Salmon River Religion
By Jock Monteith 16th February 2023
The answer to the question of whether God is a fanatical salmon fisher or not lies in a few of the following River Tay photographs of the big man's finest salmon river landscapes! Isn't it also more than a coincidence that Scotland has always been referred to as God's country.
Jock Tamson Was A Ghillie Too
You're maybe thinking I've become a bit of a bible basher recently but inflicting my own carefully considered religious beliefs on others is not my game and I like to keep my intimate salmon river related thoughts to myself (most of the time). The infliction of regular religious beliefs has caused more than enough issues on this troubled planet over the centuries and at the end of the day we are all Jock Tamson's bairns! I do believe in a higher spiritual being though and you should be able to call him whatever you wish without incrimination or persecution.
Salmon River Spirituality
If you ever need to place yourself in an environment where you can talk to your creator then if you really think about it there couldn't be a better environment than to be standing in or near a 'living' moving magnificent Scottish salmon river with a 15ft carbon fibre transmitter in your hands! The salmon river environment also has a huge calming effect on anyone who spends time there. The sounds and movements of the river are truly hypnotic and within an hour even the most overly stressed 'commercial warrior' will go completely under her spell.
Our Salmon God
There is one God that I've had the pleasure of being around on numerous occasions over the decades and I've often felt his presence before he's kindly turned one of his finest creations in the direction of my salmon fly. This God is always present and ever watchful over the salmon fisher who exudes quiet confidence and who maintains a humble yet tactically logical approach to the salmon river. If you put your faith in this God he'll develop you into an Atlantic salmon magnet and give you enough 'feel' for the river to fill a classroom of otters!
Unleash Your Ancient Hunting Skills
The more quality time you spend immersed in the magic of our Salmon God's arena the more you'll start seeing his rivers in fascinating new dimensions. Your eyes will be able to translate to your mind what's going on under water and even though you're only seeing the river's surface you'll already have detected the riverbed features, depths and potential salmon holding areas with the briefest glimpse of a pool. Subtle surface boils & swirls, the edge of the main current where there's some depth and the V shaped pool tails will become your primary focus and these visible likely salmon holding area features paired with the varying pace of the currents will tell you all you'll need to know. Becoming at one with our Salmon God in his special natural arena will focus your mind and your fishing effort and will stand you a great chance of that next special Atlantean encounter!