I caught this fine 16lbs specimen Spring salmon in February on the River Tay near Dunkeld as hard proof that early run Scottish salmon certainly do exist. Look at the caliber of this perfect fish which is exceptional and easily caught too for those who know how & where to fish during the early Spring months in Scotland.

Hooking one of these muscle bound Spring salmon is one skill but knowing exactly how to play the salmon correctly is a completely different discipline. This perfect 'Springer' was captured and quickly released on the River Tay by one of our salmon fishing holiday guests during late May near the Perthshire town of Dunkeld.

Book a professional River Tay salmon guide to show you how to place one of these special fish in the landing net and apply your salmon fight footage to Youtube! Look at the deep set build of this perfect salmon as it lies in the landing net before its release back to the river. This perfect fish was caught by one of our fortunate salmon fishing trip guests during the month of May.

Here's the ultimate Scottish rural pursuit challenge. This is the capture of a perfect River Tay salmon on a fly rod which is easy to say but not easy to achieve without astute tactical awareness, casting skills and patience. This salmon was caught at sunrise by one of our River Tay salmon guide team members during late July.

Here's a fine fresh run salmon from the River Tay which was caught near Dunkeld by one of our salmon fishing holiday guests. Catching salmon like this is exciting when taken on a fly rod and every salmon fight experience is exciting. The Tay is just over an hour away from Glasgow to so easily accessed by car.

Spring salmon are the real prize in Scottish salmon fishing due to their perfect physical condition and powerful fighting qualities. The river Tay, Tweed, Dee & Spey all have a run of these special creatures between March & June so if you're planning a salmon fishing trip to Scotland try to make it while these Spring salmon are in the river. This perfect example of a Spring salmon was caught by one of our River Tay salmon fishing guide team members.

Make Your Own Salmon Fishing Luck

By Jock Monteith 17th December 2025

Regardless of how brilliant you are with a fly rod or how good a beat you're fishing there's always an element of luck involved in catching a salmon.

Hooking opportunities are like moving targets on a shooting range that appear and disappear throughout the course of the fishing day and even if they go unnoticed they always do exist.

A heart racing close up inspection with one of these fine Atlantic salmon and will remain in your memory banks for an entire lifetime. This perfect Summer salmon came to a deadly Jock's Shrimp salmon fly and was caught near to the River Tummel/Tay confluence which is located not too far away from Pitlochry in Perthshire. Note the fish friendly fine mesh of the landing net behind the salmon.

What Makes A Salmon Take A Fly

It could be a very subtle temperature lift after the sun appears in the morning during the cold Spring months or an atmospheric pressure change or the smell of fresh water in a salmon's nostrils following local rainfall that puts a fish in the right frame of mind to take a fly. My advice based on decades of riverbank observational experience is to never allow your head or enthusiasm levels to drop as salmon are indeed 'true masters' of surprise regardless of whether you see any 'favourable' atmospheric benefits or not.

Here's my favourite River Tay salmon fishing pool near Dunkeld in late Spring. This is the March Pool on the opposite side of the river which is shrouded in these lovely riverside oak trees. Look at the perfect tapered riverbed that leads over to the deep salmon water. I have assisted many salmon fishing guests to catch salmon on this fine pool over the years while serving as their salmon fishing guide.

Perfect Salmon Fly Presentation

Obviously if you're able to read a salmon pool effectively and work out where the best taking areas will be based on the current daily water conditions then that's going to help matters. Fishing your salmon fly down through the pool in a measured and methodical manner to achieve effective salmon fishing water coverage is also going to help you get lucky! Knowing how to set the hook effectively will also allow you to capitalise on a 'take' rather than squander it. Make sure your presentation & water coverage is as good as you can make it as they are the first 2 vital components required for creating your own salmon fishing luck!

I took this beautiful downstream shot of the River Tay in Perthshire which is a famous Scottish salmon river. This lovely shot was taken a few miles upstream from the Perthshire town of Dunkeld. You can clearly see my salmon fishing guest a few hundred yards below me. The dark shadowy water just off the main current is a great Tay salmon holding area and is always worth fishing through.

The Right Place At The Right Time On A Salmon River

In salmon fishing there's a lot to be said for simply being in the 'right place at the right time' even though having a good understanding of the relative fishing skills are vitally important too. To arrange a successful meeting between two parties one of which has swum all the way from Greenland and the other who's likely travelled up the A9 takes a little bit of coordination finesse! I was recently watching a video of a salmon fisher playing a fish incorrectly (low rod position with the fish in a down stream position) just knowing it was going to come off and sure enough it did. Understand the game you're playing and make sure you know how to hook a salmon properly and play a salmon correctly which are both vital component for success.

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.

Learn To Fish Effectively For Salmon

There's no point investing in expensive salmon fishing equipment and buying fishing access to a quality Scottish salmon beat without fully understanding the salmon fishing skill requirements that are necessary. Learning these important fishing skills should be a top priority for any salmon fisher so that when you finally find yourself in front of a taking fish you'll make it count with 'clinical' precision. Book a professional salmon fishing guide and make sure your ears have been recently serviced! Good tactical salmon fishing advice has always been 'thin on the ground' unless you make a point of asking for it and are willing to take it fully on board for your own ongoing benefit.

Here's myself with 2 highly knowledgeable Scottish salmon fishing guide team members. This shot was taken outside the Crathes Beat salmon fishing hut on the famous River Dee in Aberdeenshire.

Top Salmon Fisher Skill Set

A top professional salmon guide or top salmon fisher will be able to not only sense the presence of salmon in a river (without them being able to sense them) but at a brief glance of the pool will be able to pin point exactly where these likely holding areas will be during all water conditions (even if they've not fished that pool before). A professional guide or top fisher who's spent enough time on the Scottish rivers will be operating on a higher frequency and will be able to detect subtle temperature and light changes and other little natural 'triggers' that can assist with a fish opening its otherwise closed mouth! The mindset of a top guide or salmon fisher will have tough consistency of approach yet with sensitivity to be able to identify the best taking times when they appear each day on the river. This is the ultimate skill set level to achieve in this sport and if you master these above key components then all of a sudden catching salmon won't be as difficult.