Here's all of the days fishing kit laid out waiting for the fishing guests to arrive on the River Tay near Dunkeld. You can see there's both fly rods and spinning rods in addition to a big McLean salmon landing net and Brady fishing bag full of lures, flies and other important salmon fly fishing accessories.

This cleverly designed salmon lure marks the start of a new era of intelligent salmon lure designs as the niche market of salmon spin fishers have not benefitted from the advanced lure technology that's widely available for other target species. This Copper Sprat lure was designed by Jock Monteith and imitates the exact scale pattern of a 'live' North Sea sprat which form part of the Atlantic salmon's diet while feeding at sea.

This perfect River Tay Springer was caught by myself on the 23rd of February from the Kinnaird salmon beat near Pitlochry. These early run Scottish salmon are perfect specimens and are guaranteed to get your heart racing. This fish was quickly returned and swam off strongly to continue its upstream migration to the upper reaches of the Tay. You can see the gold ABU Toby lure, Bruce & Walker Hexagraph spinning rod and Van Staal spinning reel used in the capture of this fine Spring run salmon.

Here's a perfect line up of River Tay spin fishing rods on the rod rack outside of the Upper Kinnaird salmon fishing hut. This shot was taken at 8am in the morning by the salmon guide before the salmon fishing trip guests turned up for their day on the river. You can see the ripple in the river behind the rods which is a serious salmon lie.

How can clearly see the perfect iron Logierait Bridge behind this River Tay spin fishing guest. This area of the Tay near Pitlochry has some lovely deep holding water for salmon which can be perfectly targeted with a spinning rod & spinner. Look at the lovely green grassy riverbank which makes it easy for fishing guests to fish from.

Spin Fishing The Tay

By Jock Monteith 4th February 2026

On big Scottish rivers like the Tay spinning for salmon is permitted and for those of you who think there's less skill involved in using a spinning rod then maybe this article will make you think again.

Spinning a lure effectively involves real skill too and 'lure mentality' is 100% the name of the game.

Here's a nice spin fishing shot I took of salmon fishing guest on the River Tay having a serious attempt at catching a salmon while on his fishing break. This slow moving deep pool near the village of Stanley is a great fishing area on the Tay. You can see the salmon fishing hut tucked in below the trees on the far side of the river.

Salmon Fishing Water Coverage

The 'harling' boat on the River Tay does well when there's an experienced boatman at the helm due to one simple fact and that fact is 'thorough' water coverage. The reality is you don't have to hire the boat & ghillie for the day to achieve this if you're reasonably fit and understand the power and effectiveness of good water coverage. Far too many times I see spin fishers wasting their time on the riverbank so here's a few pointers to what I know consistently catches salmon on a spinner.

Tactical Spin Fishing Water Coverage

Many of these articles I write go heavily into the concept of 'sub surface' thoughts when using a fly rod but nothing should change when the spinning rod comes out as it's exactly the same thought process that's required if success is high on your agenda. Just the same way many fly fishers fail the vast majority of spin fishers don't move effectively and 'switch off' when their lure hits the water. Correct and thorough water coverage with a fly or spinning lure is what catches salmon and nothing else. When using a spinning rod you must have a 'solid' water coverage plan in your head that will allow your lure to travel effectively through every couple of square yards of water while searching out the salmon pools for a cooperator! A 'willy nilly' flick here or there paired with inconsistent riverbank movement is a complete waste of time on the Tay where there's always going to be a big cubic foot of water to salmon ratio even when the river is full of fish!

There's just as much tactical skill in using a spinning rod as there is in fly fishing and make no mistake about that fact. Big Scottish salmon rivers like Tay requires an intelligently thought out fishing plkan with either fishing method. This shot was taken at the tail of the Green Bank Pool near the River Tummel / River Tay confluence.

Perfect Spin Fishing Water Coverage

Personally I always found a slightly upstream squarish cast with a steady retrieve the most effective presentation for a lure as that made the lure's retrieve into a lovely big 'not too fast & not too slow' curving swing. The key to the deal for effective spin fishing water coverage is to make sure the angle of cast and distance is consistent and as importantly making sure each casting position is separated by 'exactly' one 10ft rod length. It's really your boots that catch salmon on the spinner (or a fly) if you really think closely about it as good riverbank movement equates to effective water coverage which is the 'real' key for success with all salmon fishing applications.

I took this photo of the stone build Newtyle Beat jetty which dates back to 1970 when it was constructed by Willie Laird who was the Newtyle Beat ghillie at that time. I served as Head Ghillie on Newtyle from 2001 to 2009 which was a fantastic period for me as a professional salmon guide. You can see the boathouse I built in 2008 on the opposite bank if you look closely. You can also see one of our traditional River Tay harling boats just upstream of this famous jetty.

Know The Salmon Pool's Depth

If you've taken on board the 'angle' of cast and the critical 'casting position spacings' stated in the above paragraph then the only other things to consider are depth of lure and setting the hook when a salmon takes. After casting and on the lure's impact on the water you can count your lure down for a few seconds if you feel a deeper retrieve depth is required. You should always have a 'feel' for the depth of the pool you are fishing so you know if & when fishing a deeper lure is appropriate. You should also be 100% aware of where your lure is at all times and especially when it comes close to the end of the retrieve to keep it off the likely shallower riverbed.

When playing a salmon it's important to ease off the rod pressure if you see you're fly line rising and anticipate a jump. If a fish does jump like this simply drop your rod so the fish cannot get a bang at the taught mainline with it's tail which could dislodge your hard earned salmon fly hook hold. I took this photo while serving as a salmon fishing guide on the River Tay near Dunkeld as my salmon fishing guest was plating this fine salmon.

Setting The Hook With A Salmon Lure

I know I sound like a broken record but forget deploying any of the above if you're going to continue to fish with a slack clutch setting as most hard earned offers on the spinner will more than likely remain as brief encounters! Tighten your clutch up so that line can still be drawn off the spool but 'only' with a fairly strong pull. That's the correct amount of pressure to set a large hook at range in the typical 5 seconds you've got to achieve a good hook hold or your salmon is likely to say bye bye prematurely! Without a reasonable amount of logical hook point pressure when the salmon takes the lure the hook won't be set well enough and the fish will get rid of it soon into contact. Once you know you've set the hook properly then (and only then) ease of the clutch setting to play the fish.

Deploying the Above Spin Fishing Tactics

If you get your consistent lure cast angle and distance correct and move 10ft between each cast and count the lure down when you feel the need while all the time fishing with a tight initial clutch setting then get your seatbelt on! You'll now be getting close to the effectiveness of a River Tay 'harling' boat as your water coverage will be colossal. After a dozen or so casts following the above casting position spacings turn upstream to where your starting position was and you'll be amazed at the water you've already 'properly' covered! Keep that cast spacings movement going throughout the full course of the salmon fishing day and the law of averages will tell you that if there's a taker in the beat your lure is very likely going to cover it.

Salmon Spin Lure Reverse Psychology

If you're on a salmon pool with no other anglers to consider and have fished down the pool (as indicated above) with no offers but you're aware of the presence of salmon then switch lure colours and fish back upstream via the same 10ft spacings tactic. This 'no salmon lure preview' approach with a different colour lure flash/glint can often trigger an instant response especially if you've warmed a fish up on the downstream approach without realising it! I recall many times on the Tay when out spinning myself where I've spun methodically all the way downstream for half the morning with a silver or copper regular lure colour then deployed the lure switch upstream approach via a completely different lure colour to nail a fish on the upstream leg. When you're in reverse gear via this tactic a salmon won't get a hint of your lure's upstream approach (like it did with the downstream approach) so can be easily startled into attack mode! This picture is of my Copper Sprat salmon lure that's been purposely designed to startle salmon.