(River Tay weekly report week ending 10th August 2020)
We have now moved into August and well into the height of the Scottish summer. However, last week at times the weather had different ideas. There were spells of heavy rain during the first half of the week and this led to a lift in water on Wednesday. Fortunately, towards the end of the week the weather settled down as high pressure started to build. In spite of the unsettled water, which was coloured at times, there was a good number of fish landed. If the water had remained more settled and clear, it is likely that more fish would have been caught. The water temperature last week was 54.8 degrees Fahrenheit which is 12.6 degrees Celsius.
On the upper river, the Upper Bolfracks Beat produced three fish during the first half of the week which was nice to see. Findynate was another beat on the upper river which was successful. A lucky angler at Loch Faskally landed a salmon on Monday which is quite unusual at this time of year. It was good to see some nice fish caught at Dalguise. On Monday fifteen year old Thomas landed a lovely fresh grilse from the Bridge Pool. Well done young Sir! On Wednesday the beat produced another fish. There was more success on Friday and three were landed from the beat on Saturday.
Lower Kinnaird got off the mark for the week on Thursday, with a nice fish. There was success at Dalmarnock On Tuesday and Newtyle produced a fish on Monday. On Saturday the Newtyle Beat held a free day’s guided salmon fishing for our valued NHS workers. Eight anglers who all worked through the pandemic enjoyed a complimentary day’s guided salmon fishing on the beat with lunch provided. A great day was had by all!
A well deserved R&R day for our fabulous NHS!
There was consistent sport to be had on the Murthly Beats through the course of the week. On Tuesday Arthur, who is eighty six, braved the elements including heavy rain and persevered. He was rewarded for his efforts with a nice grilse caught on the fly just before the end of the day.
A fine salmon caught from Murthly 2 last week
It was nice to see anglers at Glendelvine land a couple of fish on Saturday. Mr Will Petchill was fishing on the Delvine & Burnbane Beat on Monday when he landed a lovely grilse from the tail of the Sparrowmuir Pool. The fish was returned safely. The following day Mr John Watson landed a superb eighteen pounder from the same pool. What a fish!
A nice grilse from Delvine & Burnbane
The Kercock Beat produced four fish during the first half of the week and finished the week with ten.
At Meikleour & Upper Islamouth, Monday got off to a flyer with Mr Chris Plank catching two grilse at five pounds each. On Tuesday it rained relentlessly all day but that didn’t deter Mr Max Mackintosh who caught his first and second Tay fish at three and five pounds. On Wednesday morning five fish, up to nine pounds were landed and many lost. Mr Alex Welsh added to the tally with a further two fish in the afternoon. Mr Max Mackintosh was back again on Thursday and caught another fish - this time a five pounder from the House Pool. Major Horgan was also on the scorecard with another five pounder from the House Pool. The beat finished with a creditable thirteen salmon for the week.
After a terrific week last week, it was a bit quieter at Islamouth. In spite of this, there was no shortage of bent rods and happy anglers. Mr Scott-Hopkins and his party were fishing the beat and landed eight fish on Monday and Tuesday all on the fly with the largest weighing twelve pounds. Unfortunately, the extra water on Wednesday did not help catches through the middle part of the week. The beat finished with thirteen for the week.
There were three fish landed at Ballathie on Tuesday and a couple on Thursday. Rods at Cargill enjoyed some good action through the course of last week. This was in spite of the lift in water on Tuesday. On Monday Mr David Sands landed the hundredth salmon from the beat weighing a magnificent seventeen pounds. He received a lovely bottle of malt to mark his achievement. Later in the day, Mr Sands went on to land a fine fifteen pounder.
Mr David Sands with a lovely Tay salmon
Mr Stuart Taggart landed a lovely fish from the beat on Wednesday. There were a total of fifteen fish landed at Cargill during the first half of the week.
Mr Stuart Taggart with a fine fish caught from Cargill last week
It was a day to remember for Mr Anthony Wood on Thursday when he landed his first Scottish salmon at Cargill. He did not have to wait long for his second when the rod bent a few hours later and he caught a terrific summer salmon.
Mr Anthony Wood with a lovely summer salmon caught at Cargill on Thursday
At Stobhall the Hart Party were wetting a line. They enjoyed some good sport during the first half of the week landing a total of eight salmon up to thirteen pounds. On Friday the party enjoyed more success with three fish landed including a terrific twenty two pounder. The week finished on a high with three more fish landed on Saturday.
A lovely fresh grilse caught from Stobhall
There were six fish landed at Taymount during the first half of the week and salmon were caught every day. Mr Jim Fisher had a great Monday landing three fish at Upper Scone all on the fly. The biggest was a magnificent seventeen pounder. Mr John Taylor also enjoyed some good sport when he landed a fine sixteen pounder on the fly. Mr Neil Gallagher caught a fish on Monday on his first cast of the day. Lord Shrewsbury enjoyed some good sport when he landed a lovely twelve pounder from the beat on Friday.
It was good to see the Catholes beat produce a fish on Friday. On Pitlochrie, Mr Tim Greenfield and his grandsons enjoyed some good sport. They landed a lovely fresh salmon from Horsey on Monday.
On Tuesday Mr Ian Muir caught a fine summer salmon at Benchil from the Long Shot Pool. Next in the catch book at Benchil was Mr Steve Peck who caught a lovely grilse whilst fly fishing in the Little Shot on Thursday. It was a great end to the week with five fish landed on a scorcher of a day on Saturday.
Mr Ian Muir with a lovely salmon caught from Benchil on Monday
Anglers at Fishponds have enjoyed some good action in recent weeks. The sport continued last week with five more fish caught on Tuesday and Wednesday and three on Friday. The week finished on a high with three more salmon landed on Saturday. There were seven fish caught at Upper Redgorton during the first half of the week as well as one on Thursday and two on Saturday. At Waulkmill anglers enjoyed some consistent sport with fish caught on most days. There were three fish landed on Monday and a further five on Wednesday. It was a good end to the week with seven fish landed on Friday and Saturday. Anglers at Almondmouth enjoyed good sport on most days and finished with twenty six fish for the week.
If we get some settled water and cooler temperatures in the upcoming days, there is a chance that more good sport will be had, especially after the recent lift in water. So, as anglers let us keep our fingers crossed. With August being one of the prime summer months on the river why not book a day's salmon fishing on the famous River Tay next week? It could be the place to provide you with some midsummer magic!
We would like to thank all the ghillies and beat owners on the River Tay system who have contributed to this report by providing their time and information as the weekly report would not be possible without your help and support. If you would like to share any interesting stories or pictures from your time fishing on the River Tay for the purposes of this report, please free to contact us at info@salmonfishingholidaysscotland.com
Good luck to all those anglers fishing on the River Tay next week.
Tight lines,
Samantha & Sandy Datta
Beat catches reported (week ending 8th August 2020)
SALMON & GRILSE:
Strathfillan AA 1, Findynate 2, Upper Farleyer 1, Upper Bolfracks 4, Loch Faskally 1, Dalguise 6, Lower Kinnaird 1, Dalmarnock 1, Dunkeld 1, Newtyle 1, Murthly1 2, Murthly2, 7, Glendelvine 2, Kercock 10, Delvine Burnbane 2, Meikleour & Upper Islamouth 13, Islamouth 13, Ballathie 12, Cargill 17, Stobhall 23, Taymount 10, Upper Scone 9, Catholes 1, Pitlochrie 2, Benchil 7, Upper Redgorton 10, Fishponds 12, Luncarty 1, Waulkmill 17, Almondmouth 26
Total: 215 Largest: Stobhall 22lbs
SETTLED WATER SHOULD LEAD TO GOOD SPORT NEXT WEEK!
(River Tay salmon fishing prospects week commencing 10th August 2020)
There was a decent lift in water through the middle part of last week. This was following heavy rain on Tuesday across much of the country. The water was quite coloured on Wednesday following the lift especially on the lower river below the confluence of the Isla. In spite of this, there was some beautiful fish caught from the river. These were mainly a mixture of hard fighting fresh grilse and larger summer salmon. Many of the fish caught were sea liced which was good to see. If the water had remained more settled it is likely that more fish would have been landed. However, often every cloud has a silver lining and the recent lift in water could be the catalyst for more fresh fish to run the Tay system. If river levels remain steady there is every chance that there will be more good sport to be had next week.
It has been mainly dry over the weekend and quite warm. Looking ahead to next week the weather is set to be a bit more unsettled. Monday should be mainly dry and warm with light winds. On Tuesday and Wednesday, there is a chance of some thunderstorms across much of Scotland as the heat builds. Temperatures are likely to get into the mid-twenties. As we move towards the end of the week the signs are that it should turn cooler but the unsettled theme will continue.
Salmon on the mainstem of the river were caught last week from Findynate down to Almondmouth which shows that there are fish well spread throughout the system. As we move through August the beats located on the lower river should come into their own. Traditionally this is when the beats in this area of the river start to produce larger numbers of fish on a more consistent basis. Probably the best chance of success next week would be on some of the beats situated on the lower middle and lower river.
There is good availability next week so why not wet a line and chase some Tay summer silver? You might just have a Tay twenty pounder coming your way!
Good luck to all those anglers fishing on the River Tay next week.
Tight lines,
Samantha & Sandy Datta
As the Tay is a big river usually a powerful fourteen or fifteen-foot rod with a ten-line rating will cover almost any eventuality. In terms of lines whether that be a full Spey line or Shooting head system a floating line coupled with a selection of polyleaders of various sink rates is perfect for the job at this time of year. In higher water, during the summer months, a sink tip or intermediate line may be required to produce the best results.
Make sure that your fly reel has got an adequate backing capacity and a good reliable drag system. On the River Tay when that line tightens the fish could turn out to be that one of a lifetime. It is also important during the summer period to use leader material with an adequate breaking strain, as there are some big summer salmon that run the Tay. Usually, a breaking strain between twelve and fifteen pounds is ideal.
In terms of lures, spoons like the Toby, Salmo Toby and Blair variety work well on the river. These can range in weight from eighteen to thirty grams. Devon Minnows can also be effective on the River Tay. During the summer months, the Floating Devon and Flying C can be particularly productive. The Flying C lure can be fished upstream especially when water temperatures start to rise and often salmon will chase the lure before taking it. The Vision110 lures have also got a good reputation for producing fish on the river. These lures can be excellent during the summer months.
Harling is a method unique to the River Tay which involves fishing from a motorised boat. This method is employed on many beats and can be highly effective.
All anglers fishing on the River Tay system are reminded that the TDSFB’s policy from January 15th to 1st of April is that all spring salmon must be released. This means that the TDSFB has a 100% mandatory catch & release policy of all salmon caught. This is in line with the Scottish Government Statutory Conservation Regulation. Even if the fish dies it must still be returned to the river.
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