A DROP IN TEMPERATURE… JUST WHAT THE DOCTOR ORDERED!

(River Tay weekly report week ending 3rd October 2020) 

We moved into October last week and are now into the twilight of the 2020 Tay salmon fishing season. Historically September and October have been prime months on the river when large catches have been made. In recent years, however, the autumn run has not been as prolific as it once was. This not only goes for the Tay but many other rivers around Scotland. In spite of this, there was a big improvement in catches on the Tay system last week which was good to see and the catalyst for this seems to be the recent drop in temperature. It appears that the fish have become more aggressive which is to be expected at this time of year following a sudden weather change and so more inclined into taking a fly or lure. The recent drop in temperature seemed to be just what the doctor ordered. In addition to the drop in temperature there was also a lift in water through the middle part of the week as heavy rain spread across much of Perthshire on Wednesday. As the day progressed on Wednesday the river became quite coloured. There was further heavy and persistent rain on Saturday and this has led to rising river levels over the weekend. By Sunday morning the Tay was in flood with levels peaking at well over ten feet on the Ballathie gauge. The water temperature last week 49.8 degrees Fahrenheit which 9.9 degrees Celsius. 

A beautiful early autumn morning on the lower Tay

There was some decent sport to be had towards the end of last week on the upper river with beats like Upper Farleyer, Edradynate and Upper Kinnaird all producing fish. Indeed, anglers at Lower Bolfracks  enjoyed some great sport on Saturday landing seven fish.

 A nice fly caught fish from Edradynate on Saturday

On Thursday it was great to see a lucky female angler catch her first ever salmon from the Bridge Pool at Dalguise. A massive congratulations Louise!
Anglers at Lower Kinnaird made a good start to the week with two salmon landed on Monday and there was more success on Friday when a twenty two pounder was caught. There was success at Dalmarnock on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. 
Mr Radomir Nosal was fishing at Newtyle on Wednesday when his fly line tightened whilst fishing the Fiddlers. After a good fight which involved the fish making a number of long runs Mr Nosal finally landed the ten pound cock fish. The fish was caught on a Kelvin Shrimp. On Saturday in spite of the atrocious weather conditions Mr Davie Wilson caught his first ever salmon on the fly from the Cotter. Mr Alec Rose repeated the feat catching his first Tay salmon from the Boil in the afternoon. Well done gents!

Mr Davie Wilson with his first ever fly caught salmon at Newtyle

It was great to see the Murthly beats producing a few fish last week. The Murthly 1 Beat had a fine brace on Monday and another fish on Friday. Murthly 2 had not been fished for the past two weeks but anglers this week wasted no time in getting back into the swing of things. There were five fish landed from the beat on Monday and three more on Tuesday. On Friday there was a fine brace landed. There was a couple of fish caught at Glendelvine on Saturday.
On Friday a nice twelve pound fish was caught from the Delvine & Burnbane Beat on a red and gold Vision110 lure. The fish was caught from the Sparrow Muir Pool.

Mr Grant MacIntyre with a fine salmon caught from Delvine & Burnbane on Saturday

On Saturday Mr Grant MacIntyre had a day to remember at Delvine & Burnbane when he caught a cracking twenty pounder by the leaning tree.
At Kercock Mr Robert McFarlane had a nice fish on Monday. This was one of two fish caught from the beat. There was also a fish caught on Tuesday. Mr Rob Hills enjoyed success at Kercock on Thursday when he landed a nice fish. It was a great end to the week at Kercock with a total of six fish caught on Friday and Saturday.
It was good to see anglers at Meikleour & Upper Islamouth enjoy some decent sport during the first half of last week with a total of five fish landed including four on Tuesday. There were another three fish caught from the beat on Thursday and a couple on Friday. The week ended well with four fish caught on Saturday. On the River Ericht it was nice to see the West Grange Beat produce a fish on Friday.

A nice fish caught from Meikleour on Wednesday

At Islamouth Mr Roly Fisher’s party were wetting a line. They enjoyed some great sport with a total of eighteen fish landed weighing up to eighteen pounds. All the fish were caught on the fly. The bulk of the fish caught were salmon as opposed to grilse. Anglers at Ballathie picked away during the first half of the week with three fish landed. There were a couple more fish caught from the beat on Friday.
There was some good sport to be had at Cargill on most days. Successful anglers included Mr Stuart Maughan who had a nice twelve pounder on the fly which made the long journey up from Hexham worthwhile. Mr Lindsay Cripps also enjoyed some decent sport on the fly rod when he landed a nice grilse. 

Mr David Sands with a nice fish caught on the fly at Cargill

However, fish of the week had to go to Mr Neil French who landed a cracking twenty six pounder on the fly on Tuesday. The fish was an old warrior but put up a fantastic tussle. 

Mr Neil French with a stonking fish caught from Cargill last week

However, Thursday was the day to be at Cargill when a total of fourteen fish were landed as well as a number lost with the biggest weighing twenty three pounds. This was in spite of rising water. Other successful anglers at Cargill last week included Mr Jim Connell and Mr David Sands who had a nice grilse on the fly from the upper beat.
Anglers at Taymount got their rods bents regularly with twelve fish caught during the first half of the week. The beat finished with twenty three fish for the week. At Stobhall it was a good start to the week with three fish caught on Monday and four on Thursday. Successful anglers included Mr & Mrs Davies and Mr John Coughlan. On Saturday Mr Gary Paterson had a great day landing three salmon including two fifteen pounders.

A cracking fish caught from Stobhall on Saturday

At Upper Scone it was the turn of the Hunting party to wet a line. They enjoyed some decent sport with Mr Lyndsay Hunting landing three and his wife Imogen land two including her biggest fish a fine eighteen pounder. Mr David Hunting also had two and his wife also got on to the scoresheet with a nice fish. On Saturday Mr Hamish Cox landed his first ever salmon from Upper Scone and there were also two seventeen pounders landed.

Ann Emsens with a superb fish caught on the fly at Benchil

The Pitlochrie Beat produced a fish on Wednesday for Mr Jim McLanaghan.  There was rod bending action at Benchil on Tuesday with a total of six fish landed with Ann Emsens being one of the successful anglers when she landed a cracker on the fly. 

Mr Alistair Boomer with a Luncarty cracker caught on Wednesday

There were some nice fish landed through the course of the week at Luncarty. Mr Alistair Boomer had a cracker on the fly on Wednesday. Not to be outdone Mr Graham Reid landed a super fish on the fly on the same day.

Mr Graham Reid gets his rod bent at Luncarty with this cracker!

It was a great day at Upper Redgorton on Monday with a total of six fish landed. There were fish caught from the beat on most days including three on Thursday and Friday. Anglers at Fishponds landed seven fish during the first half of the week and finished with fifteen fish for the week including five on Friday. At Waulkmill there was some nice fish caught including a cracking nineteen pounder on Monday and a twenty three pounder on Friday. It has been an excellent season at Waulkmill with some lovely fish being landed by anglers. 

A nice fish caught at Luncarty on the fly

There was good sport to be had at Almondmouth on Monday with ten fish landed. On Wednesday there were four fish caught including a lovely eighteen pounder. A total of twenty eight fish were caught from the beat for the week.
It was encouraging not just with the improvement in catches last week but also the number of big fish landed. There were numerous fish weighing well into the teens of pounds caught.
There is now only one full week of the season remaining,  so why not book a day's salmon fishing on the famous River Tay? It could be the place to give you that season-ending fairy-tale!
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 3rd October)

SALMON & GRILSE: 

Upper Farleyer 6, Lower Farleyer 1, Upper Bolfracks 1, Lower Bolfracks 8, Edradynate 2, Upper Kinnaird 1, Lower Kinnaird 4, Dalguise 2, Dalmarnock 3, Newtyle 3, Murthly 1, 5, Murthly 2, 10, Glendelvine 2,  Delvine & Burnbane 2, Kercock 10, Meikleour & Upper Islamouth 14, West Grange 1, Islamouth 30, Ballathie 6, Cargill 35, Stobhall 11, Taymount 23, Pitlochrie 2, Upper Scone 11, Benchil 6 Upper Redgorton 17, Fishponds 15, Luncarty 7, Waulkmill 23, Almondmouth 28, Lochlane & Laggan 1, Creiff AC 1

Total: 292 Largest: Cargill 26lbs

SOME MORE GOOD SPORT BEFORE THE SEASON FINALLY DRAWS TO A CLOSE?

(River Tay salmon fishing prospects week commencing 5th October 2020)

The upcoming week is the last full week of 2020 salmon fishing season on the Tay so there will be many keen anglers looking forward to wetting a line for the final time this year. Hopefully there will be some good sport to be had before the season finally draws to a close on the 15^th of October.
It was good to see catches improve on the river last week and the catalyst for this appears to be the drop in temperature in recent days. In addition to this there was also a lift in water during the middle part of last week. Unfortunately, it has been quite wet over the weekend across much of Scotland including Perthshire with heavy rain on Saturday. This has led to a big spate with river levels on the Ballathie gauge peaking at well over ten feet on Sunday. The weather forecast for next week is to remain unsettled with low pressure firmly in charge. There will be some showers on Monday and Tuesday with the possibility of more persistent rain through the middle part of the week. It is set to turn colder towards next weekend with the possibility of night time frosts.  
Once the river drops and clears there is the prospect of more good sport. Last week there were fish caught on the main river from Upper Farleyer down to Almondmouth with the bulk of the fish being caught from the beats situated on the middle and lower river. It was good to see that some of the fish landed were well into the teens including one weighing a magnificent twenty six pounds. Probably the best chance of a fish next week would be on any of the beats situated on the middle and lower river. 
There is good availability next week on some famous Tay beats so why not book a day? There is no better way to end the season on a high, than landing a big Tay salmon!

Good luck to all those anglers fishing on the River Tay next week.
Tight lines,
Samantha & Sandy Datta

 

Tactics for the River Tay during the autumn period (September and October)

The ghillies on the River Tay are all highly experienced and have an intimate knowledge of their beats. Their advice and guidance are key to success. Please contact your ghillie for up to date advice on tactics and what tackle to bring prior to visiting the River Tay.

Fly Fishing

During the autumn months, water temperatures usually begin to fall on the river but much depends on the weather. The weather and water conditions can vary greatly during the autumn months with hot weather and low water coupled with high water temperatures especially if we have an Indian summer. Conversely, it can be quite cool with regular spells of wind and rain and even night time frosts. The fish also start to become a bit more aggressive especially when they turn their thoughts towards spawning. At this time of year, full floating lines coupled with polyleaders of various sink rates can often work well especially if conditions are more akin to the summer months.  
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, colder water a sink tip or intermediate line may be required to produce the best results.
Make sure that your fly reel has got 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 autumn period to use leader material with an adequate breaking strain, as there can be some large fish around towards the end of the season. Usually, a breaking strain of around fifteen pounds is ideal.

A lovely fly caught Tay salmon

During the autumn months depending on the water height and temperature smaller dressed flies can work well if river levels are low and temperatures are high. Small bottle tubes are also well worth ago. If there are frequent night time frosts and high water, tube flies of various lengths and weights may be the order of the day.

Spinning

A powerful spinning rod between ten and eleven feet is usually more than adequate to cover the River Tay. The rod should be able to comfortably cast lures weighing anything from eighteen to thirty grams. A good fixed spool or multiplier reel with a reliable drag system is perfect for the River Tay. The reel should be able to accommodate a large amount of either nylon or braided line with an adequate breaking strain. 
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 autumn months, the Floating Devon and Flying C can be particularly productive.

A Vision 110 lure can be very productive during the autumn months

The Flying C lure can be fished upstream especially when water temperatures are higher 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. In high cold water, it can often be more about fishing the lure that bit slower and at an adequate depth.

Harling

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. 

Harling on the River Tay

Usually, two or three rods are placed in rod holders with various lures and then the ghillie skilfully combs the water by moving back and forth in the boat, whilst gradually dropping downstream, covering the likely lies on the beat. Often during the autumn months, good conditions arise on many beats for harling, especially in higher water. Harling is a method which is very much water height dependent and is practised at the beat ghillies discretion. 

 

TDSFB conservation policy

All anglers fishing on the River Tay system are reminded that the TDSFB’s policy from January 15^th to 1^st 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.
It is also worthwhile remembering when releasing fish to keep them in the water for as long a period as possible and to use minimal handling. Please also give the fish plenty of time to recover before releasing them. It is important that anglers treat their quarry with the utmost of respect at all times.