Spate · Sandstone · Moray

River Lossie

The River Lossie flowing through Elgin, Moray, seen from Bishopmill Bridge.

A smaller north-east Scottish spate river flowing north through Moray to Elgin and the Moray Firth at Lossiemouth.

Good · Atlantic Salmon
Cascade · 8 10
Goodlive now
A good day — worth the effort
Low and clear — careful approach country. Small, sparse flies, long leader, careful approach.
50% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.39 mLast reading 12h ago
  • Water temp15.2°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Cascade
Cascade8 10
Regional salmon default — river-specific evidence is thin.
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.39 m
Last reading 12h ago
Water temp15.2°C
ClarityClear
Weather13°C
WindNW 17 km/h
Pressure1027 hPa
Rain · recent1.9 mm
Rain · ahead1.5 mm

Live readings — water temperature is an estimate where the gauge does not record it.

Water temperature for Atlantic Salmon
Warm — slow
15°C est.ideal 10–14°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.
Why this works
Good — water clarity is working for you, but time of day is the limiting factor today.
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 1pm

Hatch predictions

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

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Evidence
Survey-backed · regionalModerate confidence

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

Through the year
0–3 scale · July highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Salmon runRun
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Sea trout runRun
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Daddy Long LegsHatch
2
3
2
March BrownHatch
2
3
2
GrannomHatch
2
2
Large StoneflyHatch
2
3
2

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

Ranked for today
Atlantic Salmon fly box
Beats · 3

An affordable, association-led Moray spate river best presented as a water to fish only after checking river height, association season dates and the current catch-and-release policy. The lower river is the ordinary angler's route in via Elgin & District AA; the upper river is more estate- and Dallas AA-controlled.

Elgin & District Angling AssociationMembers
The ordinary angler's route into the Lossie — Elgin & District AA controls roughly the lower ten miles of river through Elgin, the most accessible and affordable water on the system.
Dallas Angling AssociationMembers
Local association water on the middle/upper river around Dallas — a quieter, trout-and-occasional-migratory fish lane above the Elgin AA reaches.
Upper Lossie (context)Enquiry
Upper-river and habitat context — brown-trout water above the association reaches, not a salmon-first lead.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Findhorn
18 km
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
River Fiddich
21 km
Brown trout
River Avon (Spey)
27 km
Atlantic salmon · Brown trout · Sea trout
River Nairn
34 km
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
River Livet
34 km
Brown trout
Gallery · 2
  1. The River Lossie flowing through Elgin, Moray, seen from Bishopmill Bridge.
    The River Lossie by Bishopmill Bridge, Elgin, Moray.
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

A smaller north-east Scottish spate river flowing north through Moray to Elgin and the Moray Firth at Lossiemouth. Overshadowed by bigger neighbours but locally important and affordable, with association-led salmon and sea-trout fishing. Best fished after rain has lifted the river — check height, association season dates and the current catch-and-release policy before travelling, as the Lossie is currently a Poor conservation-grade river. Sandstone freestone bedrock underlies this river. Atlantic salmon stocks are Category 3 (declining) — all salmon must be released under Scottish Government conservation guidelines.

  • Sandstone
Why this score · for Atlantic Salmon
  • Temperature7230% weight
  • Flow6025% weight
  • Clarity9520% weight
  • Feeding Time1515% weight
  • Pressure8510% weight
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon25 February → 31 October
  • Sea trout25 February → 31 October

Sea trout: Variable seasonal (2026)

Related guides
Scotland Playbookloch & river fishingAtlantic Salmonsalmon tacticsYorkshire & SpidersNorth Country methods
Booking & contacts