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 the perfect end result of a carefully presented River Tay salmon fly in the middle area of the Tay Valley near Dunkeld during May. Look at the physical perfection of this salmon and it's no wonder these Spring run fish are the most highly regarded of all the Scottish salmon runs. The fish is in the landing net beside my salmon fly rod & reel.

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.

This fine fish was caught on the River Tay in June which is located close to the Perthshire town of Dunkeld. Look at its perfect silver flanks which indicate the salmon is fresh run and has only been in the river for a few days.

Summer salmon fishing is highly popular with salmon fishers and it's a more delicate presentation on generally lighter lines and smaller flies. A heavyweight Summer salmon like this fine specimen which was caught in July near Dunkeld on the River Tay is typical of the caliber of salmon that run the Scottish rivers in Summertime.

Look at this shape of a salmon for total marine predator hunting finesse. This is a River Tay Spring salmon which was caught by myself while working as a River Tay salmon fishing guide near Dalguise in the Tay Valley. These are the most prized salmon of all to target and thousands of salmon fishers come to the Scottish rivers each Spring for a chance of one.

Play Your Salmon With Tact

By Jock Monteith 6th July 2026

After going to the trouble of learning all of the proper salmon fishing presentation skills necessary to hook a salmon it is 'imperative' that you also understand the basics of how to correctly play a fish all the way to the landing net.

Look at the smile on this salmon angler's face moments after landing this perfect Summer salmon from the River Tay in Perthshire. Catching a salmon like this on the fly takes skill, patience and a good tactical understanding of how to fish your fly effectively. This 14lbs Summer salmon is being held in the McLean landing net for this photo before being released.

All Salmon Capture Success Starts With A Good Hook Set

If you're newish to this pursuit and haven't yet learned the hard way how 'not' to play a salmon here's a few pointers that I personally follow which allows over 95% of the salmon I hook to stay on all the way to the landing net. This is of course based on a proper salmon hook set being achieved in the first place!

Here's a late May example of a fresh run River Tay caught Spring salmon which was captured on the Kinnaird salmon beats near Dunkeld. This is the most sought after salmon of all and it's a delight to land a fish like this on a 15ft salmon fly rod.

Do Not Play Your Salmon Too Hard

I've seen many salmon throw the hook over the years after anglers have tried to bully the fish way too early into the fight. The harder you lay into a salmon during the early stages of the fight the harder it will often resist! If you play a fish too hard you can often completely exhaust the fish which makes recovery difficult and especially during warmer less well oxygenated water conditions.

Here's one of our many guided salmon fishing guest playing 1 or 5 perfect lower River Tay salmon during July. A high rod tip like you see here is important when playing salmon to offset sudden jumps or surges and to keep the fly line high in the water column away from potential snags. Look at the lovely red sandstone cliffs on the far bank of the Tay.

Don't Let The Salmon Remain In Full Control

On the other hand I've seen anglers making an absolute 'meal' of a salmon fight and with little rod pressure and a very slack reel clutch setting literally giving the salmon a completely free reign on proceedings. In this circumstance as a ghillie it often feels like you'll need to wait until spawning time to get a chance with the landing net!

Keeping a high rod tip is essential while playing a salmon as was the case here with this lively River Tay Summer salmon that this salmon fly fishing visitor was playing. The high rod tip ensures the fly line is kept clear or riverbed obstacles which could snag the line and cause the loss of the fish. Look at the lovely red sandstone cliffs on the other side of the river.

Exert Sufficient Rod Pressure To The Salmon

There's a definite happy medium when playing a fish that can be achieved where you can play a salmon properly and reduce its ability to use the river current against you. This tactic will bring the fight to an early close without losing the enjoyment of the battle or fighting the salmon into a state of total 'panic driven' exhaustion.

Here's an Autumn salmon in its dark flanked Autumn river colours. I caught this fine fish which was captured at Kinnaird on the River Tay which is between the Perthshire towns of Dunkeld & Pitlochry. Look at the small rubberised landing net mesh which is safely supporting and protecting this Autumn salmon.

Let The Salmon Run When It Wants To

This 'smart' process starts with a good bend in the rod but getting your hand off of the fly reel when the salmon wants to go. If you dare to resist giving a newly hooked fish (of any size) line when it wants it that rod will come down and all you'll hear is an almighty 'crack' as your favourite salmon fly speeds away from you forever! Let a salmon run whenever it wants to is the message I'm trying to deliver here as even an 8lbs fish will snap a 20 pound leader like thread if you try to hold it as it powers away from you.

Here's a River Tay salmon in the last stages of the fight before being landed. Drawing the salmon into deep slack water makes the landing job much easier than trying the same in fast shallow water. All experienced salmon fishing guides will be aware of this as it considerably shortens the fight.

Take Up A 'Side On' Salmon Fight Position

As the fight commences it's important that you get into a riverbank position where you're 'side on' to your fish. The reasons for this is that the pressure on your hook set is then pulling in to the salmon's mouth and not out of the salmon's mouth which would be the case if you try to play the fish from an upstream position. Some will say that isn't always possible but in over 40 years of salmon fishing I cannot recall any instances where I couldn't achieve a 'side on' fight position even though it did involve getting wet on a few memorable occasions!

If you've hooked your salmon correctly and played the fish properly then managed to steer the fish to a quieter area of the salmon pool then the landing stage is nothing more than drawing the fish over a pre-sunk landing net then simple lifting the net as you can see here.

Look For A Suitable Fight & Landing Area Of The Pool

Keeping your composure and actioning the above is where half your mind should be during the excitement of battle. The other half of your mind should be focussed on looking for a deepish 'snag free' pocket of slack water in near your riverbank where you can steer your salmon to coax him out of the main current. Sometimes that can involve walking down the salmon pool a fair way but if you can look for that pocket of broken water and steer the salmon into it you'll take away the salmon's ability to use the current against you and dramatically reduce the salmon fight time.

Here's a fine Summer River Tay salmon being netted by the beat ghillie at the stern of the boat. The Lower River Tay is a productive area for catching salmon from the Summer to Autumn part of the River Tay fishing season when many salmon congregate here. This fish was caught with some professional salmon instructor assistance on the Tay's Benchil Beat.

The Moment To Land Your Salmon

Once your fish is out of the main flow which you'll see him trying to resist (as if he knows what your trying to do) then you'll gain full control of the fight. At this point you've taken the weight & water pressure of the river out of the equation so the game is now truly between your fish and the through action of your rod which often won't last too long. Once that fish starts showing its flanks & tail in the slack water you're nearly there but still be cautious as there always a surge of energy left in all salmon at landing time when the fish finally sees the net. When your fish is ready for landing then in one smooth continuous movement draw the salmon over the net on a short line and simply lift the net. Under no account should a salmon ever be needing chased up and down the riverbank margins with a landing net nor should the angler ever be positioned well back or away from the intended landing area.