Culcreuch Castle Loch, Fintry

Culcreuch Castle Loch (aka,Fintry) is a former ornamental pond of about two acres occupying a picturesque setting in the grounds of a sixteenth century castle - now run as a hotel - on the outskirts of the village of Fintry in Stirlingshire. Only SCG members and hotel guests are permitted to fish the water. The loch is one of the oldest continuously stocked carp waters in Scotland, and still contains the remnants of the original "wildie" strain that were introduced over a hundred years ago, although these have sadly been in decline in recent years. In order to restore the fishery, SCG has added modern-strain mirrors and commons over the last few seasons, and the largest of these are now over twenty pounds. In addition to carp, the loch contains tench, roach, rudd, gudgeon, eels and perch. The latter two species grow to
good sizes and specimens of both over 2 lbs can be caught. We have recently supplemented the stocks of silver fish to provide daytime sport for the hotel guests.
There are around a dozen swims that have been established and maintained by SCG, ranging from gaps cut in marginal reeds to several comfortable pegs with ample space to erect a bivvy and pod.
The fishing can be challenging at times - the great Dick
Walker is reputed to have blanked here during a day off from one of his Loch Lomond trips in the late sixties - but patience, stealth and observation will generally be rewarded. Depths vary from as little as two feet along the north and west sides of the loch to around nine feet close in at the opposite end. Disabled access is good, with car parking right by the water and a fairly firm and level path around most of the loch.