Freestone · Mixed · Perthshire, GB-SCT

River Lyon

The River Lyon winding past trees and green fields, with the hills of Glen Lyon rising on either side.

Glen Lyon is often called Scotland's longest and loveliest glen and the river that runs through it is a classic Highland fly water — the Tay's southern tributary that drains the high country between Schiehallion and Ben Lawers before joining the Tay at Aberfeldy.

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
0.39 m
Lifting fast
Water temp7.0°C
ClarityVery coloured
Weather6°C
WindN 16 km/h
Pressure1007 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead6.0 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
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

12pm(now) — Autumn Needle Fly

Stage: Creeping nymphsApproach: Heavy nymphActivity: 17%

Low insect activity predicted today

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 4 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
2
1
Daddy Long LegsHatch
2
3
3
2
CapererHatch
2
3
3
2
Hawthorn FlyHatch
2
2
GrannomHatch
2
2

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

What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
River Tummel
18 km
0
Atlantic salmon · Brown trout · Grayling
River Garry (Tayside)
19 km
0
Brown trout · Atlantic salmon · Sea trout
Tay
39 km
0
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
River Earn
40 km
0
Atlantic salmon · Brown trout · Sea trout
Loch Tay
21 km
Brown trout · Char · Salmon
Gallery · 2
  1. The River Lyon winding past trees and green fields, with the hills of Glen Lyon rising on either side.
    Cycling the glen beside River Lyon
  2. 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 upper river above Bridge of Balgie is small, tumbling, and holds free-rising wild brown trout in beautiful mountain scenery. The middle river through the main glen is the best trout water: wide enough for a proper drift, intimate enough to wade through, with pools and glides that hold good fish. The lower river below Fortingall is bigger water and takes salmon on their push up to the upper Tay beats. Salmon fishing on the Lyon is modest compared to the Tay mainstem but it gets its share of autumn fish, and the river is fly-only on most beats. Managed by estates with limited day-ticket availability — the best access is through Invervar and Fortingall beats. A river worth travelling for.

Sea trout here

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

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

SEPA (Scotland) · UKSC006639

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 / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon 15 January → 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 Lyon is a freestone river in Perthshire, Scotland. It sits at about 113 m above sea level. The river is described as roughly 55 km long. Our data lists brown trout, atlantic salmon and sea trout here. It is classed as a salmon river. The salmon season is recorded as running from 15 January to 15 October. Best window recorded for anglers: April to September (trout), August to October (salmon). Core methods listed: upstream dry fly; upstream wet fly and spider; 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 Tummel at 18 km, River Garry (Tayside) at 19 km and Loch Tay at 21 km.