Brown Trout at Loch Leven

Facilities for anglers on Loch Leven were greatly enhanced in May 2001 with the opening of the Loch Leven Angling Centre. Not only are there toilets and changing facilities available but the Boathouse Bistro (operated as part of the Green Hotel Golf & Leisure Resort) beside the harbour at Kinross provides a large range of hot & cold food and drink as well as a licenced bar. During the season, it is open from 8am (serving amongst other things the full Fisherman‘s cooked breakfast) until the evening.

All fishing on the loch is ―fly only‖ and must be done from a boat as there is no bank fishing permitted. The fishing is under the management of Loch Leven Fisheries which has a well-maintained fleet of 20 boats most of which are still 18 foot clinker built boats dating back over 100 years – but there have been some recent additions of 16 Coulam boats made from glassreinforced plastic.

All of the boats are equipped with outboard motors and life jackets.

Here you will fly fishing in Scotland for something truly unique. Only Loch Leven has its very own strain of brown trout - salmo levenensis. Although this renowned fish has been introduced to waters across the world, it interbreeds freely with native trout and its uniqueness is lost. So if you want to catch the genuine article, you have to visit Loch Leven which remains one of the world's most famous brown trout fisheries.

Although Loch Leven has, in the past, been stocked with the indigenous brown trout reared from eggs stripped from trout running its burns, and indeed for a relatively short period of a few years with rainbow trout, it has reverted to being a natural brown trout fishery which makes it extra special for anglers. The boats are all moored in the harbour adjacent to the Kirkgate Park at the south end of Kinross - as indicated by the Boathouse in the map above at the western end of the loch.

The Pier there also serves as the departure point for the boat trips out to Loch Leven Castle which is operated by Historic Scotland. The loch in the past did not produce big trout in quantity and anything over 5lbs used to be considered exceptional throughout most of the 1900s.

The record still stands as Colonel Scott‘s fish of 9lbs. 13oz, caught on 8 September 1911 which to this day it still resides in a glass case in the Boathouse Bistro in the Angling Centre at Kinross.

The recent improvement in water quality has resulted in the loch producing an abundance of food for trout and brown trout in excess of 5lbs have become relatively commonplace. In May 2013, Alan Campbell caught the largest brownie ever taken on Loch Leven at just over 11lbs 5ozs, beating the previous record which had stood for over 100 years.

All fish under 11 inches in size must be returned to the loch. There is no limit to the number of brown trout that can be landed by anglers but the fishery management would ask that anglers respect the fact that Loch Leven is a wild brown trout fishery and that they keep what they would like ‗for the pot‘ but otherwise practice catch & release.

The pink fleshed wild Loch Leven brown trout is delicious to eat and anglers should have no concerns about taking some home with them to enjoy

The fishing season on Loch Leven lasts from mid-April through to early October.

For recent reports on how the loch is fishing visit Willie the Ghillie‘s Blog at https://lochlevenfisheries.wordpress.com/