Look at this perfectly tied Jock's Shrimp salmon fly that's been tied with soft 'movement inducing' materials like Arctic fox. When a fly like this is swum in the stream these fine fibres come alive and make the fly move like a live creature therefore making them much more effective than other stiffer fly tying materials.

Don't be a 'launch & hope' specialist and adopt salmon fly thought mentality as to your fly's speed & depth as that's what will give you a huge advantage while fishing for salmon anywhere in the world. This lovely River Tay salmon was caught with a perfectly controlled Jock's Shrimp salmon fly near Dunkeld. This shot was taken while the fish was lying in the landing net prior to unhooking and its safe release back to the river.

I designed this deadly salmon fly pattern 20 years ago while working as the Head Ghillie and salmon fishing instructor on the River Tay's Newtyle Beat. Here's the exact dressing before anyone asks;
Hook: 1

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 perfect salmon fly was designed by myself on the River Tay 20 years ago and is an absolute salmon magnet when fished properly. Many experienced salmon anglers swear by the effectiveness of this pattern and it's sometimes wrongly referred to as the Newtyle Shrimp however it's proper registered name is the Jock's Shrimp as a credit to its creator. Here are the exact dressings for this deadly Scottish salmon fly pattern;
Hook / Tube: as required
Thread / Silk: Uni Thread 6/0 or 8/0, Red
Tag / Butt: Oval silver as for Rib
Tail: Orange Arctic Fox or equivalent with pearl flashabou accent or mirage over, just 2 or perhaps 3 strands max.
Tying note: it's important to set the Tag / Butt in place first, this helps lift the Fox tail slightly, increases movement and helps avoid

This floating salmon fly line is swinging around perfectly here into a renowned salmon lie on the River Tay near Dunkeld. The rod in the picture is my 16ft Bruce & Walker Spey casting rod which I've used as a professional salmon guide for over 20 years due to its perfect casting action.

Once you've got enough faith in a specific salmon fly pattern then look for the fly that outperforms it's replica associates. Here's a selection of my 'Jock Shrimp' & 'Copperass' patterns with a few other aces that I sometimes fish with too. I love these old aluminium Richard Wheatley fly boxes too and have many of them which I've collected over the decades.

Salmon Fly Control

By Jock Monteith 7th May 2026

On a football park some of the most exiting and effective players have been true masters with the ball at their feet and able to weave through the best defences en route to scoring.

On a salmon river there's also a direct correlation between 'fly control' and putting a salmon in the other net!

Here's a great shot of Jock Monteith's Tweed jacket and favourite Monteith salmon fly rod. The salmon fly rod was hand built by Harrisons of Liverpool and the light blue fly line was produced by Airflo in Brecon, Wales. My Tweed jackets were always made by Haggarts of Aberfeldy who used to supply all of the fishing & shooting estates in Scotland.

Working A Salmon Fly

Imagine the movement of a salmon fly if the salmon fisher holding the fly rod was Maradona, Pele, Johnstone or Jairzinho! Just how tantalising would that fly performance be in the stream to a resident salmon that's been 'bored to death' with the normal systematic & tedious fly swim tactics. To catch salmon when the going is tough you need to inject a bit of thought and 'life' into your salmon fly as what truly matters in this business is only what the salmon are seeing!

Salmon Fly Stream Movement Is Important

Start this thought process off by thinking about the materials that are built into your salmon fly. Are they stiff and rigid targeting only the easy fish that would take virtually any offering or are your salmon fly materials soft with natural movement with self pulsing 'waggling' brilliance to trick an 'educated' resident salmon into thinking the fly is a real 'live' creature! There's only one way to find out with a salmon fly and that's by swimming it at the edge of the river before you fish with it and studying its behaviour closely. If it's not got a beautiful natural movement of it's own then throw it in the bin!

Focus On Your Salmon Fly's Swing

The big thing I've noticed with many salmon fly fishers is that after their forward delivery cast is made most of them switch off all thoughts of what their salmon fly is doing! This 'launch & hope' tactic will occasionally get a result if there's a keen fish in the pool but as far as the more 'difficult to coax' older resident fish go that angler has little chance. To separate your salmon fly from the mundane boring salmon flies salmon see on a daily basis you must 'mentally' tuned in and be able to visualise your salmon fly's swim behaviour as it darts, wiggles & glints all the way back across to your side of the river.

Make Your Salmon Fly Dance

Once you reverse the sleeping pattern of your mind to 'switch on' to the fly swim and 'switch off' to the repetitive casting and movement side of things then here's a few tips to make you the 'King' of the salmon pool and give you the power to force a salmon to take! Make the tip section of your fly rod into an orchestra conductor's baton and use it the same way! A salmon will respond far better to something that's completely unpredictable especially if it has magnificent in stream movement when it sags and darts on its swim path back to your side of the river creating a true life like 'nuisance' that needs investigated or assassinated!

Creating Sub Surface Salmon Fly Movements

Get right into the habit of not leaving your fly alone for anymore than 5 seconds throughout the swing and keep varying the lengths of flicks, draws, shudders and nudges you're giving it. Don't allow those resident salmon to take their eyes off your fly for one minute and keep going at your preselected depth and riverbank movement spacings all the way to the tail of the pool. If you're in any doubt as to how much movement you're applying to the fly then ask a fishing pal to apply these variable movements to your fly rod from an upstream position while watching from a vantage point so you can get an exact visual on what's going on below the water line. This type of inquisitive salmon fly testing will significantly enhance your sub surface salmon fly performance thoughts.

Prioritise Your Salmon Fly's Movement

If you follow the above you'll soon see the irrelevance of the perfectly delivered Spey cast by comparison to what you're now making happen under the waterline. In addition to that you'll experience way more knocks, dunts, bangs and good solid takes from salmon when other anglers are convinced there are no fish in the pool. Taking a degree in salmon psychology is the most important aspect of this fascinating pursuit and that prioritisation starts 'only' from the fly all the way back along your fly line and down through the rod rings right through to the studs on your wader boots and never the other way around!