The river has edged upwards over the last few days but remains at a good height and fish continue to get caught: Jim Fisher was the successful angler today with a 10lber from Port-na-Craig bank in the afternoon. Great to see the river fishing well at the moment.
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| A 10lber for Jim Fisher from Port-na-Craig bank this afterrnoon |
With three fish caught it was another great start to the week on our Dam beat: Dave Stewart landed a superb fish of 16lbs on Port-na-Craig bank in the morning; Craig Masson then had a 16lber on Pitlochry bank in the morning; and in the afternoon Steve Watt rounded things off nicely with a 9lber from Port-na-Craig bank. A further two fish were lost during the day. The beat is fishing really well at the moment - and things couldd get better as the river settles back - looking good for the rest of the week.
All looked good this morning with good river levels and a few fish were showing but none was willing to take. Stephen Dewhurst stuck at it, though, and was rewarded with a fresh fish of 6lbs from Pitlochry bank in the afternoon. Looking good for tomorrow.
Pitlochry Dam salmon fishing is now booked solid through April with the exception of one day when unbelievably 3 rods are available starting on the Portnacraig bank. How did everyone miss this date? First come first served! And there's still lots of availability in May - usually our best month of the year. Maybe time to get booked up?
River levels dropped back overnight and with temperatures a notch or two up on recent days all looked good this morning. As it turned out three fish were caught and it was another great day at the Dam: Iain McLaren did well with a 15lber from Port-na-Craig bank in the morning and followed that up with a 17lber from Pitlochry bank in the afternoon; and Steve Watt continued his good run with a superb fish of 9lbs from Pitlochry bank in the morning. Prospects look excellent for the weekend.
Excellent fishing conditions on the river today and with five fish caught it was an outstanding start to the week: Steve Watt got things going with a 7lber then followed up with another at 13lbs - both from Pitlochry bank in the morning; Bruce Campbell landed a 9lber on Port-na-Craig bank in the morning; Jim Fisher also had a fish from Port-na-Craig bank in the morning - this time a 10lber; and in the evening Martin Wilson rounded things off nicely with a fish of 15lbs from Port-na-Craig bank. All fish were caught on the fly. Great to see the beat come to life (at last!) - and as the run continues to build prospects should improve further - looking good.
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| A 10lber for Jim Fisher on Port-na-Craig bank this morning |
Good conditions again today and another fish caught: Les Dargie was the successful angler with a lively fish of 12lbs on the fly from Pitlochry bank in the afternoon. Seems to be quite a few fish in the beat at the moment and things really starting to pick up. Prospects loooking good for the rest of the week - surely more to come.
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| Another good day for Les Dargie - a 12lber from Pitlochry bank this afternoon |
It's that time of year again - the start of our loch trout fishing season. The first stocking of rainbow trout for this year was carried out at a cold and blustery Loch Bhac this morning. With temperatures forecast to rise it's got to be worth heading up for a cast.
The river dropped back a little overnight but was still at a good height for the anglers today. Things were quiet in the morning, though, but did liven up nicely in the afternoon: Jack Pollard landed a very nice fish of 18lbs from Pitlochry bank on the fly and Brian Thomson had a lively fish of 8lbs also on the fly from Port-na-Craig bank. Great to see some quality fish in the beat. Things starting to pick up now.
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| A superb 18lber for Jack Pollard this afternoon |
Ideal fishing conditions on the river today and with a fish caught on the first run through this morning it was the perfect start to the week. Gordon Hanslip was the successful angler with a nice fish of 7lbs on the fly from Port-na-Craig bank. Despite best efforts that was to be the only fish of the day. Prospects remain good, though, and there should be more to come this week.
It was cold and blustery down at the Dam today ... but the fish were there to be caught. Ally Gowans managed to persuade one to take this morning - a lively fish of 7lbs caught on the fly on Port-na-Craig bank. Looks like the fishing is starting to pick up - room for optimism as we head into the weekend.
It was quiet at the Dam today but further downstream we got the first fish of the season on our Sawmill beat: Steve Watt was the successful angler, landing a lovely fresh 8 pounder on the spinner. Great to see Sawmill off the mark and hopefully the first of many.
The river was at a good height again today but persistent squally showers added an unwelcome challenge to the anglers out today. Alan Hayes persevered, though, and was rewarded with a nice fish of 10lbs on the fly from Pitlochry bank this afternoon - nicely done. Conditions look good for tomorrow - could be more to come this week.
An excellent day to be out for a cast and with a fish caught and another lost at the net it was another good day at the Dam. The successful angler was Alun Williams who landed a nice fish of 7lbs on the fly on Port-na-Craig bank this morning - nicely done. More fish seen in the beat - things are hotting up down there.
Excellent fishing conditions today - river at an ideal height, light winds and temperatures a degree or two up on last week. Les Dargie made the most of it landing our first fly caught salmon of the season - a superb fish of 14lbs from Port-na-Craig bank this morning - and for that achievement also winning the much coveted Mitchell Trophy - well done! Should be more to come this week - it's getting fishy down there.
Could be an interesting evening:
Salmon and its associated industry: a talk
A talk by Corin Smith on this very important fish. Corin is a wildlife photographer who has an interest in salmon farming.
This talk will take place in the Tryst, Church of Scotland, 13 Bonnethill Road, Pitlochry, PH16 5BS.
To find out more, and for any queries, please contact Mark Aquilina, 07796 561 844.
Suggested donation: £3 for non-members, £2 for members (you can donate in person on the day).
See link: https://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/our-events/salmon-and-its-associated-industry-a-talk/
Perfect fishing conditions today and the perfect start for Martin Timmins: a sea liced fish of 14lbs on the spinner from Port-na-Craig bank first thing this morning. Callum Imray then followed up early in the afternoon with a superb fish of 12lbs on the spinner - this time from Pitlochry bank. The river remains at a good height - prospects look excellent - should be more to come this week.
Good fishing conditions again today and success came in the form of a 15lber on the spinner for Steve Watt on Pitlochry bank this afternoon. The fish put up a fantastic fight by all accounts - as might be expected at this time of year. Hopefully this is a sign the fishing is picking up .... could be more to come this week.
The river has been at a good height for some time now but despite this the first fish of the season has remained elusive - until now! Steve Watt was the successful angler with a superb fish of 16lbs caught on the spinner from Pitlochry bank this morning. Great to see our season fully underway. Conditions are looking excellent for the rest fo the week - maybe more to come?
Scotlands Hotel, Bonnethill Road, Pitlochry, Wednesday 13 March (19:30)
Presentation by Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust
Programme Director, Scotland Deirdre Stewart followed by a QA session.
The Trust’s long-term vision for this project is to breathe
life back into this land by restoring habitats and ecological processes,
recovering iconic missing species, and rebuilding a strong, emotional connection
between people and the environment.
Break for free refreshments followed by:
Fly tying talk and demonstration by Ross Macdonald from
Aberdeen.
This is sure to be a very informative evening. Please invite anyone you think might be interested in attending as the event is open to all.
Another salmon season got underway this morning. It was a cold start with temperatures below freezing and a dusting of snow. A few hardy members ventured out for a cast and a few more looked on from the bank. Conditions looked promising but there was to be no opening day springer this year. Hopefully not too long before the first fish of the year comes to the net and hopefully a successful season lies ahead.
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| Port-na-Craig beat this morning - another season begins |
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| A few hardy members headed out for a cast |
Conditions are excellent on our Ruan Ruarie beat right now - and there's no shortage of fish. Paul Carter took advantage with a nice fish of 11lbs caught on the fly this morning. The fishing can be eexciting up there at this time of year - well worth a go.
Nice conditions at the Dam at the moment - and quite a few fish about by all accounts. Gavin Thompson was successful yesterday with a sea trout of 2lbs on the spinner from Pitlochry bank early in the morning. The rain forecast for the weekend should encourage a few more fish into the beat next week - could be good.
The upcoming Scottish National Fly Fishing competition is on Sunday 3rd September.
32 competition anglers will be fishing PAC water on the River Tummel between Pitlochry and Ballinluig, the river will be very busy! If you want to watch the experts and learn this is a great opportunity however if you want to fish it might be difficult to find a sanctuary whilst the competition is in progress. It should be finished by 6pm.
There haven't been too many caught in our Sawmill beat this season but Martin Timmins managed to intercept a grilse of 2lbs yesterday morning. Quite a few have been moving through our beat over the last few weeks - and if you're in the right place at the right time .....
It's always worth a go after a lift in water and John Muir was rewarded with an 8lber on the spinner from Pitlochry bank this aftermoon. There seems to be quite a few fish moving through the beat at the moment - prospects look good.
Just to let our members and visitors know that Jack Perk’s newly released film “Britain's Hidden Fish” on the lives of all our freshwater and migratory fish – and some sea fish - will be shown at the Birks Cinema, Aberfeldy 01887 822845 on Monday evening (i.e. 31st July) at 8pm – with wonderful underwater video as never before.
The making of this superb film over the course of two years was funded by a crowdfunding exercise with many well-known fishing organisations including the Wild Trout Trust and the Grayling Society among the supporters. The film is narrated by Jeremy Wade of Channel 4's River Monsters fame who was closely involved in the project.
https://birkscinema.co.uk/films-events/films/britains-hidden-fishes/
Conditions were favourable at the Dam yesterday and it was another good day for Martin Timmins who landed a fresh fish of 7lbs on the fly on Pitlochry bank in the morning and then a sea trout of 4lbs on the spinner in the afternoon - nicely done. The river remains at a good height - definitely worth a go at the moment.
The lift in water seems to have livened things up at the Dam and the good fishing continued yesterday: Massimo Castelvecchi got on the score sheet (at last!) with a 14lber on the fly in the evening on Port-na-Craig bank - well done! - and Martin Timmins did well with a 14lber on the spinner - again from Port-na-Craig bank. Good to see a few about and looking good for the rest of the week.
The recent lift in water has livened things up at the Dam - and there seems to be a few fish about. Robert Gardiner managed to interecept one on Pitlochry bank yesterday morning with a fish of 13lbs caught on the spinner and in the evening Martin Timmins had a 16lber on the spinner - again from Pitlochry bank. The river remains at a good height and there could be more to come this week.
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| Robert Gardiner with a 13lber caught on Pitlochry bank |
The recent lift in water has livened things up on PAC waters. Duncan Lawson landed a lively grilse of 4 lbs on the fly on Pitlochry bank this afternoon and further up on our Ruan Ruarie beat good numbers of fish were seen on the beat and a fish was lost. Conditions look excellent - could be a few more to come this week.
Still no sign of the significant rain we've been hoping for but that doesn't mean it's not worth a cast at the moment: John Muir ventured out yesterday evening and was rewarded with a lively fish of 8lbs on the fly from Pitlochry bank. The fish are there!