Salmon Fishing Scotland Autumn Salmon fishing on the Tay 2013.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Autumn Salmon fishing on the Tay 2013.

The Tay in Perthshire, Scotland has got off to a good start to the week with over 70 salmon registered today.

This was an octogenarian catching a superb 13 pounds salmon from the Benchil beat today. Peter Foster has been coming up to fish the Tay for years and is finding life a bit more difficult as the years go by but that was all forgotten about today after landing his superb fish. Peter returned his fish after a quick photo.


Trevor McCann with a small male salmon caught fly fishing from the boat in the Todd Holes pool of the Benchil beat.

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Salmon Fishing Scotland river Tay, Perthshire, Scotland Report for week ending 28th September 2013.

Salmon Fishing Scotland river Tay, Perthshire, Scotland Report for week ending 28th September 2013.

The conditions on the Tay in Perthshire, Scotland changed this past week yet again with much warmer water temperatures making life far more difficult here and on all rivers in Scotland reducing catches dramatically and it must be said it has not been easy for many beats on the Tay. The summer like weather reappeared this past week but hopefully will disappear with now a distinct autumnal feel and a more unsettled weather pattern giving us colder nights and far more rain which will hopefully encourage better sport on this marvelous river and spread it throughout the whole river. Most people are still looking for a big spate to clean the river out to encourage a good run of fresher salmon to benefit all.

Late September Salmon fly fishing on the Tay, Perthshire, Scotland 2013.
Autumn is here with cooler river temperatures and some rain hopefully making settled conditions to improve sport as has proved this season so far with some outstanding catches and numerous spring salmon registered in the Tay system above expectation, a few areas have had great summer and autumn catches so far due to excessive low water. Let us hope the sport can be maintained for the remainder of the season then it will certainly be one to remember in years to come. The Tay is currently fishing reasonably well with improving conditions after low warm water; salmon run this mighty river every day of the year due to its vast volume of water and is certainly a good destination to catch a salmon. Cooler temperatures and limited rain has spiced up the river and helped encourage some salmon to run, however it must be said everyone has to work extremely hard to gain results under the current conditions. The salmon gods are hopefully going to bless us with a large spate and an improved run of autumn salmon over the next few weeks. The river offers a variety of possibilities for all standards of anglers with ghillies’ only too keen to teach the novices and this mighty river can produce a memorable salmon for the keen fly fisher. Levels have now risen and temperatures dropped to hopefully encourage more salmon to run the river and spread out. Pools can be easily covered from bank and boat with modern technology. Why not have a go and sample this magical river. The fishing is supreme and the scenery is not bad either. Currently the nature along the river is tremendous with numerous wild flowers. The Ospreys have now gone south but the Geese should be arriving from the north and you could see an Otter or a Kingfisher darting past while you are in mid cast! It is true what they say, “ a salmon is a bonus!”

Beat catches reported
(week ending 28th September)
SALMON & GRILSE: Almondmouth 72, Waulkmill 26, Lower Redgorton 37, Luncarty Summer and Autumn 3, Upper Redgorton 8, Fishponds 13, Benchil and Pitlochrie 3, Upper Scone 7, Catholes 1, Burnmouth 3, Stobhall 26, Taymount 31, Ballathie 32, Cargill 26, Islamouth 12, Lower and Upper Islamouth 4, Upper Islamouth and Meikleour House 1, Meikleour House 7, Kercock 8, Glendelvine 3, Murthly 2 2, Newtyle 8, Dunkeld House 5, Dalmarnock 5, Dalguise 2, Lower Kinnaird 9, Upper Kinnaird 1, Farleyer Upper 6, Farleyer Lower 3, Loch Faskally 2.
Total: 366 Largest: Kercock 29lbs
SEA TROUT: Waulkmill 2, Lower Redgorton 5, Upper Scone 2.
Total: 9 Largest: Upper Scone 4lbs

Salmon have been caught throughout the system this past week encouraging everyone after occasional rain showers and cooler river temperatures.

The Lower River caught approximately 300 salmon for the week. Islamouth had a reasonable week catching on most days. Salmon are also being caught down on the Stormont Angling Club water with over 10 per day being caught. Jane Mercer Nairne had the chance to have a cast on her beat with a cracking 15 pounds salmon from Davy's Stone on the fly with ghillie Daniel. Ballathie and Cargill continue to enjoy low water conditions with a very good week. Ballathie had days of 9 and 7 with owner John Milligan enjoying good success while

Cargill landed a 24 pounds salmon on the fly by Peter Alawallia. Stobhall had a reasonable week with the Norman party. Taymount also enjoyed good success with regular catches throughout the week. Jim Forrester caught on the fly from the Catholes on Saturday. The Stanley beats are finding life extremely difficult and catches are hard earned. Peter Annan, Alistair Sheach and

Ken McKenzie all caught on fly from Benchil. Upper Scone had JCB fishing for the week and had a result on late Saturday with one rod landing 3 fish in 30 minutes from the Long shot on Benchil. A Swiss party worked hard to enjoy success on Upper Redgorton. Fishponds did reasonably well with Adam Joseph and

Mr Maxwell landing salmon on the fly. The very lower beats are fairing much better now with the prolonged low water conditions with Waulkmill and Lower Redgorton both doing well. Neville Johnson’s party had good success on Waulkmill. Dougie Wangert had a good day on Luncarty on Saturday landing 3 salmon up to 7 pounds. Almondmouth had another good week with 72 salmon. The Stormont Angling club is also fishing well due to the river conditions.

On the Middle River 50 salmon were registered and are desperate for more water to encourage more fresh salmon to run and liven sport up. Salmon are lying in most of the pools throughout the beats but are proving difficult to tempt, rain and more water would change that.

Lower Kinnaird had a productive week catching several salmon with Lewis Harvey catching 2 fish up to 11 pounds on the fly on Friday. Dalguise had a difficult week that was mirrored by most of the river. Fen Howieson still managed a 4 pounds grilse from the Tail of the Island on a fly. Dalmarnock reported odd success with a MacNad achieved with a 14 pounds salmon and

Mike Sutton landing a 12 pounds fish earlier in the week. Dunkeld House also found life difficult but Vittori Spasciani caught 2 fish on the fly from the Lady pool and the Island.

Newtyle saw their 200th fish of the season caught by Andy Kerr from the Cotter, which was a tremendous achievement for the beat. Earlier in the week Ian Shaw had good success on fly, Calum McRoberts, Stuart Oglesby and Damian Gunn all caught. Murthly and Glendelvine struggled under the current conditions. Kercock had 8 for the week with John Dewar catching his first salmon at 7 pounds, George Hunter, Jamie Turner and Ken Mackie all caught. Ken Mackie caught a super 29 pounds fish on the fly, which took a Willie Gunn fly and must be a serious Malloch Trophy contender.

The Upper reaches are now struggling for salmon after prolonged low water levels. The Upper River registered 11 salmon last week from Farleyer beats and Upper Kinnaird.

The Tummel system registered 2 salmon from Loch Faskally. The Tummel has struggled with bright weather and low water. Salmon are still running through the Dam in numbers. Currently there is now over 5800 salmon through the ladder, which is now a good increase on last year.

The Isla registered 0 salmon. The Earn registered 0 salmon.
It was certainly a hard week with good conditions and a reasonable catch, the river must hope for yet more rain with lower river levels to encourage salmon to run over the coming weeks and spread throughout the entire system. Please maintain the Catch and Release code for the river to protect our sport for the future.

If you have any news or pictures of catches or experiences on the Tay and you would like to share them please email me on robert.salmonfishing@googlemail.com to be included in the reports.


Fishing Salmon River, Salmon River, Fishing for Salmon, salmon Fishing Alaska, Fishing Alaska, Fly Fishing Salmon, Fly Fishing, Salmon Fishing Report, Trout Fishing, King Salmon Fishing, Salmon Fishing Forum, Salmon Fishing Scotland, Salmon Fishing Holidays Scotland, River Tay Scotland, Scottish Salmon, Salmon Rivers Scotland, Fishing Tackle Scotland, Salmon Fishing Flies, Fly Fishing Flies.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Prospects for the river Tay, Perthshire, Scotland week commencing 30th September 2013.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Prospects for the river Tay, Perthshire, Scotland week commencing 30th September 2013.

The Tay in Perthshire, Scotland has autumnal conditions with some rain and much higher temperatures this past week. Catches have dropped over the last week due to warmer temperatures, which were mirrored across all the big rivers. There was some fresh water but the required spate and catches are still not as prolific as expected on most beats, and everyone has to work very hard to gain results. The weather is more autumnal, and more rain is forecast as well for this coming week, which could continue to improve fishing further and draw in a better run of autumn salmon. The catches have spread as temperatures have fallen slightly maintaining sport in the river but continued cooler weather and a large spate would boost it further and help to encourage more fresh fish to run into the lower stretches to sustain sport.

Catholes.
Currently the river is fairly steady after some rain showers (approximately 1” on the Ballathie gauge on Sunday). The weather has been warmer again making the river temperature rise back to 55F or 12.5C at the end of the week. Warmer conditions seemed to have effected catches therefore cooler conditions should help to maintain the chance of producing some better sport for everyone and improve catches further this coming week.

Late September Salmon fly fishing on the Tay, Perthshire, Scotland 2013.
The weather is looking cooler and far more unsettled this coming week. Hopefully we will get more rain to bring the river up to a reasonable height for the time of year. Rainfall will cool the water and hopefully encourage a fresh run of salmon up the river in larger numbers as we enter October. It seems unbelievable that the river has not had a proper spate since May. Salmon were running last week but not in the numbers expected for the time of year and further cooling temperatures on all fronts this coming week will encourage more fish to run and fill everyone with enthusiasm for supreme sport to come. Hopefully there might be a chance of a fresh fish anywhere in the river if that temperature comes back a bit.

Kinnaird taken by Martin Edgar.
As to methods, in settled conditions fishing by any method should enable you to catch the elusive Tay Salmon. The water temperature is cooling making floating lines with the addition of a sink tip being a favoured tactic and using normal dressed flies. It is still worth a go with sinking lines as well depending on water heights and stripping a Sun Ray Shadow is always worth a go. Summer conditions also enable you to try a riffled hitch, which can be very exciting. When spinning, Tay favourites include Toby Salmos, weighted and floating devons, flying C’s and Visons or Rapalas. Harling is also a favoured method at this time of year on many beats.

Dalguise.
Finally you are reminded that the Tay's catch and release policy for 2013.
From 1 June to end of Season:
• All hen fish of any size and all cock fish over 10 pounds should be released.
• All coloured and gravid fish to be released.
• No more than one clean fish weighing, where possible, less than 10 pounds should be retained per angler per day.
• Anglers should not use worms in September or October in any part of the district.
Worming in June, July and August
Please adhere to these recommendations and help preserve the long term future of the river and your sport the recommendations. We have had a superb run and catch this season, which may just be down to the majority of anglers returning salmon over the past seasons. Thank you to all anglers who have this season so far returned their spring salmon to maintain our sport for the future, it is vitally important and is a great contribution by individuals who care for their sport and the river. Well done!

An Autumn scene at Stanley Mills.
When releasing salmon especially in warmer conditions please try to keep the fish in the water as much as possible to give them every chance to recover prior to release. Releasing fish from boats in the river is not recommended.
I have been using the prospects posts for images of the river and would welcome any contributions. Thank you all, ghillies and individuals who have contributed so far to these posts.

Sun set looking down to Benchil.
If you have any news or pictures of catches or experiences on the Tay and you would like to share them please email me on robert.salmonfishing@googlemail.com to be included in the reports.

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Salmon Fishing Scotland Late September on the Tay, Perthshire, Scotland 2013.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Late September on the Tay, Perthshire, Scotland 2013.


Late September Salmon fly fishing on the Tay, Perthshire, Scotland 2013.

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Salmon Fishing Scotland Autumn Salmon Fishing in Late September on the Tay 2013.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Autumn Salmon Fishing in Late September on the Tay 2013.

It has been a hard week on the Tay, Perthshire, Scotland with catches dropping away after last weeks bonanza for some beats. The river temperature has risen and that coupled with low water and no rain to draw in a fresh run has made life very difficult. We desperately need a downpour of rain for at least 24 hours to bring the river right up and ignite the autumn run. It will come! we fishermen are eternal optimists!

An autumn scene at Upper Redgorton first thing in the morning.


This was a nice 17 pounds salmon caught by Alistair Crawford last week from the Majors Cast on Taymount. The salmon was carefully returned.


Peter Annan playing a salmon on the fly in the Long Shot at Benchil. Peter successfully landed the salmon and quickly returned it to the river.

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Salmon Fishing Scotland Autumn Fishing on the Tay, Perthshire, Scotland 2013.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Autumn Fishing on the Tay, Perthshire, Scotland 2013.

Last week we had a tremendous catch on the river primarily due to a drop in river temperature however the warmer weather at the weekend has undone that and the water temperature has risen to as high as 57F or 14C and catches have suffered. It has not only been on the Tay but all the other rivers have mirrored the same phenomenon. Catches have still been reported.

A classic autumn morning sun rise at Stanley with a mist over the river.


An Autumn scene at Benchil.


Jane Mercer Nairne with a cracking 15 pounds salmon from Davy's Stone on Islamouth with ghillie Daniel.


Sun Set at Stanley.

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Salmon Fishing Scotland river Tay, Perthshire, Scotland Report for week ending 21st September 2013.

Salmon Fishing Scotland river Tay, Perthshire, Scotland Report for week ending 21st September 2013.

The conditions on the Tay in Perthshire, Scotland changed this past week with much colder water temperatures making the residential fish more aggressive and catches have improved dramatically with over 600 salmon registered but it must be said it has not been easy for many beats. The summer like weather is disappearing with now a distinct autumnal feel and a more unsettled weather pattern giving us colder nights and rain showers which will hopefully encourage better sport on this marvelous river and spread it throughout the whole river. Most people are still looking for a big spate to clean the river out to encourage a good run of fresher salmon to benefit all.

Clips of Autumn Salmon fishing primarily from the lower Tay in mid September 2013. Scenery, anglers fishing and catching on fly and spinner.
Autumn is here with cooler river temperatures and some rain hopefully making settled conditions to improve sport as has proved this season so far with some outstanding catches and numerous spring salmon registered in the Tay system above expectation, a few areas have had great summer and autumn catches so far due to excessive low water. Let us hope the sport can be maintained for the remainder of the season then it will certainly be one to remember in years to come. The Tay is currently fishing reasonably well with improving conditions after low warm water; salmon run this mighty river every day of the year due to its vast volume of water and is certainly a good destination to catch a salmon. Cooler temperatures and limited rain has spiced up the river and helped encourage some salmon to run, however it must be said everyone has to work extremely hard to gain results under the current conditions. The salmon gods are hopefully going to bless us with a large spate and an improved run of autumn salmon over the next few weeks. The river offers a variety of possibilities for all standards of anglers with ghillies’ only too keen to teach the novices and this mighty river can produce a memorable salmon for the keen fly fisher. Levels have now risen and temperatures dropped to hopefully encourage more salmon to run the river and spread out. Pools can be easily covered from bank and boat with modern technology. Why not have a go and sample this magical river. The fishing is supreme and the scenery is not bad either. Currently the nature along the river is tremendous with numerous wild flowers. The Ospreys have now gone south but the Geese should be arriving from the north and you could see an Otter or a Kingfisher darting past while you are in mid cast! It is true what they say, “ a salmon is a bonus!”

Autumn salmon fly fishing on the lower Tay, Perthshire, Scotland in September 2013.

Beat catches reported
(week ending 21st September)
SALMON & GRILSE: Almondmouth 91, Waulkmill 33, Lower Redgorton 32, Luncarty Summer and Autumn 4, Catholes Summer and Autumn 3, Upper Redgorton 27, Fishponds 12, Benchil and Pitlochrie 17, Upper Scone 11, Catholes 3, Stobhall 36, Taymount 51, Ballathie 49, Cargill 62, Islamouth 38, Lower and Upper Islamouth 23, Upper Islamouth and Meikleour House 14, Meikleour House 4, Kercock 18, Murthly 1 3, Glendelvine 2, Murthly 2 13, Newtyle 15, Dunkeld House 18, Dalmarnock 2, Dalguise 7, Lower Kinnaird 7, Upper Kinnaird 3, Farleyer Upper 3, Farleyer Lower 6, Lower Aberuthven 4.
Total: 611 Largest: Almondmouth & Cargill 24lbs
SEA TROUT: Lower Redgorton 3, Upper Scone 1, Cargill 2, Murthly 1 1, Murthly 2 1, Newtyle 1, Dunkeld House 4, Lower Kinnaird 1.
Total: 14 Largest: Cargill 4lbs

Salmon have been caught throughout the system this past week encouraging everyone after occasional rain showers and cooler river temperatures.

The Lower River caught approximately 500 salmon for the week. There was steady action at Islamouth during the week with several salmon caught. Ian Mitchell’s party had a superb last 3 days with 38 salmon caught on fly.

Amoungst the successful anglers was Neil Tong with a 17 pounds fish from the New Shot. Ballathie and Cargill continue to have excellent catches in the river again this week with continued low water as salmon have packed into the beat and have landed over 100 salmon between them for the week up to an impressive 24 pounds. Ballathie had an enjoyable week with most salmon caught on fly and reporting some heavy fish as well. Cargill did well again with fish up to 24 pounds. Stobhall and Taymount also had good weeks landing 90 salmon. Nigel Gibbs party on Taymount enjoyed a great week with good catches on every day, Johan Pleinis landing a superb 18 pounds beauty and

John Derry catching a very fresh 23 pounds cracker from the Finford Stream. At Stanley the fishing was more difficult but catches were still achieved. On Upper Scone George Mason’s party worked hard for success.

Tim Greenfields party had a good week considering the conditions with success for Frank Muller, John Colen, David Boothroyd and Andrew Shorthouse. Andrew defied everyone on Thursday landing 3 on the fly from the Woodside when no one else got an offer.

Brian Colen landed 2 on Saturday on fly completing a good week. On Upper Redgorton the Robbins party enjoyed a good week with

Hugh Robbins doing very well landing salmon largely on fly and odd ones on Floating Devon.

Nigel Ford also chipped in with good fish. Lower Redgorton had a much better week with Dr Colin Jones doing very well on fly.

Ian Muir also caught salmon up to 22 pounds on fly. Fishponds and Waulkmill had reasonable weeks as well. Almondmouth had a better week with 91 salmon. Salmon are also being caught down on the Stormont Angling Club water with over 10 per day being caught.

On the Middle River 101 salmon were registered and are desperate for more water to encourage more fresh salmon to run and liven sport up. Salmon are lying in most of the pools throughout the beats but are proving difficult to tempt, rain and more water would change that.

On Dalguise the Briggs party enjoyed a good week on fly and spinner. Jonathan Dingwell and Peter Wells started the week off catching on the fly fish up to 12 pounds then Wally Wales caught 2 salmon from the Bridge pool on a red and yellow Cone Head on Tuesday including a 15 pounds fish. The party ended with 7 for their week with Jonathan Brigg landing 2 from the Bridge pool and Duncan catching a fresh run grilse on the fly from the neck of the Otterstone. Andy Kerr caught a couple of salmon from Dalmarnock on the fly on Saturday. Dunkeld House had a good week with several salmon landed. Successful anglers included Alistair Harper, Dennis Nicolson, Bruce Hay, Jim McDonald, Gordon Pollock, Curtis Behrent and Ronnie Park landing salmon by various means up to 15 pounds.

Newtyle also did well with an excellent catch for the week. Jimmy Black had a good few days landing 4 salmon fly fishing. The fly did well for most including Bob Kenyon catching a 16 pounds fish from the St Mary’s stream and his 87 year old father landing a 6 pounds grilse from the Cotter. Other catchers included Peter Kempe, Bill Hannon, Andrew Long and Clive Pegler landing his first ever Scottish salmon.

Stuart Oglesby caught his first fly caught salmon from the Boil. The Murthly beats had a reasonable week considering the conditions. Kercock had a good week landing 18 fish with the biggest being caught by Stuart Tindall and Roddy Bramwell at 15 pounds, both on the fly. Keith Lovell had a 10 pounder and Christopher Tindall landed a 12 pounder. Mr and Mrs Wood both caught as well landing good sized grilse.

The Upper reaches are now struggling for salmon after prolonged low water levels. The Upper River registered 12 salmon last week from Farleyer and Upper Kinnaird.

The Tummel system registered 0 salmon. The Tummel has struggled with bright weather and low water. Salmon are still running through the Dam in numbers. Currently there is now over 5200 salmon through the ladder, which is now a good increase on last year.

The Isla registered 0 salmon. The Earn registered 4 salmon from Lower Aberuthven.
It was certainly a hard week with good conditions and a reasonable catch, the river must hope for yet more rain with lower river levels to encourage salmon to run over the coming weeks and spread throughout the entire system. Please maintain the Catch and Release code for the river to protect our sport for the future.

If you have any news or pictures of catches or experiences on the Tay and you would like to share them please email me on robert.salmonfishing@googlemail.com to be included in the reports.


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Salmon Fishing Scotland Prospects for the river Tay, Perthshire, Scotland week commencing 23rd September 2013.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Prospects for the river Tay, Perthshire, Scotland week commencing 23rd September 2013.

The Tay in Perthshire, Scotland has autumnal conditions with some rain and much colder temperatures. Catches have improved dramatically over the last week due to cooler temperatures and some fresh water but are still not as prolific as expected on most beats, and everyone has to work very hard to gain results. The weather is more autumnal, and more showers are forecast as well for this coming week, which could continue to improve fishing further and draw in a better run of autumn salmon. The catches have spread as temperatures have fallen slightly maintaining sport in the river but continued cooler weather and a large spate would boost it further and help to encourage more fresh fish to run into the lower stretches to sustain sport.

Clips of Autumn Salmon fishing primarily from the lower Tay in mid September 2013. Scenery, anglers fishing and catching on fly and spinner.
Currently the river is fairly steady after some rain showers (approximately 1” on the Ballathie gauge on Sunday). The weather has been a lot cooler making the river temperature drop back to 54F or 12C at the end of the week. The cooler conditions should help to maintain the chance of producing some sport for everyone and improve catches further this coming week.

Autumn scene on the Tay.
The weather is currently settled but much cooler. Hopefully we will get more rain to bring the river up to a reasonable height for the time of year. Rainfall will cool the water and hopefully encourage a fresh run of salmon to run up the river in larger numbers as we enter the last week of September. Salmon were running last week but not in the numbers expected for the time of year and further cooling temperatures on all fronts this coming week will encourage more fish to run and fill everyone with enthusiasm for supreme sport to come. Hopefully there might be a chance of a fresh fish anywhere in the river if that temperature comes back a bit.

Autumn salmon fly fishing on the lower Tay, Perthshire, Scotland in September 2013.
As to methods, in settled conditions fishing by any method should enable you to catch the elusive Tay Salmon. The water temperature is cooling making floating lines with the addition of a sink tip being a favoured tactic and using normal dressed flies. It is still worth a go with sinking lines as well depending on water heights and stripping a Sun Ray Shadow is always worth a go. Summer conditions also enable you to try a riffled hitch, which can be very exciting. When spinning, Tay favourites include Toby Salmos, weighted and floating devons, flying C’s and Visons or Rapalas. Harling is also a favoured method at this time of year on many beats.

Upper Kinnaird taken by Jock Menteith.
Finally you are reminded that the Tay's catch and release policy for 2013.
From 1 June to end of Season:
• All hen fish of any size and all cock fish over 10 pounds should be released.
• All coloured and gravid fish to be released.
• No more than one clean fish weighing, where possible, less than 10 pounds should be retained per angler per day.
• Anglers should not use worms in September or October in any part of the district.
Worming in June, July and August
Please adhere to these recommendations and help preserve the long term future of the river and your sport the recommendations. We have had a superb run and catch this season, which may just be down to the majority of anglers returning salmon over the past seasons. Thank you to all anglers who have this season so far returned their spring salmon to maintain our sport for the future, it is vitally important and is a great contribution by individuals who care for their sport and the river. Well done!

The famous Bargie Stone taken by Jock Menteith.
When releasing salmon especially in warmer conditions please try to keep the fish in the water as much as possible to give them every chance to recover prior to release. Releasing fish from boats in the river is not recommended.
I have been using the prospects posts for images of the river and would welcome any contributions. Thank you all, ghillies and individuals who have contributed so far to these posts.

Benchil.
If you have any news or pictures of catches or experiences on the Tay and you would like to share them please email me on robert.salmonfishing@googlemail.com to be included in the reports.

Fishing Salmon River, Salmon River, Fishing for Salmon, salmon Fishing Alaska, Fishing Alaska, Fly Fishing Salmon, Fly Fishing, Salmon Fishing Report, Trout Fishing, King Salmon Fishing, Salmon Fishing Forum, Salmon Fishing Scotland, Salmon Fishing Holidays Scotland, River Tay Scotland, Scottish Salmon, Salmon Rivers Scotland, Fishing Tackle Scotland, Salmon Fishing Flies, Fly Fishing Flies.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Autumn Salmon Fly Fishing on the Tay 2013.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Autumn Salmon Fly Fishing on the Tay 2013.

The catches on the Tay, Perthshire, Scotland have improved dramatically this week with over 400 salmon registered and primarily from a drop in river temperature.

Andrew Shorthouse enjoyed a great day on the river yesterday landing 3 salmon fly fishing from the bank on the Pitlochrie beat at Stanley.


A good salmon on the fly from the Woodside on fly.


Frank Muller helps Andrew land another salmon.


Not long into the afternoon, Andrew hooks another fish from the Woodside on the fly and John Colen helps land the fish on this occasion. Well done Andrew, a day to remember.

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Salmon Fishing Scotland September Salmon Fishing on the Tay 2013.

Salmon Fishing Scotland September Salmon Fishing on the Tay 2013.

Autumn conditions have arrived on the Tay in Perthshire, Scotland with dipping temperatures which have started to make the leaves on the trees change colour and drop the river temperature making the salmon more aggressive and boost catches. There was a slight ground frost this morning with ice in boats making the river temperature drop further to 53F or 11.5C. The river had another 100 salmon registered today but there is still a cry for a spate to encourage more fresh salmon to run the river and boost sport for everyone.

An autumn scene on Benchil with the trees starting to turn in colour.


Frank Muller with a small fresh grilse caught in the Long Shot from the boat.


Fresh salmon are running into the very lower beats but a large spate is now required to lift them further up river to benefit all. This was a fresh salmon from the Rome Croy beat today caught by Billy Davidson on the Stormont Angling Club Stretch.

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Salmon Fishing Scotland Autumn Fishing on the Tay, Perthshire, Scotland September 2013.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Autumn Fishing on the Tay, Perthshire, Scotland September 2013.

Autumn has well and truly arrived on the Tay in Perthshire, Scotland with much colder temperatures and the catches have improved dramatically as the river temperature drops. We just need more water now to draw in more fresh salmon from the sea.

A cold autumn morning in Tayside with the first frosts appearing dropping the river temperature into the low 50'sF of around 12C.


Andrew Shorthouse with a good salmon from the Pitlochrie beat. Yesterday saw 120 salmon registered on the river as the colder temperatures make the salmon more aggressive.


A colder night with clear skies and an air frost.

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Salmon Fishing Scotland Autumn Salmon Fishing on the Tay September 2013.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Autumn Salmon Fishing on the Tay September 2013.

The first autumnal storm was yesterday and we amassed 1 1/2 feet in the river Tay at Ballathie, Perthshire, Scotland today which was not as required but at least something to encourage sport on the river. Well, the river has got the week off to a good start with in excess of 70 salmon registered.

David Boothroyd plays a salmon in the Long Shot at Benchil on the Lower Tay.


A good 12 pounds salmon was successfully landed prior to release.

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Salmon Fishing Scotland river Tay, Perthshire, Scotland Report for week ending 14th September 2013.

Salmon Fishing Scotland river Tay, Perthshire, Scotland Report for week ending 14th September 2013.

The conditions remained difficult on the Tay in Perthshire, Scotland with continued good weather; slightly lower water temperatures, rain showers, a low river but catches have improved this past week with around 350 salmon registered but it must be said it has not been easy for many beats. The summer like weather continued but with an autumnal feel and a more unsettled forecast for this week of sunshine and showers will hopefully encourage better sport on this marvelous river and spread it throughout the whole river. Most people are still looking for a big spate to clean the river out and trigger off better sport and hopefully the weekend storm may have helped that.
Autumn is here with cooler river temperatures and some rain hopefully making settled conditions to improve sport as has proved this season so far with some outstanding catches and numerous spring salmon registered in the Tay system above expectation, let us hope the sport can be maintained for the remainder of the season then it will certainly be one to remember in years to come. The Tay is currently fishing reasonably well with improving conditions after low warm water; salmon run this mighty river every day of the year due to its vast volume of water and is certainly a good destination to catch a salmon. Cooler temperatures and recent rain have spiced up the river and helped encourage more salmon to run, however it must be said everyone has to work extremely hard to gain results under the current conditions. The salmon gods are hopefully going to bless us with an improved run of autumn salmon. The river offers a variety of possibilities for all standards of anglers with ghillies’ only too keen to teach the novices and this mighty river can produce a memorable salmon for the keen fly fisher. Levels have now risen and temperatures dropped to hopefully encourage more salmon to run the river and spread out. Pools can be easily covered from bank and boat with modern technology. Why not have a go and sample this magical river. The fishing is supreme and the scenery is not bad either. Currently the nature along the river is tremendous with numerous wild flowers. Ospreys visit the river on a daily basis but should be disappearing shortly and you could see an Otter or a Kingfisher darting past while you are in mid cast! It is true what they say, “ a salmon is a bonus!”

Early Autumn Salmon fishing on the Tay, Perthshire, Scotland. Salmon caught fly fishing on the lower Tay, glimpses of Otters fishing in the river and Ospreys prior to their long journey south for the winter.

Beat catches reported
(week ending 14th September)
SALMON & GRILSE: Almondmouth 57, Waulkmill 14, Lower Redgorton 19, Upper Redgorton 13, Fishponds 17, Benchil and Pitlochrie 6, Upper Scone 14, Stobhall 18, Taymount 32, Ballathie 25, Cargill 55, Islamouth 8, Lower and Upper Islamouth 11, Meikleour House 8, Kercock 9, Murthly 1 4, Glendelvine 4, Murthly 2 12, Newtyle 4, Dunkeld House 11, Dalmarnock 1, Dalguise 4, Lower Kinnaird 1, Upper Kinnaird 2, Farleyer Upper 1, Farleyer Lower 1, Islabank 4, Portnacraig Pitlochry 1.
Total: 356 Largest: Cargill 26lbs
SEA TROUT: Taymount 2, Cargill 2, Lower Kinnaird 1.
Total: 5 Largest: Cargill & Lower Kinnaird 4lbs

Salmon have been caught throughout the system this past week encouraging everyone after occasional rain showers and cooler river temperatures.

The Lower River caught approximately 300 salmon for the week. There was steady action at Isalmouth during the week with several salmon caught. Ballathie and Cargill continue to have excellent catches in the river again this week with continued low water as salmon have packed into the beat and have landed 80 salmon between them for the week up to an impressive 26 pounds. Cargill had an outstanding week reporting the spinner was doing well but the fly also worked well. Successful anglers included

Kenny Craig with a fish of 26 pounds, Steven Gamlen, Andrew Wright, John Chrichton, John Stirling and Andy Gunn.

Ballathie also had a good week with Pam and Michael Sly enjoying a good week catching mainly on the fly with good contributions from Phil Birnham and Peter Creswick catching fish up to 18 pounds. Stobhall and Taymount faired well during the week catching several salmon with John Derry landing a 23 pounds beauty and young

Dougie Owen catching a superb 22 pounds fish from Kilmo on Taymount. At Stanley fish were a bit more difficult to catch but regulars on Upper Scone did reasonably well for the week with great effort.

On Stanley there was a first on the fly for Mark Proudfoot from the Long Shot on Benchil. Upper Redgorton also had the Sly party and caught on most days with the fly.

Fishponds also had a reasonable week with Richard Labadie fairing well. Lower Redgorton and Waulkmill caught their share but not as expected for the time of year. Almondmouth had a better week with 57 salmon. Salmon are also being caught down on the Stormont Angling Club water.

On the Middle River 55 salmon were registered and are desperate for more water to encourage more salmon to run and liven sport up. Salmon are lying in most of the pools throughout the beats but are proving difficult to tempt, rain and more water would change that.

Lower Kinnaird has been typical of the middle areas with success hard to come by but Gordon Pollock managed to use all his skills to produce a superb 24 pounds salmon form the famous Ash Tree pool. On Dalguise there was a fantastic start to the week with 3 salmon added to the book for the Jim Bryant Party. The first fish a 4 pounds Grilse, caught by Jason Bryant from the Top of the Island on a Black Flying C, the second a 12 pounds salmon caught by Chris Milburn from the Bridge Pool on a Silver Toby. Finally, the third an 8 pounds fish caught by Stewart Fleming in the Tail of the Bridge Pool. Colin Burton added another later in the week. Dalmarnock saw John Cole catching a lovely 6 pounds grilse on the fly from the Stepps pool. Dunkeld House had a busy week with students from the University College of North Trondeleg sampling the fishing, visiting the Hatchery to see the revolutionary Kelt reconditioning project and also seeing the Dunkeld Smokehouse. Earlier in the week John Hay had a good day catching on the fly up to 8 pounds, being the successful bidder of the Dunkeld House lot in the recent dinner. Also successful on the beat were Nick Tomasso from Washington in the USA and his companion Jason Hodgson.

Lastly but not least Lindsay McLeod from the Isle of Lewis caught her first salmon, an 11 pounds fish from the Ivy Tree pool on a Toby Salmo on her first wedding anniversary. Her husband Kevin wasn’t so lucky!

On Newtyle fish were caught on a regular basis up to 13 pounds. Successful anglers included Stewart Thomson, John Stamp catching his first ever salmon, Jon Wood and Andy Kerr. The Murthly and Glendelvine beats have also been catching their share with days up to 5 landed. On Kercock Norrie Mcloud, Stuart Oglesby, Mark Thomson and Mark Torrance all caught. Tom Ohlsson from Sweden caught a fish also from the beat to complete a MacNab that is great by anyone’s standards and not that easy these days. Well done.

The Upper reaches are now struggling for salmon after prolonged low water levels. The Upper River registered 4 salmon last week from Farleyer and Upper Kinnaird.

Mark Proudfoot caught his first ever salmon from the Upper Kinnaird beat earlier in the week them fished further down the river later in the week and caught his first ever fly caught salmon on Benchil on the lower Tay.

The Tummel system registered 1 salmon from Portnacaig. Brian Joseph continued his successful season on Tay and Tummel with a fish around 12 pounds from Portnacraig bank on a Black Flying C. The Tummel has struggled with bright weather and low water. Salmon are still running through the Dam in numbers. Currently there is now over 5200 salmon through the ladder, which is now a good increase on last year.

The Isla registered 4 salmon from Islabank and are praying for water to encourage salmon to run.
It was certainly a hard week with good conditions and a reasonable catch, the river must hope for yet more rain with lower river levels to encourage salmon to run over the coming weeks and spread throughout the entire system. Please maintain the Catch and Release code for the river to protect our sport for the future.

If you have any news or pictures of catches or experiences on the Tay and you would like to share them please email me on robert.salmonfishing@googlemail.com to be included in the reports.


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