CAST&SCAN

Waters · United Kingdom

Loch Lomond fishing report

Updated Friday, 9 October 2026 · refreshed automatically through the day

Scotland's biggest loch by surface area mixes salmon runs through the Leven with serious pike water in the shallow southern basin and its weedy bays.

Species and season on Loch Lomond

The shallow southern basin and its bays are the pike water, best from autumn to early spring; perch shoal along the weed edges in the same areas. The River Leven, which drains the loch, carries salmon and sea trout, and the loch also holds powan, a rare whitefish found in only a handful of Scottish waters. Salmon seasons run on the river's own dates rather than the loch's.

How to fish it

Loch Lomond is big enough to produce its own weather, so the wind forecast shapes the day more than anything else. Pike and perch hold on the lee side of islands and bays in cold wind; on a warm, still day they spread to the edges. Use the report to pick days with stable pressure, then fish the margins of the southern islands.

Access, licences and local rules

Scotland has no general rod licence for freshwater fish, but permission from the owner or angling association is required, and salmon fishing on the Leven is controlled by the local improvement association. Much of the loch lies within Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park, which has its own byelaws on boat use and camping — check those along with the permit rules.

Rules, seasons and permit systems change. Treat this as orientation and confirm with the licensing authority or fishery manager before you fish.

Today's report: fair (59/100)

Northern Pike is the most promising species on Loch Lomond today. Water temperature is around 8.7°C and barometric pressure is stable.

Best time to fish today

  • 13:00–15:00 local time — score 75/100
  • 18:00–20:00 local time — score 75/100
  • 00:00–02:00 local time — score 61/100

3-day outlook by species

SpeciesThursday 8 OctFriday 9 OctSaturday 10 Oct
Northern Pike59 — fair81 — excellent62 — good
European Perch58 — fair81 — excellent61 — good
Atlantic salmon0 — very poor0 — very poor0 — very poor

Why this score

Cast & Scan uses a deterministic, published scoring model — no black box. The strongest influences on today's Loch Lomond rating:

  • solunar period: helping (+1)
  • season: helping (+1)
  • wind: helping (+0.9)
  • cloud cover: helping (+0.85)
  • pressure trend: helping (+0.8)
  • water temperature: helping (+0.69)

Forecast computed Fri, 09 Oct 2026 12:36:24 GMT · data: Open-Meteo · refreshed automatically through the day · see our published accuracy

Wondering how this stacks up against the apps you already know? Cast & Scan vs Fishbrain vs BassForecast — an honest comparison, including where they beat us.

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