Spate · Granite · Argyll

River Orchy

The River Orchy flowing beneath Dalmally Bridge in Argyll, Scotland, with hills in the background.

A scenic west-coast / Argyll spate salmon river feeding the Loch Awe system, where timing and water height matter.

Poor · Atlantic Salmon
Blue Charm · small double / tube
Day off — closed today
Reopens Monday. Use the day to walk the beats.
Closed — confidence not applicable today.
What moved it
  • Level0.15 mLast reading 18h ago
  • Water temp16.0°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Blue Charm
Blue Charmsmall double / tube
Regional salmon default — river-specific evidence is thin.
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.15 m
Last reading 18h ago
Water temp16.0°C
ClarityClear
Weather14°C
WindNW 14 km/h
Pressure1027 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.1 mm

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

Water temperature for Atlantic Salmon
Warm — slow
16°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.
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 1pm

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 10 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 3 guilds with Pro.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 2 with Pro.

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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
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 · 1

A picturesque Argyll spate river where timing and water height matter. Late May brings the first realistic salmon, with July-October the stronger period. Conservation messaging should be prominent: return all salmon, grilse and sea trout, carry a net, and fish to the Awe District C&R code.

Dalmally BeatsAgent booking
The strongest import in the Awe/Orchy system — named beats around Dalmally booked via FishPal and local routes.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Fishing better nearby · 5
Endrick Water
53 km
50
Brown trout · Sea trout · Atlantic salmon
River Awe
18 km
Salmon · Sea trout · Brown trout
Loch Tay
42 km
Brown trout · Char · Salmon
River Lochy
48 km
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Loch Lomond
57 km
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Gallery · 2
  1. The River Orchy flowing beneath Dalmally Bridge in Argyll, Scotland, with hills in the background.
    The River Orchy at Dalmally Bridge, Argyll.
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

A scenic west-coast / Argyll spate salmon river feeding the Loch Awe system, where timing and water height matter. Early salmon reach the Orchy in late May, with July to October the stronger period. Conservation messaging is prominent here: 100% catch-and-release for salmon, grilse and sea trout across all beats for the entire season. Granite-based upland geology shapes this river. Atlantic salmon stocks are Category 3 (declining) — all salmon must be released under Scottish Government conservation guidelines.

  • Granite
Why this score · for Atlantic Salmon
  • Temperature5630% weight
  • Flow6025% weight
  • Clarity9520% weight
  • Feeding Time3015% weight
  • Pressure8510% weight
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon11 February → 31 October

Sea trout: Variable seasonal (2026)

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