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Here's football legend Graeme Souness out with his friends Greame & Scott Gillespie on the River Tummel. This salmon fishing area of the Tummel Valley is close to the Perthshire town of Pitlochry which is a renowned area of Perthshire for salmon fishers. I was their salmon fishing guide that memorable day when I captured this nice photograph on the Lower Tummel salmon beat.
Here's a beautiful May shot showing a lone angler out on the River Tay near Dunkeld in search of a prized Scottish Spring salmon. The shadow of the trees on the far bank is a great salmon lie for fish that have powered up through the fast water immediately downstream.
This photograph of professional Scottish salmon fishing guide Jock Monteith was captured by TV producer Chris Webster outside Ferry Cottage on the Kinnaird Estate of the River Tay in Perthshire. You can see the snow clad hills and riverbanks in the background.
Perth is the biggest town in the River Tay Valley and as you can see here the Tay flows right next to Perth where it joins the tidal water in the Tay estuary. I took this lovely downstream shot from the old Perth Bridge during May during these perfect light conditions as you can see.
Here's a perfectly coloured traditional River Tay cobble salmon boat blending in with the riverbank stones slightly upstream of the River Tummel/Tay confluence. This is the tail of the Rock Pool which lies between the Perthshire towns of Pitlochry & Dunkeld. The riverbank trees in the shot are primarily oak trees.
Here's football legend Graeme Souness out with his friends Greame & Scott Gillespie on the River Tummel. This salmon fishing area of the Tummel Valley is close to the Perthshire town of Pitlochry which is a renowned area of Perthshire for salmon fishers. I was their salmon fishing guide that memorable day when I captured this nice photograph on the Lower Tummel salmon beat.

Famous Salmon Fishers

By 7th June 2023

It never ever fails to amaze me of who you'll meet on a Scottish salmon river. Here's footballing legend Graeme Souness the former Liverpool and Rangers player & manager who carved a fantastic reputation in the footballing word at home and abroad.

A true soccer legend indeed and a great man to be in the company of on the salmon river.

Here's football legend Graeme Souness out with his friends Greame & Scott Gillespie on the River Tummel. This salmon fishing area of the Tummel Valley is close to the Perthshire town of Pitlochry which is a renowned area of Perthshire for salmon fishers. I was their salmon fishing guide that memorable day when I captured this nice photograph on the Lower Tummel salmon beat.

Scottish Salmon Fishing VIPs

Over the years I've personally hosted many other celebs including former Rangers & Scotland manager Walter Smith, Michael Keaton (Batman), the Princess of Dubai and also the CEO's of Coca Cola, Diageo & Honeywell to name a few which are all massive global operators in their own individual industries. I also recall overhearing a Russian fishing guest in my boat (immediately after landing 2 fine fish) conclude a telephone deal with JP Morgan worth $2 billion dollars!

Here's a perfectly coloured traditional River Tay cobble salmon boat blending in with the riverbank stones slightly upstream of the River Tummel/Tay confluence. This is the tail of the Rock Pool which lies between the Perthshire towns of Pitlochry & Dunkeld. The riverbank trees in the shot are primarily oak trees.

The Attraction Of Salmon Fishing

The common denominator for all of the above was clearly the 'pull & draw' of the Scottish rivers and in these cases specifically the 'mighty' River Tay. When you step back and look at what Scotland is really famous for you'll see that salmon fishing is highly placed as far as recreational pursuits go. This is one of the reasons why the outdated management protocols of the resource is in dire need of a fresh new effective approach to protect & develop current stock levels.

Perth is the biggest town in the River Tay Valley and as you can see here the Tay flows right next to Perth where it joins the tidal water in the Tay estuary. I took this lovely downstream shot from the old Perth Bridge during May during these perfect light conditions as you can see.

Salmon Fishing Economics

They say that Scottish salmon fishing is currently worth over £100 million pounds annually to the Scottish economy. How they figure out all the ancillary spend to come up with that valuation figure I've no idea but I would strongly suspect other revenue streams generated by visiting salmon fishers are not accurately accounted for or even possible to account for!

 

This photograph of professional Scottish salmon fishing guide Jock Monteith was captured by TV producer Chris Webster outside Ferry Cottage on the Kinnaird Estate of the River Tay in Perthshire. You can see the snow clad hills and riverbanks in the background.

Salmon Fishing Entrepreneurs

With this vast amount of incoming salmon fishing business coming into Scotland the entire sport is screaming for real entrepreneurs to step forward to improve the way Scottish salmon fishing is presented. Gone are the days of 'passive' marketing by estates and agents who don't understand the power of effective technological investment as we are now in an era where 'active' internet marketing is required as is the case with any competitive business.

Here's a beautiful May shot showing a lone angler out on the River Tay near Dunkeld in search of a prized Scottish Spring salmon. The shadow of the trees on the far bank is a great salmon lie for fish that have powered up through the fast water immediately downstream.

A New Salmon Fishing Marketing Strategy

I personally believe Scotland has been hindered with relatively poor salmon fishing marketing approaches in recent decades but that looks as if it's changing for the better with more estates & professionals finally starting to utilise social media and other internet marketing strategies. As a forerunner with the rebirth of 'effective' Scottish salmon fishing presentation we are currently working on new groundbreaking marketing concepts that will 'blow the hinges off the barn doors' if successfully established so watch this space closely.

 

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This perfectly timed photograph was taken by professional photographer Louise Bellin on the Kinnaird Beat of the River Tay at the famous Junction Pool which is directly where the River Tummel enters the Tay. Jock, dressed in traditional Tweeds and waders holds his fishing rod, demonstrating the perfect Spey cast required in this salmon fishing hot spot for maximum water coverage of the lovely Tay salmon pool.

Fine Tune Your Speycast

Jock Monteith

14th August 2026

The vast majority of Scottish Speycasters tend to cast like 'racehorses with blinkers on' with their heads only aligned to the target area and not to the crucial mid cast 'anchor point' which is vital for a perfectly timed power stroke delivery.
This perfect River Tay Springer was caught by myself on the 23rd of February from the Kinnaird salmon beat near Pitlochry. These early run Scottish salmon are perfect specimens and are guaranteed to get your heart racing. This fish was quickly returned and swam off strongly to continue its upstream migration to the upper reaches of the Tay. You can see the gold ABU Toby lure, Bruce & Walker Hexagraph spinning rod and Van Staal spinning reel used in the capture of this fine Spring run salmon.

Successful Salmon Spin Fishing

Jock Monteith

13th August 2026

Here's a few paragraphs on how to set a spinning lure hook based on practice not theory. Nothing beats professional time spent on a Scottish salmon river for observing the various aspects of this glorious pursuit.
This is the Steps Pool on the Newtyle Beat of the River Tay and I've drawn the optimal wade line in red which allows anglers to fish through the pool safely and effectively without spooking any salmon that may be present. I took this downstream shot while working as this guest's salmon fishing guide for the day.

Salmon Lie Approach

Jock Monteith

12th August 2026

Over the decades I've seen great opportunities for an easy 'early day' salmon completely blown by anglers who put on waders that go up to their chests and think they have to do the same while wading in the river!
Here's Jock Monteith amidst a Spey casting lesson on the River Tay under the historic Telford Bridge demonstrating perfect D Loop loading with the single Spey cast. The traditional Spey cast is the most effective and satisfying casts. This photo was taken by local Dunkeld photographer Charlie MacDonald. Jock is wearing his Graham of Menteith tartan kilt while demonstrating Spey cast with his 15ft Monteith salmon fly rod.

The Spey Cast Swing

Jock Monteith

11th August 2026

Understanding the value of a correct 'logical' line lift at the beginning of the Spey cast is crucial for negating the cast crippling 'water resistance' experienced by an incorrect line lift. Today I'll elaborate on what maintains this 'ease and smoothness' of cast through the middle section of the cast known as the 'swing' which is crucial for adequate rod loading in the D Loop.
I designed this deadly salmon fly pattern 20 years ago while working as the Head Ghillie and salmon fishing instructor on the River Tay's Newtyle Beat. Here's the exact dressing before anyone asks; Hook: 1

Salmon Fly Selection

Jock Monteith

10th August 2026

There's been millions of words written on this fascinating subject over the decades by many serious salmon fishers who all have their own take on what the best patterns are. At the end of the day it boils down to faith as we will never truly get permanently inside a salmon's mind.
This guest was fishing with me on the River Tay near Dunkeld. This pool tail is a renowned hot spot for running salmon so I waded out to this fishing position to make it easier to fish the main salmon lie between the fisher and the far riverbank. Directly in front of the big tree that you can see on the opposite riverbank is the main salmon lie hot spot.

Important Riverbank Etiquette

Jock Monteith

9th August 2026

For the daily operation of any salmon beat to run smoothly it is important that all fishing guests read & understand the beat rules which are there primarily for safety reasons and to ensure the enjoyment of all paying guests.
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.

Spin Fishing For Tay Salmon

Jock Monteith

8th August 2026

If your effective hooking rate with a spinner on the River Tay isn't close to 100% then there's a few different angles of thought to consider the next time you're out slinging cutlery across Scotland's biggest & deepest salmon river.
Here's the bow section of a hand built River Tay 16ft salmon fishing 'coble' boat with a Brady fishing back and Bruce & Walker salmon Spey rod fitted with a Van Staal salmon fly reel. Professional salmon guides in Scotland take their personal salmon fishing equipment seriously too!

Salmon Beat Ghillies

Jock Monteith

7th August 2026

Having served my time as a professional ghillie on the River Tay the next few paragraphs highlight a few of the finer points that I personally believe that makes a resident professional salmon beat ghillie stand out from the crowd.
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