Stirling Fishery - River Forth & Teith

This beautiful dual fishery has been providing anglers great sport for hundreds of years and no one cares more about the wellbeing of the fishery than the anglers themselves. Anglers can enjoy views of Stirling Castle and the Wallace Monument as a backdrop to the excellent fishing or Ben Ledi from the Teith stretch in Callander, and really feel a sense of history, and environment in the heart of Scotland. With Spring salmon from as early as February, to the later runs in October productive fishing can be found throughout the year.

The Teith beat is situated in the heart of Callander. As Callander is the outdoor capital of the Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park, it offers a great base to sample this fishery. The Forth beat is located below Stirling Castle, with the scenery to rival many beats in Scotland. Throw in good access with the beat situated just off the M9 and 30/40 minute drive from both Glasgow and Edinburgh, this is one fishery to try out.

The Teith beat is situated in the heart of Callander. As Callander is the outdoor capital of the Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park, it offers a great base to sample this fishery.

The Forth beat is located below Stirling Castle, with the scenery to rival many beats in Scotland. Throw in good access with the beat situated just off the M9 and 30/40 minute drive from both Glasgow and Edinburgh, this is one fishery to try out.

0.7m on the SEPA gauge for coincidentally ‘Callander’ and ‘Craigforth’ is perfect for both of these beats. A dropping water after a spate is all that is required on the Teith for best results, and steady to low water on the Forth is better suited to hold fish in the pools longer that come up off the tides. The Teith offers a chance of a Springer from as early as the 1st of February, and the Forth generally starts to hook fish from May/June. Sea Trout and Grilse enter the river in May/June also, and the fishing for both species in both beats can be great fun. Fly and spin fishing is permitted, no worm, see rules. There are pools that perform in Spring, some in Summer and some in Autumn, and again some pools suit a spinner, some are best fished with a fly. The best time to fish here is Midsummer to October. The Spring is often dismissed by local anglers who head upstream to the Teith. On the Teith beat, Turn pool is fished best from the inside bend on the right bank, however it can be fished at the neck from the left bank. The Islands is a small stretch of fast shallow water that holds running fish in a very small pocket before they dart up and through to the Geisher pool above. Wading here is generally shallow enough but swift, so take a wading stick. The Geisher is the favourite pool for fly fishers. There are two taking spots, one being at the top of the pool as the streamy water slows in the far-to-middle opposite a large log on the right bank. The second is down from the wooden disabled platform, this is the main taking spot. Concentrate all the way down this pool and cast a long line and bring it right round. Sea Trout will show in the tail of the pool in the evenings. The Green Isle is a lovely pool but requires a little bit of bank scrambling and awkward wading. The next pool within the permit is the Black Hole. This pool is the perfect spinning pool and provides a good number of fish in Spring. Tom Na Khessog pool just upstream of the red bridge is a good cast from either bank, spin from the right bank and fly from the left is the norm unless it is high. Norman’s Pool is the eddy or lagoon and this holds good Brown Trout and Sea Trout. Salmon will sit on the edge of the current all season. Car Park Run is fished from the Meadows Car Park. It is busy and ‘touristy’ so best fished during quieter periods. It is great spinning water normally, however over 0.7m it is ideal fly water. Post Office Pool is a good spinning pool. The Bathing and Pipers Pools are the most productive pools on the SCF Teith beat. Fished from the left bank they are best enjoyed with the fly. The Meetings is excellent fly water and holds fish all season. This is an excellent spot for Brown Trout and Sea Trout too down to the tail of Bathing pool. The River Leny fishing of the SCF permit is a small section up to the iron bridge and difficult to fish from your bank. The fishing is available on the far bank via Fish Around the Forth under the beat name ‘Little Leny’. The cycle trail to Strathyre crosses the bridge and this is the top of the beat. The small section of the Eas Gobhain is an excellent spot for Sea Trout. On the Forth beat, the lowest pool is tidal and very difficult to time right, therefore the lowest pools to focus on as a start is the Piers, the North Bend, Allan Mouth and the Stabbs. These pools are all spinning pools as they are slow, however a lot of fish hold here as they are potentially Allan fish confused or adjusting to the smell of the river. Either bank is fishable with a spinner. Treeline is the lowest fly pool on the beat and it is fished from the island on the right bank. The Bedshot pool can be fished from either the left or right banks and it makes the trip down to the Treeline worth while. Fly fishing is preferred in the shallow streams of the Bedshot. It holds a number of fish and the middle stream is the most productive. Wading to cover this from either bank is possible, however it seems best from the left bank. ‘The Fast Water’ is a grilse pool or run, a single hander with small flies in July and August is great sport here. Upstream from there is The Trap, left bank only, and offering a place to see fish ‘head and tail’ off the tide. Spin or fly fish here with anticipation. High Bank is left bank only and it is spinning water. The Dykes pool was the most productive pool of the country in 2010 with 60 fish in a day. This also made the beat the most productive beat in Scotland. Local anglers nickname it “The Honey Pot”. Fly fishing is preferred here in all heights, spinning is worth a go in high water. On the left bank, inside bend, start opposite the disabled platform staying out of the water completely. The fish run up the edge of the corner from the narrow section below. Fish through the narrows and stop as the bank starts to raise from the river. This is a great place to see running fish and also witness several fish holding in the Bridge Pool above during the Autumn. The Bridge pool has a footbridge crossing the top of it. This is how anglers access the left bank from the VOSA station. Above the M9 bridge is The Motorway Bends, best fished from the left bank with a Devon Minnow in September and October. Lastly, The Green Bank is an excellent fly pool fished from the right bank.

There is no shortage of any facilities throughout Stirling and Callander. Seats, rod racks, platforms, disabled access, and manicured paths all add to the enjoyment of the fishing on both beats. Callander, Doune and Stirling surrounds all have many accommodation options. There are parking places marked on the map for both beats.