The famous River Tay in Scotland is one major river where boat fishing for salmon is sometimes an option based mainly on the prevailing water conditions.
The River Tay is the largest & deepest Scottish salmon river and most of its many salmon beats have traditional Tay salmon fishing boats for various different salmon fishing tactical approaches and also for commuting guests across the river for riverbank fishing. The Tay is approx 120 miles in length and drains a colossal part of Scotland.
Primarily the Tay boats are used for a form of river trolling known as 'harling'. This method of river current assisted trolling allows 3 or 4 lures to be fished simultaneously behind the boat and the boatman controls the speed of the lures with the engine. These lures should be fished at different distances for maximum water coverage as the boatman slowly zig zags his way downstream with these lures swinging over all of the potential salmon lies as the boat progresses slowly downstream. The correct spacings for each downstream swing of the boat should be the length of the boat (around 16ft) for precice 'harling' water coverage. If done correctly this method provides total blanket coverage of salmon holding areas with lures or flies that are 'constantly' fishing because they do not require re-casting time as the boat is working.
The other mainly used boat fishing approach is simply using the boat as a casting platform with the boatman either on the oars or using a long rope & anchor to position the casting guest(s) over the longer distance salmon lies that would otherwise be difficult to effectively cover from the riverbank. This method also makes it easier for elderly or less physically able salmon fishers to fish effectively when riverbank wading would pose too much difficulty. With the boat being used as a casting platform it permits a salmon fly or lure to be fished at a slower pace on a shorter line so good too for new salmon fishers who may struggle to fish a controlled fly on a longer line.
If you've hired a professional River Tay boatman who's highly tuned into the river and life in general then a day out in the boat can be the most amazing multifaceted experience. An experienced Tay boatman is often a great entertainer too and can be fantastic company. There's not much that betters a day out in the boat in the magical natural surroundings of the beautiful River Tay while covering the salmon lies in anticipation of connecting with a perfect Tay salmon. This service is particularly perfect for those who are less physically able to fish or wade from the riverbank.
The above are the 2 most popular River Tay boat fishing tactical approaches. The boat is however dependent on suitable prevailing water conditions (based on the required tactical boat fishing application) and all Tay salmon fishing venues have different views on when the boat is best utilised. Most of the salmon fishers that come to Scotland for a day or two on the River Tay want to learn how to effectively fly or spin which is best taught from the riverbank where there's adequate space to teach the value of good riverbank movement and the different Spey casts. Follow this link for details on Scottish salmon fishing guide days on the River Tay where all of these riverbank salmon fishing tactics can be properly taught.
