The Guay Pool on the Lower Kinnaird Beat

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.

Here's the double handede salmon Spey rod being held out and high across the fast stream at the Guay Pool on the Lower Kinnaird Beat of the River Tay near Dunkeld. This method is how you control your salmon fly at long range which is a rare skill seldom understood by the majority of new salmon fishers. A professional salmon fishing guide will teach these vital fly fishing skills.

This was 1 or 4 perfect salmon that were caught by this new salmon fisher on the River Tay where he came to learn how to salmon fish. This one was caught at the Guay Pool near the Perthshire town of Dunkeld which is a very popular Tay Valley fishing area for salmon fishing holiday guests. Look at the perfect silvery flanks of this fine fish and note this happy salmon fisher is wearing a life jacket for wading safety.

This perfect salmon was landed during rough weather conditions on the beautiful & productive Guay Pool of the River Tay near Dunkeld. This fine fish weighed 12lbs and was soon released to the river to continue its upstream journey. This was this Irish fisher's first Scottish salmon hence the big smile. I took this salmon capture shot while working as this salmon fishing guest's personal salmon guide that day.

The Lower Kinnaird Guay Pool

By Jock Monteith 22nd December 2022

Having spent several years working on the Upper Kinnaird & Lower Kinnaird beats of the Tay I learned much about many of the salmon pools.

None more so than what I personally regard as the finest high, medium & low water pool on the entire middle Tay.

This is one of the salmon fishing middle River Tay hot spots. This stretch of water is known as the Ash Tree Pool which accounts for 40% of the salmon caught on the Lower Kinnaird beat. This salmon fishing guest is fishing the tail of the Ash Tree pool with a professional River Tay salmon guide who took this photograph.

The Late Bob Grant & Kinnaird Beat Head Ghillie

My late friend Bob Grant who served for decades as Head Ghillie on Kinnaird was the first man to advise me of the salmon fishing brilliance of this particular Kinnaird pool. I was booked on a guided job on the River Spey and Bob volunteered to give me a hand and to see his salmon fishing roots once again at Tulchan. That was one of the most fascinating car journeys from Logierait to Castle Grant from a 'pure knowledge' professional salmon man point of view and I truly wish we'd been fishing the River Thurso! The Kinnaird Beat Head Ghillie these days Martin Edgar is clearly following in Bob's footsteps and already has 17+ seasons under his belt assuring all guests the most intimate of fishing information on how best to approach each and everyone of the many Kinnaird beat hot spots.

The Neck Of The Lower Kinnaird Guay Pool

The Guay Pool neck which fishes from either the left or the right hand bank in low water conditions is the finest of salmon fishing lies for stopping & holding salmon. The majority of Guay Pool salmon fishers will choose the 'easier to wade' gravelled right hand bank but my preference has always been the left bank of the Guay Pool as the fly 'hangs' better in low water as it swings over the numerous salmon lies in the neck of this sub surface 'boulder strewn' pool neck. Salmon also don't see much of a northward swinging fly which I think gets their attention better! The deep water in off the left hand bank also means that salmon will often tail your fly and nip it just as you're 'carefully' hand lining in prior to the re-cast.

The Lower Kinnaird Guay Pool Middle Section

The middle section of the pool on low to medium water levels is another serious 'hot spot' and although wading is easy from the right hand bank I'd be no deeper than shin depth with a careful slow wade from high above as salmon when 'undisturbed' and are more 'easily' caught will often hold close to the right bank. The visual markers to pay particular attention to are from the metal gate on the left bank down to the first single tree 40 yards below it. This is a serious Guay Pool taking zone and fishes well from the right hand bank too however you must be able to control your fly in the fast stream at range to optimally cover this middle section of this prolific River Tay salmon pool so brush up on your ability to control your fly at range as that first third of the fly swing (if fishing from the right hand bank) is crucial here.

I took this photograph of this salmon fisher on the River Tay while serving as his salmon fishing guide. The former legendary Kinnaird Beat ghillie Bob Grant always described the Guay Pool as his favourite and most productive salmon pool. Having personally steered many fishing guests to salmon in this lovely pool I can only agree with Bob's evaluation. Nothing has changed in recent years as the Guay Pool is still the most productive Lower Kinnaird Beat salmon pool.

The Lower Kinnaird Guay Pool Tail Section

When the big man upstairs has left the bath taps running and the Tay has risen a few feet or more the right hand bank 'tail' of the Guay Pool is the same for salmon as what a sheep dog would 'naturally' do to the shepherds flock! The tail of this pool is an absolute 'dead cert' for holding salmon in high water conditions when all the other salmon lies are too turbulent for salmon to be comfortable holding in. I recall many fine fish from this 100 yard high water right hand bank 'hot spot' and I recall one occasion in particular when a 'tiny' lady guest hooked and landed her very first salmon of 17 lbs in here on a high water Summer day on her very first days salmon fishing with her 'amazed' onlooking husband! I have significant personal experience of all of the Kinnaird water on Upper Kinnaird & Lower Kinnaird beats and they are indeed 'choice cuts' when it comes to middle Tay salmon fishing excellence at any time of year.