(River Tay weekly report week ending 7th August 2021)
We have now moved into August and are well into the second half of the Scottish summer. Summer, it may be but towards the end of last week and into the weekend the weather had different ideas. There were widespread heavy showers and some longer spells of rain accompanied by strong winds from Thursday onwards, courtesy of an area of low pressure and the unsettled weather continued into the weekend.
There was a lift in water on Friday and the River Isla went into flood leading to the main river becoming coloured especially on the lower beats. Despite the unsettled water towards the end of the week, there were some stunning salmon landed from the river during the first week of August including fish weighing around the magical twenty pounds mark. The water temperature last week was 61.3 degrees Fahrenheit which is 16.3 degrees Celsius.
Mr Gavin Thompson was fishing on the Ruan Ruarie Beat on Friday on the River Garry and had a day to remember. Mr Thompson landed two salmon on the spinner weighing fourteen and eight pounds. A great day’s sport in anyone’s book!
At Lower Kinnaird, there was a magnificent twenty pounder caught on the fly on Thursday. The fish was caught from the Junction Pool on a Sunray Shadow. It was a good end to the week for anglers fishing at Dalguise when they landed two fish on Saturday.
There was success at Dalmarnock with two fish landed from the beat on Monday. Further downstream there was a nice fish caught from Murthly 2 on Tuesday and another fish was landed from the beat on Saturday. At Islamouth there were eighteen fish caught for the week.
Ballathie anglers Mr Adam Gold and Mr Paul Bleasdale enjoyed some good sport at the beginning of the week. The lure of choice seemed to be the red floating devon. On Tuesday Mr Bleasdale landed a magnificent sea liced twenty pounder which put up a memorable fight.
Mr Barry Ward continued his recent run of good form on the River Tay. Mr Ward caught a lovely salmon on the fly at Cargill on Monday. Mr Allan Ferrie was fishing with Mr Ward and also caught a nice fish from the beat. There was more success for the dynamic duo on Tuesday when they both caught a fish each which was great to see. On Friday Mr Gavin Mason landed a nice fish from Cargill. This was one of two fish caught from the beat that day.
There was some good sport to be had through the course of last week at Stobhall. There were two fish caught from the lower beat on Monday followed by three more on Tuesday this time from the upper beat. The week finished well at Stobhall with three fish caught on Saturday. The Taymount Beat finished with three fish for the week.
It was great to see a couple of fish caught from Upper Scone through the middle part of the week. Mr Tim Greenfield caught a lovely salmon on the fly from Pitlochrie on Thursday. The powerful fish gave a great account of itself making several powerful surging runs.
There was a fish caught at Benchil on Monday. On Friday Mr Peter Thomas caught a lovely fresh sea liced grilse on the fly from the beat which was great to see.
Anglers enjoyed some great sport at Upper Redgorton at the beginning of the week with a total of six fish landed on Monday and Tuesday with a further six caught on Thursday. Upper Redgorton finished with a very creditable fifteen fish for the week.
Mr Simon Furniss and his very capable team have taken over the management of the Fishponds Beat in recent weeks which is great news for anglers looking to fish on the lower river. On Tuesday Mr Furniss finally managed to wet a line on the beat and it did not take long for him to get in on the action when he caught lovely sea liced grilse weighing five pounds on the fly from the Craig’s. The fish was caught on a size 8 Cascade. The Craig’s has produced decent numbers of fish in the past few days and hopefully, this is a sign of things to come. There was more success at Fishponds on Thursday when three more fish were landed from the beat and on Saturday there was also a nineteen pounder caught on the fly. Almondmouth finished with eight fish for the week.
If we get some settled water conditions in the upcoming days, there is a chance of some good sport to 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 perfect 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 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 7th August 2021)
SALMON & GRILSE:
Ruan Ruarie 2, Dalguise 2, Lower Kinnaird 1, Dalmarnock 2, Murthly 1, 1, Murthly 2, 2, Meikleour & Upper Islamouth 1, Islamouth 18, Ballathie 5, Cargill 8, Stobhall 11, Taymount 4, Pitlochrie 1, Upper Scone 3, Benchil 2, Upper Redgorton 15, Fishponds 5, Almondmouth 8
Total: 91 Largest: Lower Kinnaird & Ballathie 20lbs
SETTLED WATER SHOULD LEAD TO GOOD SPORT NEXT WEEK!
(River Tay salmon fishing prospects week commencing 9th August 2021)
The weather had a distinct autumnal feel towards the end of last week and into the weekend as a low pressure system brought frequent heavy showers and strong winds to much of Scotland. The rain led to a lift in water on Friday. The unsettled weather continued over the weekend with more widespread heavy showers some of which were thundery in nature.
There were some beautiful fish caught from the river last week. 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. The recent lift in water will hopefully be the catalyst for more fresh fish to run into the Tay system in the upcoming days. If river levels remain steady there is every chance that there will be some good sport to be had next week.
Looking ahead to the weather, Monday and Tuesday will see more widespread heavy showers which should be less frequent on Tuesday. Wednesday should be drier and warmer as a southerly wind develops. Towards the end of the week, the weather could turn more unsettled once again as low pressure may start to influence our weather once again.
Salmon on the mainstem of the river were caught last week from Lower Kinnaird 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 middle and lower river.
There is good availability on the river next week so why not wet a line and chase some Tay summer silver? You might just have an August twenty pounder coming your way!
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.
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.
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.
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