Willie’s View: Hooked On The Tay
This week, Willie’s View is of the silvery Tay . . .
I took a walk by the Tay this morning, setting out from the bridge below Caputh.
With the Tay being one of the finest salmon rivers in Britain, I was pleasantly surprised to be greeted by a two-foot long fish leaping just fifty yards away.
He was, of course, well gone before I could take his picture. It’s the second week in October and with the season ending on the 15th, maybe he should keep himself hidden below water for another few days.
Following the Tay upstream for two or three miles and returning close by the line of the Perth to Inverness railway, took me on a fine six mile loop around the policies of Murthly Castle.
Photograph by Willie Shand.
The castle itself remains well-hidden, but with the trees on either side of the river dressed for autumn, it was a really colourful walk.
Photograph by Willie Shand.
The grassy track passes several fishing bothies along the way.
No doubt many a tale of the one that got away will have been told in each of them. But one angler who didn’t need to exaggerate was Georgina Ballantine. She lived near Caputh Bridge and there, this very week in 1922, she hooked a 64lb salmon.
It took her over two hours to land it. Even after almost 100 years, she still holds the record for the largest British salmon caught be rod and line.
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