These are the taking areas where you can expect to catch salmon on the Tay's Upper Kinnaird salmon beat. Follow this River Tay treasure map for the maximum chance of success. I learned these salmon lies during a 10 year working period on the Upper Kinnaird salmon beat while serving as a River Tay salmon fishing guide.

I sited this bench in this perfect elevated riverbank position after pulling it out of an upstream tree following a big January flood on the River Tay. This current position allows any occupier to have direct site of the upstream & downstream River Tay and also right up the River Tummel which is directly opposite the bench. This bench is a great resting location for Tay salmon fishing guides and guests and is sensibly positioned above the high water line.

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.

It's important to know good spin fishing tactics to stand the best chances of success when spin fishing on the River Tay. This shot was taken on the Rock Pool near Logierait which is a very productive spin fishing area of the Tay. This fisher was on a guided River Tay salmon fishing day with me as his personal ghillie. You can see I've kitted him out in chest waders, a waterproof jacket, life jacket and fishing equipment.

The ABU Toby 'Salmo' lure is a great spin fishing lure on the River Tay and especially in the circled colour above. Silver & Copper have always been great salmon attractors and this wider bodied 30g Toby 'Salmo' has an excellent flutter action in the stream.

These ABU Toby 'Salmo' lures are great spin fishing lure on the River Tay and are especially deadly in the 2 circled colours above. This lure has an amazing action in the river and is a firm favourite for use with our salmon fishing trip guests while they are being supervised by our salmon fishing guide team.

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.

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.

This tranquil riverbank shot was captured during late June at the Green Bank Pool of the Upper Kinnaird salmon beat on the River Tay which is one of the most beautifully scenic salmon beats on this famous Scottish salmon river. Look at the lovely alder trees on the far riverbank

I took this shot of this salmon fishing guest spinning through the Green Bank pool on the River Tay near Pitlochry. You can see from the bare trees this shot was taken during early Spring. The spinner offers a salmon fisher the ability to cover much more water on a big river than what could realistically be achieved with a fly rod. This significantly increases the chance of a salmon take on big rivers like the River Tay in Perthshire but only if good riverbank cast spacings are added to the tactical spin approach.

Here's a perfect day weather shot of the extensive Channel Pool of the River Tay only a few minutes away from the hamlet Ballinluig which is located between the Perthshire towns of Pitlochry and Dunkeld. This salmon pool can be either fly fished or spin fished and holds salmon throughout the Tay fishing season between mid January and mid October. Look at the perfectly cut riverbank for ease of fishing by visiting River Tay salmon fishers.

Here's a lovely River Tay salmon Pool known as Daffodil Lie which is a salmon fishing hotspot that's formed by a sub surface pile of riverbed stones that you can clearly see the surface disturbance from in this photograph. Salmon love to hold up in here and can be frequently caught by anglers who know this salmon lie and how to fish it. As a salmon fishing guide and tactical fishing instructor I know only too well the potency of this River Tay salmon lie hot spot..

Here's Jock Monteith powering upstream in a traditional larch built River Tay salmon fishing 'coble' boat at the confluence of the River Tay & River Tummel during the month of May. Jock has his cold weather clothing on and Tweed cap in addition to his life jacket which is essential for all boat or riverbank duties.

This is the exact casting position between the upstream rocky point and downstream standing stone on the River Tay's Upper Kinnaird Beat. This casting position has produced numerous salmon over the last 20 years for me and is highly recommended for salmon fishers to try. This is the static casting position on the right hand side of the river in the middle of the Rock Pool.

Upper Kinnaird Hot Spots

By Jock Monteith 24th September 2019

Here's a booking confirmation email addition I sent to a spin fishing client who booked a day during early September on the Tay's Upper Kinnaird beat.

I was informed by the Head Ghillie that he landed 2 salmon!

Upper Kinnaird Beat Spin Fishing Advice

Here's an booking confirmation email addition I sent to a spin fishing client who booked a day during early September on the Tay's Upper Kinnaird beat. I was informed by the Head Ghillie that he landed 2 salmon!

Dear.........

If you study this map thoroughly so you’ve a good idea of these exact salmon lies on Upper Kinnaird you’ll be in with a very good chance of a fish or two on Saturday;

Main Taking Areas circled in red;

The Daffodil Lie On Upper Kinnaird

Daffodil Lie; There's a prominent pile of sub surface stones (which create surface disturbance) approx 20 yards off the bank you’ll be fishing from. Salmon lie slightly above the stones but watch you don’t snag your lure on this pile of stones. Daffodil Lie should be briefly targeted 3 times a day (10 minutes each shot) when you're back at the fishing hut i.e. morning, lunchtime & 5pm as running fish always nose in here and stop due to the channeling sub surface riverbed terrain.

Spinning for Atlantic salmon Is allowed on some of the bigger Scottish rivers in certain water conditions. The River Tay however allows spin fishing throughout its extensive fishing season which runs from 15 January to 15 October. This lovely shot was taken slightly down of the Logierait Bridge on the Kinnaird salmon beat which is a great beat of the River Tay to fish for salmon. This salmon fisher is fishing the neck of the Channel Pool which is a great salmon spin fishing pool.

The Channel Pool On Upper Kinnaird

The Channel; Three quarters of the way down (just past the steeper bank) if you look closely you’ll see some boils appearing on the surface of the river every 20 seconds or so about 20 yards off the riverbank. This is a great bit for a resting salmon although fish can be hooked all the way down this long deep holding pool.

The Green Bank Pool On Upper Kinnaird

The Green Bank; the best taking spot is approx 20 yards downstream from the mouth of the little stream that trickles over the stones into the pool off the rocky point. This main salmon lie is approx three quarters of the way across the river and is in fairly shallow water so a long cast with immediate 'pick up' is required. Occasionally salmon are hooked slightly upstream of the little burn at the rocky point (or directly off the stones close in on the edge of the current). Start fishing from the grassy bay 30 yards above the main rocky point and fish the pool all the way down to the end of the grassy bank. Sometimes a long range cast near the tail of the pool can be effective too.

The Rock Pool On Upper Kinnaird

The Rock Pool; there’s a little run worth fishing down to the rock point and a short cast is all you need as you’ll see shallow water in the middle of the river here. A slightly diagonal upstream cast from the big flat rock point ledge (keep back) is worthwhile too however the most productive cast by far is from behind the rock point where there’s a large single tall standing stone on the riverbank. Fanning out casts from a static riverbank position from this tall stone right across the river (diagonally upstream & downstream) and as far down as the bottom end of the sand bank (diagonally downstream) is a great area for a fish. There's a truly great salmon lie approx 20 yards off the tail end of the sand bank on the other side of the river but a long cast from the standing stone is required to cover it properly.

The March Pool On Upper Kinnaird

The March Pool; Where the Tummel flows in to the Tay you’ll see a calm edge seam to the main Tummel current. There’s a deep riverbed trough in there (8ft depth) and it’s a great salmon lie. Watch however for your lure coming out of the deeper faster water as it shallows very sharply on the inside edge of this deep trough. Too many anglers in lower water conditions wade too far out here and spook resident salmon. In all cases if this area is wadable (1ft on the fishing hut gauge or under) anglers should be an absolute minimum of 2 fly rod lengths back (or 3 spinning rod lengths).

Here's a spin fisher out on the River Tay casting his spinning lure out across the river near Dunkeld during late June. The Tay allows spin fishing which can be a highly effective salmon fishing method if the correct salmon spin fishing tactics are understood by the angler. The big stones visible beside this salmon fisher guest make perfect casting platforms for easy river fishing access.

The Best Spin Cast Angle On Upper Kinnaird

You could pick a fish up anywhere but these are the main taking 'hotspots' so study their location carefully before you go. Plenty nylon (best with braid) on your spinning reel spool is needed to belt your toby right across to the other side of the river for the best water coverage. A slightly upstream cast and a not too fast (steady) retrieve works best but make sure you know where your lure is as it fishes back across to you so it doesn’t bottom our near the riverbank you're fishing from so speed it up a little at the end (last 5 to 10 yards) of each retrieve.

Which Salmon Spin Lure To Use

A silver one side & copper the other side 30 grm Toby Salmo and the black/red/gold and copper equivalent are the only lures you need (see below). Fish one of these lures all the way down from Daffodil lie to the March Pool then change over and fish the other one all the way back up from the March Pool bench (if Head Ghillie agrees assuming no other anglers present to consider). Tactically this is 'psychologically disturbing' for salmon as they’ll not see the upstream different colour version coming especially if you’ve wound them up a bit on the way downstream.

Spin Fishing With An Initial Tight Clutch Setting

Separate each cast by one rods length (10ft) downstream and up and make sure your clutch is tight enough to set the big Toby hook at range. Most salmon fishers fish with their clutches far too slack and they miss most of their hard earned hooking opportunities or blame the Toby for being a bad hooker! Once you've hooked a fish then loosen the clutch off a little bit to play the fish. You’ve got at least 10 to 15 seconds into contact to do this as at that point the salmon does not know it’s in danger of an alien abduction!

Salmon Fisher Email Final Advice

If you’re fishing with a colleague space out approx 50 yards apart and follow that strict 10ft riverbank spacing movement between each cast. This way your water coverage will be immense and you won’t be showing the salmon that will be lying in the beat too much therefore more chance of getting the desired reaction from a fish.

Your booking confirmation email has a travel map on it to the Upper Kinnaird fishing hut meeting place and Martin Edgar’s (Head Ghillie) telephone number is on your booking confirmation email. Best to call Martin tomorrow and confirm you’re coming.

There’s a better Google beat map on this Upper Kinnaird presentation page; https://www.salmon-fish-scotland.com/Upper-Kinnaird-salmon-fishing

Good luck on Saturday and thank you for your booking.

Regards

Jock