The romance of catching an Atlantic salmon in Scotland is on many a bucket list. Some may have already achieved this, while others are still chasing that elusive dream.

For us there is nothing better than guiding a new fisher to unfrequented waters, teaching the guest the relevant casting styles that will enable them to cast out a long line that will hopefully land the fly in places that might just entice a fish, and the ultimate succession of hooking into their first Atlantic salmon – A moment to never be forgotten!

That special ‘moment’

From then the instructions flow off the tongue as it’s the same every time a guest hooks a fish. We try to get them out of the water, guiding them onto the bank while still putting pressure on the fish in the hope that it doesn’t come off. Once the guest is on the bank, they can then follow the fish downriver and bring the fish into deeper waters.

All the while are been given careful instructions on what to do (usually telling them to allow the fish to run if it wants to and keep their hands off the reel). Once they have settled down, they can enjoy the spectacular moment and feel the immense power of a salmon. Once the fish is in the net, we can then high five and quickly take an obligatory photo and return the fish back safely back to the water.

Choosing the right fly

For us, at You Fish Scotland our favourite method would be dry fly for salmon or pulling a sunray through the pools and watching the fish chase the fly across the pool. It’s amazing where a salmon will come from to chase a sunray, I’ve witnessed them come from as far as 10 meters away! It’s a great visual for our guests and it gets their blood flowing as if they are seeing fish chasing, it gives hope for the chance to catch one.

We try to get our guests to see salmon as this will give them the encouragement to fish for them. Fly fishing for salmon all day and not seeing a fish can test your ability to stay the duration and most get enjoyment from seeing fish well as catching them. When that pull on the line happens, we are always on hand to assist with guests, as excitement tends to get the better of fishermen, even if they are experienced and their instant reaction is to strike the fish, causing it to come off – A bittersweet moment!

Only the best equipment

We make sure every part of the experience is the best it can be, including providing all the finest equipment from rods, reels, line, tippet, waders, boots, wading jackets, lifejackets, glasses, and even a hat. We cater for both female and male clothing in all sizes, however, we have previously been caught out when a guest appeared with size 16 feet!

Most of our guests fly in from abroad and wish for us to collect them from their hotel in the mornings and take them back at the end of the day, this is all part of our service as well as providing a spectacular lunch if required and for those that have our lunch, the choice of home-baked cakes by Roz always go down a treat!

On other days we decide to go to a local hotel for lunch so that we could relax, and the guests can have a drink by a cosy fire. The break from the river seems to work as when our guests get back they are eager to get back on the water and push that little bit to try and achieve the goal of adding their first Atlantic salmon on the fly.

The format of the day

We are generally on the water at 09.00 am and off the water at 17.00pm, we stop for lunch around mid-day for an hour, or we bring out the trout rods and try for a few trout to break it all up. If you are not used to wading the day can be tiring, not just physically but mentally as well. The guests have a lot to take onboard, learning new casting skills, the average day will consist of a single Spey, Double Spey, snake roll, and a snap t. We will fish two banks over the day with either the right in the morning and the left in the afternoon or vice versa.

When guests leave us not only will they have learned a new skill, fished in some incredible places, spotted wildlife, and been emersed by local knowledgeable and enthusiastic guides, but they will be memories that are treasured for a lifetime. So, why fish for Atlantic salmon anywhere else than in Scotland?

Get in touch with a member of the team at You Fish Scotland today.