Aberfeldy Fishing

The Mighty Atlantic Salmon!

Salmon (Salmo salar – Roman for Salmon the leaper)

Watching a salmon leaping up a waterfall on its way home to spawn is one of nature's sights to behold. Records show salmon leaping at least 12 feet in determination to ascend a waterfall. In Highland Perthshire you can often see Salmon leaping at The Hermitage, Pitlochry Dam & Salmon Ladder, Soldiers Leap at Killiecrankie and the Linn of Tummel.

Rivers and burns throughout Highland Perthshire are home to many thousands of migratory salmon, some of which swim many miles into the mountains to reach their home pools to spawn and start another cycle of their amazing life story. The young salmon grow in our clean waters for a few years before starting their epic journeys to the salt water feeding grounds via the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Some of them reach the Davis Straight on the west coast of Greenland before heading home again, a distance of 6000 miles as the crow flies! On their return they battle their way past nets, killer whales, dolphins and the thousands of seals that prey upon them around the coasts. The survivors, a small percentage of those that hatched in our rivers return home safely to re-produce and provide thrilling sport for the angler fortunate enough to encounter them.

Salmon fishing is available throughout Highland Perthshire from 15th January until 15th October although some beats of the River Tay remaining open until 31st October. Click here to peruse our Angling pages.

Salmon may arrive in the River Tay on any day of the year but of course there are peak times. Spring salmon are the earliest running multi sea winter fish. In most rivers the main runs start to arrive in March, but on the River Tay they can arrive much earlier but generally the numbers are fairly low until then. April and May are the hot times for spring salmon, these fish can be large, and in years gone by specimens around the 30lb mark have been encountered.

Salmon require a good freshwater habitat for successful breeding; pollution free water, accessible stable redds, and good water levels.

Catch & Release has been introduced on our rivers to aid the survival of the mighty Salmon, one of our treasured natural resources. Over the last 3 decades the number of salmon returning to our rivers from the sea has fallen by more than half.

For more information on river habitats visit Scottish Natural Heritage, the mighty salmon visit Salmon & Trout Association, fly fishing visit Lets Fly Fish with Ally Gowans

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.

Aberfeldy Angling Club - Upper Tay

Aberfeldy Angling Club offers Brown Trout and Grayling fishing on a number of beats from Aberfeldy to Grandtully, visitor permits are available. During the winter months the club also manages the Grayling and Coarse fishing from Bolfracks, Aberfeldy and Grandtully, right bank. The club also has salmon fishing , on the Town Water, Aberfeldy. Permits are on sale at Wades New Agent, Aberfeldy. Trout, Coarse and Grayling fishing is available on the following beats, trout permits are charged at £5.00 per day on Bolfracks,Aberfeldy Town, Derculich, Cloichfoldich, Findynate, Derculich South, Pitcastle, Haugh of Grandtully, Sketewan, and Ballintaggart.

In addition to the above, Aberfeldy Angling Club manages the Grayling and Coarse fishing out of the trout fishing season from Bolfracks to Grandtully. from 7th October to 14th March. One permit covers the following beats during the winter months. At this time of year anglers are especially requested to keep clear of spawning redds and to follow the guidelines set by the Grayling Society. Beats of the River Tay are as follows Bolfracks Town Water, Lagg, Grandtully, Tombuie, Derculich, Cloichfoldich, Findaynate, Haugh of Grandtully Sketwan and Ballingtaggart.

Permits available from: Wades Newsagents, Bank Street, Aberfeldy PH15 2BB t. 01887 820397

Club T&C: Aberfeldy Angling Club has a wide selection of waters available (listed above). Many are restricted to fly only although some allow any legal method. Typically there is a 4 trout bag limit and trout under 12″ must be returned unharmed. Fishing is usually dawn to dusk, and is permitted on Sundays. There are restrictions on the numbers of rods for each beat. Check permits for more details of terms and conditions.

The club also manages the trout and salmon fishing on Edradynate Estate. Permits are only available for this beat from the club secretary on 01887 829512 or by email at aberfeldyanglingclub@tesco.net or from Fishpal

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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

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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