Spate · Granite · Argyll

River Orchy

The River Orchy flowing beneath Dalmally Bridge in Argyll, Scotland, with hills in the background.

A scenic west-coast / Argyll spate salmon river feeding the Loch Awe system, where timing and water height matter.

Good · Atlantic Salmon
Blue Charm · small double / tube
Goodlive now
A good day — worth the effort
Low and clear — careful approach country. Small, sparse flies, long leader, careful approach.
70% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.35 mLast reading 6h ago
  • Water temp15.0°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Blue Charm
Blue Charmsmall double / tube
Regional salmon default — river-specific evidence is thin.
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.35 m
Last reading 6h ago
Water temp15.0°C
ClarityClear
Weather14°C
WindW 15 km/h
Pressure1018 hPa
Rain · recent16.3 mm
Rain · ahead5.3 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
Warm — slow
15°C est.ideal 10–14°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.
Why this works
Good — water clarity is right today, though time of day could be better.
Likely species
Mayflies
  • Blue-winged oliveMost likely
    #16–18 · Dun
    Duns are up; a sherry spinner fall may follow.
  • Anglers curse mayfliesAlso possibleLower confidence
    #20–22 · Spinner
    Go tiny: 20-22 spent spinner, single fly, long tippet.
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 6am

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 7 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds with Pro.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

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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
Salmon runRun
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
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
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.

Beats · 1

A picturesque Argyll spate river where timing and water height matter. Late May brings the first realistic salmon, with July-October the stronger period. Conservation messaging should be prominent: return all salmon, grilse and sea trout, carry a net, and fish to the Awe District C&R code.

Dalmally BeatsAgent booking
The strongest import in the Awe/Orchy system — named beats around Dalmally booked via FishPal and local routes.
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What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
River Awe
18 km
74
Salmon · Sea trout · Brown trout
Loch Tay
42 km
58
Brown trout · Char · Salmon
River Lochy
48 km
50
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Endrick Water
53 km
Brown trout · Sea trout · Atlantic salmon
Loch Lomond
57 km
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Gallery · 2
  1. The River Orchy flowing beneath Dalmally Bridge in Argyll, Scotland, with hills in the background.
    The River Orchy at Dalmally Bridge, Argyll.
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

A scenic west-coast / Argyll spate salmon river feeding the Loch Awe system, where timing and water height matter. Early salmon reach the Orchy in late May, with July to October the stronger period. Conservation messaging is prominent here: 100% catch-and-release for salmon, grilse and sea trout across all beats for the entire season. Granite-based upland geology shapes this river. Atlantic salmon stocks are Category 3 (declining) — all salmon must be released under Scottish Government conservation guidelines.

Sea trout here

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

  • Granite
Why this score · for Atlantic Salmon
  • Temperature7730% weight
  • Flow6025% weight
  • Clarity9520% weight
  • Feeding Time5015% 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