Fishing Lake of Menteith

By Alex Clayton · Updated 23 October 2026

Lake of Menteith is Scotland’s only natural lake. The rest are lochs. It covers about 700 acres near Port of Menteith in Stirlingshire, 20 minutes west of Stirling and under an hour from Glasgow or Edinburgh.

Lake of Menteith fishing is boat only. There is no bank fishing: you hire one of the fishery’s boats and fish fly only for stocked rainbow and brown trout, with fly-pike in season and a handful of special lure and deadbait pike days.

This guide covers booking, the fishery rules, trout and pike tactics, close times and warm-water limits, and nearby waters if the boats are full.

Why Lake of Menteith Fishes Differently: Boat Only, Shallow and Sheltered

Why would a 700-acre lake fish like a dry-fly water? Because most of it is shallow. The fishery says surface tactics predominate, and the lake is best known for dry fly and buzzer fishing.

It is stocked weekly with rainbow and brown trout reared on site. Three islands and an indented shoreline give shelter on a windy day, while the open water still catches enough breeze for a ripple.

Every angler fishes from a hire boat. The Menteith fishery runs around three dozen 15ft boats, each supplied with an outboard, oars, a landing net and a drogue.

The lake is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, and Inchmahome Priory stands on the largest island. The fishery also describes it as the main venue for national trout fly championships.

On a small bank-fished stocked pool you pick a peg. Here, the boat and the drift are the method. For more waters to build a trip around, see our guide to other Perthshire and Central Scotland lochs.

Lake of Menteith Tickets, Boat Hire and How to Book

Boat and permit prices are set each season, so plan around the fishery’s own 2026 table on its prices and timings page rather than a figure quoted elsewhere.

The fishery does spell out how a day is priced:

Prices are quoted for catch and release.
Catch and keep adds £3 per fish kept, up to 4 fish per angler.
Winter prices are reduced by one eighth.
Late sessions run 2pm to 10pm from 1 May to 15 August 2026.
A £38 membership card gives 10% off boats, permits and products, plus priority booking.

Book online or through the fishery shop, then pay on arrival by cash or card. Large bookings can pay by bank transfer or cheque. Up to three anglers can share a boat, and all may fish.

Rod hire is by enquiry. For tuition or guiding, call the fishery on 01877 385664. On a first visit, tell the shop staff, and they will ask a boatman to show you the boat and engine.

Fishing as a pair or a group of three? Book one boat and split the cost. Check with the fishery before you travel.

Lake of Menteith Fishery Rules You Need to Know

Read these rules before you pack and you will not bring a single item you cannot use. All come from the fishery’s published rules unless noted:

Fly fishing only on the trout fishery. No trolling, hand lining or bait.
Barbless or debarbed hooks when fishing catch and release.
Return all fish under 11 inches (about 28cm).
Keep at least 50m from other boats. No anchoring or mooring.
A maximum of three people per boat, and no landing on the islands.
Wear the buoyancy aid or lifejacket provided, which the fishery cites as an HSE requirement. Boat seats must be strapped in place.
Only the landing nets, unhooking mats, drogues and fish bags supplied by the fishery may go in the boats. Leave your own net at home.
Every boat hands in a catch return, blanks included, according to the fishery’s pike fishing page.

For tactics, the no-anchoring rule matters most. It means you fish on the drift all day, which shapes everything in the next section.

Most of the list comes down to two habits: use the fishery’s kit, and keep your distance on the drift.

Trout Tactics on Lake of Menteith: Dry Fly, Buzzers and Where to Drift

Forget named marks. On a shallow lake stocked every week, fish move with the wind and the hatch, so the drift you choose matters more than any spot on a map.

Start with a floating line. A typical stillwater set-up of a 9 to 10ft rod for a #6 or #7 line, with a long leader of 12ft or more, suits the shallow water and lets you present dries and buzzers in or just under the surface film. That fits how the fishery describes Lake of Menteith trout fishing, where surface tactics predominate. New to dries? Our dry fly fishing guide covers the basics.

Put the supplied drogue out to slow the drift. Set the boat so the wind carries you along a shoreline or past an island edge, not straight across open water, and hold the 50m gap from other boats.

The three islands and the indented shoreline create most of the edges worth working. The fishery’s website includes a map of the lake, and the shop is the place to ask where fish have been showing.

Weekly stocking means some fish are recent arrivals. On any stillwater, fresh stockies often respond to a more active pattern pulled through the ripple, so carry a few alongside the dries.

Menteith suits anglers happy to cast from a boat all day. If you only want bank fishing, the alternatives below are a better fit.

Pike Fishing on Lake of Menteith: Fly-Pike and Special Access Days

According to the fishery, Lake of Menteith holds the Ladies UK pike record of 39lb 8oz (about 17.9kg). It also says to expect around six pike per boat per day, with fish to 30lb (13.6kg).

Fly-pike is the method on normal fishery days, and all pike must be returned. The fishery requires:

A 9 or 10 weight rod with a pike-proof leader.
Single barbless hooks no bigger than size 6.
Unhooking pliers, a mat and a net, with every fish unhooked outside the boat.

Fly-pike tackle hire costs £10 per rod kit with an £80 deposit. See our guides to fly fishing for pike and how to unhook a pike.

The fishery asks anglers not to fish for pike when the noon water temperature at 6ft is above 18C.

Lure and deadbait fishing is limited to six winter days run through PAAS or the PAC, plus some PAAS lure-only summer evenings. The rules on those days:

Sea deadbaits only. No freshwater baits.
Minimum 50lb braid or 25lb mono.
Lures at least 6 inches long, with trebles no bigger than 2/0.
All fish returned, trout included.

Most visits mean fly-pike. To lure or deadbait, confirm dates with the organisers or the fishery well ahead.

Seasons, Close Times and Warm-Water Limits

Two Scottish laws matter here, and only one covers trout. Under section 17 of the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 2003, the annual close time for trout in inland waters runs from 7 October to 14 March inclusive. The fishery publishes winter prices, so ask it what is fished in winter and on what terms.

The other, the Sunday ban, is a salmon rule. Section 13 sets the weekly close time for salmon, and the fishery lists itself as open Monday to Sunday.

Day sessions run 8am to 5pm, with evening sessions to 11pm.

Above 20C, the fishery asks anglers to limit catch and release because the lake runs short of oxygen, and to release fish in the net without lifting them out of the water. Pike have a lower cut-off of 18C, covered above. See UK fishing close seasons explained.

In a heatwave, fish less and keep every fish in the water.

Nearby Alternatives to Lake of Menteith

Boats fully booked for the weekend? These Central Scotland waters make a backup, or a second day on the same trip:

Loch Leven: our guide covers tickets and tactics for a second day.
Carron Valley: another Central Scotland water to compare on rules and access.
Butterstone Loch: a Perthshire option for a change of scene.
Loch Lomond: a much larger loch, covered in its own guide.

For every venue in the area, browse our Perthshire and Central Scotland fishing guide.

Frequently asked questions

Can you fish from the bank at Lake of Menteith?

No. Lake of Menteith is boat only, and all fishing is from the fishery's hire fleet. Each boat comes with an outboard, oars, a landing net and a drogue, and up to three anglers can share one, all fishing.

Can you use bait at Lake of Menteith?

Not on the trout fishery, which is fly only with no trolling, hand lining or bait. Lures and sea deadbaits are allowed only on the special PAC and PAAS pike days, with their own tackle rules.

Is Sunday fishing banned at Lake of Menteith?

No. Scotland's statutory Sunday ban, in section 13 of the 2003 Act, applies to salmon. Lake of Menteith lists its opening days as Monday to Sunday, so Sunday is a normal fishing day there.

Do I need a rod licence to fish Lake of Menteith?

Your boat and permit come from the fishery, so ask when you book whether you need anything else. Our guide to fishing licences across the UK explains the position in each nation. Check with the fishery before you travel.