Allan Water Angling Improvement Association (AWAIA)

The Allan is special to those trout, salmon and sea trout anglers that fish it regularly as it’s a puzzle that often rewards. As a new angler to it, you will quickly realise that it is easy fished and can be fished all day or just for a few hours here and there, again with results. And for those anglers that used to fish it and have come back to it because of the numbers of fish in the river, there is a genuine vibe of positivity around the river. Get to know this river, the more you learn about it the greater the rewards and the more it will teach you too because of its intimate size and close proximity fishing. Choose where you fish depending on the conditions ie. if it’s windy, fish the mid to lower sections; if the water is coloured and higher, try further upstream. There are many more top tips which will follow below, and more for you to discover for yourself.

The River Allan (Uisge Alain), aka the Allan Water, runs from the Ochil Hills East of Blackford and flows South loosely following the A9 main road. It flows through Greenloaning, Kinbuck, Ashfield, Dunblane, and Bridge of Allan, to finally meet the river Forth in Cornton near Stirling. Edinburgh, Glasgow and Perth are only a 30-60 minute drive from Kinbuck which is the middle of the river’s catchment.

The AWAIA operates the fishing from the very upper limit at Greenloaning road bridge (A822) below the River Knaik and the Allan Water confluence, all the way down to the tidal waters near the confluence with the River Forth. The fishing spans some 15 miles on both banks, however there are some restricted areas of fishing and these are clearly marked on the provided map. The restricted areas are privately owned and not within the AWAIA fishing permit, so please take note of these “no fishing” areas, some of which are single and double bank restrictions. There is a section of the River Allan reserved for full AWAIA season permit holders only. This is on the true right bank (right bank looking downstream) below the Greenloaning Bridge and is fishable down to where the Feddal Burn joins the Allan. All daily permit holders will find that their upstream limit is the Muckle Burn which flows in to the West side of the Allan.

The Allan Water is often described in three parts, Upper, Mid, and Lower. It is a narrow river that drains farmland and rises and falls quickly with heavy rain. There is next to no litter in the river and the wildlife on the river is exemplary and a testament to the health of the ecosystem. The Upper reaches from Greenloaning through to the top of Ashfield, including the Balhaldie section, are generally slow and meander through the wide open arable and pastoral glacial scour with big skies and incredible sunsets over Cromlix Estate, the Trossachs and beyond. There are slower sections of shallow and broken water between deep pools that undercut the high grassy banks. Often rewards are there for an angler if you push yourself and walk that little bit further to discover the next pool. There are very few occasions when you will be any more than ankle depth in the river when fishing the upper section, if not most of the river. Some very special Brown Trout are caught in the upper reaches above Kinbuck, and it pays to think about trout, sea trout and salmon when preparing for your fishing here. The best advice for any fishing in the upper section is “think stealth” – stay below the skyline if possible and avoid multiple false casts and splashing. Ashfield to Dunblane is where the river starts to cut sandstone bedrock and flows through gorge in many parts. It has the most wonderful broken water with oxygenated pools and pockets that can hold fish, especially when the sea trout and grilse start to run from May/June onwards. If you are prepared to put a little bit of walking in, the river offers gorgeous named pools all the way to Dunblane, but don’t dismiss the runs between the pools as there are strange rock formations that have very deep lies. Trout fishing is not as popular in the mid section, however there are still some fabulous trout to be had so don’t dismiss it. On the true left bank below the Wharry Burn to just above Bridge of Allan (Bofa), and a little section on the right bank above the weir and bridge of Bridge of Allan, there is some exceptional fly fishing water for all species. Below the Bofa bridge the Allan is fishable down to the tidal reaches of the River Forth. There are some spots where great sea trout can be picked up and fresh salmon coming in off the tide especially after a lift of water.

• Balhaldie services offers a Starbucks on the Southbound side next to the Shell garage.
• Hotels, Travelodges, B&B’s, cafes, restaurants are available across all of the local towns, especially near the bridges of Dunblane and Bridge of Allan.
• Gleneagles is 10-15 minutes drive from Kinbuck.