Fishing Calendar for River Tay (Perthshire), United Kingdom
Scotland's longest river and its biggest by volume, the Tay through Perthshire has produced some of Britain's largest recorded Atlantic salmon, with pike and perch also common in its slower lowland stretches.
River Tay right now
From the gauge at Perth · 8 Oct, 02:30 · Open on River map →
On 8 October 2026 at 02:30 the River Tay at Perth (2 km from this spot) stood at 95 cm, normal for this gauge over the past month.
The River Tay over the last 7 days
Readings every hour at Perth, the gauge nearest this spot. The shaded band is the gauge's usual range over the last 30 days.
Water level
All gauges on the River Tay
6 official gauges along the river, the nearest highlighted. Flow is coloured as the gauging agency rates it: Low Normal High
| Gauge | Flow | Level | Water | Last 7 days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kenmore 38 km away | 48.1 m³/s Normal | 97 cm | — | |
| Pitnacree 32 km away | 55.1 m³/s Low | 100 cm | — | |
| Balmacneil 27 km away | — | 58 cm | — | |
| Caputh 14 km away | 117 m³/s Low | 66 cm | — | |
| Perthnearest 2 km away | — | 95 cm | — | |
| Ballathie 12 km away | 137 m³/s Low | 120 cm | — |
Best fishing times in October 2026
| Date | Moon | Sunrise | Sunset | Major periods | Minor periods | Efficiency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 01 | Waning gibbous | 07:16 | 18:48 | 03:47–05:47, 16:20–18:20 | 10:04–12:04, 22:37–00:37 | 41% ●●●○○ |
| Fri 02 | Waning gibbous | 07:18 | 18:46 | 04:49–06:49, 17:23–19:23 | 11:06–13:06 | 79% ●●●●○ |
| Sat 03 | Waning gibbous | 07:21 | 18:43 | 05:52–07:52, 18:25–20:25 | 23:35–01:35, 12:08–14:08 | 98% ●●●●● |
| Sun 04 | Waning crescent | 07:23 | 18:41 | 06:52–08:52, 19:24–21:24 | 00:37–02:37, 13:08–15:08 | 83% ●●●●● |
| Mon 05 | Waning crescent | 07:25 | 18:38 | 07:49–09:49, 20:18–22:18 | 01:35–03:35, 14:04–16:04 | 45% ●●●○○ |
| Tue 06 | Waning crescent | 07:27 | 18:35 | 08:42–10:42, 21:09–23:09 | 02:28–04:28, 14:56–16:56 | 15% ●○○○○ |
| Wed 07 | Waning crescent | 07:29 | 18:33 | 09:31–11:31, 21:57–23:57 | 03:18–05:18, 15:44–17:44 | 14% ●○○○○ |
| Thu 08 | Waning crescent | 07:31 | 18:30 | 10:17–12:17, 22:42–00:42 | 04:05–06:05, 16:30–18:30 | 40% ●●●○○ |
| See efficiency and feeding times for every day in the Fishing Calendar app — get it for iOS or Android. | ||||||
| Fri 09 | Waning crescent | 07:33 | 18:27 | ····· | ····· | Unlock · iOS / Android |
| Sat 10 | Waning crescent | 07:35 | 18:25 | ····· | ····· | Unlock · iOS / Android |
| Sun 11 | New moon | 07:37 | 18:22 | ····· | ····· | Unlock · iOS / Android |
| Mon 12 | Waxing crescent | 07:39 | 18:20 | ····· | ····· | Unlock · iOS / Android |
| Tue 13 | Waxing crescent | 07:41 | 18:17 | ····· | ····· | Unlock · iOS / Android |
| Wed 14 | Waxing crescent | 07:43 | 18:15 | ····· | ····· | Unlock · iOS / Android |
| Thu 15 | Waxing crescent | 07:45 | 18:12 | ····· | ····· | Unlock · iOS / Android |
| Fri 16 | Waxing crescent | 07:47 | 18:09 | ····· | ····· | Unlock · iOS / Android |
| Sat 17 | Waxing crescent | 07:50 | 18:07 | ····· | ····· | Unlock · iOS / Android |
| Sun 18 | First quarter | 07:52 | 18:04 | ····· | ····· | Unlock · iOS / Android |
| Mon 19 | Waxing gibbous | 07:54 | 18:02 | ····· | ····· | Unlock · iOS / Android |
| Tue 20 | Waxing gibbous | 07:56 | 18:00 | ····· | ····· | Unlock · iOS / Android |
| Wed 21 | Waxing gibbous | 07:58 | 17:57 | ····· | ····· | Unlock · iOS / Android |
| Thu 22 | Waxing gibbous | 08:00 | 17:55 | ····· | ····· | Unlock · iOS / Android |
| Fri 23 | Waxing gibbous | 08:02 | 17:52 | ····· | ····· | Unlock · iOS / Android |
| Sat 24 | Waxing gibbous | 08:04 | 17:50 | ····· | ····· | Unlock · iOS / Android |
| Sun 25 | Waxing gibbous | 07:07 | 16:47 | ····· | ····· | Unlock · iOS / Android |
| Mon 26 | Waning gibbous | 07:09 | 16:45 | ····· | ····· | Unlock · iOS / Android |
| Tue 27 | Waning gibbous | 07:11 | 16:43 | ····· | ····· | Unlock · iOS / Android |
| Wed 28 | Waning gibbous | 07:13 | 16:40 | ····· | ····· | Unlock · iOS / Android |
| Thu 29 | Waning gibbous | 07:15 | 16:38 | ····· | ····· | Unlock · iOS / Android |
| Fri 30 | Waning gibbous | 07:17 | 16:36 | ····· | ····· | Unlock · iOS / Android |
| Sat 31 | Waning gibbous | 07:19 | 16:34 | ····· | ····· | Unlock · iOS / Android |
Fish of the River Tay
Species recorded along the gauged stretch of the River Tay, from GBIF occurrence ranges.
-
European perch
Perca fluviatilis
-
Northern pike
Esox lucius
-
European grayling
Thymallus thymallus
-
European bullhead
Cottus gobio
-
Common barbel
Barbus barbus
-
Common dace
Leuciscus leuciscus
-
Gudgeon
Gobio gobio
-
Minnow
Phoxinus phoxinus
-
Crucian carp
Carassius carassius
-
Common bream
Abramis brama
-
Ruffe
Gymnocephalus cernua
-
Ide
Leuciscus idus
Frequently asked questions
- Is the River Tay high right now?
- No. On 8 October 2026 the gauge's own month of readings put the level at Perth as normal (95 cm). This page shows the current reading of the nearest gauge whenever you open it.
- What fish are in the River Tay?
- Species recorded along the gauged stretch of the River Tay include European perch, Northern pike, European grayling, European bullhead, Common barbel, Common dace. The list comes from GBIF occurrence ranges that cover the gauges, so it shows where a species has been recorded rather than how common it is.
- Where can I check the River Tay water level?
- 6 official gauges measure the River Tay from Kenmore to Ballathie. Their latest readings are listed on this page and on the River map.
- When is the best time to fish at River Tay (Perthshire)?
- The highest-rated day in the current month at River Tay (Perthshire) is 10 October 2026, with a fishing efficiency of 100%.
- Do moon phases affect fishing at River Tay (Perthshire)?
- Solunar theory links feeding activity to the moon's position. Major periods occur when the moon is overhead or underfoot, with shorter minor periods midway between them. New and full moons generally produce the strongest activity.
River data sources
Readings on this page come from official gauging stations:
- Contains SEPA data licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 · Open Government Licence v3.0