I’m in Aberfeldy and I’ve the river Tay out my back garden. Permits available at the newsagents, fiver for trout. 20 odd for salmon. Not sure about catching anything else?

So how would an absolute novice go about catching some trout and having it for dinner? 😆

So what do I need to buy, and what do I need to know?

Do you also need an EA licence up in Scotland? Do you actually own the riparian rights – I don’t think this is a given purely based on land ownership?

re. fishing, probably worming/spinning is the easiest way to catch.

no license in Scotland, however how long do you want to spend sitting there… If it’s open access then it could be a little over fished or busy so chances of catching may be lower (from doing my work experience as a river keeper many years ago)

How wide/fast/deep is it?

Little margin poles are very cheap and if you can reach the fish are as good as anything.

No faff with tangled line and simple to use.
About £30.00 these days?
Mine’s a Pavero, I think, and is fine.

Really no expert, but easy to set up once someone has shown you how.

If you’re ever in Dundee, Anglers Choice on the Kingsway is run by some very helpful and friendly people. I’ve also had dealings with Malloch in Perth and they were pretty good as well. IIRC both deal in second hand kit so a rod and reel won’t set you back a fortune.
EDIT salmon a re bigger, stronger fish than trout so salmon fishing gear is more expensive. No odds to me as I prefer trout anyway, especially cold smoked.
EDIT again – you need rod, reel, line, flies. You don’t need but high on the should have list – a method for dispatching the fish a fish knife to gut it, a keep net to keep them in if you plan staying out beyond catching one. Trout are normally fished from the bank so no waders, salmon are fished from the river, so waders are another need.

Trout – spinning or fly fishing is the way to go. Beyond that I’ve no idea as I’m a (very much part time) course angler.

First thing would be to check if there are any fish there!

Then you need to do is check the permit – it could be fly only.

If worm fishing is allowed it’s probably the easiest way to catch a trout for a novice.

You need this book.

[video]http://youtu.be/nv1VQ7uSC-s[/video]

What stuartlangwilson says, worm on a float, or trotted along the bottom with a light weight. Forget poles, licences, this is Scotland.

Tbf though, catching trout from a river is not exactly easy.

Go to a local friendly shop and ask for some advice on kit, locations and methods. If its anything like my local shop, they will probably offer to hook you up with someone to take you out once or twice. They are usually glad to assist.

First thing would be to check if there are any fish there!

Oh there’s definitely salmon there

I am a bad man as it took two attempts to see fishing and not fisting in the title!

Sandwich – surely the reference to ‘angling’ might have tipped you off? 😯

For minimum faff (floating with live bait will be tricky for someone without experience – getting the right weights/depth etc for presentation) I would suggest getting upstream (preferably somewhere overhanging or where you could wade in a bit) then spinning a lure, keeping it in the same position in the river but moving it s l o w l y left to right. Trout like quite fast moving water but you would normally find them before or after ‘rapids’ (where you see water /rocks etc all swirling and breaking the surface).

You would also need a landing net (if you are wanting to catch something you are able to eat it will be too big to haul out) and some knowledge of how to handle a fish, disgorge it (although that is easier now that all hooks are barbless). So you need: 8/10 ft spinning rod, spinning reel, min 4lb break strain line (although the actual line depends on the size of fish you expect to catch) and a net. And some knowledge of how to dispatch your catch humanely…

One day, when I am too old to do anything else and I have the time on my hands I intend to return to my fishing…

I think the Tay is flies only. My licence (valid for a couple of tributaries of the Tay) is quite clear about that.
Ah-hah, the permits are being sold on behalf of Aberfeldy Angling Club. They might be worth contacting for general advice

Maggots are the best way I’ve found for trout, they will outfish worm because fish don’t bite off the ends of the worm and miss the hook. So, as above, a shortish spinning rod, a 4000 size fixed spool, I’d go with 8-10lb line as you will get snagged on rushes and ferns etc and it helps get more gear back. A couple of large ssg shot, or a small pinch of lead as a weight about 2ft above a hook (size 10 or so). You can then drop the rig into little pools, just at the edge of the main flow of rivers. Keep the line ‘tight’, just not loose coils billowing in the wind, don’t always strike at the first nibble…give them a chance to give a couple of tugs before you wind into them.

If the Tay is fly only I’d not bother…fly fishing is weird. And salmon rods aren’t expensive because they’re stronger…they’re expensive because of the pomp that surrounds salmon fishing.

Look for some little hill lochs and try fishing for brownies there. You can often find lochs that aren’t controlled, so free fishing, and nobody else about if you hike a distance to them.

And some knowledge of how to dispatch your catch humanely…

[imagines the scene from The Inbetweeners with Neil punching a fish to death]

One day, when I am too old to do anything else and I have the time on my hands I intend to return to my fishing…

I’ll see you then mate!

Easiest way to kill a mackerel properly dead, avoiding the vibrofits that throw scales everywhere, is to put your thumb in it’s mouth, against the roof, and snap that head back 90 degrees. Gut it right away to keep the meat clean, or leave it whole if it’s going to be bait ?

Wives love nothing more than a man coming home stinking of fish guts.

Spent a few winters leaving home a couple times a week at midday to fish the cliffs between Arbroath and Aberdeen in storms and getting home at 2-4am. Couldn’t muster the energy for that nonsense any more!

Canny see mackerel that far up the Tay Dan….

Depends how much wine you’ve had

Or how much hash the OP has smoked!

Mackerel don’t have scales.

If it is fly only then you could use maggots and say that they are young flys

Mackerel don’t have scales

Say wot now?

They do, but their very small .

And they get bloody everywhere.

Well you don’t need to scale them anyway when cleaning

Mackerel don’t have scales.

[quote]Well you don’t need to scale them anyway when cleaning [/quote]Maybe not the ones from the fishmongers.

Well I just googled it to check and it seems you don’t need to scale them, but they do have slightly larger scales around their heads, which I personally don’t eat.

If the Tay is fly only I’d not bother…fly fishing is weird a science.

Well it can be.

Fly is proper fishing, constantly interacting, always watching, always on the move.

Only downside is that it takes years to get competent!

Mackerel have scales. And tiny pants.

Fly fishing is for people who like wearing rubber and tweed, eating quail and have a landrover despite living in a new estate in falkirk.

This is fishing

Or plopping a big crab bait over a kelp bed in 3ft of water for a double figure cod or jigging pollok on light gear. Getting keen again!

One of my most memorable sessions was a night cod session at arbroath. Everyone had gone home as the tide had left the prom, but I got the waders on and followed it out. Casting into what must have been 18″ of water into a steady rolling wave I was getting lightning bites 30 seconds after the bait hitting the water, and landed 20 odd cod in 2 hours or so.

I’ve seen that pic before Dan, nice one too!

I’ve hardly been to the coast this year cos of Mrs EGF’s illness but I’m itching!

I’ve got other photos, honest!

Fly fishing is great, it’s the only kind of fishing I do now. Was catching bass a couple of weeks ago on the fly.

So, I bought a spinning rod set for 35 quid or so, just out some shop down in Killin, been out the back just learning how to cast basically, getting there, getting comfortable and starting to not tangle the line and understand how the rod works. I lost 3 flies and 2 floats in the process(should have bought more floats, I ended up using some crumpled up tinfoil as a float/weight for learning purposes), I’ll fire back down the shop tomorrow and get some more lures and flies and floats, and probably some stronger line as well. Rods alright but the line seems a bit easy to snap, for smaller fish i think, so will get heavier just in case.

Quite good fun learning to cast for a bit there though, will try some more tomorrow, watch few more youtube videos. Rods portable so I can go cycling about.

Good stuff, enjoy.

Good way to kill or damage shark species that, holding it upside down by the tail.

These type of fish need to be supported under the belly due to no ribcage.