Stillwater · Mixed · Perthshire, GB-SCT

Loch Tay

Winter sunrise over Loch Tay with Ben Vorlich and the Ben Lawers massif silhouetted behind the loch in dawn light.
Fair · Atlantic Salmon
Black Shrimp · small double / treble
Fairlive now
Decent — worth a look
Low and clear — careful approach country. Low water tactics — small singles, riffling hitch in the smooth glides.
70% confidence
What moved it
  • LevelDry recentlyNo gauge reading
  • Water temp17.3°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Black Shrimp
Black Shrimpsmall double / treble
Regional salmon default — river-specific evidence is thin.
Conditions on the water
Estimate
Level
Dry recently
No gauge reading
Water temp17.3°C
ClarityClear
Weather15°C
WindNW 15 km/h
Pressure1018 hPa
Rain · recent1.9 mm
Rain · ahead3.2 mm

No gauge on this water — readings are regional estimates from weather, not a live gauge.

Water temperature for Atlantic Salmon
Warm — slow
17°C est.ideal 10–14°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Atlantic Salmon
When
All day — lough fishing is best in a good wave. Early morning and evening can produce in calm conditions.
Where
Work the drift lanes from the upwind shore across the productive zones. Cover bay edges, underwater reefs, and any areas where the bottom shoals.
Method
Fish a sensible line-and-fly combination for the height and pace of water.
Kit
10 ft #7/8 single-hander, floating line, 10–12 lb fluoro leader. Boat seat and waterproofs for the drift.
Why this works
Fair — water clarity is working for you, but time of day is the limiting factor today.
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 6am

Hatch predictions

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

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds with Pro.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 5 with Pro.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

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
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
Atlantic Salmon fly box
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
River Tummel
39 km
50
Atlantic salmon · Brown trout · Grayling
River Garry (Tayside)
40 km
50
Brown trout · Atlantic salmon · Sea trout
River Lyon
21 km
Brown trout · Atlantic salmon · Sea trout
Allan Water
35 km
Brown trout
River Teith
36 km
Brown trout · Atlantic salmon · Sea trout
Gallery · 6
  1. Winter sunrise over Loch Tay with Ben Vorlich and the Ben Lawers massif silhouetted behind the loch in dawn light.
    Sunrise over Loch Tay
  2. Wide view of Loch Tay at its western end under a golden sunset sky, still water reflecting the evening light.
    Sunset on Loch Tay
  3. Panoramic view of Loch Tay at Kenmore showing the loch mouth, wooded shoreline and hills beyond under blue sky.
    Loch Tay at Kenmore
  4. Overcast morning at Loch Tay showing the open loch surface under a heavy grey sky with hills on the far shore.
    Cloudy morning at Loch Tay
  5. Small boats moored on Loch Tay at Kenmore with the broad loch stretching west into the hills.
    Loch Tay and boats, Kenmore
  6. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Good
  • Chemical: Unknown
What this classification means

SEPA WFD 2022 (loch layer) — Loch Tay: Good status. Re-tagged 2026-06-18 from Allt a Chobhair (a small burn) — the recorded Bad was a mis-tag, a river/burn waterbody, to the loch's own SEPA water body. Source: SEPA WFD 2022 classification (spatialdata.gov.scot / SEPA Aquatic Classification Hub).

SEPA (Scotland) · UKSC100233

Why this score · for Atlantic Salmon
  • Temperature3530% weight
  • Flow6025% weight
  • Clarity9520% weight
  • Feeding Time3015% weight
  • Pressure8510% weight
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon 15 January → 15 October
  • Char 15 March → 6 October

    Loch Tay trout and char permits cover arctic charr from 15 March to 6 October. Arctic charr in Scotland are usually by-catch of trout fishing rather than a mainstream target. Return requirements may apply — check current permit conditions. Arctic charr are conservation-sensitive in Scottish lochs.

Related guides
Fly Fishing Near Perthfeatured in this city guideScotland Playbookloch & river fishingThermal Layers & Troutreading depth and temperature
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts