Stillwater · Peat · Scottish Borders, GB-SCT

West Water Reservoir

Wide view of West Water Reservoir with the dam wall, grassy hills and Mendick Hill in the background, thistles in the foreground.

A high, bleak Scottish Water reservoir in the upper Tweed catchment near West Linton, on the southern fringe of the Pentlands and a short drive from Peebles.

Closed season · Trout
Minkie · 6–10
Closed season
Season reopens 15 March. Try elsewhere.
Closed — confidence not applicable today.

West Water Reservoir is often best in spring through autumn.

What moved it
  • WindSW 18 km/hGentle breeze · Gusts to 28 km/h
Today's fly
Minkie
Minkie6–10
Retrieve, sub-surface
Conditions on the water
Estimate
Wind
Gentle breeze · Gusts to 28 km/h
SW 18 km/h
N
SW
from the south-west
Wave40 cm chop
Water temp6.6°C
Air temp3°C
CloudOvercast
Pressure1015 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 11 hours, 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 Trout
When
May to July and September
Where
Start with Minkie (6–10) — on the point. If that does not produce, switch depth or speed before changing the pattern entirely.
The plan
Plan A

Start with Minkie (6–10) — on the point. If that does not produce, switch depth or speed before changing the pattern entirely.

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 3 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
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
Trout fly box
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Condition match
71%
Cloud50%
Wind65%
Temp100%

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

Other water nearby · 5
Gallery · 2
  1. Wide view of West Water Reservoir with the dam wall, grassy hills and Mendick Hill in the background, thistles in the foreground.
    West Water Reservoir and its dam, with Mendick Hill rising behind in the Pentland Hills.
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Wild brown trout only — no stocking, no rainbows, and a permit scheme that keeps the fishing low-pressure. The reservoir is a Site of Special Scientific Interest for its upland geese and moorland bird community, which limits casual use and is half the reason it still feels like proper wild water. Bank fishing, fly only. The trout are modest in size and plentiful in the right conditions, and they fish like wild hill-loch browns everywhere: honest, eager on a ripple, impossibly hard on a flat calm. Bring waterproofs. The weather here is the weather.

  • 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 15 March → 6 October
Related guides
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts
At a glance

West Water Reservoir is a reservoir in Scottish Borders, Scotland. The catchment geology is recorded as peat, and the water sits at about 236 m above sea level. The species listed for this water is brown trout. The trout season is recorded as running from 15 March to 6 October. Best window recorded for anglers: May to July and September. Core methods listed: traditional wet fly; bank loch-style; dry fly. Nearby waters in our listings include Loganlea Reservoir at 10 km, Harperrig Reservoir at 12 km and Glencorse Reservoir at 13 km.