We are settled into normal spring conditions, bright sunny mornings, dropping water levels and your breath can be seen by your angling friend in the next pool. Yes its perfect for that Spring fish to take your fly and knock off those ice particles early in the morning sun.
We are now coming into one of the most important months on the calendar for the Tay system as the Spring fish will start to move from the lower beats into the middle beats of the river spreading them more evenly through the system.
Fast stink tips, intermediate lines or even deeper will help you find your quarry but you will need the all-important fly on the end of your setup. With this in mind I would point you in the direction of the most successful patterns that I have fished over the years. Aurora Cascade is a favourite of mine along with the Flame Thrower Tosh, a truly standout black & yellow pattern. Other patterns that will catch fish regularly are the Cohn’s Spring Willie Gunn, Girnal Shrimp, Ally’s pearl shrimp and for those of you who like using a bit of Pink the beautiful Lady Meikleour pattern or Cohn’s Pinky Pearl and the Blue Pearl are sure to go down well. Remember it’s all about the fly being seen this month as a Salmon’s eye sight is not as good as normal due to the cold water conditions.
Have a great month on the Tay and remember to bring that flask of soup with you as you are sitting next to the ghillie’s fire defrosting your fingers. There will be some special fish on the move this month and I hope you get connected with one.
Malcolm Anderson
