These fresh run Scottish salmon look as if they've been forged from molten silver and are often referred to as 'bars of silver'. This perfect Spring salmon took a 'Jock's Shrimp' salmon fly near the River Tummel & River Tay confluence during late May which is a great time to intercept a fish of this calibre. I took this perfect up close shot while this beautiful fish was still in the landing net before releasing it back to the river.

This fish was caught at sunrise on the River Tay near the Perthshire town of Dunkeld. This salmon weighed 14lbs and took a small fly at 7am just as the sun was rising. You can see the glimmer of light on the silver flanks of this fine fish as it lay in the landing net prior to its release.

When you hook a salmon it's important to know how to play the fish properly to gain control of proceedings. This perfect Spring salmon was caught on the middle area of the Tay during early June and is typical of the quality of fish found in the Scottish rivers at that time. The fly in this salmon's mouth is the deadly Jock's Shrimp salmon fly pattern.

I can vividly recall the amazing thrill of landing this perfect fish during late May on the River Tay near Pitlochry in Highland Perthshire. Spring salmon in Scotland are always in perfect condition like you see here as this salmon lay beside my salmon fly rod and reel in the landing net before I released it back to the river.

Here's the perfect end result of a carefully presented River Tay salmon fly in the middle area of the Tay Valley near Dunkeld during May. Look at the physical perfection of this salmon and it's no wonder these Spring run fish are the most highly regarded of all the Scottish salmon runs. The fish is in the landing net beside my salmon fly rod & reel.

Here's a late May example of a fresh run River Tay caught Spring salmon which was captured on the Kinnaird salmon beats near Dunkeld. This is the most sought after salmon of all and it's a delight to land a fish like this on a 15ft salmon fly rod.

I caught this fine 16lbs specimen Spring salmon in February on the River Tay near Dunkeld as hard proof that early run Scottish salmon certainly do exist. Look at the caliber of this perfect fish which is exceptional and easily caught too for those who know how & where to fish during the early Spring months in Scotland.

Here's a fine Summer River Tay salmon being netted by the beat ghillie at the stern of the boat. The Lower River Tay is a productive area for catching salmon from the Summer to Autumn part of the River Tay fishing season when many salmon congregate here. This fish was caught with some professional salmon instructor assistance on the Tay's Benchil Beat.

A Bar Of Silver

By Jock Monteith 9th October 2025

There's very little in this world that can stimulate your adrenalin glands as much as a hooking a 'super fit' Spring Atlantic salmon on a fly rod.

When that gentle initial tap on the fly develops into an all out 'screaming reel' war there's no way your heart will escape the accelerator pedal. The natural highs in life don't come any better than this as you'll already know or if you're new to Spring salmon fishing you'll hopefully soon understand.

Playing A Salmon

The flashes of silver from a battling salmon will be very visible throughout the fight and even on a dull day when there's little light to reflect off the flanks of a salmon. Add some sunlight into the mix and you're in for some serious silvery shimmers & flashes as the salmon tries to throw the hook to escape capture. This tantalising silver flash show is often more visible as the fight comes to an end and you've correctly steered your salmon into the slacker water margins.

Here's the beautiful silver flanks of a fresh run Spring salmon which was caught on the River Tay near Dunkeld. Salmon like this create indelible memories such is their power and amazing natural beauty when you encounter of one of these fine creatures. This perfect salmon was caught by one of our salmon fishing holiday guests while accompanied by myself as his personal salmon fishing guide.

A Bar Of Silver

These fresh run Spring Atlantic salmon are often referred to as being like 'bars of silver' and once you make contact you'll fully understand why that is. Stay calm and composed while you're playing a salmon and don't ever try to rush proceedings through over-excitement. You'll know when the salmon is tiring so don't try to overly rush the fight as a salmon will often fight back harder when over pressured. Forget the landing net as many anglers think about netting a fish far too early into the fight which is just a sign that they're not truly in charge of their own adrenalin!

This American salmon fisher was rewarded for his trans Atlantic crossing with this perfect River Tay Summer salmon which was landed just upstream of the village of Meikleour while I was assisting him as his personal salmon fishing guide. When I took this photograph the guest couldn't stop smiling due to the sheer excitement of the capture of this fine fish.

Where To Land A Salmon

After hooking a salmon an experienced angler will be scanning the river margins for a safe area away from the main current where the salmon can be played out. This area should have some reasonable depth of at least a few feet and be snag free. Most fish can be 'walked' across or upstream under steady 'consistent' rod pressure to such an area and you'll be surprised how effective this 'fight control' method can be in bringing your fish to the most suitable fight and landing area.

Here's Alan Rennie playing one of 5 Spring salmon he caught that with myself as his salmon guide in the boat that day. Look are the riverbank where there's no leaves on the trees yet there's some beautiful sunlight which just gave the surface of the water of the river enough warmth to get these fish on the move and in a 'taking' frame of mind. This photo was taken in the Cottar Pool on the Newtyle Beat of the River Tay.

Salmon Fight Tactics

Keep a high rod tip with a good fighting curve in your rod to exert enough pressure but let the salmon take line when it wants to. Eventually the fish will calm down if you're patient enough and will start showing more of its flanks and tail at close range. This is the time of the fight to start thinking about landing the salmon however it's always advisable never to reach for the landing net too soon as it tends to rush the fight too much and the eagerness of holding a landing net too soon will only deplete the fun of battle.

Netting A Salmon

Pick your moment and one well timed attempt to net a salmon should be all you need. A pre-submerged salmon landing net only needs to be lifted when the fish is finally drawn over it. You should never have to over extend or lunge at a fish with the net and doing so usually means the fish isn't quite ready. The final flash of silver as you see here will be the most potent one for staying lodged in your memory banks!

Your Salmon Fishing Mindset

The best mental approach to Scottish salmon fishing is to keep a confident mindset throughout the full course of the fishing day and make sure your water coverage is consistently good. Always be scanning the river while you're fishing for those little signs that salmon are present and mentally record any sightings by pinpointing them to riverbank features. It takes only one well thought out cast over a salmon at some point during the morning or afternoon fishing session to turn any salmon fishing day into a memorable one!

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.

Professional Salmon Guide Tuition

If you want to learn all of the above skills to make sure your 'batting average' increases at catching salmon through increased effective salmon pool coverage then book a professional salmon guide to teach you all of the relevant aspects of this fascinating pursuit. A permit purchase on it's own is generally a waste of money unless you're happy just being out on the river. To learn how to effectively fish for salmon follow this link to book guided salmon fishing with a 'top performing' and highly experienced professional salmon guide. Launching a salmon fly or lure out across the river is literally less than 10% of what this fine pursuit is really all about and especially if consistently seeing a big flash of silver commotion in your landing net is important to you.