Salmon Fishing Scotland July 2008.

Salmon Fishing Scotland July 2008.
Benchil on the lower Tay at Stanley, Perthshire, Scotland.

Paul Moodie and his party with the sea liced Grilse he caught fly fishing in the Little shot.

Salmon Fishing Scotland July 2008.

Salmon Fishing Scotland July 2008.

Malcolm Bennett fly fishing in the Kirkie Stream on the lower Tay beat at Stanley, Perthshire, Scotland.

Ron Spiers fly fishing at the top of Kirkie at Stanley.

George Falls with a small grilse caught on a Flying C on the Dyke at Stanley.

George Falls playing a Grilse on the Dyke at Stanley, Perthshire, Scotland.

The fresh Grilse is successfully landed and released back to the river.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Summer Salmon Fishing 2008.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Summer Salmon Fishing 2008.
Michael Glass Fly Fishing in Kirkie on the Pitlochrie beat at Stanley, Perthshire, Scotland.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Monster Atlantic Salmon from the Alta in Norway.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Monster Atlantic Salmon from the Alta in Norway.
Are these the size of Salmon destined to come back to the Tay soon?

On 28th June 2008, co-owner of Frontiers, aged 45, Mollie Fitzgerald landed a 54 lbs salmon on the Alta river, Norway. The fish took a well-known pattern, the Mikkeli Blue in a pool called Ovre Sierra. The fly was surprisingly small (1-1/2" length) considering the fact that the river was essentially in flood at over 6.5 ft on the gauge. There was only a small window on the inside corner of the pool where fish might lie and the big one was in the 5 star hotel! Mollie also caught fish of 35lbs and 24lbs that night. 113lbs of salmon!

As Mollie described to Fish&Fly, 'The fish took on the dangle, as they do in high water, and left the pool for Nedre (Lower) Sierra, a run of some hundreds of yards down some big rapids in high water. We were left paddling hard and starting the engine to keep up – there is no way the fish would have been landed without the skills of my boatmen Tronde and Frode Simensen – he fought it for 45 minutes – less than the pound a minute rule!'

Ovre or Upper Sierra was described by a famous Alta fisherman, Hamilton Dalrymple, in his diaries of the 1920’s as a great low water pool but then he notes in the margin 'we now know that it is a good high water pool also' - He too caught a 54lbs fish there.

Surely this must be the largest Atlantic salmon caught on fly in recent times by a lady rod?

The fish was released safely. Well done Mollie on this magnificent catch & release.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Summer Fishing at Stanley, Perthshire, Scotland 2008.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Summer Fishing at Stanley, Perthshire, Scotland 2008.

Fly Fishing wading from the bank on the Benchil beat of the lower Tay at Stanley, Perthshire, Scotland.

In the boat heading back home after a hard day.

A lunch time barbecue.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Summer 2008.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Summer 2008.
Summer Fishing on Benchil at Stanley, Perthshire, Scotland.

James McKay playing a Grilse in the Skellies on a Flying C which was landed and returned.

Fly Fishing and Spinning in the fast water in the Skellies.

Salmon Fishing Scotland July 2008.

Salmon Fishing Scotland July 2008.
Summer fishing on Benchil below Stanley, Perthshire, Scotland.

This is a small Grilse that we released to-day.(24/07/2008)

Me releasing the Grilse.

Charlotte Gifford after netting the Grilse from the bottom of the skellies on the Lower Tay Benchil Beat.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Quality Salmon Flies.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Quality Salmon Flies.

The New Salar Crewsader. Click on the picture to enlarge.

Salmon Fishing Scotland July 2008.

Salmon Fishing Scotland July 2008.
Summer Fly fishing on the Benchil beat of the lower Tay at Stanley, Perthshire, Scotland.

Andrew Black fly fishing in the Skellies.

This was a returned Sea Trout of about 3 pounds recovering in the river.

Fly Fishing in the Skellies at a good summer river height.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Summer 2008.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Summer 2008.
Hard day for 2 salmon on the Pitlochrie beat at Stanley.

Charlotte Gifford spinning a flying C on the Dyke at Stanley, Perthshire, Scotland on the lower Tay beat called Pitlochrie.
Not long after this she hooked a small salmon which went absolutely crazy and ran up the other side of the river in the shallow water and got stuck solid.
I tried to free the fish by letting line away but to no avail. I could still feel the fish but it would not free. After much debating in my head i decided to go to the other side of the river to see if i could free it. This meant walking 500 yards down stream and crossing the river by boat and walking or running up the other bank then wading 3/4 of the way back out into the river.
I did this and made up on the caught line. The fish had run up the shallow water behind the ledges getting stuck in the process. When i reached it i freed a couple of bits but still no sign of the fish. Finally on the third bit i could see the fish dead in the water hanging by the hook. I netted the fish on the opposite side of the river from which it was hooked. What a tale! Probably just as well that i had waded round as the fish would have been lost and died in the process.

Mrs Charlotte Gifford with the fish. A lovely fresh sea liced 7 pouds fish.

Brian Giles fly fishing in the Kirkie stream. We had another small grilse during the day which was released.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Summer 2008.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Summer 2008.
Summer Fishing on the Benchil beat of the lower Tay at Stanley, Perthshire, Scotland.

Graham Nicols and James McKay in the Skellies on the Benchil beat of the lower Tay.

Spinning and Fly Fishing in the Skellies.

Fly Fishing from the boat in the long shot.

Salmon fishing Scotland Summer Salmon on the Benchil at Stanley, Perthshire, Scotland.

Salmon fishing Scotland Summer Salmon on the Benchil at Stanley, Perthshire, Scotland.

Graham Nicols hooks a grilse on the spinner in the Skellies on the Lower Tay at Benchil below Stanley, Perthshire, Scotland.

The Grilse is successfully landed.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Summer Salmon Fishing on the Tay.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Summer Salmon Fishing on the Tay.
Fresh summer Salmon and Grilse on the River Tay, Perthshire, Scotland.

Sea lice on the head. Bars of silver.

Sea lice all over the back of the Salmon.

Sea lice on the vent area.
The salmon are as fresh as daisies at this time of year and the run is just starting.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Ladies day on the River Tay.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Ladies day on the River Tay.
Ladies, Ladies, Ladies Fly Fishing on the Tay at Stanley, Perthshire, Scotland.

Sandra and Amanda with the senior Ghillie at Stanley before their fly fishing adventure on the river Tay.

Sandra fly fishing at the head of Kirkie stream on the Pitlochrie beat.

Amanda fly fishing in the main Kirkie stream.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Fly Fishing the Pitlochrie Beat of the Tay July 2008.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Fly Fishing the Pitlochrie Beat of the Tay July 2008.
Fly Fishing at Stanley, Perthshire, Scotland.

Steve McGrandles lands a fresh run salmon with the aid of Raymond Hughes in the Kirkie stream on the Pitlochrie beat of the lower Tay at Stanley, Perthshire, Scotland.

Steve with the sea liced 10 pounds salmon which was released.

Steve hooks another fresh salmon in the Kirkie stream on the fly.

A lovely 7lbs Grilse landed fly fishing.

The fish is carefully returned to the river.

Salmon Fishing Scotland July 2008.

Salmon Fishing Scotland July 2008.
Great day on the Pitlochrie beat at Stanley, Perthshire, Scotland.

Raymond Hughes hooks a Grilse on the Dyke pool on a Flying C.

The Grilse is successfully landed and released back to the river.

For good measure i managed to get in a cast or two and landed this sea liced grilse which was also released.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Summer 2008.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Summer 2008.
Balloon over the river Tay at Stanley, Perthshire, Scotland.

Salmon Fishing Scotland July 2008.

Salmon Fishing Scotland July 2008.
Raymond saves the day on Benchil.

Raymond Hughes fishing in the Skellies on the Benchil beat of the Tay at Stanley, Perthshire, Scotland.

Raymond Hughes landed this lovely grilse on his own. He has had a few days to remember on the Tay this summer.

Salmon Fishing Scotland July 2008.

Salmon Fishing Scotland July 2008.
Video of Raymond Hughes playing and landing a fresh 13lbs salmon on the Dyke on the Pitlochrie beat of the Tay at Stanley, Perthshire, Scotland.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Summer fishing at Stanley, Perthshire, Scotland.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Summer fishing at Stanley, Perthshire, Scotland.
Good day on the Pitlochrie beat at Stanley, Perthshire, Scotland.

Raymond Hughes into a fine fresh salmon spinning a flying C on the Dyke at Stanley, Perthshire, Scotland in the lower Tay Pitlochrie beat.
This was a tremendous tussle as the line got snagged twice but the fish was still successfully landed.

Raymond with the prize 13 pounds sea liced fish.

This was a 2 pounds grilse also caught to-day (16/07/2008)on the beat. John Partington had a lovely 7lbs grilse from the corner pool on the same day.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Summer Fishing 2008.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Summer Fishing 2008.
Salmon Fishing on the Benchil beat of the Tay at Stanley, Perthshire, Scotland.

Fly fishing from the bank.

Fly fishing from the boat in the long shot. This arguably one of the best pools on the lower Tay. At least 50% of our catch off the beat comes from this very productive pool.

Spinning from the bank.

Spinning in the skellies offers some very exciting fishing in fast water.