Spate · Granite · Highlands / Strathspey

River Dulnain

The River Dulnain flowing fast and peat-stained under an old stone packhorse bridge at Carrbridge, surrounded by autumn trees.
Poor · Brown Trout
Hare's Ear Nymph · 12-16
Poorlive now
Not the day for it
River temperature is the limiting factor today, not the flow. This is not the day to push it. Check the thermal advice above before you head out.
80% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.10 mLast reading 1d ago
  • Water temp21.4°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Hare's Ear Nymph
Hare's Ear Nymph12-16
Proven pattern for this period
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.10 m
Last reading 1d ago
Water temp21.4°C
ClarityClear
Weather23°C
WindSW 11 km/h
Pressure1019 hPa
Rain · recent0.2 mm
Rain · ahead0.4 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
Warm — slow
21°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
Water at 21.4°C — above the brown trout caution line (18°C). Fish dawn or dusk only. Land it fast, wet hands, no air shots.
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 6am

Hatch predictions

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 2 with Pro.

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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 · August highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Daddy Long LegsHatch
2
3
2
March BrownHatch
2
3
2
GrannomHatch
2
2
Large StoneflyHatch
2
3
2

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

Ranked for today
Brown Trout fly box
SB
Small Black Beetle
14-18 · Pattern
Proven pattern for this period
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Cooler water nearby · 1
Water here around 21°C — probably warm enough to stress Brown Trout . These are likely cooler.
Achagour Fishery
22 km
~15°C
Brown trout
Gallery · 2
  1. The River Dulnain flowing fast and peat-stained under an old stone packhorse bridge at Carrbridge, surrounded by autumn trees.
    The Packhorse Bridge
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Moderate
  • Chemical: Unknown
What this classification means

SEPA WFD 2022 — Dulnain: Moderate status. Corrected 2026-06-18 (was recorded Good). Source: SEPA WFD 2022 classification (spatialdata.gov.scot / SEPA Aquatic Classification Hub).

SEPA (Scotland) · UKSC023114

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 80%
How the 19 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature11 × 28%3.1
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time60 × 13%7.8
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity58 × 12%7.0
Limiting factor: Water temperature (21.4°C) is outside Brown Trout's preferred range (10–16°C)= 58
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitysurvey-backed invertebrate datasurvey
What would change the calculation
Cooler water — back toward the 10–16 °C ideal band — would lift the score and ease welfare.
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Related guides
Scotland Playbookloch & river fishingYorkshire & SpidersNorth Country methodsEuro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts