(River Tay weekly report week ending 18th June 2022)
It will quite literally be mid-summer next week as on Tuesday the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere will be upon us once again. This is when one of the Earth’s two poles achieves maximum tilt towards the sun. Tuesday will therefore mark the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
For anglers, this means that fishing late at night and then again early in the morning is possible. During the summer months, this can often be the best time to wet a line especially if it has been hot and sunny during the day.
It was another cooler week across much of Scotland including Perthshire for the time of year. Thankfully at times, there was decent cloud cover and there was no heatwave towards the end of the week which many people in England experienced as temperatures soared into the mid-thirties south of the border. Catches are holding up well on the Tay as we approach midsummer with well over a hundred fish caught which made it comfortably the most productive week of the season so far.
On the upper river, there were fish caught on the Upper Farleyer and Lower Bolfracks beats last week. Mr Peter Shaw landed a lovely fourteen pounder on the fly from Edradynate on Thursday. The fish gave Mr Shaw a great tussle. This was one of two fish caught from the beat on Thursday.
At Dalguise Mr Donald Cameron caught a nice ten pounder on Thursday. There were fish caught every day during the first half of the week at Dalmarnock. There was a couple of fish landed at Dunkeld on Tuesday including a fine eight pounder on the fly from the Rock Pool with more success on the beat on Thursday and Saturday.
Anglers at Newtyle enjoyed some decent sport last week. Mr Dave Maxwell caught a lovely fish on the fly from the Trap on Monday.
On Tuesday Mr Jonny Amos caught a cracker on the fly from the steps. Newtyle regular Mr Peter Dobson also caught a fish on the fly from the Cotter Pool with a total of three fish landed for the day.
It was good to see the Murthly beats produce nice fish on most days last week. Anglers at Kercock enjoyed another successful week with several lovely fish landed. Mr Alan Micklethwaite landed a fine double best fish weighing thirteen pounds. Mr Dave Hoggarth also enjoyed success on the beat as did Mr Paul Temple. Kercock finished with a creditable seven fish for the week.
It was a magical Tuesday at Meikleour with three fish landed from the beat including a fine fifteen pounder. On Thursday Mr John and Jack Boyle had a good day at Meikleour landing three beautiful sea liced fish weighing up to twelve pounds.
It was the most productive week of the season so far at Islamouth. During the first half of the week, Mr Stuart Yates and his party were fishing the beat and landed twenty six fish up to nineteen pounds. Many of the fish caught were on the stripped sunray. Mr Simon Furniss and his party enjoyed success during the second half of the week landing some stunning fish including a magnificent nineteen pounder caught by Mr Nick Howell.
It was a good first half of the week at Ballathie with five fish landed including four on Wednesday.
Mr Paul Vernon landed some lovely fish at Cargill during the first half of last week. Mr John and Anna Hartup also enjoyed success at Cargill.
Mrs Hinchcliff really enjoyed her very first day salmon fishing when whilst on a casting course at Cargill she caught her first ever salmon. A massive congratulations to Mrs Hinchcliff!
The Brighten party were fishing during the first part of last week at Stobhall. Unfortunately, the party lost numerous fish but also landed some crackers including a magnificent fifteen pounder. Well done gentleman! The good sport continued at Stobhall during the second half of the week.
There were some nice fish caught at Taymount through the course of last week. Further downstream there was success at Upper Redgorton on Thursday and there were five fish caught at Waulkmill during the second half of the week. The Almondmouth Beat finished with thirteen fish for the week.
The Scottish summer school holidays are now almost upon us. This is a great chance for the younger generation to experience our wonderful sport. What could be better than for a youngster to be enjoying a day on the river and maybe even hook and land a salmon? It is an experience they will never forget!
We would like to thank all the ghillies and beat owners on the River Tay system who have contributed to this report by providing their time and information as the weekly report would not be possible without your help and support. If you would like to share any interesting stories or pictures from your time fishing on the River Tay for the purposes of this report, please free to contact us at info@salmonfishingholidaysscotland.com.
Good luck to all those anglers fishing on the River Tay next week.
Tight lines,
Samantha & Sandy Datta
Beat catches reported
(week ending 18th June)
SALMON & GRILSE:
Upper Farleyer 2, Farleyer Lower 1, Edradynate 3, Lower Bolfracks 2, Dalguise 1, Dalmarnock 4, Dunkeld 4, Newtyle 4, Murthly 1, 5, Murthly 2, 9, Kercock 7, Meikleour & Upper Islamouth 8, Islamouth 34, Ballathie 5, Cargill 6, Stobhall 6, Taymount 9, Upper Redgorton 1, Fishponds 1, Waulkmill 5, Almondmouth 13.
Total: 130 Largest: Islamouth & Taymount 19lbs
GOOD SPORT TO CONTINUE IN THE WEEKS AHEAD?
(River Tay salmon fishing prospects week commencing 20th June 2022)
It was the most productive week of the season so far with well over a hundred fish landed from the Tay system. The quality of some of the fish caught was second to none. Overall fishing conditions were decent and catches responded accordingly. The fish caught were a mixture of hard fighting grilse and larger summer salmon. Hopefully, the good sport will continue in the weeks ahead.
Over the weekend it has been mainly dry and it has felt fresher courtesy of a cold front which drifted south across Scotland on Friday. Looking ahead to next week the weather is set to be mainly dry as high pressure builds over much of Scotland. Winds should be light and cloud amounts will vary. There is a chance as we move towards next weekend that more unsettled conditions may prevail.
Last week water levels were quite steady for much of the week. The river is currently at a perfect height for many beats. In the past few days, there have been salmon caught from Upper Farleyer on the upper river down to Almondmouth at the bottom end of the lower river, so catches have been well spread on the Tay system. The fish caught have been mainly larger summer salmon and grilse with many being sea liced.
With the decent current water levels, fresh fish entering the system are likely to be running hard. As the spread of catches would suggest, there is a chance of landing a fresh fish almost anywhere on Tay next week with beats on the middle and lower river probably offering the best chance of some good sport. So why not book a day on the mighty River Tay next week? Nothing beat’s landing some midsummer silver!
Good luck to all those anglers fishing on the River Tay next week.
Tight lines,
Samantha & Sandy Datta
Tactics for the River Tay during the summer period (June-August)
The ghillies on the River Tay are all highly experienced and have an intimate knowledge of their beats. Their advice and guidance are key to success. Please contact your ghillie for up to date advice on tactics and what tackle to bring prior to visiting the River Tay.
Fly Fishing
During the summer months, water temperatures usually begin to rise on the river. The fish also start to become a bit more active. Often river levels are low but on the River Tay, they are never too low that fresh fish cannot run the system. At this time of year, full floating lines coupled with polyleaders of various sink rates can often work well.
As the Tay is a big river usually a powerful fourteen or fifteen-foot rod with a ten-line rating will cover almost any eventuality. In terms of lines whether that be a full Spey line or Shooting head system a floating line coupled with a selection of polyleaders of various sink rates is perfect for the job at this time of year. In higher water, during the summer months, a sink tip or intermediate line may be required to produce the best results.
Make sure that your fly reel has got an adequate backing capacity and a good reliable drag system. On the River Tay when that line tightens the fish could turn out to be that one of a lifetime. It is also important during the summer period to use leader material with an adequate breaking strain, as there are some big summer salmon that run the Tay. Usually, a breaking strain between twelve and fifteen pounds is ideal.
During the summer months depending on the water height and temperature smaller dressed flies can work well. Small bottle tubes are also well worth a go. Don’t forget how effective flies like the Sunray Shadow can be at this time of year. These flies fished close to the surface can really do the business especially if the fish are keen on chasing a fly and in an active mood.
Spinning
A powerful spinning rod between ten and eleven foot is usually more than adequate to cover the River Tay. The rod should be able to comfortably cast lures weighing anything from eighteen to thirty grams. A good fixed spool or multiplier reel with a reliable drag system is perfect for the River Tay. The reel should be able to accommodate a large amount of either nylon or braided line with an adequate breaking strain.
In terms of lures, spoons like the Toby, Salmo Toby and Blair variety work well on the river. These can range in weight from eighteen to thirty grams. Devon Minnows can also be effective on the River Tay. During the summer months, the Floating Devon and Flying C can be particularly productive. The Flying C lure can be fished upstream especially when water temperatures start to rise and often salmon will chase the lure before taking it. The Vision110 lures have also got a good reputation for producing fish on the river. These lures can be excellent during the summer months.
Harling
Harling is a method unique to the River Tay which involves fishing from a motorised boat. This method is employed on many beats and can be highly effective.
Usually, two or three rods are placed in rod holders with various lures and then the ghillie skilfully combs the water by moving back and forth in the boat, whilst gradually dropping downstream, covering the likely lies on the beat. Often during the summer months, the water is too low to harl on many beats. However, if there is a decent spate this method can be highly productive. Harling is a method which is very much water height dependent and is practiced at the beat ghillies discretion.
TDSFB conservation policy
All anglers fishing on the River Tay system are reminded that the TDSFB’s policy from January 15th to 1st of April is that all spring salmon must be released. This means that the TDSFB has a 100% mandatory catch & release policy for all salmon caught. This is in line with the Scottish Government Statutory Conservation Regulation. Even if the fish dies it must still be returned to the river.
It is also worthwhile remembering when releasing fish to keep them in the water for as long a period as possible and to use minimal handling. Please also give the fish plenty of time to recover before releasing them. Anglers must treat their quarry with the utmost respect at all times.