Description
Salmon and trout fishing near Gleneagles
The River Earn offers trout, grayling, sea trout and salmon fishing close to Gleneagles, and located 1 hour north of Edinburgh and Glasgow. The river Earn starts its 46miles journey in Loch Earn and flows east towards the sea in the River Tay estuary near the city of Perth.
The upper reaches of the river are vibrant and fast flowing offering challenging and exciting fly fishing opportunities. As the river nears Auchterarder and the Gleneagles area, it becomes a deeper slower flowing river which meanders through farmlands and on towards the sea near Abernethy.
October – prime time for salmon
October is prime time on the River Earn for salmon, and fishing extends beyond the end of the salmon season on the Tay of October 15th and continues on the Earn to the end of October. This is a real bonus for salmon anglers looking to squeeze extra value out of the fishing season. If you get conditions right on the Earn in October, it’s difficult to have a bad day fishing.
The River Earn is one of Scotland’s most productive sea trout rivers. In the year 2020, there was a rise in catch rates.
The Lochlane and Laggan fishings offers some of the best runs and pools in this river. The beat is positioned between Comrie and Crieff and nestles in the picturesque Strathearn valley. There’s just over 2 miles of double bank fishing and 0.3 miles of single banks. There are 32 named pools and three fishing huts. The Middle Beat hut was completed last year in 2020, replacing the old iconic hut that stood for many years.
It’s possible to spin cast and fly fish on this beat. Our advice is to do both. There are runs and glides that are simply mouthwatering for the fly and slower deeper pools worth trying a spinning lure like a salmo toby or Rapala.
Things to do in the area for non anglers – a perfect day out for couples
If you are a non angler coming to the Earn, this is a paradise. There are some of the finest riverside walks in Scotland and excellent paths which have been created. This offers beautiful tranquil walking paths along the rivers, a chance to soak up the scenery and wildlife. Glenturret distillery is nearby as it the market town of Crieff which offers many interested independent shops.
The Lochlane beat of the Earn is easily accessible from Gleneagles Hotel, and only an hour from Edinburgh and Glasgow.
In addition, Drummond Gardens is one of Europe’s finest examples of formal gardens. In 1842 Queen Victoria visited the gardens and the beach tree she planted to commemorate her visit is still in situ. The gardens were also used in the filming of the TV series Outlander.
Slightly further afield is a stunning drive through the “Sma Glen” this is a mini version of Glencoe, a scenic valley of the River Almond. The Glen featured in the 1981 movie Chariots of fire and General Wade built a road through here. A great valley for spotting wildlife. We see lots of Grouse when driving through this glen.
