This salmon fishing trip guest is pictured here in the Guay Pool of the River Tay near Dalguise during a perfect overcast cloudy day with some glimmering sunlight reaching the river's surface. When these types of fishing conditions appear it's always a good sign that there's a good chance of a salmon or two.

This guided salmon fishing trip guest came to learn how to wade properly & safely in the River Tay and to brush up on his general salmon fishing tactical approach. The gravel bank in the distance is where the River Tummel enters the Tay which is a great area for intercepting salmon which is not too far away from the Perthshire town of Pitlochry.

This is the old tail of the Ash Tree Pool on the Kinnaird salmon beat before the river re-diverted itself a few years ago and this entire run disappeared and re-routed itself way off to the left of frame. This pool at the end of the gravel riverbank was called New Pool and where the river turns left in the distance was known as Fir Trees Pool. The salmon rivers often re-route themselves like this requiring our salmon fishing instructors to re-learn them from time to time.

Here's a little sparkle of sunlight dancing off the water on the River Tay at Kinnaird. This shot was taken near Dunkeld on the Newtyle Beat during March just after one of the salmon fishing holiday guests had just landed a perfect 15lbs Spring salmon in the far distance at the Trap Pool. When salmon fishing in Scotland pay attention to these light conditions.

This is the lovely right hand bank of the March Pool of the River Tay near Dunkeld which is a popular salmon fishing pool for anglers. This glorious shot was taken during June hence the perfect riverbank beauty. The Tay is Scotland's largest salmon river and is located in Central Scotland for easy commuting. Look at the perfect shimmering river water in this photograph which I took during June.

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.

The Salmon River Sparkle

By Jock Monteith 14th March 2026

While I've seen salmon caught in all conditions from a full coloured & debris ridden spates to complete thick fog 'white outs'.

The one condition I just know will result in salmon action is that sparkling glimmer of sunlight whenever it appears during the fishing day.

The Barometer & Salmon Fishing

There's been much brilliant work done observing the behavioural patterns of Atlantic salmon in the fresh water of the river. One of the findings was that older resident salmon become more alert on a rising barometer as that used to signify 'dinner time' for them as juveniles due to the subsequent hatch of flies the rising pressure would bring. As far as the 'sea licer' goes that hasn't previously seen too much they tend to be far more 'mackerel minded' and are still in full oceanic hunting mode when they've recently arrived back in the river.

This early Spring sunlight shot was taken at the tail of the Upper Kinnaird Beat's Rock Pool during late January as the low Winter sun was flickering its rays through the leafless riverbank beech and oak trees. I took this shot while out fishing with a guest while serving as a River Tay salmon fishing guide & Head Ghillie.

Salmon River Light Conditions

If you study the revolving photographs on this post you see one obvious thing in common and that's the appearance of some amazing natural sunlight sparkling through the clouds on the surface of the river. The other much less obvious fact that you'll not pick up on is that these shots were all taken within minutes of salmon being hooked and landed. Always expect the unexpected in Scottish salmon fishing but for me when I see that subtle sparkle of sunlight on the water my expectation levels soar and especially during the Spring or early Summer months.

Here's a shot of a team of Copperass & Jock's Shrimp salmon flies that have just come off the fly tying vice. These 2 patterns are highly effective at all times of the Scottish salmon fishing season in varying sizes to cover all water & temperature conditions.

Salmon Fly Tinsels & Dressings

That little sparkle of sunlight on the water not only often seems to trigger salmon into having a go but will also transfer your salmon fly into the most amazing light show if it has been tied with some of the modern shiny glittering fly dressing materials. Whether that truly makes a difference to a salmon I really don't know but it certainly makes a difference to me as a salmon angler on the salmon fly 'faith' level side of things when I see a fly that has come alive in the water.

Developing A Nose For The Best Salmon Taking Times

Salmon often catch us 'off guard' when our minds are 100 miles away from thinking about hooking one almost as if they are true mind readers. If you spend enough time on the river you'll start to link certain environmental water & light conditions as optimised chances for catching salmon and these little subtle natural occurrences can be present for only a brief period of the salmon fishing day. With that in mind never switch off your water coverage 'consistency' levels as on any Scottish salmon river fishing conditions can change by the minute which can often trigger that much desired take from a salmon.