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.

In low water like you see here in this picture of the River Tay you need stealth and a careful salmon fly presentation to outsmart resident salmon. This lovely salmon pool is located on the Tay at Kinnaird and fishes very well for salmon fishing holiday guests in low water conditions with the above mentioned stealthy approach.

This is the Ash Tree Pool on The Kinnaird Beat of the River Tay which is a very productive stretch of salmon fishing water. This area of the Tay Valley is close to Pitlochry & Dunkeld where there are many good local hotel options if you're coming to fish for a day or two. You can see the salmon fishers in this pool while under the professional supervision of their salmon fishing guide.

A lovely elevated photo of a salmon fishing trip angler in wading gear in the river Tweed next to a long shingle bank. This lovely shot was taken in mid Summer near Galashiels where we host many River Tweed salmon fishing holiday guests. Our Tweed salmon fishing guides always bring clients to quality salmon water like this which the beautiful River Tweed has an abundance of.

A stoney riverbank of the River Spey where native alder trees cast shadows on the deeper part of the river where salmon shelter from the sun on brighter days. Our River Spey salmon fishing guides love to bring Spey salmon fishing trip guests to this beautiful water which is located on the famous Tulchan Estate near the Speyside town of Grantown on Spey.

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.

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.

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.

Summer Salmon River Tactics

By Jock Monteith 29th July 2025

This is the time of the salmon fishing season where switching into careful stealth mode will often be the different between success and a blank.

In Scottish salmon fishing tactical astuteness often represents a game of opposites.

Here's a lovely fly caught salmon by one of our guided fishing guests which was caught on the River Tummel neat Ballinluig in July. This fishing area of the Tummel is close to Dunkeld & Pitlochry. You can see the salmon is being perfectly supported by this salmon fisher while I took the salmon capture shot as his salmon fishing guide.

Salmon Fishing Success In Summer

Success in salmon fishing has nothing necessarily to do with expensive fishing kit or being out on the best available salmon beats but much more to do with adapting your fishing approach to match the water conditions. It always amazes me how salmon anglers often keep going with biggish size 9 Spring flies right into June and beyond instead of switching down to the much smaller sizes that salmon are far more likely to take an interest in during the often lower clear warm water conditions of Summer.

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.

River Dee Summer Fly Fishing Tactics

On the beautiful River Dee the low warm water of Summer key to success requires the use of the lightest dressed size 16's & 18's for salmon to be interested. Clearly these salmon have switched back into their 'juvenile' mind set for these tiny salmon flies to be of interest and fishing with anything bigger is usually a complete waste of time. These tiny River Dee salmon flies are seldom used on the River Tay from what I've seen and anglers keep going with the bigger largely 'ignored' flies. Having independent thoughts works in salmon fishing so it's best that you break from the pack and experiment when the normal sized salmon flies are being completely ignored.

Here's a guided River Tay salmon fishing guest fishing his way methodically down through the Meetings Pool on the Upper Kinnaird salmon beat which is a perfect holding area for salmon in medium to low water levels from mid March through to October each year. Look at the beautiful fully leafed oak trees on the far side of the river.

The Low Water Salmon Pool Approach

The low water levels of Summer often creates confusion in a salmon fisher's mind so let me explain what I mean. In high water conditions the water pressure of the river in many cases pushes salmon into the river margins where they can get a break from the current and a short line is the order of the day. In the low water Summer conditions (and lower water pressures) the salmon lies are much more likely to be out nearer the centre of the river in the deeper pockets so a longer line is required. In other words presenting a fly line at longer range is normally more appropriate through the lower water Summer months than during the higher water levels of Spring or Autumn when salmon are usually holding much closer to the riverbanks.

I took this shot of the upstream side of the 200 year old Telford Bridge which spans the River Tay at Dunkeld. The Tay is Scotland's premier salmon fishing river which is a popular choice for salmon fishing trips. This bridge is made from cut sandstone blocks and joins Birnam with Dunkeld.

Keep Back From Low Water Salmon Lies

With the above in mind here's the big error that is often made by Summer fly fishers. Those low water Summer conditions usually encourage anglers to test out their deep wading skills which will highly unlikely not go unnoticed by the underworld! The key to low water Summer fishing is giving the salmon lies due respect and keeping well back and fishing a long line to cover them. This approach works far better and the only thing the salmon are aware of is your fly! Salmon pools can easily be completely trashed by Summer salmon fishers who are convinced getting as close to the fish is the answer or who haven't taken the time to learn how to 'load' their fly rod properly! Also, you'll be able to perform a significantly better & easier cast when your body gauge is registering shin to knee depth as opposed to thigh to waist depth.

Get Your Summer Fishing Tactics Just Right

If you're fishing the correct small size of proven salmon fly pattern in low Summer water paired up by keeping well back from suspected salmon lies then you'll be definitely in with the chance of a fish. On the other hand if you're fishing a big 'Argyll & Southern Highlander dress sporran' paired with a deep wade through the pool you'll very likely be wasting your time (and the pool) when salmon are reliving their juvenile years! The tiny salmon flies I'd recommend through these low water months would be some of the 'tiniest' and lightly dressed red or black 'Francis' patterns (fished with a heavy sink tip) and have the faith to stick with them as salmon will always find time to snap at a deeply fished shrimp simulator! The other Summer low water pattern I have complete faith in is the Silver Stoat which has worked very well for many decades for me on the Scottish rivers and you'll never catch me without one in my fly box during the bright low water months of Summer.