Salmon Fishing on the River Tay

Fishing at Murthly, you will be well looked after by our excellent ghillies, Donald Tritton and Tony Black, who possess a deep knowledge of the water, having been here since 1985 and 1989 respectively.

Murthly has some of the best fly-fishing water on the River Tay, and fishes well throughout the season. Catch numbers are comparable to many Lower Tay beats, and more one 30-pound salmon is usually caught over the course of the fishing season. The British record salmon of 64 lbs was caught here, but the record belongs to Glendelvine Estate, as it was their day when Georgina Ballantine made the catch of her life in 1922.

It is, though, the outstanding setting of the Tay at Murthly that is the greatest pull. Many return year after year to enjoy the impressive banks of mature Douglas Fir, beech, oak and sycamore, and the views to the Dunkeld hills and along Strathmore. Artists have always been attracted here, and the river at Murthly has been painted by several well-known artists, such as Sir John Millais, David Farquharson, Ernest Briggs, James Kinnear and Alistair Makinson.

The river can be fished by wading or from the bank, and each beat has its own boat for access to water that cannot be reached by wading. All our beats also have their own hut, complete with electricity, heating, toilet and kitchen facilities, plus indoor and covered outdoor eating areas.

Catch Figures

There were 522 salmon and 34 sea trout caught on Murthly water in the 2011 season. The five year average (2007-11) is 435 salmon and 51 sea trout.

Bookings & Enquiries

Our Stenton and Low Water beats are shared with our neighbours, meaning that we have two beats available to fish each day, under the names Beat 1 and Beat 2.

Beat 1 comprises alternating days on the Top Water (five rods) and Low Water (five rods). Beat 2 comprises alternating days on Stenton (three rods) and the Top Water (five rods). There is no Sunday fishing.

To make an enquiry or booking, please contact George Leggat by e-mail or on 01738 494 101.

Trout Fishing on the River Tay

Trout fishing is let through the Dunkeld and Birnam Angling Association. Day permits are available from the Post Office in Dunkeld. Club membership enquiries should be directed to Martin Brooks on 01350 728 864.

What they said:

Steve Canny sent us this e-mail in June 2011 after fishing on the Tay with our ghillies, Donald and Tony, for the first time: "Both Tony and Donald are superb ghillies, of the highest order. The knowledge and professionalism of both is impecable, and they helped me enjoy my first visit to the Murthly beats. They must be the finest beats I have fished on, and the way they are run, in particular with regard to catch and release, should be held up as an example to the other Tay beats."