Murthly Castle & Stenton, River Tay

The stunningly beautiful Murthly Castle Water is some two miles down river from Dunkeld. It is famous for the Glendelvine boat pool where Miss Georgina Ballantyne caught the British record salmon of 64 pounds in 1922. There are excellent huts on both beats. Work has been completed on the Garth and the Tronach pools, both of which have now dramatically improved. For 2005, I have managed to buy another week on Beat 2 coinciding with my April week on Beat 1. Beat 2 rotates between Stenton water and Upper Murthly, but also gives us the famous Island Pool every day.

The Murthly castle beats run from the Island at the bottom end of the Lower Newtyle water right down to some half a mile below the Caputh Bridge. The water is divided into two syndicates. Syndicate A fishes the Upper water (confusingly called the Boat of Murthly) and Lower Water (Which includes the famous boat pool) on alternate days, under a rotation agreement with the owners of the other bank, thereby effectively giving us access to both banks.

The Upper Water starts at the end of Lower Newtyle and includes The Island, Tronach, Burn, Well and Girnals Pools. It finishes at the top of Stenton Island.

The Lower water starts at the bottom of Stenton water and consistes of the Garth, Ministers, Spruces, The Glendelvine Boat pool and Sparrowmuir below the Caputh Bridge down as far as Birnbane water.

The B syndicate fishes the Upper water (when A syndicate are on the Lower Water) and the Stenton water on alternate days, thereby also giving them both banks

Stenton consists of the Island stream, The meetings, Stenton Pool itself and Willies Hole.

Each beat has a boat, which can be very effective in high water, but the fishing is mostly from the bank and by wading. There are excellent huts on both beats. Work has been completed on the Garth and the Tronach pools, both of which have now dramatically improved.

In 2005, I managed to buy another week on Beat 2 coinciding with my April week on Beat 1. Beat 2 rotates between Stenton water and Upper Murthly, but also gives us the famous Island Pool every day.

The Tay is one of the few Scottish rivers that can still boast of a considerable run of Spring fish and my weeks are chosen to coincide with their likely arrival given the right water.

Murthly is also ideally suited to teaching having a wide variety of water and both banks.