The is the Gauge Tree Pool at Dunkeld on the River Tay. Salmon love to stop here after powering up through the fast streamy water below the Dunkeld Bridge you can see in this distance making this a serious salmon fishing hot spot on the middle Tay. This lovely green grassy bank makes for easy spin fishing for salmon fishing guides and their fishing trip guests.

Here's a picture of River Tay legend Willie Laird ready for action in his traditional Tay coble boat. Willie was a career ghillie on the Tay for 50+ years before his retirement in 1986. Willie was the Head Ghillie on the Tay's Newtyle Beat near Dunkeld and Willie was an exceptionally talented and renowned salmon fishing guide in Scotland.

I never buy cheap salmon fishing gear as it's often false economy and doesn't tend to last too long. What you see here is my own Bruce & Walker 16ft Spey actioned rod paired up with a Van Staal C-Vex fly reel, a Brady fishing bag and a McLean salmon landing net. All of these items I've owned for decades and use successfully each season on the River Tay. Buying cheap kit which needs replacing every few years costs more money in the long term.

This zoomed in shot was taken by me from the Rock Pool on Upper Kinnaird looking downstream to a party of 2 fishers accompanied by their professional salmon guide the moment a perfect 12lbs Spring salmon was landed which is barely visible in the landing net in this shot. The River Tay is a great Scottish salmon river even in low bright water conditions and this guest went on to land another salmon of similar size moments after this fine river shot was captured.

The dark glassy water shown here at the tail of the Trap Pool on the Tay's Newtyle Beat is one of those hot spots where salmon love to stop after powering up through the faster water below. This pool and the downstream Cottar Pool are a delight to fly fish through with always a real chance of some salmon action. I took this shot while working as a salmon fishing guide on this lovely River Tay salmon beat.

This Tay 'coble' boat was hand made by famous River Tay boatbuilder John Ferguson who's based in Stanley in the Tay Valley. These traditional salmon fishing boats serve many different fishing applications and are a pleasure to be out on the Tay in one for the day. This photograph of me in the boat with my fly rod & my labrador dog 'Selkie' was taken in the Cottar Pool on the Newtyle Beat of the River Tay by professional photographer Peter Sandground.

Salmon Fishing Excitement

By Jock Monteith 3rd November 2018

It never fails to amazes me how much 'real' power the salmon rivers of Scotland possess.

I'm not talking about hydro power here even though that's a big topic that we'll keep for another day! I'm talking about the 'luring' power of the salmon river and how it affects us all.

Here's one of our River Tay salmon fishing trip guests moments before a Spring salmon took his fly at the Green Bank Pool of the River Tay at Kinnaird. Careful salmon lie approach often pays off when fishing any salmon pool especially when salmon are suspected of lying close to the riverbank like this scenario. This fisher had come from California to fish the Tay and departed with a very special memory.

Salmon Fisher Vehicle Identification

If you got a facial ID photograph of everyone who crossed Edinburgh's Forth Road Bridge or Glasgow's Kingston Bridge each morning between 7am & 8am on a northbound flight path out of the 100's of thousands of photographs you'd easily be able to work out who was heading to the River Tay for a day's salmon fishing by their facial expressions!

A River Tay salmon guide will take you to the best fishing areas and will make sure you're fishing through them optimally. If you are new to the sport a guide will teach all of the basic fly fishing skills and will supply all of the required fishing equipment and permit access. This is an upstream shot of the March Pool on the River Tay opposite the River Tummel mouth. Look at the perfectly strimmed riverbank I completed for the benefit & safety of our many visiting River Tay salmon fishing trip guests.

Escapism And The Salmon River

This is what our game is all about as the sheer internal excitement of the call of the salmon river is an unspoken non commercially capitalised internal buzz of sheer escapism delight that is more than a 'breath of fresh air' compared to the monotony and boredom of the concrete jungles many have to endure in modern day society survival.

Here's Jock Monteith photographed with his black labrador dog 'Selkie' in the Cottar Pool of the Newtyle Beat during late Spring. This shot was taken by professional Scottish photographer Peter Sandground while Jock was in his tweed jacket and traditional River Tay salmon fishing boat near Dunkeld. You can almost make out the bluebells on the grassy slopes in the background.

Salmon River Hunting Is In Our DNA

How can the River Tay or other Scottish salmon rivers do this you may ask yourself. The answer is undoubtedly derived from our DNA where being 'set loose' on the rivers & glens of Scotland with a few trusted colleagues in pursuit of sustenance was just the way it was for our entire human species. This was obviously how we all 'thrived or died' and way longer than what this modern day society high tech 'blip' is providing.

Don't Spend Too Long On The Salmon River

A warning is required though before I move on here as you need to be really careful that you don't get too addicted and start considering a life on the river as a professional guide or boatman. This livelihood is way too awe inspiring for any spouse to truly ever get her head around and the wages are crap unless you develop a nose for cyber space or know how to deliver exceptionally high customer service levels.

Does Your Salmon Guide Look Confident

On a personal basis I remember buying a salmon landing net from Cafaro Bros in Glasgow at the age of 13 knowing I'd need it later in life when I was a ghillie on the Tay. My personal affliction set in early in life after my first intro to the Tay in 1970 when I got fortunate enough to meet and be immediately inspired by a true River Tay ghillie legend. These old Tay ambassadors didn't say much because they didn't have to and all of them had an 'unmistakable' look of confidence on their faces when they were anywhere near the Tay!