The Carron Valley reservoir is a 1000 acre expanse of water- created by the flooding of the Carron Valley in the 1930’s. It is one of the largest expanses of fresh water in the central belt of Scotland and also one of the most popular large still water venues for trout fly fishing north of the border. It is the location for numerous competitions both at regional and International level and I suppose is Scotland’s version of Rutland Water or Grafham (but without the shrimps!).
As of Season 2021, Carron Valley is no longer a day ticket water. It is a members only venue, anglers can pay an annual membership fee and fish the banks as much as they wish for free, and boats I think are about £10 a day. Please see the Carron Valley fishery website for the latest prices. The popular Carron Valley Masters competition is now only open to members of the water.Carron Valley Reservoir on a summers evening
For anglers used to fishing Scotland’s smaller still water fisheries, this is a seriously large venue. Fishing from the bank is possible though if you plan to walk around the reservoir, expect a long trek if you wish to fish the further afield shores, though you could, permit purchased, jump in your car and drive to an access point closer to your desired angling location. ( almost 4 miles of the north shore are available for bank fishing).
The loch harbors both stocked Rainbows as well as stocked and native Brown Trout
Fishing is session based so again like places such as North Third, you need to be there on time either 9am or 5:30 pm for the session you are interested in fishing.
Prices are currently in line with those of the other local fisheries, coming in at roughly £22 (2011) for a full session of approximately 8 hours per angler. ( with the boat fishing this includes the cost of hire, lifejackets and engine+fuel)
There is a catch limit of 4/5 fish per rod (Catch limits are confusingly contradictory on the Carron Valley website whether you look here, or here.)
Panorama of an unsettled and squally Carron Valley
As far as I could ascertain boat fishing has a bag limit of 4 fish and bank fishing 3. After that Catch and Release is allowed on barbless or debarbed hooks.
https://youtu.be/Xi2RDRuwv_c
Access
Access by car is easy simply head west out of Denny and watch for the 50 meter high dam blocking off the valley! The fishery entrance is on the right immediately after the dam wall. There is reasonable car parking but it can get congested at busy times. Over spill parking can be had by the dam. There is no public transport out here to the best of my knowledge, nearest bus would probably be Denny with a 15 minute taxi needed to reach the venue. Mobile phone coverage is poor so if relying on taxis prebook the return trip, don’t rely on calling from the fishery.
Facilities
For angling there are loads of boats with outboards, but Pre book to be sure of getting one, this is a busy water at weekends. The fishery has small stocks of flies and small tackle for sale like mono and fluorocarbon. There is a disinfecting area and weigh room to the rear of the carpark. The reservoir is seasonal and closes for the winter, hardly surprising given its size and the likelihood of it freezing over in the depths of winter.
Website
The website is fairly modern on appearance but lacks any sort of regular updates or reports. The site has had a recent make over since it became a members only venue. https://carronvalleyfishery.com/Species Rainbow ( to be confirmed) and Brown Trout (wild and stocked). There are tons of small fry and minnows in the margins . The Carron Valley reservoir is also famous for being one fo the last strong holds of the Powan, a roach like fish. One would imagine a pike or two here also.
Personal Opinion
I have to say on my only visit to Carron Valley, though the size is intimidating, I was impressed. Certainly I got the impression there was no lack of fish, there were loads where I fished from. The fish quality was good too and all the fish I caught were fully finned and strong, I have heard a few complaints on some bulletin boards suggesting poor quality fish. As most anglers appear to loiter near the dam wall and I would speculate a lot of the new fish go in here, then there is a high probability that the fresher fish caught are going to be in less good condition. This is probably true of many fisheries, especially those that don’t rear their own fish on site.
Certainly its a fishery I look forward to revisiting again this season.
Value for Money
Not bad if you are fishing for a full day, shorter sessions though work out quite pricey and if you plan on arriving at a time other than first thing or the start time for evening sessions in summer around 5pm you need to let them know as it isnt always staffed to the best of my knowledge.
Catch and Release
I don’t think there is a specific C&R ticket but you are allowed to fish C&R if you want under a normal ticket.
Overall:
A huge venue with lots of variety available in term sof locations to fish , not too expensive and fish close to double figures are – I seen an 8lb’er taken from the water. But hit it on a bad day when most of the stockies have been removed and a new stocking is due and you might ask yourself why you didn’t just go fishing somewhere with a wild head of trout, as thats all you will catch….which isn’t a bad thing in itself but not for the price of a weekend boat ticket.
Kenny learned to fish with the fly in his mid-teens. He fished around Musselburgh, mainly on the River Esk, and occasionally on the River Tweed when his Dad would take him. Kenny also fished The Water of Leith, Whitadder Reservoir, Gladhouse Reservoir, and the River Tyne near Haddington. While always enjoying the sport, he wasn't particularly successful and really needed someone to show him how to succeed.
While Kenny fished ocassionally throughout the years it was not until 2010 when looking for something to do in a summer when no holiday was booked, that he thought to pick up his Dad's old rod again. His enthusiasm was rekindled and it wasn't long before he and his son were thrashing the water to a foam at Swanswater, which by chance turned out to be very close to his home.
By now there were videos on You Tube, and fantastic TV series like Hywel Morgan's fly-fishing masterclass to instruct and inform and finally Kenny was catching fish.
In time he got back on the river, there aren't many great Trout or Grayling rivers immediately near home but accessing the Clyde, Tweed, Tummel and Annan was soon an option. Kenny started writing about his new found enthusiasm for fishing initially as a simple diary to review how he fared at particular venues. However in 2012 he contracted a long term arthritic condition and with each post also came the possibility that this might be the last time he would fish. His impetus to record the good days and bad on the water was multiplied.
While there have been ocassional periods of less activity than others, he is still fishing, and having added Photography to his fishing hobby as a way of breaking the day up physically hopefully his readers also enjoy some of the images from his outings.
Carron Valley Reservoir on a summers evening
Is Carron Valley open for business this season – 2017? The website’s down and nobody answers the phone.