The river Tay opened on the 16th January undeterred in mild conditions for the time of year, scores of anglers flocked to the banks of the river to mark the opening of the salmon season with great publicity in the press and on television. The various issues and activities appeared on Television, Radio and Press giving the river extremely high exposure that was invaluable with the great news of re-watering the river Garry. It has been a reasonably quiet start to the season with good water and milder conditions throughout December and now January.
The first week has seen a similar weather pattern continue with settled water levels and good conditions for fishing which kept up into last week. Expectation is high on the river for 2017 after a string of successful springs over the last 4 years and hopefully settled weather over the coming weeks will give everyone a chance of landing a spring �Bar of Silver�.
Odd Spring salmon were landed last week in good weather and river conditions favouring those who braved the elements in some cases. Four fresh spring salmon were recorded last week. It is early yet with only small runs coming into the river and fluctuating weather can make fishing difficult. Some of the fish that have been caught are memorable as typical Tay specimens due to their size and depth. Hopefully there will be a lot more of them to come.
A typical example of this was the 20 pounds beauty caught by Paul Kelly in the Castle pool at Meikleour and Upper Islamouth.
Another cracker was caught by Scott Buchan on Stobhall ably assisted by experienced ghillie and longtime servant Bob Campbell weighing 17 pounds. Further fish were reported on Glendelvine and Upper Kinnaird making a disappointing week despite good conditions.
The Spring Salmon fishing was well and truly underway after all the excitement of opening day�s celebrations. It has been a quiet start but let us hope the season lives up to every ones expectations over the coming weeks and months. Tight lines!
Salmon Fishing Scotland Prospects for Tay, Perthshire w/c 30th January 2017.
The Salmon fishing season is well and truly started now on the mighty Tay in Perthshire, Scotland as we enter the third full week and we have been encountering some milder conditions and colder winter weather occasionally over the last week and prior to the Opening day. This has settled the river back to nearly summer levels with the lack of rain. We have had good settled conditions over the last week but that looks like breaking in the coming week. On the opening weeks several anglers braved the elements in pursuit of that magical spring salmon. The weather hopefully will turn colder to give a greater chance of producing some sport and some early "Bars of Silver" if you are prepared to brave the elements.
Currently the river is running at a low level for the time of year (just under 2� on the Ballathie gauge).
The weather is looking a bit more unsettled over the next few days but then turn colder towards the end of the week. Colder conditions certainly benefit the river at this time of year slowing the spring salmon run down and giving everyone a chance to catch as they run up the river slowly. The milder weather prior to the start gave us more water and would have encouraged salmon to run the river. Colder weather will settle the river back to a good level and make ideal spring fishing conditions. The water temperature was as high as 42 degrees Fahrenheit or 5.5 degrees Celsius and then fell back to around 38/3 with the cold spell over the last few days. These are typical temperatures for this time of year. The temperature may come back further with the colder forecast for the week ahead but there have been salmon running throughout the system after milder conditions prior to the opening day and resulted in fish being caught well up the system. Hopefully there might be a chance of a fresh fish anywhere in the river. There will no doubt be quite a few kelts about on many beats and possibly some later run fish, which have yet to spawn. Should you require guidance on salmon identification in early season please see this link for some help.
As to methods, in settled conditions fishing by any method should be slow and deep with large lures to catch the elusive Tay Springer. Harling is also a favoured method in early season but be warned wrap up well or it will not be a pleasant experience.
Tackle recommendations for fishing the Tay throughout the season.
Fly Rods. The Tay is a large river especially when running at a normal level and even in lower levels you are fishing another river within the mighty one so therefore a 15 foot fly rod for a 10 weight line is certainly minimum requirement for much of the season. Do not come under gunned. In some parts of the river where it is especially wide even longer rods are used. It should be noted however that it is better to cast a shorter controlled line than try to cast out with your capabilities and have the lines end up in a mess and decrease your chances.
Fly Lines. In early season when the water is cold you need to cast larger flies and get them deeper in the water to fish them slowly. There is a tremendous choice on the market nowadays which can be quite confusing to many anglers. Any type of Skagit line that can easily cast a 15 foot sinking leader of various depths is a good choice especially to the less experienced. Iflights and a tip of choice attached are another good bet as these lines enable you to cast a longer line than normal with ease. For more experienced anglers, there are a vast array of shooting heads of different sinking abilities available as well. These tactics can be used in late season as well when the water starts to cool down. Once the water temperature starts to climb by April then tactics change to mainly floating lines and sink tips with much smaller conventional flies. Again, the choice of lines is incredible from longer belly Spey lines to shooting heads. If you go to shooting heads, then it is important to choose a good shooting backing as line management can be a big issue casting longer lines on a river such as the Tay. Spinning Rods. Rods. You should have a minimum of a 10 foot rod for casting baits of 20gm to 60gms. Line. A main line of 20 pounds in nylon or 30 pounds in braid. You should use a lesser poundage far a cast such as 15 pounds so if you get caught up on the bottom you do not lose a large part of your main line. Baits. Tobies from 18gm upwards. Toby Salmos are very popular in 30gms. Conventional weighted Devon�s are good especially in the Spring. Rapalas and Vision 110�s are very effective and of course Kynochs are popular for harling.
What flies should I take? In early season bigger flies such as Tube Flies, Temple Dogs and Monkey type flies up to 2 inches in body length and larger conventional patterns in 4�s and 6�s in lower water are required. A point of note is that a lighter Tube such as an aluminium or plastic body is far easier to cast than brass. Current line technology enables you to get these lighter flies to the correct depths. Ask your ghillie for tip advice on the day. As river temperatures rise to a more conventional approach then a size range in your box should be from 6 in higher water to 12 in lower water and even smaller on exceptionally low conditions. Cascade type patterns seem to be the most popular and recently feeler flies have come to the fore. It is always worth a go with a Sun Ray type fly with a long wing whether casting normally in colder conditions to stripping it fast in warmer water.
Finally, you are reminded that the Tay's policy for January � 1st April 2017 is that all spring salmon must be released, i.e. the Tay has a policy of 100% mandatory release of all salmon caught under the new Scottish Government Statutory Conservation Regulation. Spring salmon are a scarce and precious resource. Please preserve both them and the long term future of your sport by following the release of salmon as it is a now legal requirement during this period even if a fish has died. The Board's bailiff team will be enforcing this new legislation.
When releasing salmon please try to keep the fish in the water as much as possible to give them every chance to recover prior to release. Releasing fish from boats in the river is not recommended. Further information on the policy and good release practice.
If you have any news or pictures of catches or experiences on the Tay and you would like to share them please email me on robert.salmonfishing@googlemail.com to be included in the reports.
We had our annual January gathering at the Lower Kinnaird beat of the River Tay on Saturday. This is when me and a group of good pals from various parts of Scotland meet up and blow away the winter cobwebs and attempt to catch an elusive January springer. The river was sitting at 2ft on the gauge and the weather was cold but otherwise it was a perfect early spring day for being out fishing.
Group photo. L/R - Alan, Me, Martin (ghillie), Kenny, Andy, Bill, Charlie and Craig
I was to travel down to Tayside with fellow Donsiders, Bill and Charlie. After rising at 5.00am to pick up Charlie and meet Bill we set off for the Tay just after 6am. The drive down to Tayside took much longer than normal due to persistent thick fog which made driving difficult but we arrived at the beat hut just before 8.30am. After the meet and greet in the fishing hut over a cup of coffee and a bacon roll it was time to get down to business and work out where we were to start fishing for the day.
Kenny and Alan enjoy a bacon roll and coffee before starting the day.
The well equipped fishing hut at Lower Kinnaird.
I was to fish the Guay Pool with Charlie and Andy drove us round and showed us the water. I opted to start with the fly as did Charlie. I tackled up with my 15ft Mackenzie DTX shooting head rod with a Guideline PT Scandi F/H/S1 shooting head line and a 10ft 5.6ips versi tip.. Fly of choice was a 2" Black and Yellow conehead tube. I was to start about half way down the pool with Charlie 50 yards below me. I waded out to just above my knees as instructed and began lengthening line out. After only my third cast I lifted into a fish. The initial take was quite subtle and I applied a bit of pressure once the fish began to pull some line off the reel. I set the hook and carefully began to make my way back to the bank. No sooner had I started moving into the bank the fish was off. I didn't see the fish so there was no way of knowing what it was but it was best not to think about it too much and I was back fishing again immediately. Charlie and I fished the whole pool several time with both fly and spinner but neither of us had any luck so it was up to the Ash Tree pool to meet the rest of the guys and have a bite to eat.
Andy points out the likely spots of the Guay Pool to Charlie.
A very large carcass of a salmon lies on the bank of the Guay Pool. Would have easily top the scales at 20lb plus.
Fishing down the Guay Pool shortly after loosing a fish.
On arrival to the Ash Tree pool the guys were standing round a wee fire willing the soup pot to start boiling. It was soon hot enough to serve and we sat down to some of Kenny's home made Ham Hock soup and bread. The hot soup went down a treat and after discussing the morning's proceedings we were allocated our pools for the afternoon session and set off for another crack at catching a January Tay springer.
Looking upstream to where the River Tummel meets the River tay.
Looking across the Junction pool. The big coloured fish was splashing about just up from the seat on the bank.
Fishing down the Junction Pool. Would love to fish it in April/May time.
Martin, the ghille drove Charlie and I round to fish the Junction Pool. The Junction Pool is where the River Tummel meets the Tay. The Tummel itself is a very productive river and we could fish the lower pools of the river if we so wished. Charlie went in a the top of the pool this time and I went in half way down. I changed lines over to an I/S2/S3 shooting head as this pool held a good bit of depth and was much faster flowing that Guay. Almost as soon as I waded out into the pool a big coloured fish jumped out of the water. This was obviously an old fish but it was easily 25lb. Charlie and I fished through the pool without a touch and apart from the older fish we didn't see anything moving despite how "fishy" the pool looked. Just as we were making our way back to the top of the pool Martin arrived to take us back to the hut as it was nearly 4.30pm. Time doesn't half fly when you are fishing!
A 2.5" Willie Gunn tube flutters in the icy cold River Tay
We arrived back at the hut and met up with the other guys. Nobody had any luck but Bill and Alan were still to return. We sat in the hut with a cup of coffee discussing the day we'd had when Bill drew up outside the hut and announced he'd landed a cracking fish of around 9lb from the Guay Pool. this was great news and we we all delighted for Bill as it was his and the beat's first fish of the season. \it was also Bill's first ever January fish he'd caught in all the years he had been fishing. Kenny presented Bill with a bottle of Fettercairn single malt whisky for catching the first fish and we all congratulated him on getting his fish. It really was the perfect end to a great day on the river in the company of good friends. Here's to the next time we all meet up which will be late March, again on the River Tay.
What we are all after. Bill's 9lb January salmon from the Guay Pool at 3.30pm.
With the customary blowing off the cobwebs cast on the River Tay now over, my attention turns to the opening of my local river, the Dee. It opens again for salmon fishing on the 1st February and I really can't wait to get out for a cast there again. My first outing is at Park on opening day with good pals. Fingers crossed I can get off to good start like I did last season. Another opening day springer would do me just fine. Camera will be at the ready if I do!
Thanks to a kind invitation from Tony and Philip Black I found myself fishing on the fantastic Murthly 2 beat of the River Tay on it's opening day which is January 16th. The river was sitting at 4ft 6in on the beat gauge but was running clear considering the rise the night before. Regardless of the river height it was just good to be out on the river banks again after the long winter months.
John Fyfe fishing down through Willie's.
The evening before the trip was spent sorting out all my fishing gear in anticipation of fishing the Tay on Opening Day. I had never fished the River Tay on Opening Day before and couldn't wait to get there. I set off at 6.30am to get through the Aberdeen traffic and I arrived at the gates to Murthly Castle at 8.30am where I was greeted by Philip Black and fellow Aberdonian, John Fife. I followed on behind John and Philip along the castle road down to the hut where toasted in the new season with a wee dram of whisky. After a good chat about how excited we were for the new season and how we fared in 2016 it was time to set the rods up and get out on the water.
The entrance to the long driveway which leads up to the fishing.
My first cast of 2017.
Philip showed us the pools on the beat and where to concentrate our efforts and I was to start of in the Meetings Pool. This was a lovely bit of water even though the levels were on the high side. The water an along the side of the an island where it met the flow coming down the far side of it. This created a lovely seam through the centre of the river and it was in this area where Philip pointed out as a good spot to pick up a fish. I firstly fished through the pool with a 30g Toby Salmo but I didn't temp anything. I had another quick run down the pool with my fly rod and a 2" Willie Gunn but again to no avail.
Looking out to the Meeting's pool. Can be a very productive pool.
The next pool down was Willie's. This was another nice looking stretch of water and I opted to begin in here with the fly. John was fishing the tail just in front of me and landed a wee kelt just as I was starting. About half way down the pool a kelt had a go at my fly but it didn't take properly. It was good to know the fly was fishing attractively though. By the time I fished out the pool it was lunch time so it was off back to the hut or a bite to eat.
Fishing the fly on the Tay. I had a good offer from a fish just of the point of the corner, It didn't stick unfortunately.
One of the well equipped fishing huts at Murthly 2.
After lunch we didn't do much fishing to be honest as we spent most of time chatting and catching up after the winter. Having said that, I did have a run through the pools again and despite my best efforts with the fly rod and Salmo I couldn't temp anything. At this time of year though, fish are few and far between but it was great to be out on the water again.
Fishing a Salmo down through the Meetings Pool.
I find myself heading back down to Tayside this weekend for another go so we shall see what happens there, but again, it's more of a social gathering than a proper fishing trip. Any fish caught will be a bonus.
The river Tay opened on the 16th January in mild conditions for the time of year, scores of anglers flocked to the banks of the river to mark the opening of the salmon season with great publicity in the press and on television. The various issues and activities appeared on Television, Radio and Press giving the river extremely high exposure that was invaluable with the major announcement of water back in the Garry. It has been a reasonably quiet start to the season so far.
There were opening day events throughout the Tay district with the larger ceremonies taking place at Meikleour and Kenmore.
At Meikleour the Tay Board official opening took place with James Smith of SSE and Claire Mercer-Nairn formally opening the river with the symbolic first cast in front of an enthusiastic crowd after introductions from Tay chairman Bill Jack who raised all the issues and welcomed the new season on the mighty river. The ceremony at the Meikleour on Monday morning marked the official start of the 2017 season. It was organised by the Tay board in conjunction with the Perthshire Chamber of Commerce. A good crowd witnessed the event with television coverage by the BBC and STV news plus double page articles in the national press. Anglers attending the event raised over �400 for Angling for Youth Development. The major announcement was that �dry� River Garry will flow again and was made on the opening day of the salmon season on the River Tay.
It means that spawning salmon will have access for the first time in over 60 years to the tributary of the Tay which could lead to 1,500 adult salmon returning to the river annually.
As anglers made their first casts of the year at ceremonies on the Tay, Bill Jack, chairman of the Tay District Salmon Fisheries Board (TDSFB) said: �It is difficult to envisage any other single project that would benefit salmon in the Tay system as much as this will.�
After decades of extensive water abstraction for hydro power, ten miles of the Garry which has been essentially dry since the mid 1950s, will run again.
The formal announcement was made at the Tay District Salmon Fisheries Board�s (TDSFB) annual ceremony to celebrate the opening of the Tay salmon fishing season, at Meikleour Fishings.
The traditional blessing of the boat and river with a Quaich of whisky was performed by James Smith of SSE.
In a second opening ceremony, further upriver also in cold conditions, a large crowd of anglers and local residents gathered at the Kenmore Hotel in Perthshire before a pipe band led them to the water�s edge where they waited for the season to be officially opened. Scott McKenzie, poured a dram into the river before the fishing got under way. The pouring of whisky is a symbolic gesture to keep the salmon �in good health�.
SSE confirmed that engineering work will commence in a few weeks to restore flows to the River Garry, some 15 miles north of Blair Atholl and an initial breach has already been made at the Struan Weir to begin this process.
Mr Smith, SSE�s Managing Director of Generation, said the announcement was in tune with their environmental responsibilities.
�We recognise this stretch of the River Garry as a special case for water restoration,� he said. �Although it will result in a loss of potential hydro energy for SSE we are delighted to play our part in restoring water flow and allowing salmon back to the upper Garry.�
Mr Jack added: �This most welcome news is a milestone in salmon conservation.�
�Some ten miles of the main river and seven miles of tributary will once again be capable of producing salmon,� he said.
�We estimate that this is likely to produce an additional 1,500 adult, predominantly spring, salmon returning to the river annually.
�We are very pleased to have been able to work with SSE and SEPA to a successful conclusion.�
Ian Buchanan of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), said: �This is by far the most significant river restoration project of this type that has been achieved to date in Scotland, if not the UK, thanks to the EU Water Framework Directive.�
Farlows from London had come up to fish the first couple of days at Stanley and organised a good opening day ceremony with fishing director Brian Fratel fronting the celebrations. Joe Hardy, owner of the Tayside Hotel in the village blessed the water with whisky.
The Opening week saw odd spring salmon registered in the best conditions for years on the river after reasonably mild weather for the time of year as Europe freezes and fish were spread throughout the river. Hopefully with more settled conditions over the week to come a good few more spring salmon will enter the river and be landed to get our season off to a flying start. The opening day saw 5 fish registered with the largest fish of 19 pounds being caught at Dunkeld.
Robert Harvey claimed the Redford Trophy catching the fish in the Grotto pool from the boat. Further fish were caught on the beat in the week with
Barry Ward landing a 12 pounds fish in the Gauge pool. Meikleour saw 2 fish landed on the opening day with a 14 pounds for Gerard McAuley. Further much up the system Fish n� Trips recorded a couple of fish from opening day and later in the week.
As the week went on other fish were caught. Ballathie got off the mark with a couple of fish up to 11 pounds. Upper Scone got off to a good start with 2 superb fish up to 20 pounds caught harling from the Wash House on the Pitlochrie beat at Stanley.
Firstly, Andrew McCaig had a 14 pounds beauty then a couple of days later
Ken Watkins caught a superb sea liced 20 pounds specimen. The beats around Murthly caught first week fish with Glendelvine and Murthly getting on the score sheet.
Jamie Thomson and John Dewar both landed fish from the boat at Glendelvine. Further fish came from Lower Kinnaird and Farleyer.
There has been a good few young sea trout in the river presently and various beats are recording them up to around 1 pounds in weight. This is not unusual and has happened in the past. It maybe shows the sea trout populations are recovering with improving inshore food sources getting better. These fish enter the rivers at this time of year but will disappear back to sea to feed up and return in the summer as mature sea trout in the next month or so.
The Spring Salmon fishing was well and truly underway after all the excitement of opening day�s celebrations. It has been a reasonable start so let us hope the season lives up to every ones expectations over the coming weeks and months. Tight lines!
Salmon Fishing Scotland Prospects for Tay, Perthshire w/c 23rd January 2017.
The Salmon fishing season is well and truly started now on the mighty Tay in Perthshire, Scotland and we have been encountering some milder conditions and colder winter weather occasionally over the last week and prior to the Opening day. This has settled the river back to normal levels. We have had good settled conditions over the last week and that looks like continuing. On the opening week several anglers braved the elements in pursuit of that magical spring salmon. The weather hopefully turn colder to give a greater chance of producing some sport and some early "Bars of Silver" if you are prepared to brave the elements.
Currently the river is running at a good height for the time of year (just over 3� on the Ballathie gauge).
The weather is to remain settled over the next few days but then turn colder towards the end of the week. Colder conditions certainly benefit the river at this time of year slowing the spring salmon run down and giving everyone a chance to catch as they run up the river slowly. The milder weather prior to the start gave us more water and would have encouraged salmon to run the river. Colder weather will settle the river back to a good level and make ideal spring fishing conditions. The water temperature was around 41 degrees Fahrenheit or 5 degrees Celsius and may fall below that level in the coming days. These are typical temperatures for this time of year. The temperature may come back further with the colder forecast for the week ahead but there have been salmon running throughout the system after milder conditions prior to the opening day and resulted in fish being caught well up the system. Hopefully there might be a chance of a fresh fish anywhere in the river. There will no doubt be quite a few kelts about on many beats and possibly some later run fish, which have yet to spawn. Should you require guidance on salmon identification in early season please see this link for some help.
As to methods, in settled conditions fishing by any method should be slow and deep with large lures to catch the elusive Tay Springer. Harling is also a favoured method in early season but be warned wrap up well or it will not be a pleasant experience.
Tackle recommendations for fishing the Tay throughout the season.
Fly Rods. The Tay is a large river especially when running at a normal level and even in lower levels you are fishing another river within the mighty one so therefore a 15 foot fly rod for a 10 weight line is certainly minimum requirement for much of the season. Do not come under gunned. In some parts of the river where it is especially wide even longer rods are used. It should be noted however that it is better to cast a shorter controlled line than try to cast out with your capabilities and have the lines end up in a mess and decrease your chances.
Fly Lines.
In early season when the water is cold you need to cast larger flies and get them deeper in the water to fish them slowly. There is a tremendous choice on the market nowadays which can be quite confusing to many anglers. Any type of Skagit line that can easily cast a 15 foot sinking leader of various depths is a good choice especially to the less experienced. Iflights and a tip of choice attached are another good bet as these lines enable you to cast a longer line than normal with ease. For more experienced anglers, there are a vast array of shooting heads of different sinking abilities available as well. These tactics can be used in late season as well when the water starts to cool down.
Once the water temperature starts to climb by April then tactics change to mainly floating lines and sink tips with much smaller conventional flies. Again, the choice of lines is incredible from longer belly Spey lines to shooting heads. If you go to shooting heads, then it is important to choose a good shooting backing as line management can be a big issue casting longer lines on a river such as the Tay.
Spinning Rods.
You should have a minimum of a 10 foot rod for casting baits of 20gm to 60gms. Line.
A main line of 20 pounds in nylon or 30 pounds in braid. You should use a lesser poundage far a cast such as 15 pounds so if you get caught up on the bottom you do not lose a large part of your main line.
Baits. Tobies from 18gm upwards. Toby Salmos are very popular in 30gms. Conventional weighted Devon�s are good especially in the Spring. Rapalas and Vision 110�s are very effective and of course Kynochs are popular for harling.
What flies should I take? In early season bigger flies such as Tube Flies, Temple Dogs and Monkey type flies up to 2 inches in body length and larger conventional patterns in 4�s and 6�s in lower water are required. A point of note is that a lighter Tube such as an aluminium or plastic body is far easier to cast than brass. Current line technology enables you to get these lighter flies to the correct depths. Ask your ghillie for tip advice on the day.
As river temperatures rise to a more conventional approach then a size range in your box should be from 6 in higher water to 12 in lower water and even smaller on exceptionally low conditions. Cascade type patterns seem to be the most popular and recently feeler flies have come to the fore. It is always worth a go with a Sun Ray type fly with a long wing whether casting normally in colder conditions to stripping it fast in warmer water.
Finally, you are reminded that the Tay's policy for January � 1st April 2017 is that all spring salmon must be released, i.e. the Tay has a policy of 100% mandatory release of all salmon caught under the new Scottish Government Statutory Conservation Regulation. Spring salmon are a scarce and precious resource. Please preserve both them and the long term future of your sport by following the release of salmon as it is a now legal requirement during this period even if a fish has died. The Board's bailiff team will be enforcing this new legislation.
When releasing salmon please try to keep the fish in the water as much as possible to give them every chance to recover prior to release. Releasing fish from boats in the river is not recommended.Further information on the policy and good release practice.
If you have any news or pictures of catches or experiences on the Tay and you would like to share them please email me on robert.salmonfishing@googlemail.com to be included in the reports.
Every season I try to collect a few scale samples from salmon I catch and these scales are kindly read for me by River Don bailiff, Martin Webster. Last season I managed to get scales from three fresh run salmon which I caught during the summer months. All three fish were 10lb or above and the scales read as follows:
Fish No.1:
14lb Salmon from the River Spey at Tulchan C
This 14lb hen salmon was caught on the 25th June 2016 from the Tulchan C beat of the River Spey. The scale reading from the fish pictured above shows 2 sea winters growth and some growth last year. It spent 2 winters in the river as a juvenile before smolting to sea. The scale reading confirmed this was a summer salmon. I for one am glad this beauty made it back to the river as it was my first ever River Spey salmon.
Fish No.2
A cracking 10lb River Spey salmon also from Tulchan C
This 10lb salmon was caught from the Tulchan C beat on the same day as the 14lb salmon above and was as fresh as they come. The scale sample read it was a 2 sea winter fish and it also sent 2 years in the river as a juvenile before smolting to sea. The scale reading confirmed this was a summer salmon.
Fish No.3
10lb summer salmon from the Rver Dee.
The final scale reading was taken from a fish caught at the Ballogie beat of the River Dee on 5th July 2016. It was roughly 10lbs in weight and was very fresh. The scale confirmed it was a 2 sea winter summer salmon which spent 2 years in the river as a juvenile before smolting to sea.
It's always really interesting getting the information back from the scale readings. Hopefully I'll catch a few more salmon this season and get the scale readings done again. Big thank you to River Don bailiff, Martin Webster for taking the time to read them for me and providing such detailed feedback. It's much appreciated.
Salmon Fishing Scotland Tay, Perthshire 2017 Opening Celebrated with Major Announcement.
This was an article in the Courier written by Richard Burdge.
A ten mile stretch of a Perthshire river is to be �brought back to life� thanks to a landmark agreement.
Fittingly the announcement that the �dry� River Garry will flow again was made on the opening day of the salmon season on the River Tay.
It means that spawning salmon will have access for the first time in over 60 years to the tributary of the Tay which could lead to 1,500 adult salmon returning to the river annually.
As anglers made their first casts of the year at ceremonies on the Tay, Bill Jack, chairman of the Tay District Salmon Fisheries Board (TDSFB) said: �It is difficult to envisage any other single project that would benefit salmon in the Tay system as much as this will.�
After decades of extensive water abstraction for hydro power, ten miles of the Garry which has been essentially dry since the mid 1950s, will run again.
The formal announcement was made at the Tay District Salmon Fisheries Board�s (TDSFB) annual ceremony to celebrate the opening of the Tay salmon fishing season, at Meikleour Fishings.
The traditional blessing of the boat and river with a Quaich of whisky was performed by James Smith of SSE.
In Highland Perthshire another ceremony was held at Kenmore where anglers were piped down to the river by the Vale of Atholl Pipe Band, led by Provost Liz Grant.
SSE confirmed that engineering work will commence in a few weeks to restore flows to the River Garry, some 15 miles north of Blair Atholl and an initial breach has already been made at the Struan Weir to begin this process.
Mr Smith, SSE�s Managing Director of Generation, said the announcement was in tune with their environmental responsibilities.
�We recognise this stretch of the River Garry as a special case for water restoration,� he said. �Although it will result in a loss of potential hydro energy for SSE we are delighted to play our part in restoring water flow and allowing salmon back to the upper Garry.�
Mr Jack added: �This most welcome news is a milestone in salmon conservation.�
�Some ten miles of the main river and seven miles of tributary will once again be capable of producing salmon,� he said.
�We estimate that this is likely to produce an additional 1,500 adult, predominantly spring, salmon returning to the river annually.
�We are very pleased to have been able to work with SSE and SEPA to a successful conclusion.�
Ian Buchanan of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), said: �This is by far the most significant river restoration project of this type that has been achieved to date in Scotland, if not the UK, thanks to the EU Water Framework Directive.�
