Freestone · Mixed · Lothian / Edinburgh

Water of Leith

A rocky, moss-covered stretch of the Water of Leith running through dense green woodland at Colinton Dell, Edinburgh.
Marginal · Brown Trout
Elk Hair Caddis · 12-16
Marginallive now
Slow going — pick your moments
River temperature is the limiting factor today, not the flow. Fish dawn or dusk if you go at all, and handle everything with extra care.
80% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.48 mDropping after lift
  • Water temp18.8°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Elk Hair Caddis
Elk Hair Caddis12-16
High-confidence seasonal pick
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.48 m
Dropping after lift
Water temp18.8°C
ClarityClear
Weather19°C
WindW 21 km/h
Pressure1016 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.1 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
19°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 18.8°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 5pm

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

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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
GrannomHatch
2
2
Evening SedgeHatch
2
3
3
3
2
Large Dark OliveHatch
1
2
2
1

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

Ranked for today
Brown Trout fly box
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Cooler water nearby · 3
Water here around 19°C — probably warm enough to stress Brown Trout . These are likely cooler.
River Almond (Lothian)
7.0 km
~17°C
Brown trout · Sea trout · Atlantic salmon
Loganlea Reservoir
14 km
~17°C
Brown trout
Glencorse Reservoir
11 km
~18°C
Brown trout · Rainbow 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
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Poor
  • Chemical: Unknown

SEPA (Scotland) · UKSC003700

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 80%
How the 35 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature42 × 28%11.8
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time75 × 13%9.8
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity65 × 12%7.8
Conditions total= 70
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.
Related guides
Scotland Playbookloch & river fishingYorkshire & SpidersNorth Country methodsEuro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts