Stillwater · Peat · Stirlingshire

Carron Valley Reservoir

Carron Valley Reservoir terrain map

A big, windy, half-wild reservoir sitting in the gap between the Campsies and the Gargunnock Hills, 25 km north-east of Glasgow.

Fair · Trout
Marabou Damsel · 8-12
Fairlive now
Reasonable summer fishing likely at Carron Valley Reservoir
Good wave on — drift country. A useful wave. Work the productive shore.
61% confidence

Carron Valley Reservoir is often best in spring through autumn.

What moved it
  • WindSW 9 km/hLight breeze
Today's fly
MD
Marabou Damsel8-12
Retrieve, sub-surface
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Wind
Light breeze
SW 9 km/h
N
SW
from the south-west
WaveRipple
Water temp—
Air temp21°C
CloudBroken
Pressure1019 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm

Some readings unavailable — check directly before fishing.

How to fish it · for Trout
When
Wild browns only — no rainbow stockies. Buzzers April through June at first light; sedges and daddy long-legs through summer; small black flies into October.
Where
Drift lines on the open water; weed margins on the bays; the deeper edges of points. Carron Valley fishes more wild than the southern reservoirs.
Method
Drifted team of three on a floating line. Buzzers in spring, sedges and dabblers in summer. Slow the drift with the drogue and fish each lane properly.
Kit
10 ft #7 boat rod, floating and slow-intermediate lines, 6 to 7 lb fluoro. Drogue and a long-handled net.
The plan
Plan A

Start with Marabou Damsel (8-12) — on the point. If that does not produce, switch depth or speed before changing the pattern entirely.

Plan B

Fish early and late, try deeper during the heat of the day with a fast-sinking line.

Watch for

Buzzer may strengthen through the middle of the day as conditions warm.

Either bank or boat

Good ripple suits both bank and boat. Bank: work inflows, dam walls, and points. Boat: broadside drift covering wind lanes.

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 5 with Pro.

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Through the year
0–3 scale · August highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
1
Daphnia SwarmHatch
2
3
3
3
2
Daddy Long LegsHatch
2
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.

Ranked for today
Trout fly box
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Condition match
79%
Cloud70%
Wind100%
Temp60%

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

Other water nearby · 5
River Carron (Stirlingshire)
13 km
36
Brown trout
Wellsfield Trout Fishery
5.0 km
Brown trout
Swanswater Fishery
7.0 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Loch Coulter Reservoir
8.0 km
Brown trout
River Devon
11 km
Brown trout
About this water

A big, windy, half-wild reservoir sitting in the gap between the Campsies and the Gargunnock Hills, 25 km north-east of Glasgow. Fly-only. Wild and stocked brown trout. No rainbows. Carron Valley has the reputation of being a competition angler's reservoir, and it earns it — the Scottish National Trout Fly Fishing Championships are fished here most years — but the truth is that it fishes best for people who don't treat it as a competition at all. The fish average around three-quarters of a pound to a pound, with enough bigger ones to keep you honest. The wind is part of the deal; on a dead calm day you might wonder what you came for, and then the ripple arrives and the fish start moving and you remember.

  • Reservoir
  • Peat
Why this score
  • Wind conditions (ripple) closely match what this water fishes best in.
  • Buzzer is in its seasonal window, boosting the chance of targeted feeding.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 April → 30 September
Related guides
Scotland Playbookloch & river fishingBig Stillwater Playbookreservoir tacticsReservoir Entomologymatching the hatch
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts