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This is a traditional River Tay 'Coble' boat hand constructed from larch & oak. These boats are true works of art and were made in the Perthshire village of Stanley by John Ferguson boatbuilder who's made boats like this for the last 50 years.
Here's the Head Ghillie on the Kinnaird Beat bringing our guided fishing guests back up to the fishing hut at 5pm after a full day out on the Tay. Look at the amazing Springtime riverbank scenery in this perfect shot.
Look at the big bunch of daffodils up behind this lucky River Tay salmon fishing guest. These Spring flowering plants were used by the old Tay ghillies to mark the Spring salmon lies earlier this century. You can see they have still not lost their accuracy! This fine March Spring salmon was caught near Pitlochry on the River Tay.
Here's perfectly painted green River Tay salmon fishing 'coble' boat. This shot was taken at the Rock Pool on Kinnaird and if you look in the far distance you'll see the gravel riverbank at the mouth of the River Tummel.
This traditional River Tay salmon fishing boat is anchored up in the Dunkeld House Cathedral Stream slightly upstream of the landmark Telford Bridge in Dunkeld. You can see the guest casting a fly and while this is done the boatman lets out a yard of rope between each cast which is how the pool is covered.
This is 2 of the traditional salmon fishing boats moored up at the Green Bank Pool on the Lower Kinnaird salmon fishing beat. These boats are a work of art and contribute significantly to the salmon fishing tactics required for success in this pursuit on big Scottish rivers like the Tay.

Can I Boat Fish For Salmon On The River Tay

The famous River Tay in Scotland is one major river where boat fishing for salmon is sometimes an option based mainly on the prevailing water conditions.

Can I Boat Fish For Salmon On The River Tay

Is The River Tay The Biggest Salmon River in Scotland

The River Tay is the largest & deepest Scottish salmon river and most of its many salmon beats have traditional Tay salmon fishing boats for various different salmon fishing tactical approaches and also for commuting guests across the river for riverbank fishing. The Tay is approx 120 miles in length and drains a colossal part of Scotland.

can You boat fish on the River tay

Primarily the Tay boats are used for a form of river trolling known as 'harling'. This method of river current assisted trolling allows 3 or 4 lures to be fished simultaneously behind the boat and the boatman controls the speed of the lures with the engine. These lures should be fished at different distances for maximum water coverage as the boatman slowly zig zags his way downstream with these lures swinging over all of the potential salmon lies as the boat progresses slowly downstream. The correct spacings for each downstream swing of the boat should be the length of the boat (around 16ft) for precice 'harling' water coverage. If done correctly this method provides total blanket coverage of salmon holding areas with lures or flies that are 'constantly' fishing because they do not require re-casting time as the boat is working.

What river tay boat fishing tactics are used

The other mainly used boat fishing approach is simply using the boat as a casting platform with the boatman either on the oars or using a long rope & anchor to position the casting guest(s) over the longer distance salmon lies that would otherwise be difficult to effectively cover from the riverbank. This method also makes it easier for elderly or less physically able salmon fishers to fish effectively when riverbank wading would pose too much difficulty. With the boat being used as a casting platform it permits a salmon fly or lure to be fished at a slower pace on a shorter line so good too for new salmon fishers who may struggle to fish a controlled fly on a longer line.

Is BOAT FISHING FOR SALMON effective On the River Tay

If you've hired a professional River Tay boatman who's highly tuned into the river and life in general then a day out in the boat can be the most amazing multifaceted experience. An experienced Tay boatman is often a great entertainer too and can be fantastic company. There's not much that betters a day out in the boat in the magical natural surroundings of the beautiful River Tay while covering the salmon lies in anticipation of connecting with a perfect Tay salmon. This service is particularly perfect for those who are less physically able to fish or wade from the riverbank.

Are salmon fishing boats used every day on the river tay

The above are the 2 most popular River Tay boat fishing tactical approaches. The boat is however dependent on suitable prevailing water conditions (based on the required tactical boat fishing application) and all Tay salmon fishing venues have different views on when the boat is best utilised. Most of the salmon fishers that come to Scotland for a day or two on the River Tay want to learn how to effectively fly or spin which is best taught from the riverbank where there's adequate space to teach the value of good riverbank movement and the different Spey casts. Follow this link for details on Scottish salmon fishing guide days on the River Tay where all of these riverbank salmon fishing tactics can be properly taught.