Here's a group of new fly fishers testing out their newly taught skills with a double handed salmon fly rod during the Summer. Many larger groups come to me for a crash course in salmon fishing and this was one such party that I guided for on the River Tay near Pitlochry.

Don't be a 'launch & hope' specialist and adopt salmon fly thought mentality as to your fly's speed & depth as that's what will give you a huge advantage while fishing for salmon anywhere in the world. This lovely River Tay salmon was caught with a perfectly controlled Jock's Shrimp salmon fly near Dunkeld. This shot was taken while the fish was lying in the landing net prior to unhooking and its safe release back to the river.

Look for unusual riverbank markers like a pile of stones as sometimes these are placed there by anglers to mark the location of salmon that have been showing. This shot was taken on the Meetings Pool of the River Tay near the Perthshire town of Pitlochry which is a popular salmon fishing location for anglers.

Look at the lovely condition of this little Summer salmon which are referred to as grilse. This was one of 4 fish landed that day but was by far the most beautiful to observe. Catching salmon like this on the River Tay is great fun and super exciting when a salmon takes your fly. This grilse was caught by one of our fishing guests assisted by myself while serving as their salmon fishing guide.

This is the lovely right hand bank of the March Pool of the River Tay near Dunkeld which is a popular salmon fishing pool for anglers. This glorious shot was taken during June hence the perfect riverbank beauty. The Tay is Scotland's largest salmon river and is located in Central Scotland for easy commuting. Look at the perfect shimmering river water in this photograph which I took during June.

This lovely sand bank on the Rock Pool is deposited here during high water on the River Tummel which joins the Tay a few hundred yards below this location. In high water the Tummel cuts straight through the field to the right of frame. The dark shadowy water you see is prime River Tay salmon holding water.

Catching Scottish Salmon

By Jock Monteith 25th May 2026

It is one thing to understand how to consistently hook salmon on the fly when the opportunity arises but it's a completely different dimension understanding the value of the correct mindset to get to that exciting moment of the fishing day.

The following paragraphs will give you a few of my thoughts on this which I'm 'absolutely' convinced are highly accurate.

Here's myself with a fine Spring salmon in the landing net immediately prior to its release. A good landing net with fish friendly mesh is an essential piece of salmon fishing equipment. I caught this fine salmon at the Daffodil Lie Pool on the beautiful Kinnaird Beat of the River Tay in Highland Perthshire.

Stay Under The Salmon's Radar

I read a book once about the Indian tribes of North America who use to follow and live off the huge herds of buffalo that roamed the nation. These Indians who were totally dependent on hunting success for their tribe's existence would never start to hunt thinking about making 'the kill' as they were convinced it would mean no success.

I took this beautiful downstream shot of the River Tay in Perthshire which is a famous Scottish salmon river. This lovely shot was taken a few miles upstream from the Perthshire town of Dunkeld. You can clearly see my salmon fishing guest a few hundred yards below me. The dark shadowy water just off the main current is a great Tay salmon holding area and is always worth fishing through.

Strangely Familiar Behaviour

These astute Indian hunters were completely convinced that if their minds where in that 'must kill' mode that the beasts they were hunting would pick up the signal and disappear away from danger. Sounds impossible on the face of things I know but I can 100% relate this to Scottish salmon fishing after decades of watchful & observant river life. Many creatures operate on a different frequency than we do so be aware of that and especially when you're out pursuing salmon.

This is my own Monteith salmon fly rod and Van Staal salmon fly reel on the River Tay's Kinnaird beat.

The Wrong Words In Salmon Fishing

As a professional ghillie if I ever hear the words from a salmon fishing guests 'come on fish' I completely cringe and know beyond doubt that we are very likely heading for a blank day. If a red Indian's spear was ever acting as a transmitter to forewarn a buffalo of imminent danger then what on earth is a 15ft carbon fibre antenna going to do to a magnetic field navigational expert like a salmon! Never use or think those words while salmon fishing would be my advice.

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.

Fine Tuning Your Salmon Fishing Approach

A big part of fine tuning your salmon fishing approach is knowing how to stay under the radar and blend into the surrounding environment. Don't think for one minute an Atlantic salmon is not an absolute survival specialist as its amazing journey to and from its oceanic feeding grounds should be all the proof you need to tell you otherwise!

Successful Scottish Salmon Fishing

There's much more to being successful at Scottish salmon fishing than just buying a permit and a fishing rod as without the proper investment in salmon fishing knowledge and fishing skills the above two components will only provide a day beside a river with little chance of a fish. In all other walks of life knowledge and training are crucial for success which is also most definitely the case in Scottish salmon fishing.

Buying a River Dee salmon fishing gift experience for a colleague or loved one is the gift of a lifetime and could easily be the start of a life long recreational pursuit obsession. Our salmon fishing gift vouchers include a personal guide, full salmon fishing equipment supply, tactical tuition and the salmon fishing access. A fishing date can be decided later once the recipient receives their gift voucher. This was 1 of 2 20 pounders caught by this father & son salmon fishing guide guests on the River Tay during late March. The son had been given one of our salmon fishing gift vouchers for Christmas.

Salmon Fishing Gift Vouchers

Part of understanding advanced salmon fishing fine tuning like this is taught via our professional salmon fishing guide team who all have this level of insight into Atlantic salmon and the often finely tuned river approaches that bring about fishing success. Follow this link to book a day for yourself in the hands of an expert or treat a loved one to these seldom discussed salmon fishing insights via a guided salmon fishing gift experience.