Aberfeldy Area Salmon Fishing

Lets Fly Fish with Ally Gowans

Ally Gowans is a professional writer, photographer, fishing instructor and guide who provides top class tuition and instruction including Spey casting, underhand, roll and overhead casting with two handed rods and all types of single handed casts, including overhead and side casts, roll and Spey casts, underhand casts and the use of single and double hauls with those casts. Learn all the secrets for successful fly fishing.

Fly fishing tuition and guided trips are available within the Highland Perthshire area and throughout Scotland, contact Ally to make arrangements. Ally also holds Spey casting and single handed casting schools in Scotland and various other countries including USA, Canada, England, Ireland, and Italy. If you would like to arrange a fly fishing school close to your location contact Ally for details.

Ally's qualifications include APGAI trout, salmon and fly tying, AAPGAI Master and FFF Master Instructor and Two Handed Casting Instructor. He also hold a coach licence for game angling, a requirement for undertaking public authority coaching duties. These qualifications are fine but they pale into insignificance against over 50 years experience of being a serious fishing bum. Whilst he cannot cure the angling disease he can make it more enjoyable, infectious even, by teaching you trout and salmon fishing and fly tying to the very highest standards.

Ally is the creator of the renowned Ally's Shrimp salmon fly, amongst others, which was voted the "Salmon Fly of the Millennium" by the readers of Trout & Salmon magazine and the Trout Fisherman & Angling Times.

To download a copy of Ally's informative brochure click here. Gift Vouchers are available and make the perfect gift, visit the website for more details.

'Spey Casting Made Easy' DVD was directed and produced by Ally and it is possibly the most instructional fly fishing DVD ever about Spey casting and salmon fishing. This DVD teaches double handed Spey casting techniques in a simple and effective manner. Including chapters on efficient Roll, Single Spey, Double Spey, Snake Roll, Snap Tee and Underhand casts and how to avoid common casting faults associated with these casts. Extra chapters on fly tying Ally's Shrimp, knots, shooting line, sinking line and choosing the correct cast for the prevailing conditions.

Loch Tay

Loch Tay (Scottish Gaelic, Loch Tatha) is a freshwater loch which lies in the valley between the villages of Killin and Kenmore, stretching over 15 miles in length and 1 mile wide. Loch Tay is a long and narrow loch with steep sides, which follows the line of the valley from the south west to north east. It is the sixth largest loch in Scotland by area and over 150 metres (490 ft) deep at its deepest.

Ben Lawers on its north shore is at 1214 m the 10th highest mountain in the British Isles, and is the highest peak in a group of seven munros.

Killin at the head of the loch, and Kenmore at the outflow of the River Tay, are the main settlements on the lochside today. The smaller settlements of Acharn, Ardeonaig and Ardtalnaig are located on the south side of the loch whilst Fearnan and Lawers are on the north side.

The loch, and many of its surroundings, feature in the traditional Scottish 'Loch Tay Boat Song' (Scottish Gaelic, Iorram Loch Tatha).

In ancient times (in the Iron Age) people lived on defensible, man-made islands on the loch, called Crannogs. More than 20 submerged crannogs have been identified in the loch. An example has now been reconstructed on the south side of the loch at the Scottish Crannog Centre.

The rivers Lochay and Dochart run into the head of Loch Tay in the west, while the River Tay itself flows out of the loch in the east. Loch Tay acts like a giant reservoir for the River Tay, rumour has it that a strong west wind blowing down the loch can send an extra foot of water down the river.

Fishing Loch Tay

Trolling using Rapala plugs, Kynoch Killers, spoons and minnows is the most effective method for salmon fishing the loch. There is a shelf which runs nearly all the way round the loch, approximately 30m out the shelf plunges steeply into deep water, trolling boats are advised to follow this line. There are over 20 Crannogs submerged in Loch Tay, make sure you know where they are or they will damage your boat.

Salmon fishing in the loch has been practiced for many years, at the end of the nineteenth century it wasn't uncommon for 300/400 large salmon to be caught on rod and line during the first four months of the season. Today this is unheard of but the loch still produces a few monsters between 20/30lb each year. In addition to salmon there are substantial numbers of trout, charr, pike and roach. The low shores at Killin are renowned for Pike and Roach.

The trout session runs from 15 March - 6th October and the salmon session runs from 15th January - 15th October (excluding Sundays).

Permit Details:
West/Central Beat: Killin & Breadalbane Angling Club operates the trout and coarse fishing from mouth of the Lawers Burn to Killin on the North side and Lochay/Dochart to Allt Mherin Burn on the South side. Permits are charged at £5.00 per day, available from News First, Killin, telephone 01567 820362

Central/East Beat: East Loch Tay Angling Club operates the trout and coarse fishing from Fearnan to Kenmore on the North side and Achianich Burn to Kenmore on the South side, including challenging fly fishing along the wooded shoreline. Permits are charged at £5.00 per day, available from Kenmore Post Office & Shop, telephone 01887 830200

Salmon fishing permits are issued by riparian owners. Permits are available to purchase from:

Loch Tay Highland Lodges, Milton of Morenish, Killin, telephone 01567 820323
Ardeonaig Hotel, Killin, telephone 01567 820400
Loch Tay Lodges, Acharn, telephone 01887 830209

Image Gallery: © Copyright and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

Kenmore Beat - Upper Tay

The Kenmore beat of the Upper River Tay offers double bank fishing on 2.5 miles of the River Tay beginning at the Kenmore Bridge, the mouth of the mighty Tay.

Salmon Fishing - Kenmore Hotel
Kenmore Hotel provides Salmon fishing permits from the Hotel Pool to Tommy Price (9 pools), click here to download a copy of the map. Fly-fishing and spinning are allowed on all pools. A double handed fly rod is recommended. Floating and sink tip lines are favoured mostly, with sunk lines being used in Spring and late Autumn. A strong single-handed rod can easily be used in summer for Grilse. Favoured flies are the Willie Gunn and Ally's Shrimp. Spinning with a 10 – 12' rod can be productive especially in high water.

Visitors can obtain permits from Kenmore Hotel which is open seven days a week from 08.00am - 10.00pm, situated in the Village Square. Email by clicking here or call 01887 830 205
Day Permit: £30.00 per person

Trout Fishing - Taymouth Angling Club
Taymouth Angling Club was established in 1997 to provide trout fishing to residents of Kenmore as well as to visitors to the area. Trout are normally around the pound mark and can be prolific, there are some better specimens in the more inaccessible places. Fishing is strictly by fly only using a conventional fly rod and line, with a maximum of 20 rods per day. Barbless hooks are requested. Senior Citizens, Juniors and the Disabled may fish the Hotel Pool using any method.

Visitors can obtain permits from the Kenmore Post Office which is open seven days a week from 8.00am - 6.00pm, situated in the heart of Kenmore Village opposite the hotel. Call 01887 830 200
Day Permit: £5.00 per adult / £2.00 per junior & concession
Weekly Permit: £25.00 per adult

Image Gallery: © Copyright licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

Bolfracks Estate - Upper Tay

The Bolfracks Estate Salmon fishing on the River Tay offers some of the most reasonable and accessible water in the county. At the top of the salmon fishing beat is the junction of the River Lyon with the River Tay and as anglers know a confluence is always a top spot and this is no exception. In spite of being an upper beat, here, the angler has a good chance of a fish as many well know.

The Point Pool is well known locally and by many visiting anglers for its productivity and pleasure to fish. Many return year on year to take up its challenge. But there are many more pools on the two beats ranging from the fast flowing runs to deep holding pools where the bigger fish lurk. In all there are ten named pools stretching over close to three miles of water.

The fishing has now been divided into two beats which are fished in rotation by The Bolfracks Salmon Anglers syndicate and by Day Ticket holders. In this way every angler has a chance to fish this sought after water. Day Ticket Holders have access to the Upper Salmon Fishing Beat (Point) on Tuesdays Thursdays & Saturdays with access to the Lower Beat on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays.

The fishing is easily accessible, with plenty of parking spaces. There is a basic fishing hut at the Point, which offers shelter in inclement weather.

Fishing Permit costs:
January to 30th April - £20.00 per rod
1st May to 15th June - £40.00 per rod
June 16th to 31st August - £20.00 per rod
1st September to October 15th- £40.00 per rod

For more information, including detailed maps, click here