Wormit Trout Fishery Weekly Report – w/c 20th October 2025
Autumn mildness, flat calms, and a surface feeding frenzy. This past week has delivered another great spell of sport, with the mild conditions keeping fish high in the water and feeding hard. Some have done well, others very well, and a few have struggled — but that’s fishing, and that’s what keeps it interesting. The loch has been alive with movement — vast numbers of trout locked onto smuts and tiny naturals, rising freely through most of the day. When it’s flat, the rises are relentless.
That said: rods fishing actively have done best. The bung has had its moments, but those pulling flies through the top two feet — particularly hot-head damsels, Diawl Bachs, and Orange Apps — have been cleaning up. The fish are sitting shallow, aggressive, and chasing hard, and when they want it moved, nothing subtle will outfish a confidently retrieved fly.
📌 Summary (Read This First)
- Rod average: around 7 fish per rod; fish to 7 lb+ landed; average weight just under 3 lb. Several lovely browns to 5 lb caught too.
- Depth: top 2 ft of water.
- Top tactics: pulling hot-head damsels, Diawl Bachs, Apps, and buzzers on floaters or midge-tips. Eggs under the bung still scoring tight to the edges.
- Smuts: fish visibly locked onto smuts when it’s calm — surface or just sub-surface feeding across the loch.
- Conditions: high water level, crystal clear, and minimal wind most of the week; vast numbers of visible risers.
- Weed/debris: leaves now falling heavily, forming slicks with some weed cuttings around the island, lagoon, and old causeway. These slicks are stuffed with fish — short casts and fast pulls through the debris are producing savage takes.
🎣 Angler Highlights
- Scott Pozzi – 17 rainbows (9 on midge-tip, 6 on bung with DBs/buzzers, and 2 on dries). “Loads of fish moving – top day, timed it perfectly before the heavy rain.”
- Scott Fraser – 20 fish landed in what was an outstanding session. Scott also landed his long-awaited Wormit gold brown trout (see photo), along with numerous rainbows. “Probably the best day’s sport I’ve ever had here.” Small olive/pearl naturals with red/orange hot-heads consistent; 3 ft washing-line and 6 ft midge-tip for pulling damsels. He is back to morrow for more!!
- Robbie Gibson – 6 fish landed, fishing the margins during a 4-hour visit; all in superb condition.
- Joe Giacchetto – 5 fish for himself and 1 for his brother on Wednesday — steady sport throughout the day.
- Ian Crighton – 12 fish between two rods; several in the 5–7 lb class. “Quality fish and a great day’s sport.”
- Paul Peacock – 7 Fish landed
- Other rods – constant surface movement reported all week. Every method had its moment — confidence and persistence continue to be the deciding factors.
🎣 Standout Tactics
- Pulling patterns: hot-head damsels, small buzzers, and Diawl Bachs in sizes 12–14, fished confidently just below the surface.
- Bung tactics: eggs and buzzers fished 2–3 ft under an indicator — reliable when fish push into the margins.
- Dries/Buzzers: in calm spells, size 16–18 buzzers, small dark CDCs, and Shipman’s buzzers have been excellent for covering visibly feeding fish.
- Confidence flies: fish are feeding so hard that almost anything will get takes if fished with conviction. If in doubt — pull fast. Really fast. You’ll at least get follows and bow waves. Hang your fly properly; that alone will improve your hook-up rate significantly if fish are chasing.
🌤 Weather & Sun Times (Dundee, Wed–Sun)
Outlook: Remaining mild for late October with minimal wind mid-week, some rain and fresher air into the weekend. Water temperature steady around 13–14 °C — perfect for trout on the feed.
- Wed 22 Oct: 14 °C / 9 °C – light winds, partly cloudy. Sunrise 07:53 • Sunset 17:57
- Thu 23 Oct: 14 °C / 8 °C – bright with thin cloud. Sunrise 07:55 • Sunset 17:54
- Fri 24 Oct: 13 °C / 8 °C – overcast, light showers. Sunrise 07:57 • Sunset 17:51
- Sat 25 Oct: 13 °C / 7 °C – cloudy, light breeze. Sunrise 07:59 • Sunset 17:48
- Sun 26 Oct: clocks back overnight – 12 °C / 6 °C – cooler, scattered showers. Sunrise 07:05 • Sunset 16:45
🧱 Grounds & Maintenance Update
- South-side point (near the bridge): reinforced and re-gravelled — now level, safe, and much improved (see photos).
- Parking & banks: 6 tonnes of gravel delivered last week to resurface the staff parking area and stabilise the far bank.
- Jetty removal: the old jetty nearest the smaller footbridge is being removed as it’s no longer required and has deteriorated — the new peg opposite provides better access.
- Footwear: it’s autumn — banks can be muddy, particularly with high water. Please wear suitable footwear.
- Grass cutting: the final cut of the season will be done on the next dry, breezy day to tidy the site for winter.
💡 Owner’s Advice
- Keep it moving: fish are keyed on movement — if in doubt, speed up.
- Fish amongst the debris: leaves and floating weed hold both food and fish. Short casts and quick retrieves through the gaps work wonders. Try stalking bugs too — they can be deadly.
- Stay shallow: most fish are feeding high; only drop deeper when the light’s harsh or the wind pushes fish down. A midge-tip at most.
- Stay alert: fish are everywhere. Watch for boils and surface flicks and cover them immediately.
- Fish care: barbless/de-barbed only; keep fish wet, photos in the net, quick unhooks and releases.
📢 Opening & Pricing
- Opening: Wednesday to Sunday (Mon/Tue rest & maintenance).
- Hours: full-day permits only (dawn–dusk). Evening sessions return in March.
- Winter pricing: Catch & Release £26.50 (1 Oct – 31 Mar). Rods capped at 12 for space and quality.
- Gift Vouchers: Christmas is coming — vouchers available online (link below).
📲 Bookings & Season Pass
Autumn fishing doesn’t get better than this. Mild air, visible risers, and fish that want to chase. If you’re planning a trip, now’s the week.
🎟 Book Day Tickets Online
💳 Season Pass — £500 for 25 visits (£20/session)
🎁 Gift Vouchers Available
There are so many fish in the loch just now that there are no quiet areas. The far side is often underfished, while the gravel point and sluice remain popular. It pays to go off-piste — don’t be scared to move.
Tight lines,
Greig — Wormit Trout Fishery
