GRILSE START TO MAKE AN APPEARANCE ON THE TAY AS WE APPROACH MIDSUMMER!
(River Tay weekly report week ending 20th June 2026)
We quite literally marked mid-summer over the weekend, as Sunday was the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere. This is when one of Earth's two poles reaches its maximum tilt towards the sun. Sunday was therefore 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 a mixed bag of weather last week, with variable cloud cover and some showers. When the sun did come out, it felt pleasantly warm. There was a spell of heavy rain on Friday, which caused the river to rise. On Saturday, the river was quite coloured following the rise, but fishable.
It was good to see grilse starting to appear on the Tay last week and hopefully the summer run will be strong in the days and weeks ahead.
On the River Garry, Mr. Richard Henderson caught a nice fourteen pounder on Wednesday from the Ruan Ruarie Beat. On the River Tummel at Portnacraig, Mr. Lukasz Cwik caught a fine ten pounder on the spinner from the Portnacraig bank on Monday. On Saturday, Mr. John Elliot caught a thirteen pounder at Portnacraig on the spinner.
1.A nice fish caught at Newtyle on Wednesday
It was good to see a magnificent eighteen pounder caught from the Lower Kinnaird on Wednesday, with more fish caught from the beat during the second half of the week. A fish was caught at Dalmarnock on Tuesday.
At Newtyle, Mr. David Gardner caught a lovely fish on the fly from the Boil on Wednesday. Another fish was caught at Newtyle on Saturday.
It was a good start to the week at Murthly with both beats producing a combined total of four fish on Monday. There was more success on the Murthly 2 Beat on Wednesday. The Murthly beats finished with a combined total of ten fish for the week.
A Kercock cracker caught on Tuesday
At Kercock, it was a happy Monday for Mr. Louis Harrison, who caught a lovely fourteen pounder. Mr. Allan Haggerty also caught a fine twelve pounder on the fly. On Tuesday, there were two more fish caught at Kercock. Successful anglers included Mr. Mike Harrison and Mr. Stuart Cooper.
A nice fish caught on the fly at Kercock on Tuesday
There was more success at Kercock on Wednesday and Thursday, including a cracking nineteen pounder. On Saturday, twelve-year-old Josh Lang caught his first ever salmon, weighing fifteen pounds. Well done, young man, what a fish for your first!
A fine fish caught at Kercock on Thursday
Mr. John Dewar and Mr. Paul Jack also caught fish at Kercock on Saturday. There was success at Meikleour on Monday.
It was a productive Monday at Islamouth, where five fish were landed from the beat. Mr. David Plumpton caught two nice fish from the Cutty and Donnits.
Mr David Plumpton lands Islamouth silver on Monday
Mr. Mike Jennings also landed a fine brace with fish caught from the Longhead and Donnits. On Tuesday, Mr. Angus Oughtred caught two nice fish from the Longhead.
A sparkling grilse caught by Mr Mike Jennings at Islamouth on Monday
Other successful anglers at Islamouth on Tuesday included Mr. Peter Huddleston and Mr. Simon Martin. There was more success for Mr. Angus Oughtred at Islamouth on Wednesday when he caught a lovely fish from the Longhead.
Mr Angus Oughtred lands a fine fish at Islamouth on Tuesday
Mr. David Plumpton also caught two nice fish. On Thursday, Mr. Iain Wood caught a good fish from Donnits. Next on the scoresheet at Islamouth was Mr Willie Wood who caught a fish from Sandyford on Friday.
More success at Islamouth for Mr Angus Oughtred on Wednesday
On Saturday, Mr. Jim Ferrie and Mr. John Mcelroy both caught fish at Islamouth.
A good fish caught by Mr Iain Wood at Islamouth on Thursday
It was a fantastic Friday for Mr. Kevin Jervis at Ballathie. Mr. Jervis caught his first ever salmon, weighing eleven pounds, from the Rumbling Stone. Well done, Sir…hopefully the first of many! There was also success for Mr. Roger Birnam, who caught a cracking twelve pounder.
Mr Kevin Jervis lands his first ever Salmon at Ballathie on Friday
There were some lovely fish caught at Cargill last week. Mr. John Kelly landed Tay silver on Monday and on Tuesday, Mr. Glen Gilson had success. Mr. Alan Hunter caught a fine summer salmon at Cargill on Friday afternoon in spite of a rapidly rising river.
A good deep fish caught at Cargill on Thursday
There were fish caught at Stobhall on Monday and Thursday and it was good to see some nice fish caught at Taymount last week.
Mr Steve Wright with a lovely fish at Fishponds
Towards the bottom end of the river, Mr. Steve Wright landed two nice fish at Fishponds on Thursday, weighing twelve and sixteen pounds. The fish were caught from the Five Trees and Cochranes. Mr. Wright’s nephew then got in on the act when he landed a lively ten pounder from Shocie Mouth. The Waulkmill Beat finished with two fish for the week.
More Fishponds silver!
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 feel free to contact us at [email protected].
Tight lines,
Samantha & Sandy Datta
Beat catches reported
(Last week)
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Beat
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Catches
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Waulkmill
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Salmon - 2, Sea trout - 3
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Fishponds
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Salmon - 3, Sea trout - 0
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Stobhall
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Salmon - 2, Sea trout - 1
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Taymount
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Salmon - 3, Sea trout - 0
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Ballathie
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Salmon - 2, Sea trout - 0
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Cargill
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Salmon - 4, Sea trout - 0
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Islamouth
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Salmon - 17, Sea trout - 0
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Meikleour and Upper Islamouth
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Salmon - 1, Sea trout - 0
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Kercock
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Salmon - 9, Sea trout - 0
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Murthly 1
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Salmon - 2, Sea trout - 0
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Murthly 2
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Salmon - 8, Sea trout - 1
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Newtyle
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Salmon - 2, Sea trout - 0
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Dalmarnock
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Salmon - 1, Sea trout - 0
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Lower Kinnaird
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Salmon - 3, Sea trout - 1
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Lower Bolfracks
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Salmon - 0, Sea trout - 0
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Portnacraig Pitlochry
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Salmon - 2, Sea trout - 0
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Ruan Ruarie
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Salmon - 1, Sea trout - 0
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GOOD SPORT IN THE DAYS AND WEEKS AHEAD?
(River Tay salmon fishing prospects week commencing 22nd June 2026)
There were some lovely salmon and grilse caught from the Tay system last week, with the quality of fish being landed second to none. Overall, fishing conditions were decent for mid-June, which was welcome news for anglers. The fish caught were a mixture of mainly larger summer salmon, combined with a few grilse. Hopefully, the summer run will start to gain momentum in the days and weeks ahead, so anglers can enjoy some good sport.
Over the weekend, it has been mainly dry and it has felt warmer. Looking ahead to next week, the dry weather should continue with high pressure influencing our weather. There is a chance of an isolated shower, and it will feel warm, with temperatures in the high teens or low twenties.
The river is currently at a perfect height for many beats. There were fish caught from Lower Kinnaird down to Waulkmill last week, so catches were well spread on the Tay system.
With the decent current water levels for the time of year, 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 the Tay next week, with beats on the middle and lower river probably offering the best chance of some decent sport. So why not book a day on the mighty River Tay next week? Nothing beats 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 ago. 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 of 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. It is important that anglers treat their quarry with the utmost of respect at all times.
