This man has been one of my best most loyal salmon guide colleagues over the last 20 years. Martin worked with me on the Newtyle Beat in 2004 & 2005 before I assisted him in getting started on the Kinnaird salmon beat where he's thrived ever since. Martin is in one of his Tay salmon boats in this shot motoring up through the Channel Pool on his Kinnaird Beat.

Here's a picture of River Tay legend Willie Laird ready for action in his traditional Tay coble boat. Willie was a career ghillie on the Tay for 50+ years before his retirement in 1986. Willie was the Head Ghillie on the Tay's Newtyle Beat near Dunkeld and Willie was an exceptionally talented and renowned salmon fishing guide in Scotland.

Look at these salmon beat operational standards. You can see the cut the riverbank grass and strimmed riverbanks that keep the salmon beat looking immaculate. These are tell tale signs that a top professional guide is running the salmon beat. This is the Daffodil LIe Pool on the Kinnaird Beat on the River Tay.

Here's a shot of myself while serving as a professional River Tay salmon fishing guide with my black labrador dog 'Selkie' out in the Cottar Pool of the Newtyle Beat near Dunkeld. This shot was taken by professional Scottish photographer Peter Sandground for the Glasgow Herald Magazine.

Look at this perfect early morning River Tay salmon fishing hut perfection which I took after preparing the hut for a group of salmon fishing holiday guests. It's always great to get down to the fishing hut early to prepare all of the fishing kit for the guests and light the fire. This is the Kinnaird Beat fishing hut which is located between the Perthshire towns of Pitlochry & Dunkeld.

What Makes A Ghillie

By Jock Monteith 7th July 2026

Choosing the professional ghillie route in life is one of the most important national rural ambassador roles of all and one that requires a vast amount of salmon fishing expertise and as importantly superb people hosting skills too.

Here's myself with 2 highly knowledgeable Scottish salmon fishing guide team members. This shot was taken outside the Crathes Beat salmon fishing hut on the famous River Dee in Aberdeenshire.

A Ghillie's Sharp Amazing Banter

All of the very best ghillies I've been fortunate to meet and fish with throughout my career have all had an uncanny knack of creating the most amazing & instant 'one liners' from their acute 'sense of humour' that can leave the fishing hut occupants in absolute stitches! The professional ghillie's ability to host his fishing guests goes a long way to filling up any salmon beat with regularly returning fishing guests. These 'rare' hospitality people skills can also benefit local hotels such is the positive knock on effect for the entire local economy.

Here's one of our professional salmon guides about to give a riverbank talk to a party of new River Tay salmon fishing guests during the beautiful month of June on the Kinnaird Beat.

Salmon Fishing & River Knowledge

A professional ghillie needs to also be a true technician at catching salmon as only that level of expertise could ever be effective for showing clients the best tactical approaches. On the bigger River Tay that involves not only being lethal with a salmon fly rod but also with a spinning rod and from the boat too whether it be traditional 'harling' or roping a guest down through a salmon pool. Being able to briefly visit a riverbank salmon fishing guest and make an effective salmon fishing tactical adjustment recommendation which then achieves the desired 'silver' reward is also part of the magic a true professional brings to the table.

Here's a few salmon fishers with myself in my kilt in front of the famous Newtyle Beat fishing hut enjoying a lunchtime malt whisky. A quality malt whisky always tastes even better when consumed outdoors in the fresh Scottish air. Look at the perfectly cut beech hedge in front of the fishing hut.

Ghillie Customer Relations

The Head Ghillie should be able to manage any fishing guest behavioural issues without the fishing guest even knowing they've been cautioned! A true pro will re-align the non compliant etiquette behaviour of a fishing guest with humour and grace leaving the guest educated and not offended. A high level of people skills are crucial for any beat ghillie to possess and especially a Head Ghillie. The art of that 'delicate' level of communication isn't easy to learn and takes time to master but once mastered it becomes the 'icing on the cake' for additional annually returning fishing guest business and referrals.

Here's myself with a few River Tay salmon fishing guests enjoying their salmon fishing break on the Pitnacree salmon beat. This upper middle Tay salmon beat has beautiful riverbank paths and woodlands like you see behind us which are easy to fish from so it makes a perfect salmon fishing holiday destination.

Salmon Fishing Guest Arrival

A true Head Ghillie salmon fishing professional who's on top of their game and not just viewing things as a 9am to 5pm job will naturally want to be at their fishing hut between 7am & 7.30am getting everything ready for the arrival of the guests. There's nothing worse or more disrespectful for a visiting salmon fisher on their day away from the office than waiting for the ghillie to show up. A ghilllie has the luxury lifestyle of going to the river every day so he'll be aware of that privilage and have respect for his guest's valuable time who only occasionally get the chance to 'escape' to the river.

I always enjoy keeping the riverbanks in good condition for visiting salmon anglers like you can see here. Keeping the riverbanks cut and easily navigable is important for visiting salmon angler safety. I build the little stone croy in this photo which allows the boat to commute easier in low water conditions. This lovely green riverbank is located at the Daffodil Lie Pool on Kinnaird.

The Fishing Hut & Riverbanks

An immaculate fishing hut shows respect for the visiting salmon anglers and is a big indicator of the Head Ghillie's self pride. A good sweep out each night and keeping the hut clean, tidy & organised goes a long way towards the guest's overall fishing experience. The same with riverbank maintenance and a true professional will time his annual beat riverbank cuttings just right for longevity and minimal fishing guest disruption and will leave the heavier riverbank maintenance tasks to Sundays or for the closed season. A tidy fishing hut with well maintained riverbanks are great to see and brilliant for the guest's ease of fishing and repeat bookings. All top Head Ghillies will fully understand the instant first impression power of an immaculate fishing hut and perfectly groomed riverbanks.

Here's a great fishing guide colleague of mine Kevin McKay with me on the River Tay at the Upper Kinnaird salmon beat near Logierait in Perthshire. Kevin is a highly skilled River Tay salmon fisher & Tay boatman. In the distance you can see the old Logierait Railway Bridge.

Life Long Riverbank Relationships

When you meet one of these true professionals that Scotland is fortunate to have an army of then you'll very likely form a relationship that can last a lifetime. That has certainly been my experience and although being in with a chance of catching a salmon is the main attraction of the sport I'd say there's definitely more reliability and value from the bond between the visiting salmon angler and the man who heads up the salmon beat fishing operation if you haven't already experienced it.