Freestone · Mixed · Lothian / Edinburgh, GB-SCT

Water of Leith

A rocky, moss-covered stretch of the Water of Leith running through dense green woodland at Colinton Dell, Edinburgh.

The Water of Leith is Edinburgh's urban wild trout river — a small stream that rises in the Pentlands, runs through Balerno and Colinton and Dean Village and Stockbridge before emptying into the Firth of Forth at Leith, and somewhere along the way holds a population of genuine wild brown trout that have been in residence for longer than the city.

Prime · Brown Trout
Partridge and Orange · 14-16
Primelive now
About as good as it gets
River steady at a fishable height. On the feed top to bottom — start on the rises with a dry, drop a nymph if they stay down.
90% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.49 m
  • Water temp11.9°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Partridge and Orange
Partridge and Orange14-16
Proven pattern for this period
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.49 m
Water temp11.9°C
ClarityClear
Weather9°C
WindSE 18 km/h
Pressure1019 hPa
Rain · recent4.2 mm
Rain · ahead2.9 mm

The nearest gauge doesn't record temperatures, so we've estimated it — defer to the river keeper's advice.

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Ideal
12°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Brown Trout
When
Nymphing can work through most of the day.
Where
Cover mixed depths.
Method
Start with tight-line nymphs and adjust if fish rise or drift higher.
Kit
9 ft #4 rod, floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 4–5 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Excellent — water temperature is right today, though insect activity could be better.
Likely species
Mayflies
Stoneflies
Caddisflies
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 12 active hatches hour by hour as a supporter.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

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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 · September highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Daddy Long LegsHatch
2
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.

Ranked for today
Brown Trout fly box

A balanced Scottish river profile. Early season nymphs and spiders, then more dry-fly and emerger fishing as hatches strengthen on steadier glides and richer water.

What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Clubbiedean Reservoir
7.0 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
River Almond (Lothian)
7.0 km
81
Brown trout · Sea trout · Atlantic salmon
Glencorse Reservoir
11 km
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Threipmuir Reservoir
11 km
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Loganlea Reservoir
14 km
Brown trout
Gallery · 2
  1. A rocky, moss-covered stretch of the Water of Leith running through dense green woodland at Colinton Dell, Edinburgh.
    The Water of Leith tumbling over mossy rocks through the wooded Colinton Dell.
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

The Water of Leith is Edinburgh's urban wild trout river — a small stream that rises in the Pentlands, runs through Balerno and Colinton and Dean Village and Stockbridge before emptying into the Firth of Forth at Leith, and somewhere along the way holds a population of genuine wild brown trout that have been in residence for longer than the city. You can fish it in the middle of Edinburgh, within earshot of the traffic on the A90 and ten minutes' walk from the Gallery of Modern Art, which is either delightful or ridiculous depending on your mood. The river is managed by the Water of Leith Trust and permits are cheap and accessible. The fish are not large but they are genuinely wild and they rise well to small dry flies and spiders through the summer. A proper curiosity, and better fishing than it has any right to be.

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

SEPA (Scotland) · UKSC003700

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 90%
How the 86 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time80 × 13%10.4
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity59 × 12%7.1
Conditions total= 86
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitysurvey-backed invertebrate datasurvey
Related guides
Scotland Playbookloch & river fishingYorkshire & SpidersNorth Country methodsEuro Nymphingsubsurface methods
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