Salmon Fishing Scotland Tay, Perthshire Salmon Fishing Review 2017.

Salmon Fishing Scotland - By Robert White

Salmon Fishing Scotland Tay, Perthshire Salmon Fishing Review 2017.

Tay Salmon Fishing Review 2017.
The river Tay in Perthshire, Scotland has had a disappointing but interesting salmon fishing year by modern standards as the FishTay web site have reported only around 3500 Salmon and Grilse being caught for the 2017 fishing season. There was yet again effectively no autumn run. It must be said that salmon fishing catches are no longer easily achieved with this situation being mirrored right across the north Atlantic sea board due to problems at sea with a continued increase in Smolt mortality that is out of the rivers control. There is very interesting and outstanding documentary “Atlantic Salmon-Lost at Sea” which gives you an insight into the problems and is well worth a watch if you get a chance to see it. In terms of the salmon and grilse catch, the 2017 season total shows an 46.5% decrease on 2016 on catches declared so far and a 49 % decrease on the 5-year average for FishTay beats. It should also be noted that there were no catches in the last 2 weeks of October for the last three years due to the extension fishing being stopped in 2014 halfing the October catch effectively and making the 5-year average worse. The figure of 3500 is not a final catch figure for this either as there are a number of areas that do not report on Fishtay.

Catches reported per month through the season were as follows Jan 17, Feb 64, Mar 266, Apr 412, May 378, Jun 421, Jul 510, Aug 580, Sep 580 and October 292. The spring period from January to May continues to be a positive part of the season although the early run was disappointing this past year, but interestingly yet again it outscored the autumn continuing to show a swing towards the spring period. The early spring was steady but weaker confirming the spring proportion of the catch on the Tay is continuing to increase year on year with this year’s catch being 32 % of the total. We are continuing to see the start of a change in the cycles as in the past and it would have been unthinkable in recent years that there would be more spring salmon caught than autumn fish. Further evidence of this phenomenon was a steady June ending the 2017 spring run. The summer period including June to the end of August decreased by 35 % on a stronger 2016 which was disappointing but represented 43% of the total Tay catch. The run seemed only to last until mid-August. The autumn period was not good and fell back on 2016 with no real run to speak of, September to October showed a 75 % decrease on 2016 in reasonable conditions. The Grilse run was poor again pointing to an improving Spring. 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 and possibly is a consequence of fish that are surviving spender longer at sea.

To provide some context it should be said the 2017 salmon rod catch were extremely disappointing compared to 2016 apart from another reasonable spring and early summer however no run to speak of in the autumn from Mid-August again sent alarm bells ringing with the spring continuing to outscore the autumn. Hopefully there will be improvements to come in 2018 but the question should be asked why and has the autumn run disappeared for the foreseeable future due to cyclical change? The spring was again the big plus despite being much weaker but most believe that was a blip compared with the previous 4 years which is already creating massive interests in spring fishing for 2018 with much anticipation after this year’s autumn failing. The summer was reasonable with the end of the spring run and a steady July to mid-August but the autumn was more difficult throughout the river with a distinct absence of a run possibly due to the north Atlantic problems in the sea and this year we could not complain about a lack of water which is more worrying.

Thankfully we have a hatchery at Almondbank to help, this maybe something to further develop for the future with all the weather extremes being thrown at us in recent years. After the season was completed a concerted effort was put into place to catch brood stock for the Hatchery.

The Bailiffs with the help from the Tay Ghillies Association, both financial and in person managed to get the maximum number of salmon required form various areas of the river to fill the hatchery. A far greater number of eggs, young fish and parr will be stocked out in the system next year and more fish will go into the Kelt reconditioning unit which must be a big positive for the system.

Well done all concerned.

Another big positive this past year has been the rewatering of the river Garry after some 60 years which was hailed at the 2017 opening at Meikleour as a major milestone in salmon conservation. Spawning salmon will have access following a landmark agreement. A section of one of the Tay’s most important tributaries has now consistent flows restored after decades of very extensive water abstraction. Ten miles of the River Garry - much of it clearly visible from the A9 - which has been essentially dry since the mid 1950s, will run again, promising major benefits for adult salmon spawning and juvenile production. Bill Jack, chairman of the TDSFB, added: “This most welcome news is a milestone in salmon conservation. “Some ten miles of the main river and seven miles of tributary will once again be capable of producing salmon. “We estimate that this is likely to produce an additional 1500 adult, predominantly spring, salmon returning to the river annually. “It is difficult to envisage any other single project that would benefit salmon in the Tay system as much as this will. We are very pleased to have been able to work with SSE and SEPA to a successful conclusion.”
The river has had a poor year with odd positives but 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 reasonable spring run and catch this season, which may just be down to the majority of anglers returning salmon over the past seasons and the stocking program. Thank you to all anglers who have this season returned their salmon and 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 several beats that do not report catches on the FishTay website and the full rod catch for the River Tay in 2017 will be a bit higher than shown on the FishTay website.

This part of the report came from Tay Board annual report written by D Summers.

The 2017 Tay salmon angling season opened on Monday 16 January. The preceding few weeks had been largely dry and, although there had been higher water around Christmas and New Year, the water level on the 15th, at just under three feet, was relatively low for the time of year. However, the river rose a foot or more overnight but, being only due to melted snow, the water had not coloured and the river was still perfectly fishable.

Some eight spring salmon were caught on opening day. Three from Loch Tay, two from Meikleour, one from Lower Farleyer, one from Taymouth Castle and one from Dunkeld House. That latter fish, a 19 pounder, won Robert Harvey the Redford Trophy for the largest opening day fish off the Tay.
Shortly after opening day, the Tay rose to nearly five feet but the rest of January was relatively dry for the time of year. By the 31st the level was down to about two feet. Catches had not lived up to early hopes and water was hoped for. An initial estimate is that a little over 20 fish may have been caught in January which is likely to be a bit below the recent average.

The Tay rose on 1 February and reached about 7 feet on 5 February. Further rain later on saw February end with the highest level of the season, over 8 feet. At the time of writing this report, catch returns have not been received from all beats. However, 65 fish were reported for February on the fishtay website against a five year website average of 123. As fishtay now includes most of the main beats on the Tay, the final total will not be much higher. The final tally will be well down. While that will be so, the proportion of fish weighing well into the teens of pounds or even higher appeared to be higher than usual and not that many fish under 10 pounds appeared to have been caught. What was caught seemed to have been dominated by 3SW fish. 2SW appear to have been relatively scarce.

March saw higher water levels. The Tay averaged about four feet throughout, with a number of rises, but no big floods. Indeed, 2017 proved to be free of major floods. While there was some snow inland and some frosty nights, there were also unseasonably mild periods and spring appeared a little ahead of normal. After a slow start, the fishing did pick up and 279 salmon were reported on the fishtay website for the month, but still below the recent fishtay five year average of 354. As in February, larger fish still seemed to be a major component of catches, including four fish reported as being in excess of 30 pounds.
The distribution of the catch was also different from usual. For example, the Stanley area usually fishes as well as anywhere in March, but in 2017, catches were well down in that area. However, catches at Cargill, Islamouth and Coupar Grange on the Isla were well over their March averages. Fish were caught on Loch Tay but not to the extent of some recent years. It would seem that a generally milder winter / early spring created conditions not normally seen until April and fish just passed through the Stanley area rather than stopping.

April started with a rise to over four feet, but then was a very dry month, ending with the Tay running at under one foot. As in March, the catch reported to fishtay was down on the five year average, 413 compared to 518. Given fishing conditions in tributaries were poor due to low water, fewer fish than usual are likely to have been caught on those tributaries beats that do not report to fishtay.
Again, because of the low water, some Tay beats did very badly but others did well. For example Ballathie and Cargill did better than normal but Islamouth did very well with 85 for April. Because of the conditions, it wasn’t clear at the end of April whether the lower catches overall were due to a poorer run or not. However, by this time in the season, the number of 2SW did appear to increase and the proportion of 3SW fish, among catches of fresh fish, was declining.

The dry conditions of April continued into May and, by mid month, levels were down almost to drought conditions in some of the tributaries. Salmon with Saprolegnia fungus were in evidence, not only in the River Ericht, but even in the main River Tay also. SSE started to get concerned that it might not be possible to maintain the statutory minimum compensation flow from Pitlochry Dam because of falling water levels in Loch Ericht. That would have been something that had never occurred at this time of year before. However, in the second half of the month, things changed slightly. A little rain did stop the river at least from falling any further until a few days into June.
Only 378 salmon were reported on fishtay for May compared to a recent average of 635. The very low water may have contributed partly to the reduced total. However, with fish heading for the Ericht held up in the main river, Islamouth continued to fish well, totalling 100 for the month. That, and the fact that considerable numbers of fish were seen running the weir in Blairgowrie on small rises late in the month, indicated there may have been a reasonable run of fish heading for the Ericht. On the Tummel, more fish had passed through the Pitlochry counter by the end of May than in any year since 1978. That was probably a reflection of warmer water temperatures allowing the run through earlier. When fish get through Pitlochry quicker and earlier, catches in the Tummel go down.

While starting off with Tay levels under a foot, the weather broke about a week into June. The Tay then ran around three feet for a period, but the latter half of the month saw levels settle again. 410 fish were reported on fishtay for June, but that was again down on the recent average.

In July, the Tay’s level would have normally been thought of as having been on the low side, had it not been for the very low water earlier. The base level of the river generally remained between one and two feet, with a few rises. But July proved to be the only month of the season where the fishtay catch, at least, was close to its recent average. Because the water was generally low, the best of the July fishing was in the lower river but most middle Tay beats below Dunkeld had a hard time in July.

August was a wetter month. The Tay ran between three and four feet for most of the latter part of the month. But, while the increase in flow might have been expected to spread fish out, there did not appear to be a great influx of fresh fish to take advantage of it. In a number of recent years the summer grilse run has not peaked until August but this year grilse did not seem to appear in any abundance at all. Many of the fish caught appear to have been salmon, many of which were colouring up. The same thing happened in 2016, but in 2017 the process seemed to commence a few weeks earlier with relatively few fresh fish after July. 566 fish were reported on fishtay for August while the recent average is 818.

Like August, September had no significant dry period. Tay levels generally fluctuated between two and four feet, creeping up towards the end of the month. But, while some days were hampered by conditions, water levels were not excessive as they sometimes can be at this time.

However, irrespective of the conditions, the pattern established in August continued to play out. Very few fresh fish appeared to enter the Tay, neither grilse nor salmon. Colouring salmon appeared to make up large part of what was caught, even on the lower Tay. This was reflected in the fact that 561 fish were reported on fishtay for the month compared to a recent average of 1196.

October also saw several bouts of rain and, on a few occasions, the Tay rose to over five or six during the half month to the end of the Tay season. However, in the last week of the month, which saw the close of the season on the Earn and Eden, levels had settled back somewhat. However, even in October there was no sign of any significant late run of fish. Coloured salmon provided most of what fish were caught. 286 were reported on fishtay against a five year average of 1587, although that includes several years of the trial season extension.

To sum up the season, with 3324 fish reported on fishtay, it is possible that the full final total might not reach 5000, which would make 2017 the poorest angling season in terms of reported catch since the 1950s. Then, of course, angling effort was probably lower on many beats and many nets were operating in the estuary and on the coast. Therefore, the total run of fish returning to the coast in 2017 may have been lower than in the 1950s, perhaps even the lowest recorded.
The Tay was not the only river to be so affected in 2017. In fact the problem appears to have been widespread. Possible reasons for the poor grilse run seems most likely that the problem, once again, is a marine one.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Tay, Perthshire Salmon fishing report w/e 14th October 2017.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Tay, Perthshire Salmon fishing report w/e 14th October 2017.

Salmon fishing season on the Tay in Perthshire has now ended with changeable autumnal conditions, slightly colder weather plus reasonable water levels from rain at times and catches have been steady with autumn arriving. The temperatures had started to drop making the resident salmon more aggressive, a few more fresh fish were being seen, giving everyone a chance of landing a good Tay salmon before the season ended.

On the nature front as autumn arrives the Sand Martins, Swifts and Swallows have departed quickly, the Ospreys have already gone for warmer climes, Ducks have their broods of young growing up steadily and Kingfishers dart past on the river banks. Even the odd Sea Eagle can be seen if you are very lucky. Recent weeks have seen the first Geese arriving. Odd wild flowers are still in bloom, the autumn colours are now showing, it is truly magical to be salmon fishing in Perthshire on the banks of the silvery Tay where a salmon was a bonus.

Beat catches reported
(week ending 14th October)
SALMON & GRILSE: Almondmouth 10, Waulkmill 1, Lower Redgorton 2, Luncarty 1, Upper Redgorton 1, Fishponds 6, Benchil 2, Catholes 1, Upper Scone 3, Pitlochrie 1, Stobhall 12, Taymount 22, Ballathie 11, Cargill 11, Islamouth 8, Meikleour and Upper Islamouth 5, Kercock 4, Delvine Burnbane 1, Murthly 2 1, Newtyle 1, Dunkeld House 1, Dalmarnock 1, Lower Kinnaird 7, Edradynate AA 4, Findynate 1, Keithick Mains 9, Strathfillan AA 3.
Total: 130 Largest: Stobhall 20lbs
SEA TROUT: Waulkmill 2, Lower Redgorton 3, Upper Redgorton 1, Fishponds 2, Catholes 1, Upper Scone 2, Stobhall 2, Taymount 3, Meikleour and Upper Islamouth 1, Lochlane and Laggan 1, Keithick Mains 1.
Total: 19 Largest: Catholes 4lbs


July was the rivers best month so far for fresh fish running and August was steady with more salmon landed in warmer weather and river conditions have improved as the weeks have gone with plenty of fresh water. Settling river levels after rain recently and water temperatures dropping had improved catches with autumn well underway and a few more fresh fish were being seen as last week of the season got underway. Recent rain has helped to spice things up. It was another reasonable week despite fairly unsettled conditions with around 130 fish landed and the biggest one recorded was 20 pounds from Stobhall. Spring is now a distant memory for 2017 and Summer has disappeared as we move deep into Autumn. Some of the fish that have been caught are memorable as typical Tay specimens due to their size and depth with only a few grilse caught so far.

This past week again saw more fish from the lower river scattered throughout the beats with a spread in catches mainly due to water temperatures dropping and resident fish becoming more aggressive. The beats at Stanley and below are seeing sport and the rise in water levels in recent times may just have spiced things up by encouraging salmon into the river however fresh fish were a premium as there has only been a very weak autumn run. The very lower part of the river is producing consistent catches with Almondmouth, Waulkmill and Lower Redgorton all catching in the week but in disappointing numbers for the time of year. The beats further up were not fairing any better as everyone hoped for some form of autumn run which did not materialise. On Luncarty Max Cole managed a last day fish caught on a vision.

On Fishponds the Horlock party enjoyed a bit of success landing fish throughout the week. At Stanley Simon Smedley enjoyed a few days earlier in the week land 3 salmon up to 12 pounds including a lovely fresh fish from the little Shot on Benchil. Austrian visitor, Harold Neumueller enjoyed success on the Catholes with a 15 pounds fish from the Catholes Stream on the fly. Taymount and Stobhall had just over 30 between them in the week with Ray Bailey’s party having a good week on Stobhall. Ballathie had a reasonable week with fish most days and a 19 pounder on the last day.

Cargill was similar with Ian Jardine, Neil French and Gavin Mason being amongst the action.

Islamouth had a quieter week as the season drew to a close however it was another very successful year for the Tay’s most productive beat with just short of 500 fish.

Upper Islamouth and Meikleour finished their season with 5 fish which included Des Beirne landing a personal best at 15 pounds on the fly, Kevin Reed landing a couple and Scott Sykes landing 2 on the last day up to 18 pounds.

The middle river continued to be extremely disappointing despite dropping river temperatures and more water not producing good sport however there have been odd exceptions.

Kercock finished the last week with 4 which included a good fish for Samantha Datta assisted by beat ghillie Gary Harkin.

Delvine saw the Thompson party land a 12 pounds fish. Murthly, Newtyle, Dunkeld House, Dalmarnock and the Kinnaird beats had odd fish in the week.

The upper river was seeing steady sport with fish recently caught and reported last week at Edradynate and Findynate including one at 18 pounds. Further fish were reported from the Dochart at Strathfillan.

The Tummel has been quiet from the Port-na-Craig beat administered by Pitlochry Angling Club but there are now well over 4000 fish through the Dam resulting in fish being recorded in Loch Faskally and odd fish up the system at Ruan Ruarie. Further upstream fish have also been caught in the Tilt.

The Isla is seeing salmon run up the river and progressing to the Ericht. 4 came off Keithick Mains.

The Earn has seen a run of salmon and sea trout progress up the river with a good few fish caught in the system over recent weeks.

The Salmon fishing season is finally over for 2017. It had been a difficult season but there still have been quite a few memorable fish caught. We now look forward to 2018 and what it will bring!

Salmon Fishing Scotland - By Robert White

Salmon Fishing Scotland Tay, Perthshire Salmon fishing report w/e 7th October 2017.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Tay, Perthshire Salmon fishing report w/e 7th October 2017.

Salmon fishing on the Tay in Perthshire has seen out September with changeable autumnal conditions for fishing in now slightly colder weather and reasonable water levels from rain at times plus catches are steady with autumn arriving. The temperatures have started to drop making the resident salmon more aggressive, a few more fresh fish are being seen, expectation and optimism are still high on the river with summer fast disappearing and autumn arriving to give everyone a chance of landing a good Tay salmon before the season ends.

On the nature front, as autumn arrives the Sand Martins, Swifts and Swallows have departed quickly, the Ospreys have already gone for warmer climes, Ducks have their broods of young growing up steadily and Kingfishers dart past on the river banks. Recent days have seen the first Geese arriving. Odd wild flowers are still in bloom, the autumn colours are now showing, it is truly magical to be salmon fishing in Perthshire on the banks of the silvery Tay where a salmon is now a bonus.

Beat catches reported
(week ending 7th October)
SALMON & GRILSE: Almondmouth 12, Waulkmill 7, Lower Redgorton 8, Luncarty 1, Upper Redgorton 5, Fishponds 3, Benchil 3, Upper Scone 5, Pitlochrie 3, Stobhall 9, Taymount 10, Ballathie 4, Cargill 14, Islamouth 7, Meikleour and Upper Islamouth 7, Kercock 2, Murthly 1 1, Glendelvine 1, Murthly 2 6, Newtyle 4, Dalmarnock 4, Lower Kinnaird 4, Upper Kinnaird 1, Edradynate AA 1, Lochlane and Laggan 5, Keithick Mains 2, Loch Faskally 1, Ruan Ruarie 1, Strathfillan AA 7.
Total: 138 Largest: Murthly 2 25lbs
SEA TROUT: Waulkmill 6, Lower Redgorton 1, Upper Redgorton 4, Fishponds 7, Upper Scone 3, Taymount 1, Newtyle 1, Lochlane and Laggan 3.
Total: 26 Largest: Lochlane and Laggan 4lbs

July was the rivers best month so far for fresh fish running and August was steady with more salmon landed in warmer weather and river conditions have improved as the weeks have gone with plenty of fresh water. Settling river levels after rain recently and water temperatures dropping should hopefully continue to improve catches with autumn now well underway and a few more fresh fish being seen as the last week of the season gets underway. Recent rain has helped to spice things up. It was another reasonable week despite fairly unsettled conditions with around 140 fish landed and the biggest one recorded was 25 pounds from Murthly 2. Spring is now a distant memory for 2017 and Summer has disappeared as we move deep into Autumn. Some of the fish that have been caught are memorable as typical Tay specimens due to their size and depth with only a few grilse caught so far. Hopefully there will be a good last week of the season.

This past week again saw more fish from the lower river scattered throughout the beats with a spread in catches mainly due to water temperatures dropping and resident fish becoming more aggressive. The beats at Stanley and below are seeing sport and the rise in water levels in recent times may just have spiced things up by encouraging salmon into the river. The very lower part of the river is producing consistent catches with Almondmouth, Waulkmill and Lower Redgorton all catching in the week but in disappointing numbers for the time of year. The beats further up are not fairing any better but improved slightly last week as everyone hopes for some form of an autumn run. Upper Redgorton produced 5 fish last week for a Swiss party of keen fishers.

At Stanley the Upper Scone rods finished with 5 meanwhile the Foster party had fish from Benchil and Pitlochrie which included a first ever fish for Louise Foster from the Long Shot at Benchil. Mick Beham caught 3 in the week and Peter Varney landed the largest fish weighing in at 16 pounds. Stobhall and Taymount had 19 between them and Ballathie had 4.

Cargill ended up with 14 salmon up to 21 pounds in weight. Jim Connel, Neil French, David Sands, Mike Howells and Kevin Gibson all featured in the catches.

Islamouth had 7 as did Upper Islamouth and Meikleour where the Taylor party had a good day landing 4 fish on Friday, Nick Bell and Colin Watts both landed their first ever fish and Tony Taylor and Simon Graydon weighed in with fish up to 9 pounds as well.

The middle river continues to be extremely disappointing despite dropping river temperatures and more water not producing good sport however there have been odd exceptions. Fish came from Kercock, Murthly, Glendelvine, Newtyle, Dalmarnock and the Kinnaird beats but in small numbers for the time of year.

There was a lovely fresh fish caught by Jenny Alton on Kercock. The Scruton party fished hard on Murthly 1 but had only 1 fish to show for their efforts meanwhile Murthly 2 produced a 25 pounds fish in the week.

The upper river was seeing steady sport with fish recently caught and reported last week at Edradynate. Further fish were reported from the Dochart at Strathfillan.

The Tummel has been quiet from the Port-na-Craig beat administered by Pitlochry Angling Club but there are now well over 4000 fish through the Dam resulting in fish being recorded in Loch Faskally and a fish caught further up the system at Ruan Ruarie

The Isla is seeing salmon run up the river and progressing to the Ericht. 2 came off Keithick Mains.

The Earn has seen a run of salmon and sea trout progress up the river with a good few fish caught in the system over recent weeks and reported fish from Lochlane and Laggan.

The current week has got off to a good start with over 20 fish reported up to 20 pounds and hopefully that will continue as the week goes on.

The Salmon fishing season is in its last week now with Autumn here. It had been a difficult season but there have still been quite a few memorable fish caught. Let us hope the last few days go out with a bang. Tight lines!

Salmon Fishing Scotland - By Robert White

Salmon Fishing Scotland Prospects for Tay, Perthshire w/c 9th October 2017.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Prospects for Tay, Perthshire w/c 9th October 2017.

The Salmon fishing season is now well into the Autumn on the mighty Tay in Perthshire, Scotland as we enter the last week of the season in mid-October and we have been encountering some rain at times resulting in fresh water in the river. The river has been a bit unsettled for quite a period with regular rain showers but the rain has brought the river up and it is now dropping back nicely. The lower river levels have not stopped some fish running and triggering off reasonable catches, however, the increased flows should have helped even further. We have had some unsettled conditions in recent times with rain raising the river but that has now settled which hopefully will continue to give more optimism plus a reasonable summer run entered the river since July with the hope of some more autumn fish to come. The nighttime temperatures have dropped as well cooling the river and triggering off more aggression in the resident fish resulting in improving catches. The weather hopefully will remain reasonable to give a greater chance of producing improving sport and good fish.

On the nature front, as autumn arrives the Sand Martins, Swifts and Swallows have now departed quickly, the Ospreys have already gone for warmer climes, Ducks have their broods of young growing up steadily and Kingfishers dart past on the river banks. Recent weeks have seen the first Geese arriving. Odd wildflowers are still in bloom, the autumn colours are now showing, it is truly magical to be salmon fishing in Perthshire on the banks of the silvery Tay where a salmon is now a bonus.

Currently, the river has dropped back after rain recently and settling with improving conditions (around 3’ on the Ballathie gauge) however rain from the west will maintain heights to hopefully encourage more salmon to run.

The weather has been again unsettled over parts of last week with rain and that theme will continue for this coming week with some rain forecast but mainly in the west which hopefully will not upset the river too much. Some heavy downpours have given the river some water from rain in recent weeks but the river has steadily dropped back to just above summer levels again. This current week continues to look a bit unsettled with some rain forecast at times. Calmer weather will settle the river back to good levels and make ideal autumn fishing conditions. The water temperature is now cooling to 52 degrees Fahrenheit or 10.5 degrees Celsius at the start of this week and should remain at that level in the current weather conditions with colder nights. This is good news making the resident salmon more aggressive and more likely to take. These are typical temperatures for this time of year. Hopefully, there might be a chance of a fish anywhere in the river.
Popular hotels to stay in the area are the Tayside Hotel in Stanley, Ballathie House, The Meikleour Arms, Murrayshall Hotel, Scone and the Royal Dunkeld Hotel.

As to methods, in settled conditions fishing by any method will have to be a bit quicker with large lures to catch the elusive Tay Salmon. 20 pounds main line with a 15 pounds leader plus favoured lures include Devons, Toby Salmos, Vision 110’s and Rapalas, for spinning and smaller Temple Dogs, Tubes, normal dressed flies and Monkies for fly fishing. The Tay is a large river but modern lines should make turning over and casting larger flies easier and the fish tend to be near the bank in larger waters. Floating lines and sink tips are now on the agenda as we go over the magical 48 degrees and into summer. Harling is also a favoured method on the river to cover the lies for the less experienced.

Tackle recommendations for fishing the Tay throughout the season.
Fly Rods.
The Tay is a large river, especially when running at a normal level and even in lower levels you are fishing another river within the mighty one so, therefore, a 15 foot fly rod for a 10 weight line is certainly a minimum requirement for much of the season. Do not come under gunned. In some parts of the river where it is especially wide even longer rods are used. It should be noted however that it is better to cast a shorter controlled line than try to cast out with your capabilities and have the lines end up in a mess and decrease your chances.
Fly Lines.
In early season when the water is cold you need to cast larger flies and get them deeper in the water to fish them slowly. There is a tremendous choice on the market nowadays which can be quite confusing to many anglers. Any type of Skagit line that can easily cast a 15 foot sinking leader of various depths is a good choice especially to the less experienced. Iflights and a tip of choice attached are another good bet as these lines enable you to cast a longer line than normal with ease. For more experienced anglers, there is a vast array of shooting heads of different sinking abilities available as well. These tactics can be used in late season as well when the water starts to cool down.
Once the water temperature starts to climb by April then tactics change to mainly floating lines and sink tips with much smaller conventional flies. Again, the choice of lines is incredible from longer belly Spey lines to shooting heads. If you go to shooting heads, then it is important to choose a good shooting backing as line management can be a big issue casting longer lines on a river such as the Tay.
Spinning Rods.
Rods.
You should have a minimum of a 10 foot rod for casting baits of 20gm to 60gms.
Line.
The main line of 20 pounds in nylon or 30 pounds in braid. You should use a lesser poundage far a cast such as 15 pounds so if you get caught up on the bottom you do not lose a large part of your main line.
Baits.
Tobies from 18gm upwards. Toby Salmos are very popular in 30gms. Conventional weighted Devon’s are good, especially in the Spring. Rapalas and Vision 110’s are very effective and of course, Kynochs are popular for harling.
What flies should I take?
In early season bigger flies such as Tube Flies, Temple Dogs and Monkey type flies up to 2 inches in body length and larger conventional patterns in 4’s and 6’s in lower water are required. A point of note is that a lighter Tube such as an aluminium or plastic body is far easier to cast than brass. Current line technology enables you to get these lighter flies to the correct depths. Ask your ghillie for tip advice on the day.

As river temperatures rise to a more conventional approach than a size range in your box should be from 6 in higher water to 12 in lower water and even smaller on exceptionally low conditions. Cascade type patterns seem to be the most popular and recently feeler flies have come to the fore. It is always worth a go with a Sun Ray type fly with a long wing whether casting normally in colder conditions to stripping it fast in warmer water.

Finally, you are reminded that the Tay's policy from June to the end of 2017 Season is that
• 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.
Please help preserve both them and the long-term future of your sport by following the recommendations. It is vital the river system follows these guides to ensure the draconian rules do not get extended in seasons to come.
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. Further information on the policy and good release practice.

The Tay Ghillies Association are continuing their popular 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. Full details of this initiative.

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.


Salmon Fishing Scotland - By Robert White

Salmon Fishing Scotland Tay, Perthshire Salmon fishing report w/e 30th September 2017.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Tay, Perthshire Salmon fishing report w/e 30th September 2017.

Salmon fishing on the Tay in Perthshire has seen out September with changeable autumnal conditions for fishing in now slightly colder weather and reasonable water levels from rain at times plus catches are steady with autumn arriving. The temperatures have started to drop making the resident salmon more aggressive, a few more fresh fish are being seen, expectation and optimism are still high on the river with summer fast disappearing and autumn arriving to give everyone a chance of landing a good Tay salmon before the season ends.

On the nature front, as autumn arrives the Sand Martins, Swifts and Swallows have departed quickly, the Ospreys have already gone for warmer climes, Ducks have their broods of young growing up steadily and Kingfishers dart past on the river banks. Recent days have seen the first Geese arriving. Odd wildflowers are still in bloom, the autumn colours are now showing, it is truly magical to be salmon fishing in Perthshire on the banks of the silvery Tay where a salmon is now a bonus.

On Saturday the Tay Ghillies Association held a race night in the Tayside Hotel in Stanley. There was an excellent turnout and £3325 was raised which will go back into the river for the Hatch and Release project. A big thanks go out to all who attended, George McInnes’s family members for the administration and Gary McErlain.

Beat catches reported
(week ending 30th September)
SALMON & GRILSE: Almondmouth 9, Waulkmill 11, Lower Redgorton 21, Luncarty 1, Fishponds 3, Benchil 2, Upper Scone 4, Pitlochrie 1, Stobhall 7, Taymount 7, Ballathie 2, Cargill 10, Islamouth 8, Meikleour and Upper Islamouth 7, Kercock 4, Murthly 2 2, Newtyle 2, Dunkeld House 1, Dalmarnock 1, Lower Kinnaird 1, Farleyer Lower 1, Lochlane and Laggan 2.
Total: 107 Largest: Lower Redgorton 29lbs
SEA TROUT: Waulkmill 3, Lower Redgorton 2, Fishponds 1, Upper Scone 2, Stobhall 1, Taymount 3, Meikleour and Upper Islamouth 1, Lochlane and Laggan 6.
Total: 19 Largest: Lochlane and Laggan 5lbs

July was the rivers best month so far and August was steady with more salmon landed in warmer weather and river conditions have improved as the weeks have gone with plenty of fresh water. Settling river levels after rain recently and water temperatures dropping should hopefully continue to improve catches over the next few weeks with autumn now underway and a few more fresh fish being seen. Recent rain has helped to spice things up. It was another reasonable week despite fairly unsettled conditions with just over 100 fish landed and the biggest one recorded was 29 pounds from Lower Redgorton. Spring is now a distant memory for 2017 and Summer has disappeared as we move into Autumn. Some of the fish that have been caught are memorable as typical Tay specimens due to their size and depth with only a few grilse caught so far. Hopefully, there will be a lot more of them to come in the last 2 weeks of the season.

This past week again saw more fish from the lower river scattered throughout the beats with a spread in catches mainly due to water temperatures dropping and resident fish becoming more aggressive. The beats at Stanley and below are seeing sport and the rise in water levels in recent times may just have spiced things up by encouraging salmon into the river. The very lower part of the river is producing consistent catches with Almondmouth, Waulkmill and Lower Redgorton all catching in the week but in disappointing numbers for the time of year. The beats further up are not fairing any better but improved slightly last week as everyone hopes for some form of an autumn run. Lower Redgorton had a good week with over 20 fish landed including a 29 pounds fish for Martin Gilbert’s party. Will Bright from Ireland enjoyed success on Luncarty with a small fresh fish on Saturday falling to a spinner.

A client from Scotia Fishing had a good 16 pounds fish from Fishponds on a flying C. Upper Scone and Stanley had odd fish in the week with Mark Wyllie landing 2 fish on Benchil and Chris Cuthbert landing his first fish from the Wash House on the Pitlochrie beat despite adverse conditions. Donald Normans party enjoyed a hard week on Stobhall with fish landed most days. Ballathie had an odd fish and Cargill did a bit better with 10 fish up to 21 pounds.

Successful rods included Graham and George Raffan, Don Bell, David Sands and Carl Durrant. Islamouth had 8 in the week and further upstream upper Islamouth and Meikleour finished with 7 which included Michael Schoder from Alaska and John Moses catching on the fly.

Further fish were caught by Findlay Boyd and Adrian Howell caught a sea liced 8 pounder proving odd fresh salmon are still running the river.

The middle river continues to be extremely disappointing despite dropping river temperatures and more water not producing good sport, however, there have been odd exceptions. Fish came from Kercock, Murthly, Newtyle, Dunkeld House and the Kinnaird beats but in small numbers for the time of year.

The upper river was seeing steady sport with fish recently caught and reported last week at Farleyer.

The Tummel has been quiet from the Port-na-Craig beat administered by Pitlochry Angling Club but there are now well over 4000 fish through the Dam resulting in fish being recorded in Loch Faskally and a fish caught further up the system.

The Isla is seeing salmon run up the river and progressing to the Ericht.

The Earn has seen a run of salmon and sea trout progress up the river with a good few fish caught in the system over recent weeks and reported fish from Lochlane and Laggan.

The current week has got off to a quiet start because of a large spate but hopefully, that will stir things up for better success as the week goes on.

The Salmon fishing season is in its last few weeks now with Autumn here. It had been a difficult season but there have still been quite a few memorable fish caught. Let us hope the last few weeks go out with a bang. Tight lines!

Salmon Fishing Scotland - By Robert White

Salmon Fishing Scotland Prospects for Tay, Perthshire w/c 2nd October 2017.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Prospects for Tay, Perthshire w/c 2nd October 2017.

The Salmon fishing season is now well into the Autumn on the mighty Tay in Perthshire, Scotland as we enter October and we have been encountering some rain at times resulting in fresh water in the river. The river has been a bit unsettled for quite a period with regular rain showers but the rain has brought the river up that much and it is now dropping back nicely. The lower river levels have not stopped some fish running and triggering off reasonable catches, however, the increased flows should have helped even further. We have had some unsettled conditions in recent times with rain raising the river but that has now settled which hopefully will continue to give more optimism plus a reasonable summer run entered the river since July with the hope of some more autumn fish to come. The nighttime temperatures have dropped as well cooling the river and triggering off more aggression in the resident fish resulting in improving catches. The weather hopefully will remain reasonable to give a greater chance of producing improving sport and good fish.

On the nature front, as autumn arrives the Sand Martins, Swifts and Swallows have now departed quickly, the Ospreys have already gone for warmer climes, Ducks have their broods of young growing up steadily and Kingfishers dart past on the river banks. Recent days have seen the first Geese arriving. Odd wildflowers are still in bloom, the autumn colours are now showing, it is truly magical to be salmon fishing in Perthshire on the banks of the silvery Tay where a salmon is now a bonus.

Currently, the river has dropped back after rain recently and settling with improving conditions (around 4’ on the Ballathie gauge) however rain from the west will put the river back up by Monday am to hopefully encourage more salmon to run.

The weather has been again unsettled over parts of last week with rain and that theme will continue for this coming week with some rain forecast which hopefully will not upset the river too much. Some heavy downpours have given the river some water from rain in recent weeks but the river has steadily dropped back to just above summer levels again. This current week continues to look a bit unsettled with some rain forecast at times. Calmer weather will settle the river back to good levels and make ideal autumn fishing conditions. The water temperature is now cooling to 54 degrees Fahrenheit or 12.5 degrees Celsius at the start of this week and should remain at that level in the current weather conditions with colder nights. This is good news making the resident salmon more aggressive and more likely to take. These are typical temperatures for this time of year. Hopefully, there might be a chance of a fish anywhere in the river.
Popular hotels to stay in the area are the Tayside Hotel in Stanley, Ballathie House, The Meikleour Arms, Murrayshall Hotel, Scone and the Royal Dunkeld Hotel.

As to methods, in settled conditions fishing by any method will have to be a bit quicker with large lures to catch the elusive Tay Salmon. 20 pounds main line with a 15 pounds leader plus favoured lures include Devons, Toby Salmos, Vision 110’s and Rapalas, for spinning and smaller Temple Dogs, Tubes, normal dressed flies and Monkies for fly fishing. The Tay is a large river but modern lines should make turning over and casting larger flies easier and the fish tend to be near the bank in larger waters. Floating lines and sink tips are now on the agenda as we go over the magical 48 degrees and into summer. Harling is also a favoured method on the river to cover the lies for the less experienced.

Tackle recommendations for fishing the Tay throughout the season.
Fly Rods.
The Tay is a large river, especially when running at a normal level and even in lower levels you are fishing another river within the mighty one so, therefore, a 15 foot fly rod for a 10 weight line is certainly a minimum requirement for much of the season. Do not come under gunned. In some parts of the river where it is especially wide even longer rods are used. It should be noted however that it is better to cast a shorter controlled line than try to cast out with your capabilities and have the lines end up in a mess and decrease your chances.
Fly Lines.
In early season when the water is cold you need to cast larger flies and get them deeper in the water to fish them slowly. There is a tremendous choice on the market nowadays which can be quite confusing to many anglers. Any type of Skagit line that can easily cast a 15 foot sinking leader of various depths is a good choice especially to the less experienced. Iflights and a tip of choice attached are another good bet as these lines enable you to cast a longer line than normal with ease. For more experienced anglers, there is a vast array of shooting heads of different sinking abilities available as well. These tactics can be used in late season as well when the water starts to cool down.
Once the water temperature starts to climb by April then tactics change to mainly floating lines and sink tips with much smaller conventional flies. Again, the choice of lines is incredible from longer belly Spey lines to shooting heads. If you go to shooting heads, then it is important to choose a good shooting backing as line management can be a big issue casting longer lines on a river such as the Tay.
Spinning Rods.
Rods.
You should have a minimum of a 10 foot rod for casting baits of 20gm to 60gms.
Line.
The main line of 20 pounds in nylon or 30 pounds in braid. You should use a lesser poundage far a cast such as 15 pounds so if you get caught up on the bottom you do not lose a large part of your main line.
Baits.
Tobies from 18gm upwards. Toby Salmos are very popular in 30gms. Conventional weighted Devon’s are good, especially in the Spring. Rapalas and Vision 110’s are very effective and of course, Kynochs are popular for harling.

What flies should I take?
In early season bigger flies such as Tube Flies, Temple Dogs and Monkey type flies up to 2 inches in body length and larger conventional patterns in 4’s and 6’s in lower water are required. A point of note is that a lighter Tube such as an aluminium or plastic body is far easier to cast than brass. Current line technology enables you to get these lighter flies to the correct depths. Ask your ghillie for tip advice on the day.

As river temperatures rise to a more conventional approach than a size range in your box should be from 6 in higher water to 12 in lower water and even smaller on exceptionally low conditions. Cascade type patterns seem to be the most popular and recently feeler flies have come to the fore. It is always worth a go with a Sun Ray type fly with a long wing whether casting normally in colder conditions to stripping it fast in warmer water.

Finally, you are reminded that the Tay's policy from June to the end of 2017 Season is that
• 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.

Please help preserve both them and the long-term future of your sport by following the recommendations. It is vital the river system follows these guides to ensure the draconian rules do not get extended in seasons to come.

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. Further information on the policy and good release practice.

The Tay Ghillies Association are continuing their popular 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. Full details of this initiative.

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.

Salmon Fishing Scotland - By Robert White

Salmon Fishing Scotland Tay, Perthshire Salmon fishing report w/e 23rd September 2017.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Tay, Perthshire Salmon fishing report w/e 23rd September 2017.

Salmon fishing on the Tay in Perthshire is in late September with changeable autumnal conditions for fishing in now slightly colder weather and reasonable water levels from rain at times plus catches are steady with autumn arriving. The temperatures have started to drop making the resident salmon more aggressive, expectation and optimism are still high on the river with summer slowly disappearing and autumn arriving to give everyone a chance of landing a good Tay salmon.

On the nature front as autumn arrives the Sand Martins, Swifts and Swallows are now departing quickly, the Ospreys have already gone for warmer climes, Ducks have their broods of young growing up steadily and Kingfishers dart past on the river banks. Recent days have seen the first Geese arriving. Odd wild flowers are still in bloom, the autumn colours are now showing, it is truly magical to be salmon fishing in Perthshire on the banks of the silvery Tay where a salmon is now a bonus.

Beat catches reported
(week ending 23rd September)
SALMON & GRILSE: Almondmouth 15, Waulkmill 12, Lower Redgorton 4, Luncarty 1, Upper Redgorton 7, Fishponds 7, Benchil 7, Upper Scone 12, Pitlochrie 1, Stobhall 14, Taymount 21, Ballathie 7, Cargill 16, Islamouth 11, Meikleour and Upper Islamouth 6, Kercock 2, Delvine Burnbane 2, Murthly 1 1, Glendelvine 2, Newtyle 2, Dunkeld House 2, Dalmarnock 3, Dalguise 4, Lower Kinnaird 1, Upper Kinnaird 1, Farleyer Lower 2, Upper Aberuthven 1, Lochlane and Laggan 4, Keithick Mains 5, Ruan Ruarie 1.
Total: 174 Largest: Upper Scone 26lbs
SEA TROUT: Upper Scone 1, Stobhall 1, Lochlane and Laggan 3, Keithick Mains 1.
Total: 6 Largest: Lochlane and Laggan 3lbs

July was the rivers best month so far and August was steady with more salmon landed in warmer weather and river conditions have improved as the weeks have gone with plenty of fresh water. Settling river levels after rain recently and water temperatures dropping should hopefully continue to improve catches over the next few weeks with autumn now underway. The lack of rain had dropped the river to summer levels however salmon are still running due to the Tay’s sheer size as you fish another river within it. Recent rain has helped to spice things up. It was another far better week with just over 170 fish landed and the biggest one recorded was 26 pounds from the Pitlochrie beat on Upper Scone. Spring is now a distant memory for 2017 and Summer has disappeared as we move into Autumn. Some of the fish that have been caught are memorable as typical Tay specimens due to their size and depth with only a few grilse caught so far. Hopefully there will be a lot more of them to come in the few weeks of the season.

This past week again saw more fish from the lower river scattered throughout the beats with a spread in catches mainly due to water temperatures dropping and resident fish becoming more aggressive. The beats at Stanley and below are seeing sport and the rise in water levels in recent times may just have spiced things up by encouraging salmon into the river. The very lower part of the river is producing consistent catches with Almondmouth, Waulkmill and Lower Redgorton all catching in the week but in disappointing numbers for the time of year. The beats further up are not fairing any better but improved slightly last week as everyone hopes for some form of autumn run. Upper Scone had a better week with 12 which included a 26 pounds fish from Horsey on the Pitlochrie beat.

At Stanley the Benchil beat had a good opening day for the week with 5 fish up to 21 pounds.

Alistair Sheach and Billy Hendry both landed good fish on the fly casting from the boats.

Later in the week Simon Furniss had a 15 pounds fish from Horsey on the Pitlochrie beat on the fly. Stobhall and Taymount shared 35 fish between them and further upstream Ballathie and Cargill had 23.

16 fish came from Cargill with Neil French and Ian Jardine being the top rods catching fish up to 18 pounds.

Islamouth finished with 11 and further up Upper Islamouth and Meikleour accounted for 6 with Jen and Josh Goudge from Seattle catching their first ever salmon, this feat was also achieved by Jeremy Cahill later in the week. Norwegian visitors Finn Solberg and Harold Stromme had success at the end of the week along with Jim Eddie.

The middle river continues to be extremely disappointing despite dropping river temperatures and more water not producing good sport however there have been odd exceptions. Fish came from Kercock, Delvine, Murthly, Glendelvine, Newtyle, Dunkeld House, Dalmarnock, Dalguise and the Kinnaird beats but in small numbers for the time of year.

The ladies were at it on Delvine with French visiting anglers Anne Pillon and Anouck Vallon sharing an 8 pounds salmon from the boat.

Patrick Burling caught his first ever fish as well from the beat.

On Dalmarnock Mike Sutton landed fish up to 15 pounds.

The upper river was seeing steady sport with fish recently caught and reported last week at Farleyer.

The Tummel was continuing to see sport from the Port-na-Craig beat administered by Pitlochry Angling Club and there are now over 4000 fish through the Dam resulting in fish being recorded in Loch Faskally and a fish reported from Ruan Ruarie.

The Isla are seeing salmon run up the river and progressing to the Ericht with fish reported from Keithick Mains.

The Earn has seen a run of salmon and sea trout progress up the river with a good few fish caught in the system over recent weeks and reported fish from Upper Aberuthven and Lochlane and Laggan.

The current week has got off to a quiet start because of a large spate but hopefully that will stir things up for better success as the week goes on.

The Salmon fishing season is in its last few weeks now with Autumn here. It had been a difficult season but there have still been quite a few memorable fish caught. Let us hope the last few weeks go out with a bang. Tight lines!

Salmon Fishing Scotland - By Robert White