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Here's a salmon fishing holiday guest playing a salmon on the Dunkeld House beat of the River Tay. This is a traditional salmon fishing boat the fishing trip guest is using as a casting platform and to get him closer to the long distance salmon lies. You can see the sandstone bridge in Dunkeld in the distance being illuminated by the late afternoon sunlight.
The Cathedral Stream salmon fishing pool was beautifully captured in this fine Summer shot by myself from the grounds of the Dunkeld Cathedral. The sandstone Telford Bridge is 200 years old and is a significant landmark on the middle area of the River Tay. The bridge also separates the Perthshire village of Birnam from the town of Dunkeld.
The Gauge Tree Pool on the Dunkeld House salmon beat
2 New River Tay Salmon Boats
The Fyfey Pool on the Dunkeld House salmon beat.

Dunkeld House Salmon Beat

By 1st December 2017

The ancient Scottish town of Dunkeld has been base for hundreds of thousands of River Tay salmon fishing visitors over the decades and will no doubt remain as popular going forward.

Part of the attraction of Dunkeld is the close proximity of some of the best River Tay salmon beats and none more so than the Dunkeld House beat.

 

 

The Gauge Tree Pool on the Dunkeld House salmon beat

Dunkeld House Beat Future

With a change of beat ownership in the last few days there are huge plans for the beat in the immediate future that are very exciting. Part of the plan is to build a brand new luxury fishing hut at the tranquil & peaceful upstream Rock Pool location. An additional beat operating policy that will be actioned is the 'over due' concept of introducing proper pool 'segregation' for fly & spin fishers on the Tay as this beat is very fortunate to benefit from both types of fishing water. Hopefully the new owners will deliver on their promises and we can take the beat to new operational heights.

There's much skill and understanding involved in catching a Scottish salmon on a spinning rod and make no mistake about that fact. This visiting American salmon fisher was learning these spin fishing skills near Dunkeld on the River Tay during the low water of Summertime while under my supervision as his salmon guide.

Dunkeld House Salmon Fishing

The Dunkeld House beat commences from the upstream side of Dunkeld Bridge and extends for a further 1.5 miles. This water is true salmon 'holding' water due to its depth and partially slow moving flow rates and holds fresh run salmon from the Tay's 15 January opening day right through to the end of the season. The beat is also fortunate to have some amazing fly holding water at both its upstream and downstream boundary areas which are also first class and give a 'genuine chance' of a salmon on the fly.

I took this downstream shot of the famous Telford Bridge in Dunkeld from the grounds of the Dunkeld Cathedral. There's a stone wall at the edge of the grass that's not visible in this shot to protect the grounds from high water flood damage. This is called the Cathedral Stream Pool which is very productive salmon fishing pool.

Salmon Beat Presentation

Better beat marketing presentation and teaming up with the owners of the Dunkeld House Hotel for competitive accommodation packages for all visiting salmon fishers is also high on the list of immediate priorities. New traditional Tay coble boats handbuilt by John Ferguson at his Stanley workshop have been ordered and new Yamaha 8 horse power engines have already been ordered too. Riverbank improvement initiatives are currently being carefully considered with my colleagues at SEPA and SNH and their habitat restoration partners The River Restoration Centre.

There's something magical about fishing the Cathedral Stream on the Dunkeld House Beat of the River Tay. Maybe it's something to do with the old ley lines that run through this location. This natural energy can be felt by anglers and salmon! I took this shot of the salmon beat head ghillie in his boat while serving as the accompanying guest's salmon fishing guide. I took this upstream shot from the mid section of the 200 year old Telford Bridge at Dunkeld.

A Well Run Salmon Beat

If you thought Dunkeld House was a well run & productive River Tay salmon fishing venue before now then watch this space as big plans are in the pipeline to take the beat to an even higher level of professional salmon beat operation. We look forward to demonstrating total salmon beat 'brilliance' to all visiting salmon anglers over the forthcoming years on the Dunkeld House beat.

 

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