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.

Here's the most perfect classroom of all for learning how to fish for salmon with a double handed fly rod. Many salmon are caught on this perfect area of the River Tay which is located just over an hour north of Glasgow & Edinburgh.

Here's the beautiful silver flanks of a fresh run Spring salmon which was caught on the River Tay near Dunkeld. Salmon like this create indelible memories such is their power and amazing natural beauty when you encounter of one of these fine creatures. This perfect salmon was caught by one of our salmon fishing holiday guests while accompanied by myself as his personal salmon fishing guide.

Here's a beautiful May shot showing a lone angler out on the River Tay near Dunkeld in search of a prized Scottish Spring salmon. The shadow of the trees on the far bank is a great salmon lie for fish that have powered up through the fast water immediately downstream.

Here is a traditional River Tay harling boat moored on the lovely sandbank at the Kinnaird Beat Rock Pool. The 2 salmon anglers on the right hand side of the river with their professional guide had just landed their 2nd salmon when I took this perfect shot. This fishing area of the Tay is between Pitlochry & Dunkeld where the River Tummel greets the Tay and is a renowned hot spot. The deep water to the right hand side of the boat is a serious salmon holding pool that our salmon guides love to take salmon fishing guests to.

I took this shot of the beautiful Lower Blackhall salmon beat on the River Dee near Banchory. Our River Dee salmon fishing guides bring our Dee salmon fishing trip guests to this pool and they fish it from the opposite bank where you see the sand and then cast their salmon fly across to this riverbank letting the current swing the fly back across the river.

Here's a salmon fishing guest fly fishing their way down through the Gean Tree Pool of the River Tay's Kercock salmon beat. This guest was under the supervision of a professional salmon guide resulting in 2 salmon being caught by this fisher that day even though it was a very bright July day. Look at the lovely sunlight sparkle coming off the water.

This is one of the salmon fishing middle River Tay hot spots. This stretch of water is known as the Ash Tree Pool which accounts for 40% of the salmon caught on the Lower Kinnaird beat. This salmon fishing guest is fishing the tail of the Ash Tree pool with a professional River Tay salmon guide who took this photograph.

Salmon River Therapy

By Jock Monteith 18th June 2026

It's truly fantastic that we still have the Scottish salmon rivers to take refuge in for 'cleansing the soul' and regaining positive mental composure amidst this world of chaos and deception.

Salmon Fishing Good For Your Soul

There's something truly 'mystical' about the flow of a salmon river that does indeed re-charge the soul if you open your mind to its natural magnificence and energy. Maybe it's the fact I'm a 'water signed' Piscean being born in March (15th) as was my great mentor the late & famous Tay Ghillie Willie Laird (16th) although many other star signers will no doubt agree with what I'm saying here too. I'm not taking away from the excitement and challenge of catching such an often 'tricky' fish but this brilliant pursuit definitely goes much deeper than that for many salmon anglers.

This is the Rock Pool on the River Tay slightly upstream of the River Tay & River Tummel confluence which is just visible in the background. This is a very good salmon fishing area in Scotland and worthy of a salmon fishing trip. I took this beautiful shot in low water conditions during June after commuting down in this traditional Tay salmon boat.

What Is The Main Attraction Of Scottish Salmon Fishing

I believe that the 'real' attraction of Scottish salmon fishing has very little to do with the actual objective of catching a salmon if you really try to work out why you'll continually stand in a river with a fly rod in your hand which is like a magnet that never switches off until you're doing just that. A psychologist I'm sure could explain this mental 'pull' much better and why the peaceful draw of a salmon river is such a huge attraction for so many.

Look for unusual riverbank markers like a pile of stones as sometimes these are placed there by anglers to mark the location of salmon that have been showing. This shot was taken on the Meetings Pool of the River Tay near the Perthshire town of Pitlochry which is a popular salmon fishing location for anglers.

Why You Should Escape To A Salmon River

Human beings were never meant to be contained in mobile metal boxes on tar macadam runways or stressing to get to the next meeting in the 'concrete jungle' to climb an illusionary corporate ladder or to just be able to meet intentionally 'over inflated' monthly living costs. That waste of life is the furthest polar opposite away from the vibe of the salmon river you could ever imagine. 'Escapism' for certain is definitely one of the main reasons why this amazing pursuit is so popular these days and just getting back into a more meaningful environment to satisfy our ancient pre-programmed 'hunter gatherer' DNA.

Look at this shimmering River Tay fly water perfection and think about what could be lying up in here and ready for a careful salmon fly presentation. This is the perfect March Pool on Scotland's famous River Tay which is one such perfect fly pool in this middle River Tay fishing area between the Perthshire towns of Pitlochry & Dunkeld.

A Memorable BBC Radio Interview

I recall an interview I had with BBC Radio Scotland about 20 years ago where the reporter or presenter asked me what I thought the main attraction of being on a salmon river was. I replied that in my opinion we were not engaged in the marketing of Scottish salmon fishing but what we were selling was 'river therapy'! She liked my summary and instantly got my point and appreciated the simple explanation. I also informed her that if the NHS were prescribing a day's salmon fishing to its patients as alternatives to patented chemical simulations of natural substances then the drug companies who are clearly out to intoxify the entire world would experience huge dips in profits!

This shot was taken at the tail of the Mike's Run Pool on the River Tummel during June. This is the very last pool on the River Tummel system before it joins the River Tay in the distance in front of the tall tree line you can see. Look at the perfect gravel & small stone riverbank that the high water pressure Tummel has created.

Why You Should Take Your Salmon River Therapy Seriously

Next time you arrive on your favourite salmon beat and are slipping into your chest waders and wading jacket think of them as a your anti modern day society protection suit which stops that contamination getting in and any similar work related frustrations getting out. Salmon are indeed highly sensitive creatures and the best & most effective salmon fishers I know are those who are totally aware of their own vibe and can tune into exactly how our silvery friends may be viewing and sensing things. The Scottish salmon rivers also have an uncanny knack of calming down even the most stressed or mentally super-charged individuals such is their amazing calming influence and natural hypnotic energies.