Salmon Fishing Scotland Spring Fishing 2015.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Spring Fishing 2015.

The count down to the much anticipated 2015 Spring Salmon fishing season is well and truly on as we enter the last few days of 2014. The past season was not one to remember apart from the early spring. The last couple of seasons have seen a remarkable increase in spring runs especially on the Tay and there is a high expectation for that to continue in 2015. Let us hope it continues and create early season excitement to all the anglers coming to the Tay and Scotland.
Conditions are good currently with very cold weather which is ideal for the lower river beats.

These are some pictures around the Stanley beats taken today. This is the Woodside on the Catholes.

The Weir at the top of the Catholes.

A superb springer caught from the Catholes in March 2014.

The famous Pitlochrie pool where many spring salmon have been landed over the years.

A panoramic view from Stanley Mills down the the tail of Horsey.

An old map of the Stanley beats.

The sun goes down on another cold day in December 2014.

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Salmon Fishing Scotland Malloch Trophy winner for 2014.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Malloch Trophy winner for 2014.

This was the press release for the Fishpal Malloch Trophy winner for 2014. Congratulations to Wayne Longstaff and the Tweed for producing such a superb spring fish. Hopefully the Tay will figure in 2015.

2014 winner of Scotland’s most prestigious angling award, the greatest honour in British gamefishing, announced.

The 2014 winner of the FishPal Malloch Trophy – for one of the largest salmon caught by an angler on a fly and safely returned during the year in Scottish waters – has been announced. The successful angler is Wayne Longstaff of Teesside for a fine spring salmon caught on the River Tweed.

Mr Longstaff, on being told of the decision of the FishPal Malloch Trophy Committee on December 17th, commented: “I have been salmon fishing for ten years now and this was my biggest fish to date by a long way. This ‘fish of a lifetime’ was superbly shaped, in prime condition and sea-liced. It swam off strongly after we had taken a very quick photograph”.

Mr Longstaff’s salmon, accurately weighed at 33 lb with a length of 45 inches, was landed on May 5 in the Cottage Stream pool on the Hendersyde beat of the River Tweed, before being carefully released back into the river. To be eligible for the trophy a fish must be caught on a fly in a sportsmanlike manner and be returned to the water.

The fish was caught on a Hardy Elite rod with a Hardy 2000 reel, a Mach 55 sink-tip fly line and a Pot-Bellied Pig fly. The fish was weighed in a weigh-net by Hendersyde head boatman John Kitchingham. The accuracy of the weigh-net was subsequently verified by keen angler John Taylor of Wylie Butchers in Kelso using 33 lb of meat!

At the FishPal Malloch Trophy Committee meeting on December 17th several possible contenders were considered. Mr Longstaff’s entry, which fulfilled the relevant criteria including best evidence, was endorsed as the winner for 2014. His name will be engraved on the Tay Foundation’s trophy, joining an illustrious list of previous winners which stretches back four decades. He will also receive a replica Malloch Trophy, a £250 FishPal Voucher, a Mackenzie DTX rod and a place on Scott Mackenzie’s Spey Casting Masterclass course.

The runner-up is Gordon Smith of Buckie for a heavy salmon caught in October on the Birse beat of the River Dee.

John Wood, Chairman of the Tay Foundation and a member of the FishPal Malloch Committee, commented: “I am delighted that this year’s winning entry is for a spring salmon, which for many salmon anglers are the most prized of all fish. Unfortunately runs of spring salmon have over the last few decades seen a disproportionate decline and they need as much protection as possible. The safe release of Mr Longstaff’s magnificent fish illustrates the commitment by the great majority of anglers to conserving spring salmon”.

Mark Cockburn, CEO of sponsors FishPal, said: “2014 has been a disappointing season for salmon fishers across the North Atlantic. That said, with salmon angling there is always the possibility that the next cast will produce the fish of a lifetime. Our congratulations go to Wayne Longstaff for fulfilling this dream”.

Robert Rattray, Secretary of the FishPal Malloch Trophy, added: “This season was the first since the Committee widened the criteria for deciding the annual winner. It is now not necessarily awarded for the largest fish although this remains an important consideration. Other factors such as the time of year of capture, the condition of the fish and how it is handled – in line with best catch and release practice – are also taken into account”.

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Salmon Fishing Scotland Compulsory Catch and Release for Scottish rivers just round corner.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Compulsory Catch and Release for Scottish rivers just round corner.

Compulsory tagging scheme could be brought in to protect Scotland’s dwindling salmon stocks.

This was an article in the Dundee Courier this week written by Graham Brown which spells out the angling community fears after a very poor 2014 season for rods and nets. Surely now interceptory netting is not viable if we are to maintain a credible tourist industry in rural Scotland for salmon fishermen which is a multimillion pound business.

Compulsory carcass tagging of every wild salmon killed in Scotland could be in place as soon as 2016.

The plan is part of a Scottish Government consultation which will move forward early in the new year and could place a blanket ban on killing fish except under licence.

Sporting and commercial interests have pledged to participate fully in the consultation, which may move forward against the backdrop of Scotland’s worst salmon catch on the nation’s rivers for 60 years.

The proposed steps would effectively introduce compulsory catch and release in the rod fishery sector, which already stands at 80% across the season.

Salmon and Trout Association (Scotland) chairman Hugh Campbell Adamson said: “We warmly welcome this bold move by Scottish Government.

“This announcement signals an acknowledgment and confirmation by government that our wild salmon stocks are under considerable pressure and that they need as much protection as possible from indiscriminate killing.

“If this proposal is adopted and a licensing system is introduced in 2016, it will go a very considerable way towards ensuring that Scotland honours its international conservation obligations, particularly under the NASCO treaty.”

George Pullar of the family-owned Usan Salmon Fisheries, Scotland’s largest netting company, said: “The main thing is that we want to engage with the process so that there is a reasonable outcome for all parties.

“We all want a sustainable fishery for the future for all sides, both rods and nets,” said Mr Pullar of the Montrose firm.

The sporting and commercial interests have consistently challenged each other over the conservation question, with claim and counter-claim over the impact on stocks.

Environment minister Aileen McLeod said: “Salmon is a protected species under the Habitats Directive and we need to ensure that any killing is sustainable.

“Greater protection and enhancement of our stocks will enable us to maximise the socio-economic benefits that flow from them.”

“The detail of our proposal will be set out in the consultation paper but we intend that carcass tagging for any salmon killed will form part of the package of measures.”

WORST YEAR SINCE 1950S?

There are concerns Scotland could be heading for its worst salmon year since the 1950s.

A dry early summer, August floods and warmer temperatures in Atlantic breeding grounds are being blamed as contributing to poor catch records which experts fear could fall well below 50,000 — a drop of more than 15,000 from the previous season, which was also the worst for a decade.

Salmon and Trout Association (Scotland) director Andrew Graham Stewart said 2014 had been an “annus horribilis” on the nation’s rivers.

Official figures will be released in the spring on the total rod catch across the year, revealing where the tally will sit against the 2013 figure of 66,387 and a five-year average of 84,500.

Dr David Summers of the Tay District Salmon Fisheries Board said: “In terms of July, there hasn’t been as bad a month since the 1950s.”

The bleak picture is not confined to Scotland, with reports of similar difficulties in Norway and North America.

Sport fishing is worth well in excess of £100 million to the Scottish economy each year and supports thousands of jobs.

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Salmon Fishing Scotland River Tay, Perthshire Salmon Fishing review for 2014.

Salmon Fishing Scotland River Tay, Perthshire Salmon Fishing review for 2014.

Tay Salmon Fishing Review 2014.

The river Tay in Perthshire, Scotland has had a difficult salmon fishing year by modern standards as the FishTay web site have reported only 4667 Salmon and Grilse being caught for the 2014 fishing season.

Alex Salmond opens the 2014 season.
It must be said that this situation has been mirrored right across the north Atlantic area due to problems at sea with more smolt mortality than normal that is out of the rivers control. In terms of the salmon and grilse catch, the 2014 season total shows an 42.5 % decrease on 2013 and a 30.8 % decrease on the 5 year average for FishTay beats.

Catches reported per month through the season were as follows Jan 32, Feb 124, Mar 481, Apr 547, May 429, Jun 200, Jul 181, Aug 683, Sep 779 and October 1211. The spring period from January to May was the most positive part of the season, showing a 28 % decrease on 2013 but a 23% increase on the 5 year average. There seems to be trend starting on the Tay with much better spring fishing.

A stunning spring salmon caught on Stobhall.
March showed a 23% increase on a very good 2013 season but the late spring run in April and May did not materialize as in 2013, which was disappointing however the spring proportion of the catch on the Tay is increasing year on year with this years catch being 34.6% of the total. Could we be seeing the start of a change in the cycles as in the past?

A 23 pounds summer fish from Islamouth.
Further evidence of this phenomenon is the disappointing summer period with less grilse being caught. June to August was down 48.7% on 2013. The autumn period, September to October showed a 47.6% decrease on 2013 due to the lack of rain and very weak run.

A superb autumn fish caught at Fishponds.
October continues to be the most productive month of the year helped by the extension period to the end of the month. Another aspect of the catch was the continuation of larger multi sea winter salmon being caught throughout the Tay system in the 20 to 30 pounds class, which the river has been famous for over the years.

To provide some context it has to be said the 2014 salmon rod catch was extremely disappointing and everyone is glad it is over with hopefully improvements to come in 2015.

Catholes at Stanley in early spring.
The spring was again the big plus which is all ready creating massive interest in spring fishing for 2015 and the on coming season is being greeted with much anticipation after this years failings.

The summer and autumn was more difficult in most areas due to the north Atlantic problems in the sea and also long periods of very low water. The end of the season was a bit better due to more water but still down on previous years and there was with a feeling that a real autumn run had not taken place.

Fresh salmon were still running the river right up to the last day in limited numbers and the extra 2 weeks extension continued to give the local economy a much needed boost. The river is currently debating whether to continue with the extension period for the future and news of that result should be available soon.

The river has had a difficult year and everyone expects a lot more so every effort must be made to take the river forward to the levels of the past and put the mighty Tay in its rightful position of being the premiere salmon fishing destination in the world. The river has had another good spring 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 returned their salmon and in particular 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!

It should be pointed out there are a number of beats that do not report catches on the FishTay website and the full rod catch for the River Tay in 2014 will be a bit higher than shown on the FishTay website.

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Salmon Fishing Scotland Tay, Perthshire, Scotland Salmon Fishing Report for week ending 31st October 2014.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Tay, Perthshire, Scotland Salmon Fishing Report for week ending 31st October 2014.

The river Tay in Perthshire Scotland has now closed for 2014 after a long hard season. The last 5 days saw reasonable catches in fairly unsettled conditions after another big spate. The season saw yet more evidence of a stronger spring run however the summer and autumn have been very disappointing with fewer grilse and a week salmon run which has been the case all over the north Atlantic. The weather has been a factor as well with a very dry autumn but recent rains have triggered off improvements making October the best month of this difficult season.

A last cast in the late autumn on the Tay.

The catches have been disappointing and tough to achieve but some heavy fish in the 30 pounds range have been caught which was a bonus. Most beats were reporting reasonable numbers of fish in residence but catching was proving difficult. The increase in river levels certainly helped and the experimental extension period boosted catch numbers for many beats with some fresh fish still running the river. Could the Tay be starting to see a change in the cycle with salmon running later and spring becoming the dominant period again? It has happened twice in the past and could be happening again. There is all ready much anticipation for spring 2015.

Beat catches reported
(week ending 31st October)
SALMON & GRILSE: Waulkmill 5, Lower Redgorton 6, Upper Redgorton 3, Fishponds 5, Benchil 4, Upper Scone 2, Stobhall 6, Taymount 4, Ballathie 3, Cargill 5, Meikleour and Upper Islamouth 12, Kercock 14, Newtyle 6, Dunkeld House 2, Dalmarnock 2, Dalguise 3, Lower Aberuthven 1, Lochlane and Laggan 5.
Total: 88 Largest: Meikleour and Upper Islamouth 24lbs
SEA TROUT: Waulkmill 2, Lower Redgorton 1, Upper Redgorton 1, Fishponds 1, Lower Aberuthven 3, Lochlane and Laggan 1.
Total: 9 Largest: Waulkmill & Lochlane and Laggan 4lbs

Lower Tay.
The autumn fishing has been hard on the lower river with limited fish running but the increase in water levels saw big improvements making October the most productive month for most beats. The extension certainly helped numbers with evidence of fresh salmon still entering the system. Lower Redgorton and Waulkmill had a few fish in the last few days after the river settled back from the big spate on Monday and Tuesday. Fishponds and Upper Redgorton saw the same results with odd fresh fish caught.

There was 16 pounds autumn fish landed in the Craigs on the fly on the last day on Fishponds. At Stanley the Upper Scone rods landed a couple from the boat in Pitlochrie pool and the Wash House.

Benchil saw 4 fish landed on Thursday including a couple of small fresh ones for Charles Savage and Simon Smedley on spinners. Terry Lynch also caught a small grilse on a vision. Stobhall and Taymount reported a few fish over the last few days with Stobhall having a good day on Wednesday with 5 as the river cleared. This area has proved the most consistent throughout the season along with Ballathie, Cargill and Islamouth.

Cargill finished their season off with fish caught by Ron Davisson and a first ever for David Harrington. Upper Islamouth and Meikleour finished well with October being their most productive month by far.

The Orson and Clarke parties enjoyed success landing fish up to 24 pounds including some fresh run ones.

The final day saw the Taylor party land a couple from the Boxwood Bush and the Tunnel Stream.

Middle Tay.
The catches further upstream have improved with the rise in the river levels over recent weeks. Kercock finished their season well with 14 fish including a day of 6 fish landed. October again has been by far their most productive month. Successful anglers included Darren Kaye landing an 18lbs fish, Paul Hainey catching a couple at 16 and 8lbs, Mark Thomson, Alistair Roger landing fish to 8lbs and Davy Bryce catching a couple at 9 and 8lbs.

Dougie McLean had a great last day landing a superb 22 pounds fresh fish as well as one at 20 pounds. Newtyle finished their season off with fish on most days.

Roger Worth landed a couple of fish including a fresh fish on the fly from the Cotter. Other successful rods were John Stamp and Farquhar Murray.

Dunkeld House finished quietly but 9 year old Angus Morton caught his first ever salmon weighing 5 pounds under the guidance of Simon Furniss.

George Nixon also caught a 7 pounds fish from the beat. Dalguise managed 3 in the week with Sam MacFarlane landing her first ever fish weighing 12 pounds on a flying c. Mark Mason also accounted for a couple during the week including a 6 pounds fish on the fly.

Earn.
Fish were running the river with increased flows in October. Fish were reported in better numbers from Lower Aberuthven and Lochlane and Laggan.

Upper Tay.
This area has closed for the season.

Tummel.
This area has closed for the season.

Isla & Ericht.
This area has closed for the season.

Thank you to all anglers who have returned their salmon throughout the season to maintain our sport for the future, catches have dropped to new lows especially this year, it is vitally important and is a great contribution by individuals who care for their sport and the river. Well done!

An angler has a last cast of 2014 on the Tay as the sun fades on another season.

Thank you also for your contributions on news and pictures of catches or experiences on the Tay this past season and if you would like to contribute further please email me on robert.salmonfishing@googlemail.com to be included in the reports.

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Salmon Fishing Scotland Late October Salmon fishing on the Tay, Perthshire 2014.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Late October Salmon fishing on the Tay, Perthshire 2014.

The Salmon fishing season is about to close on the river Tay for 2014 tomorrow. Recently we have had loads of water after heavy rain making fishing difficult over the last few days however as the water levels fall the catches have improved with the evidence of fresh salmon still running the river late in October.

A typical autumn scene on the Tay.


Charles Savage plays a lively salmon on the Benchil beat in Aitken Head in high water.


A lovely fresh run salmon is successfully landed.


Terry Lynch playing a salmon from Aitken Head.


Simon Smedley and Ghillie Calum King with a 14 pounds autumn salmon caught on the Benchil beat just below Stanley.


The sun sets on another autumn day on the Tay in Perthshire, Scotland.

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Salmon Fishing Scotland Tay, Perthshire, Scotland Salmon Fishing Report for week ending 25th October 2014.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Tay, Perthshire, Scotland Salmon Fishing Report for week ending 25th October 2014.

The river Tay in Perthshire Scotland had another reasonable catch in fairly unsettled conditions last week. Currently there has been a run of autumn salmon and grilse over the last few weeks on the river but it has not been strong as we enter the final 5 days of the season. The weather has at last changed to more autumnal conditions and this has triggered off improvements making October the best month of this difficult season so far. The catches have been disappointing and tough to achieve recently but more water has given hope and renewed optimism for the last few days assuming more fish enter the system. Some heavy fish in the 30 pounds range have also been caught. Most beats are reporting reasonable numbers of fish in residence but catching them is proving difficult.
This past week saw the water levels fluctuate due to rain and high winds and sport was had to achieve throughout the river. Saturday was all but written off due to the Tay Decent Canoe event. The fishing can be supreme and the scenery is not bad either. The autumn colours are supreme and you could see a skein of Geese crossing, an Otter or a Kingfisher darting past while you are in mid cast! It is true what they say, “ a salmon is a bonus!” That has certainly been the case this year!

Beat catches reported
(week ending 25th October)
SALMON & GRILSE: Waulkmill 4, Lower Redgorton 24, Luncarty 3, Upper Redgorton 6, Fishponds 11, Upper Scone 6, Pitlochrie 1, Stobhall 15, Taymount 6, Ballathie 11, Cargill 13, Meikleour and Upper Islamouth 20, Kercock 15, Newtyle 6, Dunkeld House 6, Dalmarnock 2, Dalguise 3, Lower Aberuthven 2, Lochlane and Laggan 16.
Total: 170 Largest: Dunkeld House 34lbs
SEA TROUT: Lower Redgorton 1, Taymount 1, Lower Aberuthven 4, Lochlane and Laggan 1.
Total: 7 Largest: Lochlane and Laggan 4lbs

Lower Tay.
The autumn fishing has been hard on the lower river with limited fish running but the increase in water levels have continued to see big improvements making October the most productive month so far. Sea Trout have been an added bonus this summer but the autumn salmon run has been disappointing. The lower beats below Stanley caught fish this past week in reasonable numbers including quite a few fresh ones. The river continued at a good height seeing fish run and move throughout the river. The rise has not benefited Almondmouth and the Stormont Angling club as fish ran the Almond in numbers. Waulkmill and Lower Redgorton caught fish throughout the week up to 12 pounds with Toby salmos being the favoured lure to produce success. These included a few sea liced fish. Fresh fish were also reported from Luncarty with Alan Young, Jimmy Chim and Gerrard Kelly all catching. Upper Redgorton and Fishponds continue to have better catches with October being far their most productive month including mostly fresh fish caught.

Fishponds had a very successful week with several salmon landed including a

28 pounds fish for Jason Tumath caught on a floating devon form Shochie Green.

On Friday 2 good fish were landed on fly weighing 23 and 16 pounds. Upper Scone had reasonable success with fish up to 23 pounds for Arnot McWhinnie and Alan McCaigs party. Simon Harrips party on Stanley earlier in the week accounted for a 12 pounds fish form Pitlochrie pool caught by Robbie Heath. Stobhall and Taymount continued to catch throughout the week and October is proving to be their most productive month as well. Ballathie and Cargill are still producing reasonable catches despite favouring lower water levels.

David Godfrey reported from Cargill this it was “another unsettled week of both water and weather along with a lot of leaves in the river made fishing tough, Steve Curnow and Peter Hull fished hard for the first three days of the week and were rewarded with 10 good fish up to 20lbs, the majority caught on Toby lures. Nigel Passmores party had equally tough conditions on Thursday and Friday but still managed some sport with fish up to 15lbs. Saturday we didn't fish due to the Tay Descent Canoe event.” On Meikleour and Upper Islamouth Calum McRoberts reported "A great week for our guests with 20 fish being caught, helped by an exceptionally good Wednesday when we hooked 13 and landed 8! There were many first time successes as well, which is always special. We caught two, 23lb'ers during the week including a personal best for beat owner Sam Mercer Nairne.

The water levels are at a great height for us now and I anticipate the catches remaining good for the final week. The vast majority of our fish were sea-licers or silver and generally coming from spots where we expect resting rather than residents. We still have some availability remaining for the final week if anyone wants to try to catch that elusive Tay salmon."

Middle Tay.
The catches further upstream have improved with the rise in the river levels over recent weeks. Gary Harkin reported from Kercock that they “ had 15 fish for the week with Gary Scholes catching an 8lbs fish on a Willie Gunn, Mark Thomson landed a couple at 16lbs and a superb 20lbs sea licer, Father and son Jim and James Redmond had a superb day landing fish at 15, 7, 5 and 19lbs, Dougie McLean, Gordon Melrose, Brian Watson all caught on fly,

and 11 year old Scott Batchelor caught his first fish ever, a 7lbs bar of silver.” On Newtyle caught some notable fish throughout the week with Sam Datta starting the week off with an 8 pounds fish from the Deans Burn.

Ian Dolan had a cracking little grilse from the Steps. The fly proved successful for Stewart Dingwall landing a couple of fish up to 17 pounds on Wednesday from the Cotter. Brian Mitchell celebrated his birthday with a 12 pounds fish from the Steps.

On the Dunkeld House beat odd fish were caught during the week with David Ritchie landing a memorable 34 pounds fish from the boat on a Tay lure. Dalmarnock reported a couple of fish during the week. Dalguise reported odd fish in the week with Kenny Adams, Gordon MacKenzie and Guntrs Paskevics landing fish up to 16 pounds on spinners.

Earn.
Fish are now running the river with increased flows. Fish were reported in better numbers from Lower Aberuthven and Lochlane and Laggan.

Upper Tay.
This area has closed for the season.

Tummel.
This area has closed for the season.

Isla & Ericht.
This area has closed for the season.

The 2014 salmon season in Scotland, Europe, Canada and Iceland has not been one to remember so far. Atlantic salmon stocks are relatively low so the importance of Catch and Release is vital to continue our enjoyment of this superb sport for the future. Currently on the Tay the majority of anglers with odd exceptions are achieving this. We had a superb spring run and catch last season, which may just be down to the majority of anglers returning salmon over the past seasons. This year catches have fallen dramatically so emphasizing the importance of catch and release is absolutely crucial. Retaining hen salmon is a strict no no and any angler doing so should not be allowed on our rivers.

Hugh Robins with a good fish from September to win TGA fish of the month.
The Tay Ghillies Association have seized the initiative and launched a FISH OF THE MONTH AWARD to encourage good catch and release practice on the Tay. Each month the winner will receive 2 personalised crystal Whisky glasses engraved with details of the catch and they will automatically be entered into the fish of the year competition for a Stylish Crystal Engraved Decanter.
• Catch a good Tay Salmon
• Weigh it carefully and photograph it with as little handling as possible.
• Verify with Ghillie
• Safely return the fish with a minimum of handling
• TGA Committee decision is final
Send entries with a photo and verification details to:-
Mike Hay, Sec of Tay Ghillies Assoc.
Mobile: 07762 464407
Email: tayhayurg@gmail.com

Thank you to all anglers who have returned their spring salmon to maintain our sport for the future, but this should be extended to the summer and autumn now as catches have dropped to new lows, it is vitally important and is a great contribution by individuals who care for their sport and the river. Well done!

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Salmon Fishing Scotland Prospects for the Tay, Perthshire, Scotland week commencing 27th October 2014.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Prospects for the Tay, Perthshire, Scotland week commencing 27th October 2014.

The Salmon fishing season is finally arriving at the last 5 days of the October extension period on the mighty Tay in Perthshire, Scotland and we have been experiencing more rain to raise river levels and slightly colder weather for autumn fishing. The salmon run has not been strong on the river and catches have been hard to achieve in recent weeks but the improved conditions saw catches improve throughout the month. Long periods of very low water curtailed sport in September but the good news is that rain has raised river levels and that has triggered off much better catches although it is debatable whether there has been any autumn run of substance. Currently resident salmon are in most of the pools throughout the river but not easy to catch. Expectation is high of a late run of fresh autumn salmon running the river but time is fast running out. This past week salmon were caught in good numbers despite unsettled conditions and hopefully that will continue. The weather was more unsettled causing fluctuations in levels throughout the week making fishing harder but reasonable catches were still attained. It has not been a summer and autumn to remember so far until this last couple of weeks but hopefully the autumn run will improve further in the days to come for the end of the season.

Currently the river is unsettled after heavy rain and strong winds but hopefully settle for the last few days (approx 6’ on the Ballathie gauge during Sunday). River levels in the coming days should remain higher making the fishing better and hopefully a stronger run will produce some top quality sport and allow fish to run further to enable catches to continue to spread. The weather is to remain unsettled over the next few days but hopefully not to reduce the chance of producing some more excellent sport and some good autumn fishing.

The weather is looking reasonably unsettled for the next few days and typically autumnal with some rain forecast in the week, hopefully this will not curtail sport in the coming days and we will see a strengthening late autumn run. The water temperature is cooling to around 50 degrees Fahrenheit or 10 degrees Celsius, which is good news as well. These are now better temperatures for the time of year and the conditions have seen salmon running throughout the system. Colder weather would bring the water temperature down and make the fish more aggressive to improve catches. Hopefully there might be a chance of a fresh fish anywhere in the river.

As to methods, in settled conditions fishing by any method should enable you to catch the elusive Tay salmon. The water temperature is cooling slowly but floating lines with the addition of a sink tip should still be 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. When spinning, Tay favourites include Toby Salmos, weighted and floating devons, flying C’s and Visons or Rapalas. Harling is also a favoured method on many beats depending on water heights.

Finally you are reminded of the Tay's policy for the Trial Extension period.
• The trial season extension is limited to the main River Tay downstream of Kinnaird.
• Fishing is conducted on a strict catch and release basis.
• Fishing will be by fly fishing, spinning or harling only. No form of natural bait is allowed. Only barbless hooks can be used.

Please help preserve both them and the long term future of your sport by following the recommendations. The catches this year on most rivers throughout Scotland, Europe and Iceland have not been good so it is vitally important we return as many salmon carefully back to the rivers as possible to preserve the future of our sport.This is your best way to help as an angler and true sportsmen or women.

Guidance on good catch and release.


The Tay Ghillies Association has launched a FISH OF THE MONTH AWARD to encourage good catch and release practice on the Tay. Each month the winner will receive 2 personalised crystal Whisky glasses engraved with details of the catch and they will automatically be entered into the fish of the year competition for a Stylish Crystal Engraved Decanter.

• Catch a good Tay Salmon
• Weigh it carefully and photograph it with as little handling as possible.
• Verify with Ghillie
• Safely return the fish with a minimum of handling
• TGA Committee decision is final
Send entries with a photo and verification details to: -
Mike Hay, Sec of Tay Ghillies Assoc.
Mobile: 07762 464407
Email: tayhayurg@gmail.com

When releasing salmon 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. Guidance on good Catch and Release practice.

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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