This is the old tail of the Ash Tree Pool on the Kinnaird salmon beat before the river re-diverted itself a few years ago and this entire run disappeared and re-routed itself way off to the left of frame. This pool at the end of the gravel riverbank was called New Pool and where the river turns left in the distance was known as Fir Trees Pool. The salmon rivers often re-route themselves like this requiring our salmon fishing instructors to re-learn them from time to time.

Here's professional River Dee salmon guide John Fyfe holding 1 or 3 salmon that he landed on the River Tay near Dunkeld during the month of August. I personally guided him this day to eliminate him guessing where the salmon were holding and his professional salmon fishing presentation expertise did the rest. This Summer salmon was landed at the Green Bank Pool on the Kinnaird beat and you can see the Tay salmon boat in the background.

This man has been one of my best most loyal salmon guide colleagues over the last 20 years. Martin worked with me on the Newtyle Beat in 2004 & 2005 before I assisted him in getting started on the Kinnaird salmon beat where he's thrived ever since. Martin is in one of his Tay salmon boats in this shot motoring up through the Channel Pool on his Kinnaird Beat.

This perfect early Spring River Tay salmon took a Copperass tube fly neat the River Tummel River Tay confluence which is a renowned salmon fishing area near Dunkeld. Early Spring salmon like this are always perfect specimens to catch and there's huge fishing satisfaction from outsmarting them. As a professional Scottish salmon fishing guide I love to show visiting fly fishing guests these fine fish up close like this.

This is a River Tay guided salmon fishing guest out fly fishing the Tummel Tay junction pool which is a serious salmon fishing hot spot as seen in this picture which was taken during Summertime on the renowned Kinnaird salmon beat.

This happy American salmon fishing guest landed this perfect salmon on a cold & dull early Spring day with the assistance of myself as his salmon guide. The leader material we were using was good old 'time tested' Maxima Chameleon which has always been my leader material of choice. This salmon fishing guest has a warm hat on and a life jacket too for wading safety reasons.

Salmon Fishing Conditions

By Jock Monteith 29th April 2019

I'll start this article by stating that due to the short comings of salmon fishing agents who have no professional 'hands on' experience in the industry watching river gauge water heights has sadly become an obsession with many Scottish salmon fishers.

This nonsense has distracted many anglers from great opportunities to catch salmon on the Scottish rivers each year.

Salmon Fishing Guest Introductions

I recall a guest by passing his introduction with myself as the Head Ghillie to walk right down to the water gauge and stand there for several minutes poised like a heron to see if the river was rising, stable or falling. When he eventually came to introduce himself I told him in all the years I'd been on the river I'd never seen a salmon staring at the water gauge once! I think he realised the valid point I was trying to make.

Perfect Salmon Fishing Conditions

If you're wating for perfect water conditions in this game you can wait a very long time and if you're lucky enough to experience them there is still no guarantee salmon will be present to be caught. To secure good quality salmon fishing in Scotland it must be booked well in advance so you've got to work with what you're faced with on arrival at the river.

Salmon Fishing Books

Salmon thankfully don't read the same books we've all been conditioned to trust and it often amazes me when I observe the most unlikely low water river conditions come alive when a run of fresh salmon cause commotion as they enter the pool. Often in the low water of Summer you'll catch fish with pink running marks on their bellies so these fish decided to run and not wait for a lift in the river or the falling water levels after a flood.

Success In Salmon Fishing

Success in salmon fishing is about knowing tactically what you're doing coupled with high persistency levels over the full course of the fishing day. Focussing your thoughts on the speed and depth of your fly or lure are very important factors too. The real advantage you need is that often unpredictable bit of luck that positions you in front of a taking fish and all of the above has got absolutely nothing to do with a water gauge reading.

The Skilled Salmon Angler

The unpredictability of our sport is one of its big attractions and turning up at a river where the conditions are less than favourable to your mind's eye has nothing to do with whether or not salmon are present or can be caught. The skilled salmon fisher will see this as a challenge and make them even more eager to pull the 'rabbit out of the hat' even if the beat ghillie has said 'it's a waste of time' which are the most dangerous words spoken in this great sport.