High and Dry on the Lake of Menteith: A Week of Superb Surface Sport

Posted by Craig Barr on May 26, 2025

There’s something about early May on the Lake of Menteith that always holds promise—but this year, the weather turned the dial well past “unseasonal.” Hot, still, sun-baked days stretched across my week, accompanied by little more than a whisper of wind. For most, these conditions might spell a challenge on stillwater. But the Lake, with its unique ecology and abundant fly life, turned up the volume on surface sport, as the fish took advantage of the consistent flies hatching all throughout the days.

Upon arriving, each morning by the boat dock, fish could be seen rising, right across the Lake. The days ahead, followed a similar pattern, with Lochend, Kates Brae, Road End, Sandy Bay, and Rookery point into Gateside Bay, proving to be consistent spots, holding fish, though I always feel with the Lake, you could stop anywhere and catch a fish ! The fish were very tight in to the shores on many banks, literally just yards out. This was something that was new to me here, and something Douglas couldn’t even answer as to why the fish were so tight in, despite the water temperature nearing 17 degrees in the margins.

Sandy Bay, in particular, came alive with mayfly feeders, from the Monday to Wednesday, in particular. I had never seen this many May flies here before. There was something magical about watching them dance in the sky, to then drop onto the water, only to swiftly be eaten by the fish. With fish holding high in the water throughout the week, floating lines became the obvious choice, though a 6’ slow tip line worked well on the Monday & Tuesday. Whether you were fishing dries, emergers, or static nymphs, it was all about staying delicate and staying high. We found size 12 buzzers, muskins and diawl bachs worked well, suspended by a size 10, or 12 fab, though by the Thursday, size 14’s were definitely what was needed, as the fish, now seemed to ignore the size 12’s !!

With 35 boats on the lake most days, the pressure began to show. Fish that were freely sipping earlier in the week grew increasingly cautious. Larger flies that once got a look were being ignored. Towards the end of the week, I found myself scaling down—by Friday, my cast was built entirely around size 14s. It certainly became a game of finesse. I fished an 18’ leader with a size 12 diawl bach on the point, and 2 size 14 muskins crunchers up the cast. I had used Flash Attack’s 8LB F1 Flurocarbon for all my fishing this week.

Then came Friday, my last day.

The sky thickened with cloud cover, and the temperature dipped just enough to stir things up. Suddenly, the caution was gone. The surface was alive again, late afternoon, but this time with real commitment. Drifting between the two islands was the hot spot, as rising fish came up in there droves. It was hard to tell what they were taking, as many didn’t seem to break the surface. I have a feeling they were chasing fry, having spotted a shoal there the day before. I have seen similar behaviour on Rutland, and a single shuttlecock seems to do the trick. You cannot beat that ‘slow motion’ seizing of your fly off the surface !!

It was one of those rare afternoons where it felt like you could do no wrong—presentation mattered, of course, but the fish were having it!. I landed several beautifully conditioned rainbows between 3 and 6lb, all on a single size 14 shuttlecock, and missed several others. Super exciting sport ! These fish went like torpedo’s making all the more fun.

By the end of the week, I was left with a sense of quiet awe. The Lake of Menteith always has a trick or two up its sleeve—but this week, it offered the kind of consistent top-water action that fly anglers dream about. Between the mayfly hatches, the finicky feeding behavior, and that final, cloud-covered flourish, it was a masterclass in surface sport.

I’d like to thank, Fraser, Ian, Mark, Wes, and Roddy for making this another memorable trip to the Lake. Roll on my September visit !

Best flies for the week. Cut Throat Brown Muskins Cruncher, Crisp packet Buzzer, Quill Buzzer, Tequila Fab, Neon Fab, Flash Back Black Muskins, Black Diawl Bach, Buzzer Shuttlecock

Best areas – Lochend, Chalets, Kates Brae, Road End, Sandy Bay, Rookery Point. These are the areas we caught well at. Other areas I had heard of were, around Dog Island, Malling Shore, & Hotel Bay.

Best lines used – 6’ slow and fast tip, and floating lines. The 12’ slow tip worked well on Saturday only. Floating line was the best overall.

Flurocarbon – Flash Attack’s Warrior F1 8LB for all fishing. Nymph/Dries

Number of fish for the week (6 days) 120 Avearge per day 20

I'd like to also extend my thanks to Douglas at the Lake, for coming to pick me up at a nearby garage, after an unexpected car breakdown. That's what I call going the extra mile for your customers - thanks Douglas.

The links below will show you the weeks best overall consistent flies, and flurocarbon line used. All are available at www.fashattackflies.com

Muskin's Cruncher Fly Orange CODE HC19 (s10,12,14) – FlashAttackFlies

Crisp Packet Buzzer Fly CODE HHB3 (s10,12,14) – FlashAttackFlies

Flurocarbon Fishing Line 7,8,9,10, & 12lb 100m Spools – FlashAttackFlies

Shuttlecock Fly Red Butt CODE BD6 (s12,14) – FlashAttackFlies

Until next time...

Tight lines,