The Helmsdale season faded out quietly due to a lack of water. The river does not totally rely on rain for a lifeline as it is blessed with a vast reserve of dammed water at its head but there is nothing like fresh spate water to get the fish going, this has sadly not materialised recently. ironically the heavens decided to open on the last day of the season and as I write, flood warming’s have been issued throughout the UK. However, the river still produced well over 800 fish in a season blighted by Covid closure and low water. Many rivers experienced similar conditions but many more did catch some rain and had some very good fishing. The good news is that there still remains around 90% of salmon rivers open in Scotland so dont put the rod away quite yet, most are open until the end of October and the mighty Tweed system runs until the end of November.

The Helmsdale season is almost over but the cooler temperatures are starting to switch a few fish on. Fish were taken from the top to bottom of the river with a nice solid late runner reported from beat 1 below and a big fish from beat 5 above  The heavy rain forecast for the week ahead will unfortunately arrive a little too late for a big finish as the loch is extremely low.

On the Helmsdale Co front online we are producing flies like never before as anglers rev up for their autumn fishing, some of our latest deadly tubes below.

Frances on Fire 1" tungsten tube - a serious shimmering new Frances design which will get right down in front of fish as the water cools - these will cause havoc if you fish them sink and draw style in the deeper pools, stand by for action!

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The fishing does not contain many headlines at the moment other than rain is much needed, most rivers in the North are very low and catches are struggling. Rain is forecast this week, lets hope it tops everything up so the season can finish with a bang!

It is fly-tying season all season nowadays but as the darker nights draw in, more anglers get the vice out and start creating new patterns for the season ahead and start replenishing their flyboxes.

We have loads of great materials and components and below we will feature some of the best.

Semperfli in our opinion now offer the absolute best tying threads on the market. 2 specific types, waxed thread and the incredible Nano silk. Nano silk is unbreakable and if you have not tried it then you should, you will be amazed at the strength right down to 18/0....

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Not many highlights on the fishing front apart from the fact that some rivers are fishing quite well due to some fresh fish still hitting the system like Ness, Spey and Tay. I also hear that the Nith, Towy and Tyne are fishing pretty good too. Most of the Highland rivers would still benefit from more water and some proper spates to get them fully charged again.

However, on the fly front, one or two flies are standing out for us at the moment. Our new range of Baby Tds are selling like hot cakes with the added option of buying with trebles, doubles and single tube hooks to suit, anglers are really taking advantage of the choice of hook with each fly, you can ofcourse purchase these little beauties without a hook.

The RS Red Alistair seems to be getting better as the season goes on which is no surprise, red/black always scores well as the water cools and Simon Mellard proved this fishing the Tyne last week at Bywell. He was part of a 5 rod party who caught 20 fish for the...

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Our long awaited new Baby Tds are now available online and we have for the first time added 6 hook options for each tube so you can order with a hook or without on all 8 new patterns. RS Baby Td Willie Gunns have been one of our top sellers so Ron has expanded the selection to offer a superb and unique range which you can see and order below. This is a stunning selection of tiny and deadly tubes tied to the highest spec and using real Jungle Cock. The range of colours covers the whole season apart from early spring which requires bigger weighted flies. Grab some of these when you have the chance or you may miss out.

As you will see, the hook offering with each tube covers almost every option you need from wee tube trebles to singles which means that you can fish them on any river.

Please let us know if you think that offering the appropriate size of hooks...

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RS Red Alistair copper tube, you can buy it right here - http://www.helmsdalecompany.com/rs-red-alistair-pro-choice.html

Tactical salmon anglers know when to switch to the "Red" zone towards the back end of the season, this unique fly selection chosen by Ron will give you a real professional edge and maximise your chances of hooking up. This set of superb flies has it all, from the spanking new breed of tubes featuring the Zelda fly, Frances tungsten bomb and Rs Supersquid Red to long standing most popular flies such as Red Frances, RS Ruby SuperSnaelda and Red Flamethrower. This is the inside track on the best flies built on decades of priceless experience and you cannot get better value than...

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The river produced over 30 fish last week plus a sprinkling off the local water. There are still fresh fish running and some very big fresh fish have been spotted jumping for the time of year. The low water conditions are not the best right now but the next spate should bring very good fishing. As usual in these conditions an array of tactics can work, hitching and dibbling with small tubes and doubles would be your best bet at the moment and we have all the killers you need including the tiny tube doubles and trebles required.

Watch out here this week for some stunning new flies and the release of our best ever autumn set, including our favoutite Red Alistair pictured below which is a real fish producer as the season slides into autumn mode.

Check out our gorgeous Blue Elver flies...

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The fishing has been pretty good on the Helmsdale this week with young Evan and his dad Robert Orr picking up 3 fish each on the Association water. The total for the beat was probably over 20 fish off with Alistairs and Baby tds being most successful.

We are still bvery busy indeed online so grab flies when you have the chance..........

The top river is back in full swing and with a decent grilse run on the fishing is peaking for the season.

Evan Orr with his first of the week from the Lower Allan pool. Under current rules a small number of fish can be retained on the Helmsdale.

 

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