This River Tay salmon fishing guest was sitting up on the bow of the boat to assist with the navigation of the boat through some downstream shallow water. This tactic lifts the outboard engine's propeller a few inches which makes a huge difference for shallow water navigation. This is a subtle navigational trick all professional River Tay boatmen will know and deploy while navigating through shallow water.

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 guided salmon fishing trip guest came to learn how to wade properly & safely in the River Tay and to brush up on his general salmon fishing tactical approach. The gravel bank in the distance is where the River Tummel enters the Tay which is a great area for intercepting salmon which is not too far away from the Perthshire town of Pitlochry.

Here's the 1st of 2 perfect early Spring caught salmon from the River Tay in Perthshire by this salmon fishing vacation guest. This angler came up from England with the dream of catching a Scottish salmon on the fly and was rewarded with 2 fine specimens that were caught in rapid succession at the mouth of the River Tummel. I took this shot while serving as his Tay salmon guide that day.

Here's the 2nd of 2 perfect early Spring caught salmon from the River Tay in Perthshire. This salmon fishing trip guest Chris Blandford came up from England with the dream of catching a Scottish salmon on the fly and was rewarded with 2 fine specimens that were caught in rapid succession. I took this lovely shot of Chris as I was his River Tay salmon fishing guide that day.

Finding Spring Salmon

By Jock Monteith 2nd March 2026

Actioning and sticking to an optimised daily fishing 'battle plan' is an important part of success in Scottish salmon fishing especially through the Spring months when locating salmon is sometimes not just as 'easy' as it is later on in the season.

This salmon fishing trip angler is wading down through the shallow water bar in the centre of the River Tay at the neck of the Rock Pool on the Kinnaird salmon beat near Dunkeld. This salmon fisher was taught to wade with stealth by his salmon fishing instructor which is an important salmon fishing skill to master.

A Salmon Fishing Water Coverage Box Ticking Exercise

When you're allocated your pools for the morning or afternoon fishing session you need to know exactly where and how often your fishing plan is going to take your fly or lure over the various known 'hot spots'. In addition to that you need to make sure you're thoroughly covering all of the other areas where there may be a salmon holding. In other words drop the casual 'willy nilly' approach and get serious with your water coverage as that is far more relevant for success in salmon fishing than how elegant your Spey cast is looking from range restricted wading boots!

Here's Jock Monteith powering upstream in a traditional larch built River Tay salmon fishing 'coble' boat at the confluence of the River Tay & River Tummel during the month of May. Jock has his cold weather clothing on and Tweed cap in addition to his life jacket which is essential for all boat or riverbank duties.

Why To Work The Law Of Averages In Salmon Fishing

It's not rocket science to understand that an angler is going to stand a far better chance of success if they are effectively covering the river and constantly on the move. This is even more so if the target prior to lunchtime is getting through the known hot spots twice instead of just once if the pool rotation you're allocated allows you the freedom to do so. The more water you effectively cover is obviously going to increase your chances of contact. The optimal movement between each swing of the fly I've found is 3 to 4 ft (or 10ft with a spinning rod) as that will get you through loads of water over the full course of the fishing day and won't show a salmon too much of your fly (or lure) which is more likely to obtain the desired reaction!

This perfect Spring salmon was caught at the Upper Kinnaird salmon beat's Rock Pool during February. The River Tay fishes well from mid February through to mid May for perfect Spring salmon like this. The Tay is near Pitlochry & Dunkeld which are 2 very popular Perthshire towns with good accommodation options.

Once You've Landed A Spring Salmon

When you've put in enough riverbank coverage and finally get hold of a fish and land it don't just sit there in awe of the experience but quickly think about your chances of a 'double' as often there's an immediate chance of a second fish if you walk back 50 yards and come through the same salmon lie again instead of pausing or re-continuing your fishing downstream. The photographs on this post were taken on a Spring day on the Tay where that very experience occurred where a quick 'double' was landed by this guest (in these accompanying pictures) during the last half hour of the fishing day after a long yet finally effective water coverage strategy.

Here's a lovely Summer salmon which took a fly in the neck of the Mike's Run Pool of the River Tummel which is a tributary river of the River Tay in Highland Perthshire. Look at the perfect proportions of this fine fish. This shot was taken moments before the fish was released from the landing net.

When Does The Salmon Take Come

During my career on the Scottish salmon rivers I've hooked numerous salmon on the very first cast of the day including a salmon on Ayrshire's River Doune on my very first ever visit to that river! With many of these 'quick fish' experiences they have been the only fish of the day even though I was convinced at the time that a bumper day lay ahead! I've cast out 'harling' lures on the Tay from the boat that were instantly seized the split second I clicked the reel's bail arm over while attempting to put the rod butt in the 'harling' iron! Always expect the unexpected in Scottish salmon fishing and regardless of when that salmon appears keep your water coverage tactics in optimal and 'time conscious' form.

Here's a salmon fisher on the Gean Tree salmon pool of the River Tay . This is a very popular fishing area for salmon fishing trips. You can see the deep water opposite this salmon fishing guest where many salmon like to congregate. I took this shot while serving as this fisher's salmon fishing guide.

Manage Your Salmon Fishing Expectations

As a professional salmon fishing guide I understand the psychology of salmon fishers more than most and technically I've taken a degree on this generally unspoken subject! Most salmon fishers are absolutely buzzing at the prospect of another day out on the river and many find it difficult to sleep the night prior! This is the magical power of Scottish salmon fishing escapism on these glorious God given natural arenas in pursuit of what has been properly badged as the 'King Of Fish'. If you've not slept well before your day on the river or if you've not seen any signs of life for your first few hours it is imperative that you don't let your head go down. I've personally witnessed countless occasions when that has happened to fishers and usually not too long before a few of our silver friends show up for an interview! Pacing your mental energy to last throughout the full course of the fishing day to control your expectations (so you don't burn out too soon) would be my advice.