This lovely early Spring photograph shows a lone salmon fishing trip fisher over casting their fly at the mouth of the River Tummel where it enters the Tay. This is a perfect lowish water sunlit day for increased chances of catching a prized Spring salmon. I took this upstream facing photograph while serving as a salmon fishing guide.

I sited this bench in this perfect elevated riverbank position after pulling it out of an upstream tree following a big January flood on the River Tay. This current position allows any occupier to have direct site of the upstream & downstream River Tay and also right up the River Tummel which is directly opposite the bench. This bench is a great resting location for Tay salmon fishing guides and guests and is sensibly positioned above the high water line.

Here's a guided River Tay salmon fishing guest fishing his way methodically down through the Meetings Pool on the Upper Kinnaird salmon beat which is a perfect holding area for salmon in medium to low water levels from mid March through to October each year. Look at the beautiful fully leafed oak trees on the far side of the river.

Here's a traditional River Tay salmon boat moored up at the March Pool sand bank immediately downstream of the Tay/Tummel confluence. This is a perfect low water sunlit early Spring fishing day which is always a pleasure to be out fishing for salmon in. A professional Tay salmon guide will always utilise the boat to commute salmon fishing holiday guests into the best fly fishing locations like this one.

This old bench was found hanging from a riverbank tree 1 mile upstream of its now perfect location directly in front of the River Tay & River Tummel confluence following an early Spring flood. As soon as I saw the bench and had salvaged it I knew exactly where it was going to be re-sited and its now been here in this perfect elevated riverside location for the last decade. This is the most perfect seat for observing one of the most beautiful areas or the entire River Tay from. I added the accompanying rod rest rack in too as you can see.

This is the neck of the Kinnaird Beat's Guay Pool which is a very productive River Tay salmon fishing pool. Salmon hold high up in this stream during low water conditions and down in the tail of this pool in higher water levels. This is a great pool for catching salmon and especially when accompanied by a salmon fishing guide who knows the water.

Come to Scotland's River Tay and learn how to properly fish for salmon. Many anglers like this one come from all over the world to the Scottish rivers each year in pursuit of these fine creatures. This is the River Tummel / River Tay confluence which is a great fishing area for salmon fishing trip guests.

Changing Salmon Pools

By Jock Monteith 4th March 2021

Over the years I've seen many adjustments to various salmon pools on many Scottish rivers after the Winter floods.

This is a naturally occurring phenomenon but none more so than the ever changing River Tummel mouth which has been on the move for the last ten years.

A Truly Magnificent River Tay Setting

I recall the Junction Pool on the Lower Kinnaird beat of the Tay where the Tummel used to flow into the Tay close to the beautiful Ferry Cottage where I was fortunate to live for a while. This entire area is amazing for all forms of wildlife from otters, ospreys to even nesting gulls on the perfect banks of gravel that form in this designated site of special scientific interest. It is no surprise that Spring salmon that are migrating to the River Tummel and Loch Tay love to hang about this area too.

The River Tummel River Tay Confluence

The salmon lies on the prolific Junction Pool on Kinnaird keep altering & adjusting with every Winter flood and the further upstream the Tummel mouth naturally moves the more the Upper Kinnaird March Pool is beginning to fish well too giving this quality River Tummel mouth area yet another excellent salmon fly fishing approach. In the last 10 years the mouth of the Tummel has moved approx 500 yards and my opinion is that it will keep going thanks to Mother Nature and her ever re-adjusting Winter floods.

The River Tummel Is A Salmon Fishing Hotspot

Having spent many years on this area of the Tay I've watched and studied the pool flows fairly extensively. My prediction over the next ten years is that the mouth of the Tummel will eventually flow into the Tay opposite Upper Kinnaird's Rock Pool as currently there's a secondary 'full flood' Tummel flow that deposits much sand there. Currently there is now only a few hundred yards separating the mouth of the Tummel and the Rock Pool sand bank so I'd say it's fairly inevitable this will eventually happen. When it does this entire area will become even more potent for quality salmon lies from either the Upper Kinnaird beat or Lower Kinnaird beat riverbanks.

Ever Changing Salmon Pools

All salmon rivers are an ever changing and ever moving living creations in their own right and from our fishing perspective it often shifts the salmon lies about like dealing a new deck of cards. That has been the case on the Tummel junction area where still plenty of salmon are caught each year. The scent of the Tummel and the big head of annually returning Spring fish that run this excellent River Tay tributary are what makes the Lower Kinnaird beat's Junction Pool or Upper Kinnaird's March Pool so special especially through the Spring and early Summer months.

Study Carefully For Salmon Lie Signs

While many less experienced salmon fishers believe that a big huge jagged edged 5 tonne plus quarry stone is the only way to create a salmon lie I can assure you that is not necessary for salmon and can sometimes have the reverse effect through excessive turbulence which will eventually likely scour a downstream hole and burry even the biggest of stones. Some of the most potent salmon lies I've seen in my professional career have been from deeper lying natural smooth surfaced much smaller stones that create the most subtle boil of water on the surface of the river every 30 to 60 seconds and if you're not carefully watching for this type of indicator it'll likely go completely unnoticed. A salmon's nose is a highly sensitive instrument for navigation, scent & water pressure and it doesn't need a lot to hold it on or near the riverbed where it can expend minimal energy in anticipation of its next move.