Murthly 2 - River Tay

I was invited down by ghillie, Tony Black, to fish on the famous Murthly 2 stretch of the River Tay as part of a group of like minded anglers who call ourselves the Salmon Nutters. Conditions were as close to ideal as we good have asked and there were good numbers of fish caught in the lead up to our day. Murthly is blessed with some of the best fly water on the Tay so fly fishing was first choice tactics for most. I chose to fish the pools first with the fly then again with the spinner afterwards. This is a method I often use on the Tay as I like to maximise my chances of landing a fish.

Team photo at Murthly 2.

We arrived at the beat around 8.30am and we were all treated to a sausage roll for breakfast kindly bought by Philip. This was accompanied by a good dram for some but I was happy to wash mine down with a coffee as I was driving. This was the first time most of us had met in the flesh after years of chatting on various Forums etc so it was good to finally put faces to the names and enjoy a bit of craic with, what have turned out to be good pals. After the rolls and drams it was down to business and Tony allocated us to our pools for the morning. I was to fish the upper part of the top beat under the stewardship of Tony's brother Philip. Philip is a fine angler himself and he made sure we all knew exactly where we were likely to pick up a fish.

Discussing tactics for the day ahead with Stuart, Gavin Kenny and Paul.

The top pool on the beat we were to fish was called the Tronach. This was a lovely looking pool and ideal for fly fishing. Philip started Colin in at the top with Kenny half way down the pool and myself in near the tail. The tail of the pool fished brilliantly but I didn't connect with anything so Philip suggested I headed down for a cast in the Greenbank with the spinner.

Looking up the Tronach from the seat on the South bank.

Looking downstream half way down the Tronach.

Good craic just before heading off for lunch.

The Greenbank was another nice bit of water but due to the high bank on the south side it wasn't the easiest place to fish the fly so it was to be covered with a Vision 110 to begin with. On arrival to the pool there were one or two fish showing which looked as though they were running so Philip suggested changing to a copper Salmo. I tied on the Salmo and made my first cast. I had no sooner started to wind when the line went tight and I lifted into a strong fish. First cast with the Salmo. We couldn't believe it! The fish stayed deep and pulled hard and but I managed to keep it under some sort of control. Just as I was gaining a bit of line back from the fish it somehow dropped off! I really thought I had it well hooked and there was still a good bend in the rod as I was playing it. Sadly, this tends to happen when fishing with tobys and there was nothing I would do differently if I had the time again. That's just part in parcel of fishing sometimes. Not long after I lost my fish, Philip's phone rang and it Paul, who was fishing further down stream, and he told us that he'd also just lost a fish. He was probably playing it the same time I had my fish on. I fished on down the rest of the pool but couldn't temp another springer to take the Salmo so I made my way back up to the top of the Tronach to have another run down it before lunch but unfortunately that proved fruitless as well.

Looking upstream into the Tronach from Greenbank.

Looking down the Greenbank into the Burn.

Lunchtime in the well equipped top hut at Murthly was once again provided for the lads by Philip and we munched our way through loads of sandwiches, crisps and cakes etc. Not to mention a large volume of drams as well! Paul was lucky enough to land an fresh run 10lber on a Salmo just before lunch to everyone was delighted for him. We sat and laughed our way through the lunch hour and had great time chatting about the forums and various pages we all know each other from. The company really does add to a good day's fishing and this was no exception but it was time to head back out onto the water and try again to land a mighty Tay springer.

The hut on the Top Water at Murthly 2.

After lunch I was to fish the Girnal pool along with Kenny, again with Philip as our ghillie. This was another good pool for the fly and there were also fish showing in it and they seemed to by lying in the pool which was encouraging. By this time though, are strong wind had built up which made deep wading and long casts difficult so I opted to persevere with the Toby. Kenny had an offer on the fly not long after starting which sadly didn't stick but it was a good sign that the fish were still keen. I followed him down the pool with the Salmon but neither of us could temp another fish into taking our offerings.

Kenny fishes the fly in the Girnal.

Fishing down the Girnal with a Toby Salmo.

Daffies out on the banks of the Girnal.

Stuart Norris spinning the Girnal.

After fishing the Girnal I decided to head back upstream for a crack in the pool opposite the hut. this was where Paul caught his fish in the morning and it certainly looked a great bit of water. I had first run down with the Toby before finishing off the pool with a Sunray Shadow. Neither method fooled the salmon though and it was time to call it a day and head back to the hut for a blether with the lads before heading home.

Spring has sprung on the banks of the Tay at Murthly.

Ghillie, Tony Black and Gavin Hunter doing some harling in the afternoon.

I really enjoyed my day on the Tay at Murthly. It was great to meet new pals and enjoy the banter in person just like we do when we are on line. I have met some cracking lads through various forms of social media and forum and I can honestly say I have made some good friends because of this and our passion for all things salmon fishing. I will really look forward to the next meet where ever or when ever that may be.
 In the mean time, why not check out the Facebook page  "Salmon Nutter Flies" and say hello or post a few photos of your tying. Maybe see you there?

Stobhall - River Tay

Back in November I booked a day on the Stobhall beat and this including fishing the famous Linn Pool. Conditions on the day were good despite the water a bit on the low side for the Linn Pool to fish well but I couldn't wait to get stuck in. I set up both fly and spinning rods and various tactics and lures were utilised on the day.

The mighty Linn Pool. This was my first glimpse of the beat as I made my way down to the hut. Not bad!

I was to fish the Linn Pool first with Ernie the ghillie and fellow rod Steve. Ernie took us across in the boat to Bellymore which is a man made spit situated pretty much in the middle of the pool. It certainly makes fishing the pool much easier. I started off spinning with a Toby Salmo at the end of the island and worked my way down as Ernie suggested fishing in a clock like fashion. This worked well and it allowed me to fish cover large areas of the pool. There were one or two fish splashing around in the pool and Steve had an offer on a Salmo which didn't stick unfortunately but I didn't get a touch. Ernie suggested giving the Major's Cast a harl so it was back into the boat and off upstream. 

About to get aboard the boat and head across to Bellymore.

Looking towards the Linn Head from the point of Bellymore.

One in a million snap! A nice springer jumps out the water just as I was taking this photo of the pool.

Looking across to Taymount House from Bellymore.

Looking up Bellymore in the Linn Pool. Was a few fish showing here.

I sadly never got any photos of the Major's Cast as I was in the boat but Ernie took me up to the neck of the pool and we harled it down it's length. I changed tactics for this pool and put on a Vision 110 Kinkuro and cast it out the side of the boat. Ernie also had a couple of rods out and the lures were all fishing different depths. Harling is all down to the boatman's skill and ability to get the lures all working at the same time and it is good to watch how it's done. It really is an art and it's a very effective way to cover such a large river like the Tay when fishing from the bank just isn't going to be enough. About half way down the pool and my rod buckled over and I lifted the rod out of the holder ready to set the hook but as I lifted the rod, the fish let go and the opportunity was gone. Still, it was good to know that the lure was fishing as it should be and it instilled a bit of confidence going into the afternoon session after lunch.

A lovely fishing hut over looking the River Tay.

The interior of the well equipped fishing hut.

I spent lunch time talking with Trout and Salmon writer and expert angler, Jim Coates and his pal Iain Wood of Atholl Sporting. It was good to share thoughts and ideas about salmon fishing and it was also good listening to their stories of fishing rivers that I haven't had the pleasure of fishing before. The hour passed in no time so it was back to the fishing and what pools to concentrate on.

Looking upstream in the Finford Stream.

A lovely view looking over the Finford Stream.

First run down the pool with the fly rod and a 1.5" Gold Willie Gunn.

I was to start my afternoon off in the Finford Head and then have a run through Tam's Corner. This was a lovely stretch for fly fishing so I decided to put the spinning rod away for a while and give the pool a good going over with the fly. A Willie Gunn was my choice of fly and I fished on on a F/H/S1 shooting head with a 10ft 4ips tip. My first run down the pool was fruitless but I felt the fly was fishing nice enough to give it another run through before trying the spinning gear again. I changed flies and put on a 1" Monkey and decided to give the fly a bit of extra movement this time by slowly retrieving it as it swung round in the current. Again, this seemed to be fishing well but the fish remained elusive and I fished down the pool twice without seeing a splash.

Looking upstream form Finford Head in Tam's Corner.

Second run down Finford Stream with the spinner this time.

I went back up to the top of Tam's Corner and fished it down through into Finford Stream for the last half hour with a Vision 110 in the hope of covering a fish which didn't fancy taking the fly. I could cover a good bit more water with he spinning gear too but try as I might, the fish just weren't interested in my offerings and I called it a day a 5pm without a touch for the afternoon.

Head ghillie, Bob does a bit of harling with one of the guests.

It was great to fish on one of the best and most famous beats on the River Tay. The Linn Pool is something else and it was quite daunting at first to be honest. It's deep and unpredictable with currents going upsream and down which seems to make the fish stop off in it for that wee while longer giving anglers the chance to land one of them. The Major's Cast was another fine pool and it was good to get some excitement during the morning whilst out haling. The rest of the beat that I saw fished the fly really well and you were just waiting in anticipation for that line to go tight and all hell breaking loose! The ghillies Bob and Ernie were most welcoming and they knew the beat inside out. Their knowledge and skill with the boats is great and they do their utmost to put you onto a fish and  I will look forward to returning again next Spring when hopefully the conditions are a bit more favorable and the fish are in the mood for getting their photograph taken!

Dunkeld House - River Tay

I had a day on the River Tay at Dunkeld House last Saturday thanks to my pal Paul Pritchard. We were to fish from the boat with ghillie for the day, Jim Ferrie. Heading down to Tayside involved an early start and the alarm was set for 5.30am. The prospect of catching a Tay salmon made sleeping the night before almost impossible but I couldn't wait to get down there. On arrival in Tayside, the rain was pouring down and there was a lot of water lying on the roads which was dirty and we feared the worst as we arrived at the river. We were soon assured that conditions were perfect and the water would be fine until at least late afternoon so we got our gear set up and ready for action.

As we were both fishing from the boat, Jim suggested that one of us spin and the other fly fish. I didn't mind spinning as I had my own spinning tackle with me so I set that up and tied on a copper 30g Toby Salmo to begin with. Paul's set up consisted of a floating line with a type 7 sink tip and a #8 double so after a cup of coffee we were ready for the off.

A nice bit of garden at the side of the road on the way down to the fishing hut.

The well equipped fishing hut on the Dunkled House beat on the River Tay.

We were to fish the Lower Beat in the morning and Jim took us down to our first pool we were to fish which was called the Girnal. Not long after arriving in the pool we saw several fresh grilse showing near the tail which looked like running fish so Jim positioned the boat and we began casting across the pool. We must have only fished about 50 yards of the pool when Paul had a good, solid offer on a #8 Bann Special. Unfortunately for Paul, it didn't stick but it was really encouraging to have an offer so soon after starting and this gave us plenty confidence. We fished our way down the pool and although we saw a few more fish showing we just couldn't temp any others so it was time to head off downstream to the next pool.

Paul eager to get going as Jim takes us down in the boat.

Looking downstream in the Girnal where Paul had a good offer not long after starting.

The next pool down was the Gauge Pool and the Grotto. Jim was confident we would see fish here and he was right. We saw quite a few in fact but try as we might, we couldn't find one in a taking mood. It was good to see plenty fish showing though and Jim guided us through the pools expertly. His knowledge of the beat was first class and he made sure we were fishing the right areas to give us the best chance of a fish.

Paul fishing the fly down the Grotto in the torrential rain.

The last pool were to fish before lunch was the Cathedral Stream which is named after the famous Dunkled Cathedral which lies on the bank of the pool. Although quite quiet at first, there was soon a few fish showing on both sides of the pool. Paul covered them with the fly whilst I continued with the Salmo. After 20 minutes or so, Jim changed my lure over to a Vision 120 lure. These are similar to a Rapala and swim just under the surface. Jim thought these prolific lures might just provoke a fish to take as they ran the pool. Despite our best efforts, neither of us could temp a salmon to take our offerings and it was time to head back to the hut for lunch and to dry off!

Looking across through the rain to Dunkeld Cathedral from the Cathedral Stream. A lovely run which fished very well.

Fishing down the Cathedral Stream from the boat looking toward the Dunkeld Bridge.

As we met for lunch, it was good to hear that a nice fresh 3lb Grilse had been landed by one of the rods from the Ivy Tree. There was also news of several lost and quite a number of offers so it was pleasing to hear. After listening to all the action that was had in the morning we were all eager to get going again and we were soon back in the boat and heading off to our pools for the afternoon.

The view looking over the River Tay from the car park at the hut. It was good to see the rain finally had stopped!

The first pool we were to fish in the afternoon was the Lady Pool and work our way down throughout the afternoon. I had set up my fly rod but decided to stick it out with the spinning gear as I thought though would give me the best chance of hooking into a fish. As we made our way down the pools we saw numerous fish showing all the way down a far as you could see. Paul and I were delighted to see so many and confidence was sky high! Once again, Jim positioned the boat in the most likely areas and guided us through each bit of water stating the depth and how to fish it effectively. This help enormously as the Tay is such a vast river and any knowledge like that is always welcome.

Paul launching a cast over the Cutty Stone during the afternoon.

Grey Stone Pool. Plenty fish showing just out from the Croy.

The Mouse trap. A very deep pool with plenty fish showing in here too.

By late afternoon we were down into our final pool for the day which was the Mouse Trap. Jim had told us that this pool was about 20ft deep and we needed to be getting down the fish. Jim fished the pool as well just to maximise our chance of connecting with a fish. Time was beginning to wear on and just as we were thinking of packing up for the day a fish took Jim's rod and it was over to me. It  tried to stay deep and I was as hard on it as I dared. The fish was giving a very good account of itself and made several strong runs. It was also underneath the boat on a couple of occasions but after several minutes I soon had the fish up on surface ready for the net. It was a nice fish around the 10lb mark and Jim did the hounors of netting it. After a quick photo it was safely released back into the Tay and that was as good a time as any to call it a day and we head off back to the hut. This turned out to be the 200th salmon landed this season for Dunkeld House. A fantastic achievement by any standards as it only just into July.

Almost ready for the net.

My first of the season and my first Salmon from the River Tay.

Safely returned back to the river.

I have to say, whether we caught fish or not, it was a great day on the River Tay. We saw loads of fish it every pool and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Jim made the day even more enjoyable with good banter and he was only ever willing to share his vast knowledge of the beat. He did is utmost to get us a fish and tried everything to do so. I must thank Paul once again for his kind generosity for asking me to fish with him which I am very grateful for. I will be back to fish Dunkeld again that for sure. It was a lovely beat despite the heavy rain and very accessible from both bank and boat. It was good to land my first salmon of 2015 as well as my first ever Tay salmon and as for having the privilege of landing their 200th salmon of the season, that was just the icing on the cake!