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The water gauge on a salmon beat's most important function is to advise the salmon beat ghillie on how safe certain areas of the beat are for visiting salmon fishing trip anglers to wade in. It also serves a function in alerting salmon fishers whether the river is rising or falling and therefore where the best fishing areas are likely to be found. This is my son Johnny painting the black digits into a newly delivered water gauge which was made from recycled white plastic lumber.
When you see a biggish bunch of daffodils on any Scottish riverbank realise they are not there naturally and someone has planted them there for a reason. On a salmon river that reason will almost certainly be to mark one of the salmon beat's Spring salmon lies as you can clearly see here on the River Tay near Pitlochry. Daffodils with a beautiful rainbow hovering overhead is a sign from our Salmon God there's a fish there in need of a fly!
Here's a downstream shot taken in front of the Upper Kinnaird Beat salmon fishing hut on the River Tay. This lovely Tay salmon beat is located directly upstream of the Tummel Tay confluence and is a fantastic salmon beat for a quality River Tay fly fishing experience. The salmon pool 50 yards downstream of the boat id called Daffodil Lie and is marked with a big bunch of daffodils which appear each Spring when the pool fishes its best.
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.
I took this River Tay salmon pool shot In low water conditions and many salmon hold in this perfect salmon stream which is directly opposite the mouth of the River Tummel. This pool fishes primarily from the opposite left hand bank but myself and many other salmon anglers prefer fishing this pool from this right hand bank. This shot was taken during early Spring looking down river from this right hand bank of the Tay.
This perfect Newtyle salmon pool is known as 'The Boil' due to a huge riverbed stone that's positioned in the middle of the river opposite this salmon fisher which creates a huge boiling effect on the river surface. You can see Birnam Hill in the distance.

Water Gauge Mentality

By 12th April 2026

While all ghillies should have a nice 'easy to read' water gauge near their fishing hut that can be used to specify water heights.

When recording salmon catches I personally believe that far too many Scottish anglers go into 'over kill' mode when watching the heights of a river.

This perfect Newtyle salmon pool is known as 'The Boil' due to a huge riverbed stone that's positioned in the middle of the river opposite this salmon fisher which creates a huge boiling effect on the river surface. You can see Birnam Hill in the distance.

Amusing Water Gauge Incidents

I vividly recall this guest walking straight past me at the fishing hut one morning without saying a word as he proceeded to the water gauge where he stood watching it 'like a heron' for a good ten minutes to see what the river level was doing. When he finally came into the fishing hut he introduced himself as Mr Smith to which I replied I'm Mr Monteith but my real name is Jock and what's yours! 

I took this River Tay salmon pool shot In low water conditions and many salmon hold in this perfect salmon stream which is directly opposite the mouth of the River Tummel. This pool fishes primarily from the opposite left hand bank but myself and many other salmon anglers prefer fishing this pool from this right hand bank. This shot was taken during early Spring looking down river from this right hand bank of the Tay.

Waiting For Perfect Water Conditions

If you're waiting for the optimal river height to fish each individual salmon pool on any beat you'll wait a very long time indeed and if such conditions were present there are no guarantees that salmon will also be caught. The secret to successful Scottish salmon fishing is to have a game plan for all river height eventualities and forget about water gauge readings unless to identify safe wading zones for that hour (or day if the river is stable). A big part of the magic of this pursuit is that you truly never know what will happen on any fishing day as salmon have a great knack of sneaking up on a salmon fly when it's least expected which can happen at any water height.

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.

Read The River Not The Water Gauge

Don't let your head go down if you arrive at any salmon river and the water level is much higher or lower than the last time you fished that beat and caught a salmon. The salmon lies move about with every varying 6 inches of water height 'lift or drop' so the key to the deal is understanding that principle which should be far more easily identified with the number one 'eye ball' and not some meaningless black digit on a white vertical plank. In over 40 years of my own personal salmon fishing obsession I've never ever seen a salmon studying any water gauge!

Here's a downstream shot taken in front of the Upper Kinnaird Beat salmon fishing hut on the River Tay. This lovely Tay salmon beat is located directly upstream of the Tummel Tay confluence and is a fantastic salmon beat for a quality River Tay fly fishing experience. The salmon pool 50 yards downstream of the boat id called Daffodil Lie and is marked with a big bunch of daffodils which appear each Spring when the pool fishes its best.

Salmon River Escapism

The entire Scottish salmon fishing industry has been hijacked by 'water levels' & 'catch statistics' marketing that doesn't portray the natural magnificence of our rivers which is and always has been the more reliable attraction of Scottish salmon fishing. 'Let's see what's been caught' or 'let's see what the water height is doing' have kept many anglers away from thousands of salmon encounters as a water gauge that's higher or lower than the anglers expectations or no catches recorded which usually means a beat wasn't fished (or wasn't fished properly) have both sadly taken over from good old 'natural river world' anticipation & escapism.

When you see a biggish bunch of daffodils on any Scottish riverbank realise they are not there naturally and someone has planted them there for a reason. On a salmon river that reason will almost certainly be to mark one of the salmon beat's Spring salmon lies as you can clearly see here on the River Tay near Pitlochry. Daffodils with a beautiful rainbow hovering overhead is a sign from our Salmon God there's a fish there in need of a fly!

Write To God To Complain

If you turn up on any salmon beat and you're not entirely satisfied with the level of water that's been delivered the customer services address to write to is; Mr G Almighty, 'Heaven' No 1 All Around Street, The Universe GA 777. Be careful though before you write your letter as customer services may well have placed one of their prized special reward bonuses in the river and within easy reach of your salmon fly so always make sure you check every aisle of the river store for any hidden special offers before you complain to the management!

The water gauge on a salmon beat's most important function is to advise the salmon beat ghillie on how safe certain areas of the beat are for visiting salmon fishing trip anglers to wade in. It also serves a function in alerting salmon fishers whether the river is rising or falling and therefore where the best fishing areas are likely to be found. This is my son Johnny painting the black digits into a newly delivered water gauge which was made from recycled white plastic lumber.

Love Salmon River Height Inconsistency

To my mind it's totally amazing to have such special riverine playgrounds where we can all wield about the latest fly line technology & rod actions with a small piece of Arctic fox tail tied onto the end in pursuit of these magnificent creatures. Embrace all fishing conditions before the heavens open up again and release a foot or two of fresh water to change and freshen up the salmon lies and even sometimes shuffles the riverbed stones around like a pack of cards. What a magnificent pursuit indeed and if it's presented professionally to any newcomer they will more than likely be in it for life and unlike golf at least a salmon fly is tied on!

 

More Salmon Fishing Articles

This perfectly timed photograph was taken by professional photographer Louise Bellin on the Kinnaird Beat of the River Tay at the famous Junction Pool which is directly where the River Tummel enters the Tay. Jock, dressed in traditional Tweeds and waders holds his fishing rod, demonstrating the perfect Spey cast required in this salmon fishing hot spot for maximum water coverage of the lovely Tay salmon pool.

Fine Tune Your Speycast

Jock Monteith

14th August 2026

The vast majority of Scottish Speycasters tend to cast like 'racehorses with blinkers on' with their heads only aligned to the target area and not to the crucial mid cast 'anchor point' which is vital for a perfectly timed power stroke delivery.
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.

Successful Salmon Spin Fishing

Jock Monteith

13th August 2026

Here's a few paragraphs on how to set a spinning lure hook based on practice not theory. Nothing beats professional time spent on a Scottish salmon river for observing the various aspects of this glorious pursuit.
This is the Steps Pool on the Newtyle Beat of the River Tay and I've drawn the optimal wade line in red which allows anglers to fish through the pool safely and effectively without spooking any salmon that may be present. I took this downstream shot while working as this guest's salmon fishing guide for the day.

Salmon Lie Approach

Jock Monteith

12th August 2026

Over the decades I've seen great opportunities for an easy 'early day' salmon completely blown by anglers who put on waders that go up to their chests and think they have to do the same while wading in the river!
Here's Jock Monteith amidst a Spey casting lesson on the River Tay under the historic Telford Bridge demonstrating perfect D Loop loading with the single Spey cast. The traditional Spey cast is the most effective and satisfying casts. This photo was taken by local Dunkeld photographer Charlie MacDonald. Jock is wearing his Graham of Menteith tartan kilt while demonstrating Spey cast with his 15ft Monteith salmon fly rod.

The Spey Cast Swing

Jock Monteith

11th August 2026

Understanding the value of a correct 'logical' line lift at the beginning of the Spey cast is crucial for negating the cast crippling 'water resistance' experienced by an incorrect line lift. Today I'll elaborate on what maintains this 'ease and smoothness' of cast through the middle section of the cast known as the 'swing' which is crucial for adequate rod loading in the D Loop.
I designed this deadly salmon fly pattern 20 years ago while working as the Head Ghillie and salmon fishing instructor on the River Tay's Newtyle Beat. Here's the exact dressing before anyone asks; Hook: 1

Salmon Fly Selection

Jock Monteith

10th August 2026

There's been millions of words written on this fascinating subject over the decades by many serious salmon fishers who all have their own take on what the best patterns are. At the end of the day it boils down to faith as we will never truly get permanently inside a salmon's mind.
This guest was fishing with me on the River Tay near Dunkeld. This pool tail is a renowned hot spot for running salmon so I waded out to this fishing position to make it easier to fish the main salmon lie between the fisher and the far riverbank. Directly in front of the big tree that you can see on the opposite riverbank is the main salmon lie hot spot.

Important Riverbank Etiquette

Jock Monteith

9th August 2026

For the daily operation of any salmon beat to run smoothly it is important that all fishing guests read & understand the beat rules which are there primarily for safety reasons and to ensure the enjoyment of all paying guests.
Here's myself with a fine Spring salmon in the landing net immediately prior to its release. A good landing net with fish friendly mesh is an essential piece of salmon fishing equipment. I caught this fine salmon at the Daffodil Lie Pool on the beautiful Kinnaird Beat of the River Tay in Highland Perthshire.

Spin Fishing For Tay Salmon

Jock Monteith

8th August 2026

If your effective hooking rate with a spinner on the River Tay isn't close to 100% then there's a few different angles of thought to consider the next time you're out slinging cutlery across Scotland's biggest & deepest salmon river.
Here's the bow section of a hand built River Tay 16ft salmon fishing 'coble' boat with a Brady fishing back and Bruce & Walker salmon Spey rod fitted with a Van Staal salmon fly reel. Professional salmon guides in Scotland take their personal salmon fishing equipment seriously too!

Salmon Beat Ghillies

Jock Monteith

7th August 2026

Having served my time as a professional ghillie on the River Tay the next few paragraphs highlight a few of the finer points that I personally believe that makes a resident professional salmon beat ghillie stand out from the crowd.
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