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.

The Water of Leith is Edinburgh's urban wild trout river — a small stream that rises in the Pentlands, runs through Balerno and Colinton and Dean Village and Stockbridge before emptying into the Firth of Forth at Leith, and somewhere along the way holds a population of genuine wild brown trout that have been in residence for longer than the city.

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 · ahead0.7 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

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 11 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

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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

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.

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.
Loganlea Reservoir
14 km
~17°C
Brown trout
Glencorse Reservoir
11 km
~18°C
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Threipmuir Reservoir
11 km
~19°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
About this water

The Water of Leith is Edinburgh's urban wild trout river — a small stream that rises in the Pentlands, runs through Balerno and Colinton and Dean Village and Stockbridge before emptying into the Firth of Forth at Leith, and somewhere along the way holds a population of genuine wild brown trout that have been in residence for longer than the city. You can fish it in the middle of Edinburgh, within earshot of the traffic on the A90 and ten minutes' walk from the Gallery of Modern Art, which is either delightful or ridiculous depending on your mood. The river is managed by the Water of Leith Trust and permits are cheap and accessible. The fish are not large but they are genuinely wild and they rise well to small dry flies and spiders through the summer. A proper curiosity, and better fishing than it has any right to be.

  • Mixed
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
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