This is the Rock Pool on the River Tay slightly upstream of the River Tay & River Tummel confluence which is just visible in the background. This is a very good salmon fishing area in Scotland and worthy of a salmon fishing trip. I took this beautiful shot in low water conditions during June after commuting down in this traditional Tay salmon boat.

This salmon fisher had just been taught how to use a double handed salmon fly rod and had just started to fly fish unassisted in his chest waders when I took this shot on the Mike's Run Pool of the River Tummel.

Here's a lovely fly caught salmon by one of our guided fishing guests which was caught on the River Tummel neat Ballinluig in July. This fishing area of the Tummel is close to Dunkeld & Pitlochry. You can see the salmon is being perfectly supported by this salmon fisher while I took the salmon capture shot as his salmon fishing guide.

The Tay tributary River Tummel is a renowned Spring salmon fishery. This salmon fishing holiday guest is working his way down though the Green Bank Pool on the Lower Tummel Beat which is located at Moulinearn near Pitlochry under the supervision of his professional salmon fishing instructor.

I never buy cheap salmon fishing gear as it's often false economy and doesn't tend to last too long. What you see here is my own Bruce & Walker 16ft Spey actioned rod paired up with a Van Staal C-Vex fly reel, a Brady fishing bag and a McLean salmon landing net. All of these items I've owned for decades and use successfully each season on the River Tay. Buying cheap kit which needs replacing every few years costs more money in the long term.

This was a perfect River Tummel salmon of 11lbs caught that I caught while working as a salmon guide in May near the mouth of the River Tummel. You can see the light blue floating fly line on my fly rod which was fitted with a 15ft sinking tip just to get the fly down a foot or two in the water column. Note the fine meshed landing net bag the salmon is lying on.

Sometimes when you arrive on a Scottish salmon river the weather or water conditions won't be perfect but that doesn't often matter to salmon which can be the most unpredictable fish of all. This shot was taken during perfect fishing conditions during late May on the Mike's Run Pool of the River Tummel which is the last salmon pool before the River Tummel meets the River Tay slightly further downstream.

Here's a lovely upstream shot of the Lower Tummel salmon beat near Pitlochry with a salmon fishing tour guest trying out his newly taught Spey casting abilities. This lovely upstream shot was taken during early June which is a beautiful time of year to fish the Tummel. Moments after I took the shot this guided salmon fishing guest Martin Hunter hooked and landed his first ever salmon.

River Tummel Salmon Fishing

By Jock Monteith

The beautiful River Tummel is located in central Highland Perthshire and is a highly popular Spring & early Summer River Tay salmon fishing tributary. The Tummel flows out of Loch Rannoch and greets the River Tay some 30 miles downstream.

The lower 6 mile stretch of the River Tummel represents some of Scotland's finest salmon fly fishing from the downstream side of the Pitlochry hydro dam to the its confluence with the River Tay. Pitlochry is a highly popular Perthshire town for tourists and salmon fishers and has some excellent hotel accommodation options.

Here's a salmon fishing angler mastering the power stroke which is the final part of the 3 stage Spey cast. This shot was taken by myself while serving as a salmon fishing guide at the neck of the Rock Pool on the Lower Tummel Beat of the River Tummel not too far away from the Perthshire town of Pitlochry.

River Tummel Fishing Season

The River Tummel salmon fishing season opens on the 15th of January and finishes on the 15th of October each year. The Tummel is a classic Scottish fly fishing river with beautiful streamy fly fishing pools with intermittent deeper water where salmon are always present right throughout the season. Professional salmon fishing guides are available for visiting salmon fishing trip guests as the Tummel salmon beats do not have full time resident ghillies.

This is God's finest marine creature in a salmon landing net moments before it was released back to its River Tay habitat. This fine fish was caught during late March near Dunkeld and weight exactly 23lbs. The fish took a pearly pink 4 inch Classic Tomic lure in colour code 341. These lures are ordered from Tomic Lures in Canada especially for use on the River Tay by many professional salmon fishing guides.

Big River Tummel Salmon

The River Tummel is the migration route for the once famous heavyweight River Garry salmon which were huge River Tay salmon and were often caught up to 50lbs in weight. Ocassionally colossal salmon will still be seen in the Pitlochry fish ladder or hooked in the Tummel as a reminder of this famous heavyweight strain of Tay fish. Each year salmon of 20lbs plus are caught by salmon fishing visitors and the ocassional fish of 30lbs too so there is always the chance of catching a heavyweight fish on the River Tummel.

A professional salmon guide is best placed to teach you the important salmon fishing skills. Don'y waste your spare time guessing about how to fish for salmon. This angler is out fly fishing the Mike's Run Pool of the River Tummel near Pitlochry following some intensive yet highly effective salmon fly fishing tuition.

The River Tummel Location

The nearest city to the River Tummel is Perth with Edinburgh or Glasgow not that far away either with good road systems in place to keep driving easy. Both Edinburgh & Glasgow benefit from international airports and transfers can be arranged from either cities to the quality River Tummel Valley accommodation options. Exact travel directions from the major Scottish airports are included in our salmon fishing guide service to make commuting directions easy for our salmon fishing trip guests to follow.

This is a perfect pristine example of what a River Tummel bound fresh run Spring salmon looks like. This perfectly shaped salmon was caught right at the Tummel/Tay confluence between Pitlochry & Dunkeld during late May. These perfect fish are present in this area of the River Tay from late March through to early June. I caught this salmon on the Monteith Copperass salmon fly which is a particularly effective pattern.

River Tummel Fly Fishing Equipment

Fly fishing equipment for the River Tummel is typically a 14/15ft ft double handed salmon fly rod with a floating line with sink tip. In low Summer water conditions a full floating line can also work well. In the early Spring months an intermediate line or a longer heavier sink tip can be added to a floating line and either rig fishes well. Our River Tummel salmon guide service includes all of the correct salmon fishing kit levels for visiting salmon fishing trip guests who don't have the equipment or for those fishing clients who like to travel light.

This is my own personal selection of proven salmon fly patterns that I have complete fishing faith in and which have consistently caught me salmon over the last 3 decades. The main patterns you can see here are the Silver Stoat, Jock's Shrimp, Copperass & Sunray Shadow.

River Tummel Salmon Flies

The highly popular Spring salmon flies are the Garry Dog, Cascade & Snaelda fly patterns. These can be tied on copper tubes to take them down a little bit in the cold higher Spring water conditions. During late Spring when the water warms move onto single or double hook versions. Other salmon fly patterns that fish well are the Ally's Shrimp, Sunray Shadow, Copperass & the Stoat's tail to name a few. In low water Summer River Tummel water conditions I've the smallest and lightly dressed Stoat's Tail or Silver Stoat patterns are deadly.

River Tummel Salmon Fishing Equipment

Studded boot chest waders are essential on the River Tummel to get a good grip of the riverbanks and riverbed stones when wading. Polaroid sunglasses are essential too which in certain water & light conditions can actually help you to pin-point where salmon are lying in a pool. A life jacket on all Scottish salmon rivers is mandatory just in case you should lose your footing at any point. The majority of River Tummel salmon pools do however offer easy wading and often it is much better to stay out of the river where possible to avoid disturbing the salmon pools.

Booking River Tummel Fishing

The River Tummel is a prolific Scottish salmon river and many salmon anglers visit its beautiful salmon beats annually. The limited salmon fishing access that's made available each year is best booked well in advance to guarantee your salmon fishing experience such is the popularity of this amazing little Tay tributary salmon river. There are some beautiful hotels located in the Pitlochry & Dunkeld area which are within easy commuting distance to the River Tummel.

The River Tummel Fishing Experience

The River Tummel offers an exciting Scottish salmon fly fishing experience for both experienced salmon anglers and new salmon fishers and is located in some of Highland Perthshire's most amazing scenery. While regarded by many as a Spring & early Summer salmon fishing river the late Summer and Autumn months produce many salmon too. With snow clad mountains feeding this river for the first half of the year there's little that compares to the excitement of the battle with a powerful River Tummel salmon.

Here's the most perfect River Tay salmon pool where the River Tummel meets the Tay. This has always been a great area for catching salmon on a fly. Located between the Perthshire towns of Pitlochry & Dunkeld this area is fairly easy to access from all major Scottish cities making it a must for any visiting salmon fishing trip guests. This salmon fisher was being guided by one of our salmon fishing guide team members who captured this lovely shot of the occasion.

A Perfect Scottish Salmon River

This beautiful Scottish fly fishing salmon river has to be experienced to really be apperciated and I would say it's definitely one of the very best. Once you've fished the beautiful River Tummel and witnessed the ease of covering its lovely salmon fly fishing pools you'll understand what this Scottish salmon fishing destination truly represents. Follow this link to book a professional River Tummel salmon guide to show you how to interview Tummel salmon!

Salmon Fishing Beats

Lower Tummel

The River Tummel Is A Stunning And Prolific Tributary Of The River Tay System Which Fishes Exceptionally Well For Salmon During The Spring And Early Summer Months.