TEMPERATURES SOAR, A BIRTHDAY BRACE TO REMEMBER AND GRILSE START TO MAKE AN APPEARANCE ON THE MIGHTY RIVER TAY!

(River Tay weekly report week ending 5th June 2021)

 

We have now moved into June which heralds the beginning of the summer salmon fishing season across Scotland. In the next few weeks, grilse and summer salmon will hopefully start running our rivers in ever-increasing numbers. Summer is a fantastic time of year to be out in the great Scottish outdoors. The leaves on the trees are green and vibrant and there are signs of life everywhere you look. The longer nights at this time of year also offer more angling opportunities with evening fishing becoming possible and also productive. In addition to salmon fishing, June and July can also be good months for Sea trout fishing. Traditionally the runs of Sea trout peak within the next six weeks and a nice hard fighting Sea trout can brighten up any angler's day, especially if the salmon are playing hard to get!

It felt like summer across Perthshire last week

It certainly felt like summer across much of Scotland including Perthshire last week as temperatures soared on most days. High pressure dominated bringing mostly cloudless skies and temperatures were widely into the twenties. This made it feel very pleasant but not the best conditions for chasing silver. Some ghillies reported seeing grilse on their beat and there was also some stunning fresh grilse caught which is great news. The water temperature last week was 11.4 degrees Celsius which 52.5 degrees Fahrenheit. 

It was nice to see more success on Loch Tay on Wednesday with the Loch Tay Fish n’ Trips team when a nice springer was landed. On the upper river, it was good to see both Bolfracks beats produce fish through the course of the week as well as Upper Farleyer and Edradynate. 

A nice nine pounder caught from Edradynate on Friday

Mr Dave Wilson had a good day on Tuesday on the Ruan Ruarie Beat of the River Gary. Mr Wilson caught a nice eight pounder on the spinner. Mr Malcolm Fleming was fishing on Loch Faskally on Wednesday. Within a few minutes of putting the rods out, he hooked and landed a fine sixteen pounder. There were more fish caught from the loch during the second half of the week. 

Mr Malcolm Fleming with a lovely fish caught from Loch Faskally

There were good numbers of fish showing on the River Tummel at Portnacraig. On Wednesday Mr Jamie Smith had a successful day when he landed a nice twelve pounder on the fly from the Portnacraig Bank. Mr Saul Mackay landed a cracking seventeen pounder on the fly from the Pitlochry bank later that evening.

Mr Saul Mackay with a Portnacraig cracker!

Dalguise has produced a few nice fish in the past few weeks and Wednesday was no exception when a lovely fish was landed from the beat. 

 Mr McCabe with a stunning salmon caught from Newtyle on Friday

Mr Tony McCabe had a good day at Newtyle on Friday. Mr McCabe was fly fishing the Boil when his line tightened. After a terrific battle that involved several powerful runs, Mr McCabe landed a beautiful sea liced salmon.

Mr Philip Black with the best possible birthday present caught at Murthly 2

At the beginning of the week, Mr Philip Black celebrated his birthday in style with his brother Tony on the Murthly 2 Beat. Despite the hot sunny weather Mr Black fished at the right times and persevered and caught fish on both Monday and Tuesday. Presents don’t come much better than a fine birthday brace! There was more success at Murthly 2 on Friday.

A well earned birthday darm for Mr Philip Black!

The Kercock Beat finished with three fish for the week. Mr Stuart Maughan had a nice eleven pounder from the Meikleour & U Islamouth Beat on Thursday. The fish was caught from the Pumphouse on the fly. Next on to the scoresheet was Mr Tom Czarnota who caught a fine six pounder from the Castle Pool on a Blair Spoon on Friday. There was success on the River Isla at Keithick Streams on Monday and Saturday.

Mr Stuart Maughan with a sparkling fish caught at Meikleour

It was a much better week at Islamouth with the water dropping. Mr David Clarke and his party had a great first half of the week landing a total of ten fish including fresh grilse which was good to see. Mr Jim Ferrie and his party were fishing at Islamouth during the second half of the week and enjoyed some superb sport with most of the fish taking a striped Sunray. There were also several fish lost which proved to be frustrating for some!

It was a great start to the week at Ballathie with a fish caught from the upper beat on Monday and then a fine brace landed from the lower beat on Tuesday. It was nice to see happy faces at Cargill on Wednesday when two fish were landed. There was also a fish caught from the beat on Friday.

Good sport at Cargill through the middle part of the week

It was a happy Monday for Mr Finlay Wilson at Stobhall. Mr Wilson landed a fine twelve pounder in the Perthshire sunshine. On Friday Mr Tony Forster caught a lovely fresh fish weighing fourteen pounds from Findford Stream at Stobhall. There was success at Taymount on Wednesday when a couple of nice fish were landed.

A lovely springer caught by Mr Finlay Wilson at Stobhall on Monday

The cloudless skies and splitting sunshine coupled with warm temperatures definitely made fishing challenging last week but there were still some nice fish caught from the Tay system. It was good to see grilse start to make an appearance on the river. Hopefully, the conditions next week will be more conducive to salmon fishing. 

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

Malloch Trophy 

The Malloch Trophy is an award given for the largest salmon caught on the fly and safely returned to the river each year. If you would like to be considered for the Malloch Trophy, please telephone Inga MacGillivray on 01738 583733 alternatively, you can email Inga at admin@tdsfb.org

Beat catches reported (week ending 5th June)

SALMON & GRILSE: 

Loch Tay Fish n’ Trips 1, Upper Farleyer 3, Edradynate 1, Upper Bolfracks 4, Lower Bolfracks 1, Ruan Ruarie 1, Loch Faskally 4, Portnacraig Pitlochry 2, Dalguise 1, Newtyle 1, Murthly 2, 3, Kercock 3, Keithick Streams 2, Meikleour & U Islamouth 2, Islamouth 17, Ballathie 3, Cargill 3, Stobhall 2, Taymount 2

Total: 56 Largest: Portnacraig Pitlochry 17lbs

IMPROVED FISHING CONDITIONS IN THE WEEK AHEAD?

(River Tay salmon fishing prospects week commencing 7th June 2021)

It was very warm last week across Perthshire and when you couple this with cloudless skies and bright sunshine it’s easy to see why salmon fishing was challenging at times. Despite this, there were some nice fish caught from the Tay system and some ghillies reported seeing grilse starting to appear on their beats. Indeed, there were also a few nice grilse landed which was great news. River levels were settled last week. Over the weekend it has been mainly dry and warm with temperatures into the high teens. Looking ahead to next week high pressure is set to remain in charge bringing mostly dry and settled weather. Temperatures will gradually rise through the course of the week peaking in the mid-twenties. Cloud amounts will vary daily with possibly more cloud cover than last week and winds will remain light so the fishing conditions should improve somewhat in the days ahead.

Catches on the Tay system were again well spread last week from Loch Tay down to Taymount. There were also fish caught from the River Gary and Tummel as well as Loch Faskally. Many of the fish caught were sea liced indicating that the fish entering the system were running hard. Hopefully more grilse and summer salmon should start to be caught in the upcoming weeks and this will give anglers some optimism for the summer season. There is a good chance of picking up a fresh fish anywhere on the main river next week as the spread of recent catches would suggest. Probably the best chance could be anywhere on the middle or lower river. The River Tummel and Isla could also be worth a cast.

As always, the River Tay offers anglers fantastic value for money with a wide range of salmon fishing to suit all tastes. There is decent availability in the upcoming days on some fantastic beats, so why not wet a line one of Scotland’s most famous and iconic salmon rivers? There could be a big Tay salmon with your name on it!

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 summer period (June-August)

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.

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.

Fly Fishing

During the summer months, water temperatures usually begin to rise on the river. The fish also start to become a bit more active. Often river levels are low but on the River Tay, they are never too low that fresh fish cannot run the system. At this time of year, full floating lines coupled with polyleaders of various sink rates can often work well. 

A fine fly caught River Tay salmon

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.

Spinning

A powerful spinning rod between ten and eleven foot 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. 

Spinning in the summer months on the River Tay

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

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 is a unique, effective method of fishing 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 summer months, the water is too low to harl on many beats. However, if there is a decent spate this method can be highly productive. Harling is a method which is very much water height dependent and is practised at the beat ghillies discretion.