Salmon Fishing Scotland Tay, Perthshire Salmon fishing report w/e 27th May 2017.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Tay, Perthshire Salmon fishing report w/e 27th May 2017.

Spring salmon fishing on the Tay in Perthshire is about to see out May with improving conditions for fishing in milder weather and settling lower water levels plus catches are improving after a slow start to the season. Expectation is high on the river for 2017 after 4 successful springs and hopefully settled weather will continue with an improving run in late May and June to give everyone a chance of landing a spring “Bar of Silver”.
On the nature front the Sand Martins, Swifts and Swallows are all over the skies, Ospreys are being seen, Ducks have their first broods of young and Sand Pipers are on the river banks. Blue bells a coming out in the woods and the Loopins are starting to bloom as well as all the other wild flowers, it is truly magical to be salmon fishing in Perthshire on the banks of the silvery Tay.

Beat catches reported

April saw improvements with more salmon landed in milder weather and river conditions have improved as the weeks have gone on favouring those who braved the elements in some cases. It is early yet but considering the conditions the results so far have been disappointing as we saw out March but we are seeing an improvement with more consistent catches and settling river levels which hopefully will continue over the next few weeks. The lack of rain has 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. Rain is forecast at long last which can only help and spice things up. It was a slower week especially towards the end with around 50 fish landed and the biggest one recorded was 16 pounds from Portnacraig at Pitlochry. Some of the fish that have been caught are memorable as typical Tay specimens due to their size and depth. Hopefully there will be a lot more of them to come as the run develops further.

This past week saw a few fish from the lower river scattered throughout the beats with Islamouth area again proving the best beat as fish hesitate at the mouth of the Isla. The beats at Stanley and below are seeing limited sport but the small spate last weekend may just spice things up by encouraging Sea Trout into the river. The very lower part of the river did not report any salmon but odd sea trout are now making an appearance in the returns. Stobhall saw fish caught on 4 days in the week but there was a slowdown in the Ballathie area as river levels came up slightly moving fish on. Islamouth still produced despite the water unsettling with another impressive 18 fish week. At the end of the week Angus Johnson’s party did well with 10 fish including 5 on Saturday despite high temperatures.

The middle river is fairing much better with rising river temperatures over recent weeks. The Murthly and Glendelvine beats continue to fish reasonably well. Kercock had a single fish. Newtyle had 4 in the week.

Dunkeld House had 2 on Wednesday with Harry Stewart doing the needful on the fly from the Rock pool.

Dalmarnock fared better with 5 which included a day of 3 fish with Jimmy Greenlin catching a 9 pounds beauty, Tracy Clarke catching a superb 15 pounder on the fly and Ian Willis landing a 12 pounds fish in the Glide. Further upstream the Kinnaird beats also had fish.

The upper river is seeing steady sport with fish recently caught however there was nothing reported from the beats last week.

The Tummel is continuing to see sport from the Port-na-Craig beat administered by Pitlochry Angling Club with 5 landed last week and there are now well over 2400 fish through the Dam resulting in fish being recorded in Loch Faskally. It was a better week at the Dam with fish caught throughout the week.

On Tuesday Nicol Paton, Dave Stewart and Graham Fyfe all caught on fly up to 10 pounds on the Pitlochry bank.

Then nearer the end of the week Ewan MacLachlan landed a superb 16 pounds cracker on the fly also. Loch Faskally saw a quieter week as well with no fish reported.

The Isla are seeing salmon run up the river and progressing to the Ericht with 2 fish being reported last week from Keithick Mains.

The Spring Salmon fishing season has had a quiet start but has started to show signs of picking up with improving catches and some outstanding fish landed so far so let us hope the season lives up to everyone’s expectations over the coming weeks and months. Tight lines!

Salmon Fishing Scotland - By Robert White

Salmon Fishing Scotland Prospects for Tay, Perthshire w/c 29th May 2017.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Prospects for Tay, Perthshire w/c 29th May 2017.

The Salmon fishing season is now four months old on the mighty Tay in Perthshire, Scotland as we enter late May and we have been encountering some lovely blue sky weather over the last week. Melting snow all be it only a small amount and rain had kept the water up until a about a month ago which may have encouraged fish to run and trigger off an improvement in catches which has been kept at a reasonable level, however the very bright weather and low water started to slow things down.

We have had settled conditions over the past week or so which hopefully will continue to give more optimism and now there has been some rain as well at long last rising river levels slightly. The weather hopefully will remain reasonable to give a greater chance of producing some sport and some early "Bars of Silver" if you are prepared to brave the elements.

On the nature front the first Sand Martins, Swifts and Swallows have arrived, Ospreys are being seen, Ducks have their first broods of young and Sand Pipers are on the river banks. Blue bells are out in the woods and the Lupines are starting to bloom, it is truly magical to be salmon fishing in Perthshire on the banks of the silvery Tay.

Currently the river is still at a low level despite some rain recently with excellent conditions (below 10” on the Ballathie gauge) to hopefully encourage more spring salmon to run but this may change with a bit more rain forecast.

The weather is to be slightly unsettled over the start of the week with rain forecast and cooler temperatures but then to settle down. There is a chance that this may give us more water and spice the river up encouraging even more fish to run. Milder temperatures and no rain have basically brought the river down to summer levels however the river is still big enough to encourage salmon to run by its sheer size, we are just fishing another river within it now. The milder weather has given us higher water temperatures which would have encouraged salmon to run the river including over 2000 fish through the ladder at Pitlochry. The water temperature is rising with much warmer weather recently and is hovering around 65F or 18C over the last few days but hopefully may drop back with a cooler forecast over the next few days. The temperature in recent days will encourage salmon to run throughout the system as earlier resulting in fish being caught well up the system depending on water levels. Hopefully there might be a chance of a fresh fish anywhere in the river.

The Tay in Perthshire is a prime spring salmon fishing destination so why not give it a go?

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 should be slow and deep with large lures to catch the elusive Tay Springer. Harling is also a favoured method in early season but be warned wrap up well or it will not be a pleasant experience.

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 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 are 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.
A 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 then 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 for April and May is that all spring salmon should be released, i.e. the Tay has adopted a policy of 100% catch and release for spring salmon. Spring salmon are a scarce and precious resource. 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.

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.

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 20th May 2017.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Tay, Perthshire Salmon fishing report w/e 20th May 2017.

Spring salmon fishing on the Tay in Perthshire has now seen out April with improving conditions for fishing in milder weather and settling lower water levels plus catches are improving after a slow start to the season. Expectation is high on the river for 2017 after 4 successful springs and hopefully settled weather will continue with an improving run in April to give everyone a chance of landing a spring “Bar of Silver”.
Beat catches reported
(week ending 20th May)
SALMON & GRILSE: Waulkmill 4, Lower Redgorton 2, Upper Redgorton 1, Benchil 2, Stobhall 1, Ballathie 10, Cargill 8, Islamouth 29, Meikleour and Upper Islamouth 2, Kercock 2, Delvine Burnbane 1, Murthly 1 5, Glendelvine 8, Murthly 2 10, Newtyle 2, Dunkeld House 3, Dalguise 2, Lower Kinnaird 2, Loch Tay Fish n' Trips 1, Keithick Mains 1, Portnacraig Pitlochry 7.
Total: 103 Largest: Cargill 23lbs
SEA TROUT: Meikleour and Upper Islamouth 1.
Total: 1 Largest: Meikleour and Upper Islamouth 3lbs

April saw improvements with more salmon landed in milder weather and river conditions have improved as the weeks have gone on favouring those who braved the elements in some cases. It is early yet but considering the conditions the results so far have been disappointing as we saw out March but we are seeing an improvement with more consistent catches and settling river levels which hopefully will continue over the next few weeks. The lack of rain has 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. Rain is forecast at long last which can only help and spice things up. Over 100 fresh spring salmon were recorded last week and the class of fish being caught continues to be outstanding with 20 odd pounds or so being common and even a superb 23 pounder coming from Cargill. Some of the fish that have been caught are memorable as typical Tay specimens due to their size and depth. Hopefully there will be a lot more of them to come as the spring run develops further.

It has been another reasonably productive week on the river with a spring run continuing to develop and progress up the river with most beats getting into the action. On the Lower river, it has been a quiet week below Stanley mainly due to the warmer river temperatures. Lower Redgorton and Waulkmill had fish from the Bleachings which fishes very well in low water condition. Alun Williams had a lovely fresh fish on the fly on Saturday night from said pool. Mike Hay accounted for the fish from Upper Redgorton caught on the fly from the Craigs. Just upstream Danny Fulton had a couple from Benchil on the fly from the Long and Little Shots on different days. Stobhall had a single fish in the week but just a bit further upriver the Ballathie area proved consistent throughout the week with some good fish landed.

The Ballathie beat had 10 for their week with Gary, Jean and Stewart Norton enjoying the week and other fish landed by David Allen and Clive Baker.

The fly again seemed to be out fishing everything with excellent returns on the Cargill bank as well with Keith Schofield enjoying a good week landing fish up to 23 pounds. Islamouth had another excellent week with nearly 30 fish all caught on the fly by the beat owners party. The conditions have certainly suited the beat over the last month comfortably out fishing any other part of the river and all the fish have fallen to the fly.

Meikleour and Upper Islamouth had 2 in the week with Tricia Gibson and Craig Hodgson being successful.


The middle river is producing more fish now as the run progresses up river. Larger fish are being caught on a regular basis as these bigger fish have more energy in their tank enabling them to travel further before a rest. This is certainly evident again last week as water temperatures continue to climb further and sea liced fish are being seen in the observation chamber at Pitlochry dam. The lower water levels and bright days have not been helping sport with limited sport on Kercock and Delvine Burnbane, however the Murthly area has picked up with both Murthly beats and Glendelvine doing well last week.

Paul Morris defied the odds and landed a beauty on Kercock.

Newtyle managed a couple with Farqhuar Murray and Paul Richardson both catching on fly fish up to 13 pounds.

Dunkled House had 3 in the week with Chris Melville, Gordon Pollock and Chris Hildyard all catching. Dalguise and Lower Kinnaird had 2 fish each in the week.


The upper river has been seeing a bit of action but nothing was reported last week probably due to the lower water levels.

The Tummel saw some action as well with fish coming off the lower beats but not being reported. At the Dam in Pitlochry fish are ascending the ladder in good numbers with over 1750 being the current latest count and fish are now being caught in Loch Faskally. Last week saw 7 fish landed on the Portnacraig beat below the dam and further fish landed from the Sawmill Stream at the bottom of the town which was disappointing but probably due to very low water levels.

Jim Fisher got the week off to a flyer with a 10 pounder on the fly then Saul MacKay caught a superb 14 pounds beauty trying a rod out after 6 casts. Not a bad rod Saul! He then proceeded to catch further fish in the week up 18 pounds.

Further success was achieved by Tony Brown and Graham Fyfe completing a reasonable week all things considered.

Loch Tay continues to fish reasonably well with fish running through the system with Fish n’ Trips recording a fish last week. Other fish are being caught on the loch but not being reported.

Another example of fish running the system has been fish caught on the Isla at Keithick Mains last week.

The current week has got off to a steady start with fish being registered on Monday throughout the whole river up to 15 pounds.

The Spring Salmon fishing season has had a quiet start but has started to show signs of picking up with improving catches and some outstanding fish landed so far so let us hope the season lives up to everyone’s expectations over the coming weeks and months. Tight lines!


Salmon Fishing Scotland - By Robert White

Salmon Fishing Scotland Prospects for Tay, Perthshire w/c 22nd May 2017.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Prospects for Tay, Perthshire w/c 22nd May 2017.

The Salmon fishing season is now four months old on the mighty Tay in Perthshire, Scotland as we enter mid May and we have been encountering some lovely blue sky spring weather over the last week. Melting snow all be it only a small amount and rain had kept the water up until a about a month ago which may have encouraged fish to run and trigger off an improvement in catches which was evident again last week, however the very bright weather and low water started to slow things down. We have had settled conditions over the past week or so which hopefully will continue to give more optimism and now there has been some rain as well at long last rising river levels slightly. The weather hopefully will remain reasonable to give a greater chance of producing some sport and some early "Bars of Silver" if you are prepared to brave the elements.

On the nature front the first Sand Martins, Swifts and Swallows have arrived, Ospreys are being seen, Ducks have their first broods of young and Sand Pipers are on the river banks. Blue bells are out in the woods and the Lupines are starting to bloom, it is truly magical to be salmon fishing in Perthshire on the banks of the silvery Tay.

Currently the river is still at a low level despite some rain recently with excellent conditions (below 9” on the Ballathie gauge) to hopefully encourage more spring salmon to run but this may change with the rain forecast.

The weather is to slightly unsettled over the start of the week with rain forecast at long last but then to settle down with warmer temperatures. There is a chance that this may give us more water and spice the river up encouraging even more fish to run. Milder temperatures and no rain have basically brought the river down to summer levels however the river is still big enough to encourage salmon to run by its sheer size, we are just fishing another river within it now. The milder weather has given us higher water temperatures which would have encouraged salmon to run the river including over 1000 fish through the ladder at Pitlochry. The water temperature is rising with much warmer weather recently and is hovering around 55F or 13C over the last few days and should remain at that level with the current forecast although we may that rise with warmer days and no frosts. The temperature in recent days will encourage salmon to run throughout the system as earlier resulting in fish being caught well up the system depending on water levels. Hopefully there might be a chance of a fresh fish anywhere in the river.

The Tay in Perthshire is a prime spring salmon fishing destination so why not give it a go?

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 should be slow and deep with large lures to catch the elusive Tay Springer. Harling is also a favoured method in early season but be warned wrap up well or it will not be a pleasant experience.

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 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 are 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.
A 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 then 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 for April and May is that all spring salmon should be released, i.e. the Tay has adopted a policy of 100% catch and release for spring salmon. Spring salmon are a scarce and precious resource. 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 12th May 2017.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Tay, Perthshire Salmon fishing report w/e 12th May 2017.

Spring salmon fishing on the Tay in Perthshire has now seen out April with improving conditions for fishing in milder weather and settling lower water levels plus catches are improving after a slow start to the season. Expectation is high on the river for 2017 after 4 successful springs and hopefully settled weather will continue with an improving run in April to give everyone a chance of landing a spring “Bar of Silver”.

Beat catches reported
(week ending 13th May)
SALMON & GRILSE: Lower Redgorton 1, Benchil 1, Stobhall 7, Taymount 5, Ballathie 10, Cargill 3, Islamouth 25, Delvine Burnbane 1, Murthly 1 2, Glendelvine 2, Murthly 2 11, Newtyle 8, Dunkeld House 8, Dalmarnock 2, Dalguise 1, Lower Kinnaird 7, Farleyer Upper 5, Loch Tay Fish n' Trips 1, East Haugh 1 7, Portnacraig Pitlochry 2.
Total: 109 Largest: Murthly 1 21lbs
SEA TROUT: Taymount 1.
Total: 1 Largest: Taymount 3lbs

April saw improvements with more salmon landed in milder weather and river conditions have improved as the weeks have gone on favouring those who braved the elements in some cases. It is early yet but considering the conditions the results so far have been disappointing as we saw out March but we are seeing an improvement with more consistent catches and settling river levels which hopefully will continue over the next few weeks. The lack of rain has 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. Rain is forecast at long last which can only help and spice things up. Over 100 fresh spring salmon were recorded last week and the class of fish being caught continues to be outstanding with 20 odd pounds or so being common and even a superb 21 pounder coming from Murthly. Some of the fish that have been caught are memorable as typical Tay specimens due to their size and depth. Hopefully there will be a lot more of them to come as the spring run develops further.

It has been another reasonably productive week on the river with a spring run continuing to develop and progress up the river with most beats getting into the action. On the Lower river, it has been a quiet week below Stanley mainly due to the warmer river temperatures. Lower Redgorton had a fish from the Bleaching’s caught by Alun Williams on a Toby.

A party of doctors visiting Scotland for the weekend enjoyed success on Benchil with Ken Anson landing a lovely 10 pounds fish from the Little Shot on the fly on Saturday. Stobhall had a reasonable week with 7 fish and Cargill had 3 in a quieter week which included Brian Taylor landing a lovely fish on the fly from the Bridge Stream.

Ballathie fared much better with 10 in the week. Saturday saw 4 fish landed on the fly with John Fyfe and Philip Black catching a brace each. Islamouth continue to have great success with 25 last week all on the fly with Nick Mariners party doing well in the latter part of the week with a day of 8.

Earlier Paul Ness's party did well.

The middle river is producing more fish now as the run progresses up river. Larger fish are being caught on a regular basis as these bigger fish have more energy in their tank enabling them to travel further before a rest. This is certainly evident again last week as water temperatures start to climb further and sea liced fish are being seen in the observation chamber at Pitlochry dam. The lower water levels and bright days have not been helping sport with Kercock, Delvine Burnbane, Glendelvine and the Murthly beats just landing odd fish. Murthly 2 however did much better with 11 in the week. The Perth and District Angling club have been having a fare bit of success at Delvine and other areas of the river with 13 fish reported landing fish up to 20 pounds. The successful anglers included Peter Backhouse, Alun Williams, Ian Shaw, Jim Dougall and Tom Wallace. Newtyle had a good week with 8 fish with the fly doing the damage.

Successful rods included Simon Gawesworth with a couple and others caught by Jon Amos and Tony Sheeham. Dunkeld House also had 8 in the week and again the fly was the way.

Richard Chambers caught a couple in the Lady Pool up to 10 pounds. Other successful rods included John Kenyon and Graham Willington.

Sandra Robbins had a good fish from the Cathedral Stream on the fly weighing 9 pounds. Towards the end of the week Graham Brennan caught in the Rock pool. The beats above had fish as well which included 7 from Lower Kinnaird.

The upper river has been seeing a bit of action with 5 reported from Farleyer last week despite the lower water levels.

The Tummel saw some action as well with fish coming off the lower beats but not being reported. East Haugh reported 7. At the Dam in Pitlochry fish are ascending the ladder in good numbers with over 1300 being the current latest count and fish are now being caught in Loch Faskally. Last week saw only 2 fish landed on the Portnacraig beat below the dam and further fish landed from the Sawmill Stream at the bottom of the town which was disappointing but probably due to very low water levels. Martin Wilson and Saul MacKay were the successful rods in the week.

Loch Tay continues to fish reasonably well with fish running through the system with Fish n’ Trips recording a fish last week. Other fish are being caught on the loch but not being reported.

Another example of fish running the system has been fish caught on the Isla at Coupar Grange however nothing was reported last week.

The current week has got off to a steady start with a good spread of fish being registered on Monday throughout the whole river up to 20 pounds.

The Spring Salmon fishing season has had a quiet start but has started to show signs of picking up with improving catches and some outstanding fish landed so far so let us hope the season lives up to everyone’s expectations over the coming weeks and months. Tight lines!

Salmon Fishing Scotland - By Robert White

Salmon Fishing Scotland Prospects for Tay, Perthshire w/c 15th May 2017.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Prospects for Tay, Perthshire w/c 15th May 2017.

The Salmon fishing season is now four months old on the mighty Tay in Perthshire, Scotland as we enter mid May and we have been encountering some lovely blue sky spring weather over the last week. Melting snow all be it only a small amount and rain had kept the water up until a about a month ago which may have encouraged fish to run and trigger off an improvement in catches which was evident again last week, however the very bright weather and low water started to slow things down. We have had settled conditions over the past week or so which hopefully will continue to give more optimism and now there is rain forecast as well at long last. On the opening few months several anglers have braved the elements in pursuit of that magical spring salmon. The weather hopefully will remain reasonable to give a greater chance of producing some sport and some early "Bars of Silver" if you are prepared to brave the elements.

On the nature front the first Sand Martins, Swifts and Swallows have arrived, Ospreys are being seen, Ducks have their first broods of young and Sand Pipers are on the river banks. Blue bells a coming out in the woods, it is truly magical to be salmon fishing in Perthshire on the banks of the silvery Tay.

Currently the river is at a low level with excellent conditions (below 6” on the Ballathie gauge) to hopefully encourage more spring salmon to run but this may change with the rain forecast.

The weather is to be far more unsettled over the next week with rain forecast at long last. There is a chance that this may give us more water and spice the river up encouraging even more fish to run. Milder temperatures and no rain have basically brought the river down to summer levels however the river is still big enough to encourage salmon to run by its sheer size, we are just fishing another river within it now. The milder weather has given us higher water temperatures which would have encouraged salmon to run the river including over 1000 fish through the ladder at Pitlochry. The water temperature is rising with much warmer weather recently and is hovering around 55F or 13C over the last few days and should remain at that level with the current forecast although we may that rise with warmer days and no frosts. The temperature in recent days will encourage salmon to run throughout the system as earlier resulting in fish being caught well up the system depending on water levels. Hopefully there might be a chance of a fresh fish anywhere in the river.

The Tay in Perthshire is a prime spring salmon fishing destination so why not give it a go?

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 should be slow and deep with large lures to catch the elusive Tay Springer. Harling is also a favoured method in early season but be warned wrap up well or it will not be a pleasant experience.

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 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 are 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.
A 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 then 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 for April and May is that all spring salmon should be released, i.e. the Tay has adopted a policy of 100% catch and release for spring salmon. Spring salmon are a scarce and precious resource. 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