Stillwater · Mixed · Skye / Various

Skye Hill Lochs

Skye Hill Lochs terrain map
Terrain map

Skye's interior is dotted with small hill lochs holding wild brown trout — many never fished from one year to the next.

Fair · Trout
Claret Dabbler · 10-12
A respectable few hours, if you choose your moments
Good wave on — drift country. A useful wave. Work the productive shore.
47% confidence
limited data

This venue is often best in spring through autumn.

What moved it
  • WindN 7 km/hLight breeze
Today’s fly
Claret Dabbler
Claret Dabbler10-12
High-confidence seasonal pick
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Wind
Light breeze
N 7 km/h
N
N
from the north
WaveRipple
Water temp—
Air temp9°C
CloudBroken
Pressure1022 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm

Some readings unavailable — check directly before fishing.

How to fish it · for trout
When
May-September
Where
Set up a broadside drift and cover the water systematically. Work Claret Dabbler on the bob and Bibio on the point.
The plan
Plan A

Set up a broadside drift and cover the water systematically. Work Claret Dabbler on the bob and Bibio on the point.

Plan B

If the main plan is not working, switch to a smaller, more imitative pattern fished slower and deeper. A change of drift angle can also make a difference.

Watch for

Evening tends to be the best period in summer — stay late if you can for a sedge or spinner fall.

Boat — drift

A gentle ripple is ideal for drifting — broadside drift covering the wind lanes should be productive.

Through the year
0–3 scale · July highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Daddy Long LegsHatch
2
3
2
Murrough (Great Red Sedge)Hatch
2
3
2
Black MidgeHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Lake OliveHatch
1
2
2
2
2
2
1

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

Ranked for today
Trout fly box
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Various estates — seek permission
  • Right to roam covers walking but not fishing.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Condition match
79%
Cloud70%
Wind100%
Temp60%

A good match for this venue — most conditions are close to what it fishes best in.

Other water nearby · 2
Storr Lochs
20 km
Brown trout · Char
Hebridean daylight sea-trout loch framework (including Loch na Craoibhaig / Hamanavay)
54 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
About this water

Skye's interior is dotted with small hill lochs holding wild brown trout — many never fished from one year to the next. The Cuillin range, the Red Hills, and the moorland between Sligachan and Dunvegan all hold fishable water. These are proper wilderness lochs: you walk to them, fish them alone, and walk out. The trout are small but wild and willing. Some of the higher lochs in the Cuillins also hold Arctic charr. The quality of the experience here is measured in solitude, scenery, and the simple pleasure of wild trout in wild places rather than the size of the catch. Access is generally open under Scotland's right to roam for walking, but fishing permission should still be sought from the relevant estate.

  • Loch
  • Mixed
Why this score
  • Wind conditions (ripple) closely match what this water fishes best in.
  • Lake Olive is in its seasonal window, boosting the chance of targeted feeding.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout15 March → 6 October
  • Charvaries_by_estate → varies_by_estate
Related guides
Scotland Playbookloch & river fishingThermal Layers & Troutreading depth and temperatureEuro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts