Salmon Fishing Scotland February 2008 Spring Fishing on the Tay.

Salmon Fishing Scotland February 2008 Spring Fishing on the Tay.
Andy playing a big well mended Kelt in the Minister Pool of the Pitlochrie beat on the lower Tay at Stanley,Perthshire, Scotland.

Salmon Fishing Scotland February 2008.

Salmon Fishing Scotland February 2008.
Spring salmon nearly landed.
Billy Matthews playing a spring salmon in the Back Dam pool of the Catholes beat of the Tay at Stanley,Perthshire,Scotland on the Fly.

Unfortunately just after this moment the fly came out the water and the fish was off.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Catholes Beat river Tay Stanley, Perthshire, Scotland.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Catholes Beat river Tay Stanley, Perthshire, Scotland.
Video of the Catholes Stream and the Black Stones pools on the Catholes Beat of the lower Tay at Stanley.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Tales from the Salmon King.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Tales from the Salmon King.

Tales from the salmon king.
A FISHING career which covered more than 50 years on the Cargill beat of the Tay has been written up by one of the river’s most charismatic personalities, writes angling correspondent Ken Bell.
But while Colin Leslie’s book, Scotland’s Salmon King, centres on his life- long pursuit of all things piscatorial, from trout he guddled in the Isla to his record 56 lb salmon, as well as a huge black marlin, it also tells of a long-gone style of country life which centred around the farm, and farming activities.
So deeply set was Mr Leslie’s family in their farming life, that the morning after he returned home on being demobbed from the navy at the end of the war, he was wakened at 5am by his father with the words, “There’s tatties to be picked!”
Mr Leslie has spent his 80-plus years in Perthshire, living for many years near Alyth before his father took over the tenancy of Scones of Lethandy. He now lives in Guildtown. But it was while living at Ruthven on the banks of the Isla he took up fishing, starting with eels caught on worms at Craigie Linn, then moving on as time progressed to trout and salmon.
He took his first salmon at Waulkmill Ferry—an 18 lb fish taken on worm on light trout tackle—when he was only 10. A pupil of Perth Academy, he frequently took the rabbits he had shot into Perth on his way to school, exchanging them for money to buy fishing tackle.
But it wasn’t all shooting and fishing for the young Leslies. Father was a potato grower who had the tenancy of seven farms at one time—and from a young age Colin and the rest of the family were kept busy especially at tattie time. On one occasion he helped the shepherd drive 200 sheep from Lethandy into Perth, across Perth Bridge and up High Street, to the mart in Caledonian Road.
Mr Leslie enjoyed his war years as a gunner on a motor torpedo boat, feeling that his experience with a 20mm Oerlikon cannon improved his shooting! His vessel was sunk—by the RAF—in May 1944 as his flotilla searched for survivors from a German E-boat.
Mr Leslie deals only briefly with this “friendly fire” incident, saying he received 13 wounds from the strafing, and was given 14 days survivor’s leave, cut short after two days as his new boat was needed for the D-Day invasion.
But fishing was very much his life, and while he could gloss over the sinking of the MTB, he can go into full details of the many large salmon he has taken, where he caught it and on what.
Reading of days when a catch of 400 fish a year on Cargill was “a very poor year” and the norm was anything from 600-800 salmon shows how the river has changed.
His biggest salmon weighed an incredible 56 lb 8 oz—and was such an ugly fish it was eventually fed to the hens “after which they laid lovely, red-yolked eggs,” he recalled.
In addition, Mr Leslie has landed eight fish over 40 lb and numerous more over 30 lb. His biggest fish ever, however, was not from the Tay, but was a black marlin weighing 600 lb taken off East Australia.
Scotland’s Salmon King is published by Melrose Books.

Salmon Fishing Scotland February 2008 Catholes Beat River Tay.

Salmon Fishing Scotland February 2008 Catholes Beat River Tay.
Video of the Catholes stream on the Catholes beat of the river Tay at Stanley,Perthshire, Scotland.

Salmon Fishing Scotland February 2008 Spring Salmon Fishing on the Tay.

Salmon Fishing Scotland February 2008 Spring Salmon Fishing on the Tay.

Craig Coleman and his father enjoying a spring day on the Catholes beat of the Tay at Stanley,Perthshire,Scotland.

Salmon Fishing Scotland February 2008 First Springer.

Salmon Fishing Scotland February 2008 First Springer.
At last our first springer!
Neil Barcock with a fresh run 9lbs springer from the Back Dam pool of the Catholes beat of the lower Tay at Stanley,Perthshire,Scotland. Neil released the fish back to the river.


This is looking up to the Back Dam pool on the Catholes beat at Stanley, Perthshire, Scotland.
Well done Neil.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Catholes Beat river Tay Stanley, Perthshire, Scotland.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Catholes Beat river Tay Stanley, Perthshire, Scotland.
This Video shows some of the pools on the Catholes beat at a river height of 4 1/2 feet.
The first clip is of the Back Dam, then the Little Head and lastly the Woodside.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Febuary 2008 Springer or not.

Salmon Fishing Scotland February 2008 Springer or not.
There is no doubt this is a very emotive subject at this time of year.
The salmon runs on the Tay have changed over the last decade as probably on the other big rivers such as the Dee, Spey and Tweed. On the Tay the main spring run starts well into March, the Grilse run is now the end of July/August and there is fresh run fish way into November. I know from listening to the news the general seasons are up in the air with global warming etc. I am sure the salmon do not know whether they are coming or going!
There is no doubt quite a few claimed springers are not the genuine article when you see the pictures. The philosophy of "if it has sea lice there is no doubt" just does not ring true i'm afaid.

This is a salmon I caught some years ago thinking it was a springer to be told by a far more experienced angler that it was a rawner or late autumn runner.This fish was caught in early February and as you can see from the picture had sea lice on it. Being an experienced salmon angler I am still willing to learn as I did on that occasion and I feel I still can learn off others as you never know it all.
Having spoken to a lot more experienced anglers and ghillies a true springer that is a Two Sea Winter salmon has hardly any kype to distinguish it from a female salmon. In fact at this time of year you could hardly tell the difference between the sexes of spring salmon. There is no doubt a kype indicates breeding intentions and spawning. The fish with kypes are very late autumn fish.
This however may not be the case in Three Sea Winter or older male salmon which will have a small Kype development but not a large Kype such as an Autumn male. There has been a run of larger Spring salmon on the Tay this season so far and they are
obviously three sea winter fish. This is good news for the Tay as in recent seasons these fish have been missing. They are extremely valuable to the system and every effort should be made to conserve them by returning them to the system for the future.
The most recent examples of these fish were the 25lbs springer at Cargill and the 24lbs fish at Newtyle yesterday. Well done Dave Godfrey and Jock Menteith for successfully returning these prise specimens.

The Cargil 25lbs Springer.

The Newtyle 24lbs Springer.

Jim Fishers springer from the Tweed last Spring.

Lastly a big springer from Russia which demonstrates the small Kype in large multi sea winter salmon.

Salmon Fishing Scotland February 2008 Spring Lures.

Salmon Fishing Scotland February 2008 Spring Lures.

These are typical spring lures for the river Tay,Perthshire, Scotland.

Salmon Fishing Scotland February 2008.

Salmon Fishing Scotland February 2008.
Video of the Pitlochrie beat on the lower Tay at Stanley,Perthshire,Scotland on a fine spring day in High water suitable for the famous Pitlochrie Pool.

Salmon Fishing Scotland February 2008.

Salmon Fishing Scotland February 2008.
To-day (06/02/2008)was a cracking day to be out on the river spring fishing. The sun was shinning and at last there was a dry day with the river falling to a better height.

Alan Wales was out with us at Stanley,Perthshire,Scotland on the Pitlochrie beat of the lower Tay. Having all ready landed a Kelt in the Wash House pool Alan was soon into another fish in Pitlochrie Pool off the Stanley bank. The fish charged off and was playing hard. As we were about to net the salmon it flashed on the top revealing a bar of silver! It's a springer we thought so we proceeded carefully to net it.

The salmon had sea lice on it but on examining the head you can see it had a Kype which meant it was a Rawner. Spot the single sea lice on the gill. What a disappointment but that's fishing at this time of year when you can catch all sorts. This fish had clearly made it back to the sea and then had re-entered the river a second time.

I can bet some inexperienced anglers would be counting this fish as a springer!

Salmon Fishing Scotland February 2008 First Spring Salmon.

Salmon Fishing Scotland February 2008 First Spring Salmon.

John Douglas with a lovely fresh Tay spring salmon from the Benchil beat of the lower Tay just below Stanley,Perthshire, Scotland caught to-day (05/02/2008)from the Ship Linn pool. The Salmon was carefully returned to the river. Well done John and ably supported by Ghillie Conn O'Dea.

Salmon Fishing Scotland February 2008.

Salmon Fishing Scotland February 2008.

The Catholes Weir on the river Tay at Stanley,Perthshire,Scotland.

Looking down the Catholes beat from the Weir.

The Woodside pool at the top of the Catholes beat at Stanley.
The river has been very high this past week with little fishing taking place which the catch records for the river show. Saturday 2nd February saw the river falling below 8 feet which was the lowest it had been all week. Hopefully the weather will settle for next week and hopefully there will be some fresh run springers on the back of all the water.