TL;DR: Mid-May has landed properly at Wormit. Water is sitting at a perfect 12°C, gin clear, and the fish are in cracking nick. Hawthorns are up, dries are firing, and the loch is fishing across a proper spread of tactics. Headlines include Harris MacLeod’s superb 10 to 12lb brown, Graham Stewart’s 17 on damsel and buzzers, and Mr McCleary’s 11 all on dries. Forecast is cooler and mixed Wednesday to Sunday but very fishable, with sunset after 21:00 every night.
Weekly Summary
Mid-May has landed properly at Wormit. Water temperature is sitting at a perfect 12°C, the loch is gin clear, and the fish are in absolutely cracking nick. We are now into the part of the season where everything starts to click: hawthorns coming on the scene, damsels beginning to produce, buzzers still picking away, and fish showing a real willingness to come up and take confidently on the surface.
A fresh stocking went in last week with a mix of browns, blues and rainbows averaging around 3lb, with some bigger fish in the batch for good measure. Just as pleasing, the overwintered fish are coming off in superb condition. Broad across the back, deep in the shoulder, tails like spades. Fish that would not look out of place in wild water, which tells you everything about the natural feed in the loch right now.
Returns this week have come in across a proper spread of tactics. Dries are leading the conversation, but they are not the only answer. Buzzers, damsels, hawthorn-style patterns and small attractors are all earning their keep depending on the spot, the light and what the fish are feeding on. Fish the conditions, not your habits.
Catch Highlights
Returns this week show a fishery in very good order, with fish coming to a wide spread of methods.
- Steve Hursley’s group finished with 17 fish between them, split as 8, 5 and 4, with more fish lost. They reported fish coming to hawthorn, olive damsels and red butcher. They noted the fish fought hard and looked very healthy.
- Graham Stewart had an excellent evening session, landing 17 fish on a mix of damsel and buzzers.
- Mr McCleary fished alongside Graham and returned 11 fish, all on dries, which ties in perfectly with the current surface activity and the hawthorn influence.
- Garry Shaw returned 14 fish on a mix of booby-style attractors and dries.
- Jim Lang returned 6 fish on size 16 buzzers, a reminder that the smaller naturals are still doing damage when fish get a bit more particular.
- Sandy McCallan and Davie Anderson returned over a dozen fish between them on a variety of tactics.
- Harris MacLeod, Scottish youth internationalist, had 7 fish, headlined by a superb brown trout estimated at 10 to 12lb. A proper fish, and exactly what you would expect from a loch where the food chain is firing.
The key message this week is variety. Dries are the headline, especially with hawthorns coming into play, but buzzers, damsels and small attractors are all working. Anglers who arrive with one method in mind and refuse to switch will leave a lot of fish behind.
Best Tactics and Flies
This is where the season has started to shift into proper mid-May fishing. The takes have been confident. Fish are not sipping politely, they are coming up and properly whacking surface patterns when they want them.
Dry fly
- Size 14 and size 16 hoppers
- Sedgehogs
- Hawthorn-style patterns
- General dry patterns fished singly or as a pair
Sub-surface and pulled
- Olive damsels and hot-head damsels, fished steadily with a slow figure of eight or short pulls
- Size 16 buzzers when fish get fussy
- Diawl Bachs and small nymphs on the washing line
- Red butcher and small attractors for the brighter spells
How to play the day
- Start higher in the water. Damsels and dries up top, then drop deeper only if fish stop showing.
- When it brightens, drop a little deeper and slow the retrieve.
- Cover ground. Rotate pegs as per the fishery rule of 6 fish or 90 minutes, then move on and miss the next peg.
- Match the natural where you can. If you see hawthorns getting blown onto the water, that is your cue.
Stocking and Water Management
A good stocking went in last week, with a balanced mix of browns, blues and rainbows averaging around 3lb, plus some larger fish in the batch. The loch was already carrying plenty of fish, but the top-up keeps the sport fresh and the variety in the catch interesting.
The overwintered fish are particularly pleasing. Many are coming off broad-backed with big tails, in excellent condition, which speaks to the natural feed and the way the water is fishing.
Weed and lake shadow: a fresh top-up of lake shadow went in this week to stay ahead of growth as the weather warms. The grass carp are doing their job, and we have been clearing the edges to keep everything tidy and fishable. If you see dried weed or vegetation on the bank, that is material we have cleared. It will be lifted and mowed through as we tidy up.
The water remains gin clear, and that is the main thing.
Why there is still some growth. At this time of year a healthy stillwater will always have life in it. The aim is not a sterile bowl, the aim is the right balance. We manage it through lake shadow, grass carp grazing, edge clearing, manual removal and regular monitoring. That keeps the loch fishable while letting the natural ecosystem support good trout condition.
Far bank: gravel is on order from the quarry and work over there is planned for the coming weeks once the ground firms up. It is still soft in places and there is no sense charging in too early and making a mess. Better to do it once and do it right. Please take a bit of extra care around the softer patches in the meantime.
Angler Reminders
- Peg rotation: 6 fish or 90 minutes per peg, then move on and miss the next peg. This is non-negotiable and keeps the fishery fair for everyone.
- Discarded nylon: please take all leader and tippet trimmings home. Even a short length on the bank can be lethal for birds and wildlife. Put it in a pocket, not on the grass.
- Litter: take it home or use the car park bin. Keeping the fishery spotless is everyone’s responsibility.
- Fish care: barbless or de-barbed hooks only. Keep fish wet, unhook quickly, photograph in the net where possible, and release gently.
- Far bank softer ground: walk with care until the ground firms and the gravel work is complete.
- Want featured? Send your catches, flies, tactics and a short note about your day to fishery@salmoscotland.co.uk or text 07727 360428.
Weather Forecast
A cooler and mixed picture, but very fishable. Pressure is low to recovering across the week, rather than flat high pressure, which should keep fish moving in spells rather than locking onto one pattern all day. With water sitting at 12°C the trout are in their happy zone. Anglers who keep switching between dries, buzzers, damsels and small attractors should do well.
- Wed 13 May: 12°C / 3°C, mostly cloudy, windy, showers possible. Pressure 1001mb. Sunrise 05:04, sunset 21:14.
- Thu 14 May: 12°C / 6°C, mostly cloudy with shower risk. Pressure 1003mb. Sunrise 05:02, sunset 21:16.
- Fri 15 May: 13°C / 3°C, cloud and sun, showers possible. Pressure 1008mb. Sunrise 05:00, sunset 21:18.
- Sat 16 May: 12°C / 6°C, some sun then cloud, mainly drier. Pressure 1010mb. Sunrise 04:59, sunset 21:20.
- Sun 17 May: 12°C / 6°C, cloudy with showers possible. Pressure 1010mb. Sunrise 04:57, sunset 21:22.
With sunset now after 21:00 you are getting nearly 16 hours of daylight to play with. The last hour of light has been especially good for surface feeders.
Advice
Fish the conditions, not your habits. That is the single most important line you will read in any fishing report this month.
- Lead with the surface. Hawthorns are showing, fish are coming up confidently, and a well-presented dry will outfish a deep buzzer most days this week.
- Have a damsel ready. When the wind gets up or the fish stop showing on top, an olive or hot-head damsel fished steadily will get you back on the scoresheet.
- Carry a couple of size 16 buzzers. When fish get picky in the calm spells, smaller is almost always the answer.
- Watch the water, not your fly box. If you see fish moving in a different layer, get there.
- Respect the rotation. 6 fish or 90 minutes, then move and miss the next peg. The anglers who rotate consistently take the biggest bags.
Bookings
The loch is in superb form, the fish are feeding hard, and with hawthorns coming on, dry fly sport is only going to build over the next two or three weeks. Book early for the weekend, mid-week is fishing every bit as well.
Day rods: £32.50 Catch and Release, dawn until dusk. Maximum 12 rods on the water, no exceptions.
Evening rods: £25 Catch and Release, 5pm until dusk (currently close to 10pm). Released at 2pm on the day, online only, subject to availability and only where they do not interfere with day rods.
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Phone bookings: 07727 360428. Email: fishery@salmoscotland.co.uk.
Tight lines,
Greig, Wormit Fishery
