aThe River Devon is a  lovely small river that meanders down from Glen Devon to enter the River Forth just south of  Tullibody. The section that is of interest to anglers starts just below Castlehill Reservoir at the east end of Glen Devon down to just above the outflow to the Forth, and is managed by the Devon Angling Association. There are a few sections that are off limits, a few sections that while permitted are exceptionally hard if not impossible to access and while the fly angler can attempt to fish all the accessible water, the water of most interest to fly fishing is from Tillicoultry upstream. The lower section while worth an occasional visit, is quite slow and of more interest to bait anglers.  The river meanders through the  countryside below Glen Devon and the soft silty soil in places means there is quite a bit of erosion  and when there is heavy rain, the river rises very quickly, and particularly below Dollar can turn to a consistency not unlike cold drinking chocolate. Also while you don’t feel particularly high or that you are gaining altitude as you venture up the side of the river along the A91, when you reach Fossoway, it can be a fair bit cooler and very windy on more unsettled days.   I don’t think it would be unfair to state that the Devon is a bit of a slow starter after the closed season, and you will do well to encounter fish much before mid April and often you are into May unless the weather has been especially kind. While it does rise very quickly, on the flip side when rain is not regular it can seem rather threadbare in places and on its bones. The fish are still there but you will need to be especially stealthy in your approach, staying well back from the sometimes quite high banks.   As far as species are concerned, the river harbours Salmon and Sea Trout as well as having a good head of wild Brown Trout. The stocking of the river with Browns stopped a few years back, and I suppose it might be possible still to encounter the odd long term resident stockie, but to all intents and purposes these fish have become naturalised to the river over several years.    One point all anglers need to be aware of is that there is NO SUNDAY FISHING anywhere on the river. So even above the Cauldron Linn which I understand is the limit of migratory fish passage, you can’t legitimately fish for Brown Trout on a Sunday. 

Access

The controlled water of the River Devon follows the A91 from Menstrie to Dollar where the two paths diverge slightly. The road veers slightly more northward than the river for a while until the river reaches Crook of Devon, where it turns sharply back North West and passes beneath the road at Fossoway, a short distance below the very top of the DAA water below Castlehill Reservoir.  Parking can be a little tricky to find along the river and some areas will require a walk in from the nearest parking spot. Some of the parking actually in layby’s on the A91 will require you to cross fields to reach the river  below. This isn’t though always a bad thing as it generally pays to get away off the beaten track to find the less pressured fish.   There are a few areas that you cannot fish and the map on the right shows the current restrictions base don the maps available on  the DAA website. While I have done my best to be accurate, always take the lead from the DAA.     

Dunning Glen

An easy section to park and gain access to the river though like much of the river, it can be heavily shaded by trees so casting can be challenging in places, especially in the height of the season. Also a bit of a well known spot for kids camping out in summer and you might need to navigate through rubbish left littering the banks by those who could not care less about the environment. It is possible to escape the crowds though and wade over the river to areas inaccessible to those not willing to get wet!

Fossoway

Fossoway is quite a long section with lots of lovely glides, runs and deep holes punctuated by flats that while holding fish can be hard to approach. The bank is high in places and the fish will see you long before you see them! However a rewarding area for the stealthy angler especially if you are willing to make a day of it and cover a lot of ground.  

Rumbling Bridge

Not an area I know well mainly because any time I have tried to fish here I have struggled to get parked. There is parking but not a lot of space so you either need to be lucky or early or both! I undeerstand it is a rewarding area for the angler willing to put in the miles pounding the banks.

Tates Tomb

  This beat is accessible by vehicle with convenient parking. you can fish upstream or downstream and cover a lot of water from here, though it can be one of the busier sections for angling pressure due to the easy parking. Lots of nice water, downstream it crosses pasture land and is fairly easy to access though you might need to zig-zag crossing from bank to bank in places to gain access. Also this area puts a lot of silt into the river when its high so not an area to  bother with after heavy rain unless you fancy the challenge of fishing a heavy squirmy wormy in the margins. Upstream gets a bit more over grown in places but there is still plenty water to explore and some nice pockets and glides and a couple of pools that might show signs of bait angling or spinners   

Alva

Again, I am going by names on maps here so it may have a better known beat name. This section when I accessed it required us to park on the west side of the river and walk around a couple of fields.

At lower water you can cover a pretty large area of mixed pocket water and flats here. Parking was basically wherever you could find a safe place to tuck in off the narrow road. I recall a bend with a farm gate that was OK for one or two cars. Wading was fine either side of a bridge that carries the A9 over the river.