
River Shiel
43 km
0
Salmon · Sea trout · Brown trout
River Awe
47 km
0
Salmon · Sea trout · Brown trout
River Orchy
48 km
0
Salmon · Sea trout · Brown trout
Gallery · 2
  1. A fly angler fishing the River Lochy, a Highland salmon river near Fort William, Scotland.
    An angler fishing the River Lochy near Fort William, Highland.
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

The Scottish Government grades its salmon Poor (Grade 3) for 2026, so every salmon must be released all season. A powerful spate river that rises and falls rapidly with Highland rain, it carries spring salmon from February and summer grilse from June onwards. The river fishes best on a falling flood — wait for the colour to drop and the level to settle, then cover the pools systematically with a sinking-tip line. Spring fishing (February–May) uses larger tube flies; summer grilse respond to smaller doubles and hitched tubes. The Lochy is managed through a beat system with several estates controlling access. Sea trout run from July. The river's proximity to Ben Nevis means it gets significant rainfall — check conditions before travel, and be prepared to wait for the right water. This granite-based upland river system.

Sea trout here

Summer-autumn runs (June–September), nocturnal pattern in peak season

  • Granite
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Moderate
  • Chemical: Unknown

SEPA (Scotland) · UKSC020339

Why this score · for Atlantic Salmon
  • Temperature5230% weight
  • Flow6025% weight
  • Clarity9520% weight
  • Feeding Time3015% weight
  • Pressure8510% weight
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
TodayFishing closed on Sundays. Sunday fishing banned on some rivers (Tweed system, some estates). Not universal — many Scottish waters allow Sunday fishing. Check locally. This rule is applied conservatively as a regional default; river-level overrides should open Sunday where confirmed legal.Closed
  • Salmon 15 February → 15 October

Sea trout: Variable seasonal (2026)

Related guides
Scotland Playbookloch & river fishingAtlantic Salmonsalmon tacticsYorkshire & SpidersNorth Country methods
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts
At a glance

River Lochy is a spate river in Highlands / Lochaber, Scotland. The catchment geology is recorded as granite, and the water sits at about 15 m above sea level. The river is described as roughly 16 km long. Species listed for this water: brown trout, salmon and sea trout. It is classed as a salmon river. The salmon season is recorded as running from 15 February to 15 October. Best window recorded for anglers: April–June (spring), August–September (autumn). Core methods listed: small double (salmon); dry fly; upstream nymph. Level and flow data for this water is linked from 1 gauge. Its Water Framework Directive ecological status is recorded as moderate. Nearby waters in our listings include River Shiel at 43 km, River Awe at 47 km and River Orchy at 48 km.