Firstly, there are many types of fish in the River Tay. This article, identifies the diverse species and where in the river to find theMoreover, this article splits the river Tay into three sections. Firstly Upper river – upstream of the Tummel junction. Secondly, Middle river, downstream of Tummel junction to Caputh bridge. Thirdly, Lower River Tay, from Caputh bridge to the Estuary.
Table of Contents
- Types of fish in the Upper River
- Fish species found in the Middle River Tay
- Types of fish in the Lower River Tay

Types of fish in the Upper River
To begin with, the upper River Tay is almost half the size of the middle river. In fact upstream of the junction with the River Tummel, the Tay is easier to wade and fish. Furthermore, you can cover the whole river when fly fishing it.
Generally the upper Tay is free flowing and well oxygenated. However when it reaches Logierait and the Upper Kinnaird beat, there are some long slow, canal like pools. These will hold Pike.
Lastly, one of the greatest finds I’ve had in my 45 years of fishing the rivers in Scotland. Stumbling upon these Sea Lamprey. In fact, if you’ve ever read the amazing book by Henry Williamson, Salar the Salmon, you’ll understand, how fierce these parasitic fish are. Yet, they are remarkable and it was a rare sighting for sure.
A list of the fish found in the River Tay
To begin with, you’ll find these fish in the Upper River Tay:
- Atlantic Salmon
- Grayling
- Brown Trout
- Sea Trout
- Pike
- Minnows
- Stickleback
- River Lamprey
- Sea Lamprey (see video below)
- Eels






Fish species found in the Middle River Tay
Downstream of the junction with the River Tummel, the River Tay almost doubles in size. Furthermore, this creates large deeper pools, which hold a variety of species of fish. Likewise, these pools are omnipresent at all water levels, offering a consistent habitat for fish.
In addition, you will find all the species found in the Upper river. However you can expect to find more Pike, and small populations of perch. Furthermore, you can sometimes find Brook Lamprey, and these are subject to a conservation order. ALastly, there are also Stone Loach, and eels.



Types of fish in the Lower River Tay
From Caputh bridge downstream, you will encounter all of the fish previously mentioned in the article. However the lower reaches by Perth and the Harbour has shoals of Roach. Meanwhile, how the Roach got into the Tay is a mystery. In fact they were not discovered until 1946 when a shoal was spotted at Perth Harbour.
They were aggressively netted by netsmen of the Tay Salmon Fisheries, who waged war on the Roach shoals above the city. Whilst the roach were diminished, they still remain. In fact, Roach of 2.5lb were regularly reported by netsmen, so it gives an idea how well they can thrive in the Tay estuary.