Tay Salmon Fishing Scotland Tay, Perthshire Salmon fishing report w/e 25th August 2018.

Tay Salmon Fishing Scotland Tay, Perthshire Salmon fishing report w/e 25th August 2018.

The Tay, Perthshire is into the later part of August for salmon fishing with encouraging results in recent weeksdue some rain and cooler weather conditions in our current outstanding summer. In recent weeks the weather pattern has changed giving us some rain to freshen the river up and dropping the river temperature by around 10F to produce some far better sport. The current conditions have improved dramatically giving everyone a great chance of landing a salmon from the Tay and even possibly a fish of a lifetime with some of the multi sea winter fish currently being caught this season.

Beat catches reported

(week ending 25th August)
SALMON & GRILSE: Almondmouth 16, Waulkmill 14, Lower Redgorton 8, Upper Redgorton 4, Fishponds 7, Benchil 2, Upper Scone 10, Pitlochrie 2, Stobhall 4, Taymount 9, Ballathie 14, Cargill 16, Islamouth 11, Meikleour and Upper Islamouth 22, Kercock 5, Delvine Burnbane 1, Glendelvine 1, Newtyle 2, Dunkeld House 5, Dalmarnock 3, Dalguise 5, Findynate 1, Farleyer Lower 1, Keithick Mains 2, Portnacraig Pitlochry 3, Strathfillan AA 1.
Total: 169 Largest: Cargill 28lbs
SEA TROUT: Lower Redgorton 1, Meikleour and Upper Islamouth 1.
Total: 2 Largest: Meikleour and Upper Islamouth 2lbs

Salmon were landed last week in again more favourable conditions with improving numbers after the change in conditions in recent weeks. The numbers were again encouraging in a difficult season with around 170 salmon recorded making it another best week of the season signaling a reasonable summer run and a few more grilse. The improving conditions meant some of the resident fish became more active also and made up a good proportion of the catch. The spring run is a memory, and frustratingly only small runs are still coming into the river this year but with improving conditions catches are being made in better numbers. Hopefully there will be a lot more of them to come as we go deeper into the summer period and enter autumn. 

On the Lower river most beats have had some better sport last week. At the bottom of the river Almondmouth, Lower Redgorton and Waulkmill all had fish confirming a run entering the river in recent weeks and in reasonable numbers. Almondmouth had a good week with 16. Lower Redgorton and Waulkmill had a good week also with 22 between them. 

On Waulkmill local rods proved effective with fish caught most days. Upper Redgorton and 

Fishponds had fish during the week but in lesser numbers with a guest from Panama landing a 7 pounds fish with lower Scone. 

Upper Scone had 10 for their week the Toby doing well especially for Silvio Erne who landed fish up to 17 pounds. 

On Stanley Ronnie Fraser caught a small grilse from the Long Shot on the fly and on Saturday Gleneagles guest, 

Roby Burch caught a 15 pounds fish on a Toby from the Plain Water. On the Pitlochrie beat owner, Francis Jennings caught a fresh grilse from the Woodside on the fly. Further upstream Taymount and Stobhall amassed 13 between them. Cargill and Ballathie had better weeks with some good catches during the week with a mixture of older fish and some fresh ones up into the late twenties in pounds. Both beats got off to a flying start in the week with 5 a piece. On Ballathie it was a local party that enjoyed success early in the week with Jim Ferrie, Barry Ward and Simon Furniss fishing meanwhile on 

Cargill it was Steve Curnow that had a day to remember with a 28 pounds monster. Other successful rods included Steven Coles, Andrew Martin, John Campbell, Graham Raffan and 

Iain Jardine. Up on Islamouth another consistent week was achieved with Tim Greenfields party doing well early in the week which included fish for Brian Giles, Cath Giles, Ian Muir and Tim up to 15 pounds then later in the week John McElroy’s party caught as well. Upper Islamouth and Meikleour had a superb week with 22 fish. Fish were caught all week up to 16 pounds with some memorable days. 

The 16 pounder was caught by Joe Beale, Darren Matheson caught his first ever salmon, Roger Jackson had 4 up to 15 pounds, Chris Lyon had a couple and Simon Littlejohn had 5 in a day up to 10 pounds on Wednesday. 

The Jackson party enjoyed success over 2 days with 12 year old 

Ben capturing his first ever fish. 

The Middle river had a few fish in the week with fresh water spicing things up. Kercock had 5 for their week with Delvine Burnbane and Glendelvine managing singles. A couple came from Newtyle and Dunkeld House had 5. Fish were also reported at Dalmarnock and Dalguise with Robert Wilson being successful on the later beat. 

The Upper river had single fish reported from Lower Farleyer and Findynate. Well up the Tay system a fish was reported from the Fillan by the angling club up there. 

The Tummel is seeing fish continue on their journey now with around 2150 fish through the ladder and there was some action below the dam with fish caught by Jim Fisher and Martin Wilson on the fly. 

A couple of fish were reported on the Isla from Keithick Mains.

The past weeks have seen better catches after rain and cooler temperatures greatly improving sport in an extremely difficult year so far, so let us hope that continues.  

The Tay is certainly the place to come to for the chance of a fish of a lifetime. The sheer size of the river produces very powerful large salmon and the possibility of a 40 pounds fish must be on the cards now. The food source for Atlantic salmon is moving further away from our shores with sea temperatures rising and salmon are spending longer away in the ocean before they are returning making the possibility of much bigger fish finding its way back. The fish that are being caught now is further evidence of that phenomenon. 

There have been some encouraging signs in the past week or so and the sheer class of the fish caught continues to be outstanding with hopefully a settled river in the coming weeks we should see improved catches with a settled forecast as well.  

The Spring Salmon fishing was slow as we saw out May with the end of that run this year. June had picked up probably due to some fresh water and the emergence of some summer fish a couple of weeks ago, but we now need the current hot weather to break and it has so let us hope that the summer run builds further in the weeks to come. It has been a quiet start but let us hope the season lives up to every one’s expectations over the coming weeks and months and when you visit the Tay you catch a fish of a lifetime. Tight lines!

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.