Salmon Fishing Scotland

8en7am1n

Member
A friend of mine (complete novice) is looking to travel to Scotland and would like to catch (and eat) a river salmon. Can anyone recommend anyone and what sort of dates would be best? Cost is really academic.
 
Step one: make a big pile of money on the lawn and set fire to it.

Step two: stand waist deep in cold water for 4 days, repetitively swinging a large pole. Ideally, ensure complete immersion on at least 3 occasions.

Step three: engage in conversation with at least 3 people who tell you that you should have been here last week.

Step four: stay up to 2 in the morning drinking far too much whisky on at least 2 nights. Savour the hangover while standing in the cold water the next day.

Step five: go to Waitrose and buy a side of Scottish salmon.

You have now completed an authentic Scottish salmon fishing experience.
 
Step one: make a big pile of money on the lawn and set fire to it.

Step two: stand waist deep in cold water for 4 days, repetitively swinging a large pole. Ideally, ensure complete immersion on at least 3 occasions.

Step three: engage in conversation with at least 3 people who tell you that you should have been here last week.

Step four: stay up to 2 in the morning drinking far too much whisky on at least 2 nights. Savour the hangover while standing in the cold water the next day.

Step five: go to Waitrose and buy a side of Scottish salmon.

You have now completed an authentic Scottish salmon fishing experience.

^^^^^ he knows ! :rofl:
 
Yip, salmon have no respect of fat wallets and wrong river conditions but you wll be told that the best time to catch a salmon is the day before you came and the day after you leave?
 
Ignore the nay-sayers

Head away from the mighty rivers (Spey, Tay, etc) and look for association water on smaller rivers. For less than £30 a day your mate will have as much chance of catching salmon as those who spend thousands. You can have fantastic salmon fishing in Scotland on a budget.






Both caught in late September on Association water using a secondhand £50 Orvis 14' salmon rod I bought on eBay, with a £50 Pfleuger reel from John Norris. When the conditions are right on the smaller rivers you can, in fact I'd almost say will, catch fish.

In 18 years of salmon fishing I've had one blank year.

willie_gunn

P.S. never thought my 3,500 post on Stalking Directory would be about salmon fishing :D
 
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In a word, no.

Trout, on the other hand...

Wouldnt entirely agree with this. It can be a lottery based on the conditions, but the so can stalking!
I've not got a huge amount of experience in salmon fishing (although am very experience on trout) but on the two separate weeks I have fished (on the same Scottish salmon river, not one of the famous ones btw). I caught 5 fish the first week and was happy, the biggest being 16lb. The next year on the same beat of the same river I caught nothing!
 
Of course my opinion is simply borne of bitterness, jealousy and petty rage... I would still LOVE to catch salmon, and still make annual efforts to do so. But trout fishing is easier and more predictable. And there's generally not (much) stigma attached to killing them.

Willie Gunn - when you say association water on smaller rivers, you mean like the Tummel or Isla?
 
A friend of mine (complete novice) is looking to travel to Scotland and would like to catch (and eat) a river salmon. Can anyone recommend anyone and what sort of dates would be best? Cost is really academic.
Hi
If you google fishpal you can see what all the rod catches are and what rivers fish the best times. I also agree with willi gunn regarding association waters.
Hope this information helps your friend.
ajr
 
A friend of mine (complete novice) is looking to travel to Scotland and would like to catch (and eat) a river salmon. Can anyone recommend anyone and what sort of dates would be best? Cost is really academic.

I went some years ago to fish on the Halladale as I had never caught a salmon. The day didn't start well as my eBay reel fell to bits as I marched towards the river. I replaced the reel with my trout reel, started casting and caught the far bank. I then had to walk all the way up to the bridge and walk down the far bank and toss the fly into the water. I then returned to my rod and started casting. There was no wind and the midges were hellish. I proceeded downstream and in a big pool eventually hooked a fish and played it. With help from my Dad my first salmon was netted. He went off for a bag to put it in and I promptly caught a second salmon. I kept it gently in the stream as I waited for my Dad to return. The back of my hands were solid black with midges. My Dad returned and the second salmon was released.

At that point we decided to give up and get away from the midges. I returned two mornings later to fish the same beat again and caught another salmon.

Local knowledge is critical for success with my Dad getting me to the right place at the right time of year. I've still got my eBay fly rod and I've now got a better cheap reel that works. So it's a bit dearer than trout but not extortionate.

Good luck.

JCS
 
head for shetland 150 000 salmon of escaped in poor weather on the 5th of march ,my son skippers a huge salmon work boat ,and he told me no effort has been made eneyone to catch even a single fish , or come up and dip a pock net into one of the salmon cages and cook it on the shore using drift wood bring a few red cans with you and no one will bother you over the fish ,just hand the red cans out, forget this messing around waving a rod and up to your neck in cold water.
 
If he's a complete novice then I'd say taking a day ticket on association water might leave him a bit disappointed! WG is quite right about the chances of a fish (it's the same river the fish are swimming up regardless of how much the bloke on the bank paid to fish it!) but I think going Salmon fishing in Scotland is not all about catching a fish, particularly for a novice.

I'd say get on one of the decent beats on the Tay and soak up the whole experience of having a ghillie and a nice fishing hut to retire to for lunch and maybe a wee drink! Somewhere that has the chance to spend part of your day in a boat also adds to the experience and gives you more chances of a fish in many cases. The presence of the ghillie really adds something - tuition and advice being one and a good bit of banter being another depending where you go.

I'd recommend somewhere like Stobhall as a decent place to start. It has all the ingredients I've described above and if there's enough water in the river there's always a chance of a fish. That chance will be better some weeks than others but that's reflected in the price! Fishscotland website is a great resource and gives you all the details you need to make an informed choice and get something booked.
 
A friend of mine (complete novice) is looking to travel to Scotland and would like to catch (and eat) a river salmon. Can anyone recommend anyone and what sort of dates would be best? Cost is really academic.

Pm me and i will give you the number and contacts for ghillie who has fishing available here in the highlands.
Most runs from the east side of the country have started at the main firth inlets but best time in the highlands is late July to end of August for some decent sizes.

As I said pm me if your interested in fishing on novice beats and beautiful scenery ..ideal for first time experience as it gives you everything like ghillie guidence and the pleasure of the sport on a fully natural highland river, no fancy spey casting needed . Simple fresh water flies and in peice anf quite 20 minutes from Inverness. Accom can be arranged also.
Atb Tulloch
 
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A friend of mine (complete novice) is looking to travel to Scotland and would like to catch (and eat) a river salmon. Can anyone recommend anyone and what sort of dates would be best? Cost is really academic.
I could take him out to the nets with me this summer , he should get one that way:coat:
 
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