Freestone · Mixed · Perthshire, GB-SCT

River Tummel

Photo of River Tummel

The Scottish Government grades the River Tummel's salmon Good (Grade 1) for 2026, as part of the River Tay SAC.

Poor · Atlantic Salmon
Closed season
Out of season. File this water for the right month.
Closed — confidence not applicable today.
What moved it
  • Level0.34 mLast reading 2h ago
  • Water temp7.4°C
  • ClarityClear
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.34 m
Last reading 2h ago
Water temp7.4°C
ClarityClear
Weather5°C
WindS 15 km/h
Pressure1008 hPa
Rain · recent1.0 mm
Rain · ahead4.6 mm

The nearest gauge doesn't record temperatures, so we've estimated it — defer to the river keeper's advice.

Water temperature for Atlantic Salmon
Cool — slow
7°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Atlantic Salmon
When
Morning into early afternoon.
Where
Pool tails, steadier runs, and any water with pace.
Method
Fish a sensible line-and-fly combination for the height and pace of water.
Kit
13 ft #8/9 double-hander in spate, 10 ft #8 single in low water. Floating line plus a fast-sink tip. 12–15 lb fluoro tippet.
Likely species
Mayflies
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 6 active hatches hour by hour as a supporter.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 3 guilds as a supporter.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Evidence
Survey-backed · regionalHigh confidence

Backed by regional invertebrate surveys; no sampling on this exact reach yet.

Through the year
0–3 scale · November highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Salmon runRun
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Daddy Long LegsHatch
2
3
3
2
CapererHatch
2
3
3
2
Hawthorn FlyHatch
2
2
GrannomHatch
2
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
River Garry (Tayside)
8.0 km
0
Brown trout · Atlantic salmon · Sea trout
River Lyon
18 km
0
Brown trout · Atlantic salmon · Sea trout
Tay
27 km
0
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
River Isla (Tayside)
36 km
0
Brown trout · Grayling · Atlantic salmon
Loch Tay
39 km
Brown trout · Char · Salmon
Gallery · 2
  1. Photo of River Tummel
    River Tummel
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Every salmon caught before 1 April must be released by law; after that, follow the district board's and the beat's policy, and many ask for all fish to be returned. Below the dam the river fishes very well for salmon in the summer and autumn months, with the Pitlochry beats offering some of the more accessible salmon fishing in central Scotland — not cheap, but available to day-ticket anglers in a way the Dee and Spey largely aren't. The river also holds good brown trout throughout, and a small but genuine grayling population that fishes well in winter. A hydro river, undeniably, but a proper fishing river too.

  • Mixed
Why this score · for Atlantic Salmon
  • Temperature4330% weight
  • Flow6025% weight
  • Clarity9520% weight
  • Feeding Time9515% weight
  • Pressure8510% weight
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon 15 January → 15 October
Related guides
Fly Fishing Near Perthfeatured in this guideScotland Playbookloch & river fishingAtlantic Salmonsalmon tactics
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts
At a glance

River Tummel is a freestone river in Perthshire, Scotland. It sits at about 79 m above sea level. The river is described as roughly 22 km long. Our data lists atlantic salmon, brown trout and grayling here. It is classed as a salmon river. The salmon season is recorded as running from 15 January to 15 October. Best window recorded for anglers: June to September (salmon), April to June (trout). Core methods listed: Spey casting; small double (salmon); dry fly (trout). Level and flow data for this water is linked from 1 gauge. Nearby waters in our listings include River Garry (Tayside) at 8.0 km, River Lyon at 18 km and Tay at 27 km.