Lake of Menteith

Lake of Menteith sits at Port of Menteith, near Aberfoyle in Stirlingshire. It’s Scotland’s only natural lake and covers roughly 700 acres, so this is proper boat fishing rather than a quick chuck from a little day-ticket pool. With three islands and plenty of open water to work out, it’s the sort of place where a bit of forward planning can make the whole session feel much more bob on.

• 1 lake: Main Lake
• Fish: trout, pike
• Tickets from: Pike tackle hire — £10
• Find it: Aberfoyle · FK8 3RA

Based on how each lake is set up — not a ranking.

Lake of Menteith sits at Port of Menteith, near Aberfoyle in Stirlingshire. It’s Scotland’s only natural lake and covers roughly 700 acres, so this is proper boat fishing rather than a quick chuck from a little day-ticket pool. With three islands and plenty of open water to work out, it’s the sort of place where a bit of forward planning can make the whole session feel much more bob on.

Fishing is boat-only, and there’s a fleet of 36 fifteen-foot boats available. Each one comes with an outboard engine, oars, a landing net and a drogue, so the main faff is getting yourself organised and choosing how you want to fish the water. Up to three people can fish from a boat, with at least 50 metres between boats. Anchoring and mooring aren’t allowed, and landing on the islands is forbidden, so keep everything boat-based from start to finish.

For trout anglers, the main draw is the regular stocking of rainbow and brown trout. The fish are reared on site and stocked weekly, while the lake is well known for dry-fly and buzzer fishing. That gives you two cracking routes to think about before setting off. Pack a sensible fly selection, tippet and layers for a day on open water, or check with the tackle shop about what’s available when you arrive. The fishery also has rod hire, which can be arranged in advance.

There’s a proper pike scene here too, with a substantial wild population. Pike may reach around 30 lb, and the reported lake record is 39 lb 8 oz. Fly fishing for pike is available throughout the main season, while some summer PAAS-provided evenings are lure-only. Winter lure and sea-deadbait fishing is more restricted, with six special days available through PAAS or PAC. The standard general rule is fly fishing only, so no trolling, hand-lining or bait fishing outside those stated pike opportunities.

A little care with conditions matters on a big natural lake. The fishery asks anglers to limit catch-and-release for trout when the water temperature rises above 20C, and pike fishing should be avoided when the noon temperature at six feet is over 18C. All pike must go back unharmed, trout under 11 inches must be returned, and barbless or debarbed hooks are required for catch and release. Life jackets or buoyancy aids supplied by the fishery must be worn, and only fishery-provided nets, mats, drogues and fish bags can be used in the boats.

The cabin has a permit office, tackle shop and refreshments or cafe facilities, with fly tackle, flies and tippet available. Online booking is available, and payment is taken on arrival by cash or card. Check the latest session details before travelling, especially if booking a late-day outing, and ask the fishery about weather, boat arrangements and the best approach for your target species. Severe weather can affect bookings, so having a flexible plan is a smart move.

Good background reading. Most of it is a few years old, so treat it as a starting point and ask on the day.

Videos linked by the fishery

• Our read

  Checked Sept '26 — “Lake of Menteith is a proper boat-only Scottish fishery, with weekly-stocked rainbow and brown trout, dry-fly and buzzer sport, plus a cracking wild pike population. It’s a big, open-water venue with plenty to think about before you shove off.”

This is our own summary of recurring public feedback and the venue details we checked, not a copied customer review or a promise you’ll catch. Feedback changes, so we keep it separate from the Tackle Index score.