Stillwater · Peat · Stirlingshire

Loch Ardinning

Loch Ardinning terrain map

A small, slightly secretive loch on the edge of the Campsie Fells, 15 km north of central Glasgow and sitting inside a Scottish Wildlife Trust reserve.

Good · Trout
Kate McLaren · 12-14
Goodlive now
Daddy Longlegs expected on Loch Ardinning
Good wave on — drift country. Drift fishing weather — three flies on a long leader.
68% confidence

Loch Ardinning is often best in spring through autumn.

What moved it
  • WindSW 7 km/hLight breeze
Today's fly
Kate McLaren
Kate McLaren12-14
Retrieve, in the film
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Wind
Light breeze
SW 7 km/h
N
SW
from the south-west
WaveRipple
Water temp
Air temp19°C
CloudBroken
Pressure1019 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm

Some readings unavailable — check directly before fishing.

How to fish it · for Trout
When
May to August
Where
Set up a broadside drift and cover the water systematically. Work Black Pennell on the bob, Ke-He on the middle dropper, and Marabou Damsel on the point.
The plan
Plan A

Set up a broadside drift and cover the water systematically. Work Black Pennell on the bob, Ke-He on the middle dropper, and Marabou Damsel on the point.

Plan B

If the main plan is not working, switch to a smaller, more imitative pattern fished slower and deeper. A change of drift angle can also make a difference.

Watch for

Evening tends to be the best period in summer — stay late if you can for a sedge or spinner fall.

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 3 guilds with Pro.

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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
2
2
1
Daddy Long LegsHatch
2
3
2
Murrough (Great Red Sedge)Hatch
2
3
2
Black MidgeHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Lake OliveHatch
1
2
2
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 Loch Ardinning — most conditions are close to what it fishes best in.

Other water nearby · 5
About this water

A small, slightly secretive loch on the edge of the Campsie Fells, 15 km north of central Glasgow and sitting inside a Scottish Wildlife Trust reserve. Wild brown trout, no stocking. The fish are not big — a half-pounder is typical, a pound is a good one, anything beyond that is bragging-rights territory — but they are properly wild and they behave like it. The reserve itself is worth the trip in its own right: moorland, birch scrub, the occasional hen harrier working the ridges. For a Glaswegian who wants a wild hill loch without driving to the Highlands, Ardinning is about as close as it gets.

  • Loch
  • Peat
Why this score
  • Wind conditions (ripple) closely match what this water fishes best in.
  • Daddy Longlegs are in their seasonal window, boosting the chance of targeted feeding.
Directions
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 15 March6 October
Related guides
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts