Freestone · Mixed · North East / Aberdeenshire, GB-SCT

Ythan

A meandering stretch of the River Ythan flowing through lush green pasture with trees along the banks near Ellon.

Small northeast freestone river with a specialist reputation — one of Scotland's finest sea trout fisheries, with larger fish than you expect from a river of this size.

Today · Closed season
Partridge and Orange
Forecast · Today
Closed season
Out of season. File this water for the right month.
40% projected
Today's fly
Partridge and Orange
Partridge and Orange
Conditions on the water · Today
Live gauge
Level
Rising
0.89 m
Lifting fast
Water temp6.9°C
ClarityVery coloured
Weather6°C
WindN 27 km/h
Pressure1006 hPa
Rain · recent14.3 mm
Rain · ahead4.3 mm

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

Water temperature for Atlantic Salmon
Cool — slow
7°C est.ideal 10–16°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.
Likely species
Stoneflies
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

12pm(now) — Autumn Needle Fly

Stage: Creeping nymphsApproach: Heavy nymphActivity: 17%

Low insect activity predicted today

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 4 guilds as a supporter.

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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 · November 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
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
Atlantic Salmon 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
Don
25 km
0
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Deveron
31 km
0
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Dee (Aberdeenshire)
41 km
0
Brown trout · Salmon · Grayling
Don
25 km
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Dee (Aberdeenshire)
41 km
Brown trout · Salmon · Grayling
Gallery · 2
  1. A meandering stretch of the River Ythan flowing through lush green pasture with trees along the banks near Ellon.
    The River Ythan winding through green meadows near Ellon, Aberdeenshire.
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

The Scottish Government grades its salmon Poor (Grade 3) for 2026, so every salmon must be released all season. Summer sea trout (June–September, peaking July–August) dominate; salmon present but secondary. Brown trout in the upper reaches. The lower river is tidal and the estuary (a nature reserve) concentrates fish. Fish sea trout with smaller dries and nymphs in broken water; night fishing productive. Accessible fishing relative to famous neighbours.

Sea trout here

Summer-autumn runs (June–September), nocturnal pattern in peak season

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

SEPA (Scotland) · UKSC023231

Why this score · for Atlantic Salmon
  • Temperature3230% weight
  • Flow6025% weight
  • Clarity8520% weight
  • Feeding Time1515% weight
  • Pressure8510% weight
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon 11 February → 31 October

Sea trout: Variable seasonal (2026)

Related guides
Scotland Playbookloch & river fishingAtlantic Salmonsalmon tacticsYorkshire & SpidersNorth Country methods
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts
At a glance

Ythan is a freestone river in North East / Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It sits at about 50 m above sea level. The river is described as roughly 62 km long. Our data lists brown trout, salmon and sea trout here. It is classed as a salmon river. The salmon season is recorded as running from 11 February to 31 October. Best window recorded for anglers: May–September (summer). Core methods listed: dry fly; upstream nymph; small wet fly. Level and flow data for this water is linked from 1 gauge. Its Water Framework Directive ecological status is recorded as moderate. Nearby waters in our listings include Don at 25 km, Don at 25 km and Deveron at 31 km.