Faughlin Reservoir is an old reservoir that sits in the Carron Valley to the east of the main Carron Valley Reservoir and is operated as a small Stillwater by the Carron Valley Fishery. It has more of a “club” feel to it and I understand there is a fairly regular group of season ticket members who frequent the water giving it this atmosphere.
Getting to Faughlin Reservoir Trout Fishery
Faughlin Reservoir Trout Fishery is located just off Tak-ma-doon Road, the back road that leads from (roughly) Carron Bridge to Kilsyth. As such it is easy enough to reach by car if you are at all familiar with the road to Carron Valley.
Access
Easy to get to by car, the Tak-Ma-Doon Road is a little wider than single track but still take your time on it as there are often cyclists and tractors round bends. You won’t miss the fishery, it is well signed and the parking is on hard gravel standing.
Public Transport
It should be no surprise that being out here in the wilds there isn’t likely to be much in the way of public transport. I am not aware of any bus services that pass nearby but maybe there is something between Denny and Fintry I am unaware of. You would need to investigate. I suspect your best bet, without a car would be to get to Kilsyth or Dunipace and get a Taxi from there. Stirling would be a little further.
Details
Contact : 01324823698
Species: Rainbow Trout, Blue Trout, and Brown Trout both wild and stocked.
Faughlin is a relatively small now disused ( as a public water supply) reservoir, that is easy to walk round and fish in a few hours (distance wise anyway). As it is a reservoir, the ground around it isn’t manicured or surfaced in any way. I would recommend waterproof walking boots, welly boots or waders. On the route around there are three burns to cross and if it has been raining you will need to step in them a bit to get round, they are not deep but be aware. Some of the ground is pretty rough and overgrown with high grass. It is the nature of the place, so be aware.
It is stocked regularly with some very high-quality Trout. Mostly Rainbow Trout but I am aware there are Browns in the loch. I imagine some will be wild, I am not sure if Browns are stocked too.
The water has a club water feel to it and as Season tickets can be purchased there are a number of regulars who frequent the water so it is going to get that club type atmosphere. However, it is a place you might regularly get all to yourself or maybe one or two other anglers. There is plenty of space to spread out. There are a couple of boats on the water but whether they are used for fishing I could not say. There are four or five wooden platforms but if the water is high you may need to step through water to reach them, again worth taking suitable footwear. I don’t know if wading is allowed, the bottom looked quite rocky and I suspect it drops away rather quickly as it looks deep ( look at the height of the outside of the dam wall to get some idea). If the gate is locked call Carron Valley for access.
The outflow from Faughlin Reservoir joins the River Carron just above Carron Bridge.
Facilities
There is an onsite portacabin which acts as an office/lodge for the water. It is nothing fancy but I think Jimmy the owner has some snacks for sale and he will make you a cup of tea or coffee if you want. Even if he is off-site, he may offer to leave the cabin open for you to get shelter or warm-up on inclement days. Species : The loch is stocked with high average size Rainbow trout. I would say bigger than the average commercial trout fishery. If you connect with a fish you will soon know about it. I know it also holds good sized Brown Trout, there will be wild fish but I imagine some Browns are stocked too. Rules : I was not informed of any special restrictions, so imagine the rules are much the same as Carron Valley ie. it is Fly only, and minimise fish handling on Catch and Release
Value For Money
Prices are pretty much the same as most local waters, 8 hours Catch and Release is £18 ( 2019) and a 4x fish 8-hour ticket is £25. I will say though the average size of fish is definitely higher than most waters so that is very good value.
Website
As part of the Carron Valley fishery the water is covered by the same site. It is modern and kept reasonably up to date. They also have a social media presence on Facebook and this is regularly updated with info about both fisheries. URL: http://www.carronvalley.com
Personal Opinion
I would have to say that Faughlin Reservoir Trout Fishery is a little gem of a small stillwater. It combines the fairly unmanicured ruggedness of club waters like Cocksburn Reservoir and Coulter, with a very high average size, high-quality stocking of Rainbow Trout. Jimmy Feeney who runs the water is a really nice guy and always good for a bit of chat. Very easy going he will give you as much help and information as he can to ensure you have a good day. It is not going to be ideal for anglers with mobility issues as the majority of the loch surrounds are rough countryside, but there are 4 or 5 platforms to fish from and if you are ok with these then you can still enjoy the water without venturing too far “off road”. It is not a big water so for the more mobile can be circumnavigated in 3-4 hours with fishing all the way round. Dress appropriately, it’s on a hill and does get weather to match, and you will have a great day. Well worth searching out, a bit different to its big brother Carron Valley but very good fun.
