Running from 1st April to 30th September the river operates as a recreational fishery – guided by strict rules, the main one being catch and release, permits are free and the fishing can be very good as this selection from our in house fisherman Alex shows.
Fun Fact – I knew the spots on Brown Trout made then beautiful but I did not realize the arrangement of the spots on each gill plate is unique and can be used to identify individuals.
This is Alex’s assessment of his mixed bag season on the river “It was a slow start to the season in April, quite cold and wet so for dry fly fishing it was unfavourable conditions as the river was quite muddy. May was much better, just some showers to keep the river freshened up and warmer air temperatures bringing on good hatches of midges, hawthorns and mayflies. June was quite hot, especially in the early part of the month and the water temperature was warmer so the fish became more active in the early to late part of the month. July August and September have been very wet, so for dry fly fishing it has been unfavorable conditions in the main.” Some of his catch were around 1/4lb (around 120g) all the way upto 1lb (or 500g) like the one featured who’s gill spots I think look like the 5 spots on a domino. More information can be found at – https://www.waterofleith.org.uk/fishing/
