Loch Tay sits at the head of the Tay system in Perthshire — fifteen miles long, deep in its central basin (over 500 feet, more than most people realise), and holding the strange Highland combination of spring salmon, wild brown trout, Arctic charr, and ferox. Mandatory catch-and-release applies. Declining Atlantic salmon populations are Category 3 under Scottish Government classification; every fish returned matters. The salmon come up from the river below and hold in the shallower bays at the east end for much of the spring — trolling is the traditional method and still the most productive, though fly fishing from anchored boats on the morning calm can produce when conditions are right. Brown trout fishing in the eastern and western basins is classic Highland loch-style work, with a team of three wet flies drifted on a moderate ripple from April through June. Arctic charr live in the deep central basin and surface rarely; catching one is a specialist pursuit involving down-rigged deep presentation and long patient days. The loch opens on 15 January for salmon, matching the river — one of the earliest openings in Scotland. Boats and permits through the Kenmore and Killin hotels and the Loch Tay Fisheries.
- Loch
- Mixed
