Stillwater · Peat · Edinburgh, GB-SCT

Threipmuir Reservoir

Threipmuir Reservoir venue image

A walkable-from-Balerno Pentlands reservoir sitting inside Edinburgh's city boundary — which still seems implausible the first time you stand on the bank.

Closed season · Rainbow
Minkie · 6–10
Closed season
Season reopens 1 April. Try elsewhere.
Closed — confidence not applicable today.

Threipmuir Reservoir is often best in spring through autumn.

What moved it
  • WindSW 19 km/hGentle breeze · Gusts to 41 km/h
Today's fly
Minkie
Minkie6–10
Retrieve, sub-surface
Conditions on the water
Estimate
Wind
Gentle breeze · Gusts to 41 km/h
SW 19 km/h
N
SW
from the south-west
Wave40 cm chop
Water temp6.7°C
Air temp4°C
CloudOvercast
Pressure1014 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm

No gauge on this water — readings are regional estimates from weather, not a live gauge.

Head to
Wind driftSW wind
South-western end

A southwesterly has held for most of a day, running colder than the water (3°C air against 7°C water). The end it blows into is taking that chilled surface water, so try the sheltered south-western end instead — off the back of the wind, where the undertow returns food along the bottom. That chill sits in the top of the water, though, and the bed is slower to feel it — on a bottom bait it is the undertow, not the temperature, that puts you at this end. Treat it as a tiebreaker between good swims rather than an override — features and angling pressure usually count for more.

How to fish it · for Rainbow
When
Current conditions suit Threipmuir Reservoir well for winter tactics. The ripple should help fish move and feed more confidently.
Where
Start with Minkie (6–10) — on the point. Early in the day, try buzzers on a slow figure-of-eight or a booby on a fast-sink line near the bottom. Rainbows respond to more active retrieves — try short strips between pauses.
The plan
Plan A

Start with Minkie (6–10) — on the point. Early in the day, try buzzers on a slow figure-of-eight or a booby on a fast-sink line near the bottom. Rainbows respond to more active retrieves — try short strips between pauses.

Plan B

Slow down everything. A booby on a fast-sinking line, left static, can pick up deep fish.

Watch for

Keep an eye on changing conditions — wind shifts and cloud breaks can trigger short feeding spells.

Bank

Bank-only venue. Fish from accessible margins, points, weed edges, and inflows.

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds as a supporter.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 4 as a supporter.

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Through the year
0–3 scale · November highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
1
Reservoir BuzzerHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
2
Daphnia SwarmHatch
2
3
3
3
2
Lake OliveHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
2
Silverhorns & LonghornsHatch
1
2
2
2
1

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

Buzzer team todayfor the conditions now
Point
Bloodworm
Not in this water's box
#10
How to fish it
Slow-sink line · slow figure-of-eight, pausing to let the flies hang

Fly recommendations

Point fly shown — supporters see the whole team, sizes and why.

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Ranked for today
Rainbow fly box
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Condition match
71%
Cloud50%
Wind65%
Temp100%

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

Other water nearby · 5
Gallery · 1
  1. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Scottish Water-managed, mixed wild and stocked brown and rainbow trout, fly only. The water is smaller and shallower than Glencorse, the weed growth more generous, and the trout accordingly better educated. Buzzer and dry-fly fishing dominate from May onwards; in September the bank hoppers start coming down and the fishing turns into the sort of thing you could do forever if the light held. The walk out from the Red Moss car park takes twenty minutes and is most of the reason people come — bringing a rod is really just a formality.

  • Reservoir
  • Peat
Why this score
  • Temperature (cool) is in the sweet spot for winter fishing.
  • Reservoirs of this kind fish hard at this time of year.
Directions
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 April → 31 October
Related guides
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts
At a glance

Threipmuir Reservoir is a reservoir in Edinburgh, Scotland. The catchment geology is recorded as peat, and the water sits at about 262 m above sea level. Species listed for this water: brown trout and rainbow trout. The trout season is recorded as running from 1 April to 31 October. Best window recorded for anglers: May to September. Core methods listed: buzzer; dry fly; traditional wet fly. Nearby waters in our listings include Glencorse Reservoir at 1.0 km, Loganlea Reservoir at 3.0 km and Clubbiedean Reservoir at 4.0 km.