Good End To The Week

It was more of the same today as far as conditions went - low water but quite a few fish about - not ideal but in with a chance. As it turned out perseverance - as is often the case - was the key: Neill Sproull stuck at and was rewarded with a nice fish of 12lbs on the fly from Pitlochry bank at 4.45pm this afternoon - well done. Having released the fish he then went in for a few more casts and hooked another fish which sadly came off after a cartwheel through the pool. A great end to the week.

Perseverance - a 12lber for Neill Sproull at 4.45pm on Pitlochry bank today

Great Fishing At The Dam

It was another great day on our Dam beat – lots of fish showing throughout the day and two caught: Alex Mitchell was the successful angler in the morning with a lively fish of 10lbs caught on the fly on Pitlochry bank; and in the afternoon Massimo Castelvecchi was on the scorecard again – this time with a 8lber on the fly from Pitlochry bank. Great to see so many fish about and looking good for the rest of the week.

An 8lber for Massimo Castelvecchi on Pitlochry bank this afternoon

Dam Fishing Well

More low water today but out Dam beat continues to produce fish: Craig Masson was the successful angler - landing a sea liced fish of 8lbs on the fly from Pitlochry bank in the afternoon. Good to see plenty of fish about but not easy to catch in the low water. Should be more to come this week.

Steady At The Dam

Another cold and sometimes blustery day at the Dam - but the fish don’t seem to mind: Derek Martin landed a very nice fish of 10lbs on the fly early in the morning on Pitlochry bank. There’s plenty of fish showing at the moment – the next cast could be the one that counts! Looking good as we head into the weekend.

Dam Fishing Well

Quite a change in the weather this week – much colder with the odd rain shower – but not enough, so far at least, to bring the river level up. That said, there’s still fish to be had: Massimo Castelvecchi continued his good run this morning on Port-na-Craig bank with a fresh fish of 10lbs caught on the fly – nicely done. There’s definitely a few fish going through the beat at the moment but given current conditions they’re not easy to catch. Should be more to come this week, though.

A 10lber for Massimo Castelvecchi on Port-na-Craig bank this morning

Excellent End To The Week

There was a change of weather at midday on Saturday - with the cloud rolling in after a prolonged sunny spell - and there was a change of luck for the anglers doing their best to intercept one of the many fish heading through the beat at the moment: after a quite morning Peter Robinson landed a superb fish of 9lbs on the fly from Pitlochry bank - nicely done. A good way to round off what has been a productive but challenging week.

Dam Success

Bright sunshine and low water for the last few days - not ideal fishing conditions. Jim Fisher did well in the evening (yesterday), though, landing a lively fish of 11lbs on Pitlochry bank as the light faded. It's not easy at the moment but it can be done.

An 11lber for Jim Fisher last night on Pitlochry bank

Great Start To The Week

It was more of the same at the Dam today - a cold start, bright sunshine, low water ... and three cracking fish caught. While conditions might have been less than ideal there's no shortage of fish in the beat and it didn't take long for Steve Watt to land two on the fly on Pitlochry bank this morning - one at 17lbs followed not long after by a sea liced fish of 14lbs - nicely done. Les Dargie continued his good run with a nice fish of 9lbs in the afternoon  - again from Pitlochry bank.  Two more fish were lost during the day. It's great fishing at the Dam right now - looking good for the rest of the week.

A 9lber for Les Dargie on Pitlochry bank this afternoon

Excellent End To The Week

Bright, sunny, low water - not ideal conditions for salmon fishing - but it didn't stop Steve Dora catching a superb fish of 8lb on the fly on Pitlochry bank this morning, Sometimes perseverance is the key but not on this occasion - the fish was caught on the fourth cast - sometimes the fishing gods are with you. In the evening Massimo Castelvecchi continued his good run with a lively fish of 16lbs - caught on the fly on Pitlochry bank - nicely done. Not a bad way to round off what, with five fish caught,  has been another great week on the beat. Let's see what next week brings.

A nice fish of 8lbs for Steve Dora this morning on Pitlochry bank

A 16lber for Massimo Castelvecchi on Pitlochry bank this evening

Loch Bhac 2025

The loch trout season is now up and running: the first stocking of Loch Bhac took place earlier this week - 200 hard fighting rainbows waiting to be caught. Early reports of fishing up there have been excellent and with temperatures on the rise it's definitely worth heading for a cast. 

More Dam Action

It was another successful day on our Dam beat: Les Dargie was the man on form with a nice fish of 10lbs caught on the fly on Port-na-Craig bank this morning. There's no shortage of fish at the moment and there should be more to come this week.

Dam Fishing Well

Conditions looked excellent first thing but it was a quiet start with nothing caught in the morniing. It all came good in the afternoon, though: Steve Watt was the successful angler with two fish caught - a superb fish of 21lbs followed by another of 11lbs - both caught on the spinner from Port-na-Craig bank. Great to see the beat fishing so well - and looking very promising for the rest of the week. Should be more to come.

Good End To The Week

Conditions looked good first thing, the river having cleared overnight and dropped to an ideal height, and it didn't take long for Roger Collins to land a superb fish of 10lbs on the fly from Port-na-Craig bank this morning. While that was to be the only fish of the day it was great to see the river with a bit of water again - prospects for next week look excellent.

A 10lber for Roger Collins on Port-na-Crraig bank this morning

Steady At The Dam

We had a bit of rain over the weekend but not enough to give the river a decent lift. There's still fish about, though, and Jimmy Ross managed to intercept one on Pitlochry bank this afternoon - a superb fish of 10lbs caught on the fly. Perseverance could be the key right now but there's no doubt the fish are there to be caught.

Dam Salmon

River levels are lower than we would like at the moment but with good numbers of salmon now in the beat there's still a good chance - with a bit of skill and luck - of a springer on our Dam beat. Tony Brown proved the point with a fish of 13lbs caught on the fly from Pitlochry bank this morning. Should be more to come this week.

Great Start To The Week

Water levels have dropped back over the past week but there are still fish to be caught: Steve Watt landed a superb fish of 10lbs this morning on the spinner from Pitlochry bank. Sometimes perseverance is the key – and where there are fish there’s a chance. It’s a great start to the week – and there should be more to come.

Sawmill Success

After the success on the last few days all eyes were on the Dam today but it turned out that all the action was further downstream on our Sawmill beat: Martin Timmins was the successful angler with a lively fish of 8lbs caught on the spinner mid afternoon. This is the first Sawmill fish of the season - and a great way to round off an excellent week.

Dam Fishing Well

Excellent conditions again today and Steve Watt continued his good run with a fresh fish of 7lbs on the spinner from Pitlochry bank this morning. Great to see plenty of fish about this early on the season. Should be more to come this week.

Great Fishing At The Dam

With the river settled and at a good height conditions looked good again first thing this morning - and as it turned out that early optimisim was fully justified with three fish caught: Massimo Castelvecchi continued his great start to the season with a lively fish of 9lbs on the fly from Pitlochry bank in the morning; a bit later in the morning Jim Fisher caught a superb fish of 11lbs from Port-na-Craig bank on the fly; and Steve Watt rounded things off nicely with a nice fish of 7lbs on the spinner on Port-na-Craig bank in the afternoon. The season is well and truly underway - and looking good for the rest of the week.

A 9lber for Massimo Castelvecchi on Pitlochry bank this morning

                                                                

Jim Fisher with a superb fish of 11lbs on Port-na-Craig bank this morning

Fish At The Dam

Excellent conditions today at the Dam and Steve Watt was in the right place to land a superb fish of 16lbs on Pitlochry bank this morning. The fish was in great condition by all accounts put up an excellent fight. Looking good for the rest of the week.

Dam Fishing Well

The river has been high and unsettled for much of the last week but today all looked good and hopes were high. Paul Carter did well - landing a nice fish of 8lbs on the fly from Pitlochry bank this morning. A further three fish were lost in the morning by other anglers - disappointing - but great to know that the fish are now here in good numbers. Looking very promising for next week - hopefully the season is about to take off.

Just about there .... an 8lber for Paul Carter on Pitlochry bank this morning 

Dam Success

With temperatures up and with the river at a good height prospects looked good this morning - and it wasn't long before Martin Wilson felt a tug on the line - a superb fish of 12lbs caught on the fly from Port-na-Craig bank - nicely done. Heavy rain further up the glen put the river up in the afternoon but as it settles back it should encourage more fish into the beat - the season is picking up.

Dam Salmon!

Les Dargie was the angler on form today with a superb fish caught on the fly on his first run down Port-na-Craig bank this afternoon – nicely done. Great to see a few fish about and things should really start to pick up from here. The river has dropped back over the last few days but remains at a good fishing height - more to come this week?

A 10lber for Les Dargie from Port-na-CRaig bank this afternoon

Pitlochry Angling Club’s Open Night - Thursday 27th March

Pitlochry Angling Club’s Open Night - Thursday 27th March starting 7.30pm at Scotlands Hotel, Bonnethill Road, Pitlochry to which all are warmly welcome. 

The evening will commence with a talk by Gareth Ventress, Environment Forester with Forestry and Land Scotland on the subject of beaver populations, a hot topic nowadays.

Following a short break for refreshments, we will once again hold the ever-popular tackle auction.

Over the years we have raised considerable amounts of money for various charities. This year the committee has decided to award the proceeds of the auction to two deserving charities: Pitlochry Baptist Food Bank and Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance. 

You can help these two worthy causes by donating fishing tackle, books, fly-tying materials, waders, clothing, etc. To give donations, please contact Alistair McCartney on 07807329366. Please ensure items are handed in by Saturday 22nd March at the latest to allow time to catalogue and prepare the lots.

Please come along and show your support.

First Fish Of The Season!

Our 2025 season is officially up and running: – Massimo Castelvecchi landed a superb fish of 14lbs on the fly from Port-na-Craig bank early this afternoon. The fish was in superb condition needless to say and put up quite a fight before eventually coming to the net for a very relieved – and happy - angler. Fishing conditions were favourable with the river sitting at an ideal height and with the odd fish having been seen in the beat it was only a matter of time before someone was successful. Massimo follows on from having landed the last fish of the 2024 season and now adds the Mitchell Trophy for the first fly caught fish of the season by a club member. Conditions are looking excellent for the rest of the week – maybe more to come?

Fisrt fish of the season! - a superb fish of 14lbs for Massimo Castelvecchi on Port-na-Craig bank this afternoon

Opening Day 2025

Another salmon season got underway this morning. Fishing conditions were excellent: the river was at an ideal height and temperatures were well above what might be expected at this time of year. A few members ventured out for a cast and a few more looked on - and offered encouragement - from the bank. Unfortunately, there was to be no opening day springer this year. Hopefully it won’t be too long before the first fish of the year comes to the net and hopefully a successful season lies ahead.

Opening day 2025 - conditions looked good this morning

A few members ventured out for a cast - but no luck this time

Visitor Information 2025

 A PDF with information for visitors is available at http://www.pitlochryanglingclub.com/2025_visitor-permits.pdf 

Changes for 2025 include Dam permit holders from 1st July until the season closes on 15th October can fish from dawn to dusk each day. This will make the beats more attractive to visitors. The upper limit of the Pitlochry beat has been extended upstream to opposite the upper limit on the PortnaCraig side.

We hope that our many visitors enjoy fishing our waters and wish everyone a successful fishing season. Tight lines!

Dam Salmon

Our Dam beat is at a good height at the moment and Massimo Castelvecchi made the most of it with a nice fish of 10lbs on the fly last night on Pitlochry bank. Good to see a few fish about and well worth a go at the moment.

A 10lb fish for Massimo Castelvecchi last night on Pitlochry bank

Dam Grilse

There's plenty of grilse about this year and Adam Joseph managed to get hold of one yesterday on our Dam beat - a lively 4lber caught on the spinner on Portnacraig bank in the morning. As the water drops back into the weekend prospects should improve further - well worth a go.

Ruan Ruarie Fishing Well

There's lots of fish in our Ruan Ruarie beat right now and Gordon Macdonald made the most of it - three fish caught this morning at 4lbs, 5lbs and 5lbs - one of the fly and two on the spinner. When it's good up there it can be really good - well worth a go.

One of three fish caught by Gordon Macdonald this morning - Ruan Ruarie is fishing well

Salmon And Sea Trout At The Dam

It was a successful day (3rd Aug) on our Dam beat for Gordon Stocks with a salmon of 6lbs and a sea trout of 2lbs - both on the spinner from Pitlochry bank in the afternoon. There aren't many fishers out at the moment but those that do venture out are are doing well - well worth a go.

And one from earlier in the year ... John Stephenson had a fish of 14lbs on the fly from Pitlochry bank on the 22nd Jun.