The River Helmsdale opened yesterday but very low temperatures made fishing impossible. It was the first time in years that the official opening ceremony was cancelled due to the extreme weather. The good news is that all the snow and ice will start melting today and probably all be gone by midweek as temps rise back to unseasonable double figures. The river will rise over the next few days and probably be unfishable for a day or two but once things settle from midweek onwards the conditions should certainly be in favour of seeing the first springer in the net.

The whole river will be open to the public and free to fish until January 25th so it’s a great chance to fish some of the most beautiful fly water you will ever see, and you will certainly be in with a chance of catching that iconic January Spring salmon.

Take a look at some of our most recent reports to see what stunning flies we have available and today we even add more, like the 2 highland legends you see below. Ron has taken his recently upgraded Original Brora Willie Gunns to another level not seen by Willie Gunn himself unfortunately but we are sure he would have been impressed with our gorgeous gold conehead version, just like our Classic Alistairs too!

RS Original Brora UV Willie Gunn Gold Conehead - buy now right here - http://www.helmsdalecompany.com/rs-uv-original-brora-willie-gunn-gold-conehead.

RS Classic Alistair Gold Conehead - buy now right here - http://www.helmsdalecompany.com/rs-alistair-original-conehead.html

A big Happy, healthy, prosperous and fishy New Year to you all. An interesting read below intersperced with pics of our latest RS original Brora Willie Gunn.

RS Brora Willie Gunn original 2025 with that touch of RS UV, buy here now up to 2.5" copper - http://www.helmsdalecompany.com/index.php

So Christmas and new Year has passed once again and as salmon anglers one of our immediate thoughts is towards the big opening of new salmon season.

Well, rather than casting our thoughts to the usual ( or recent tactical thinking ) how about another tangent and one that may help possibly net a few more springers next year? I’ve been lucky enough to be catching these iconic fish for over 45 years now and seen the old and new lines, people, flies and tactics all produce the goods, but, and there is a big but when it comes to which early season tactic is best. I grew up on the Helmsdale river and dabbled with the river Brora

And others in the area. I’ve been on these waters with the most successful anglers of my time as well as witnessing some great individual rod catches along side the saddening and worrying decline of the species so there are a few thoughts I want to share which may or may not make a difference to the chances and fishing application of the modern angler. The experiences I have had the pleasure of seeing have certainly made a difference to myself when spring fishing nowadays.

2.5" body, 5" hairwing similar in size to the old style Brora Waddingtons - buy here - http://www.helmsdalecompany.com/index.php

To put all into context I’ll use the legendary Willie Gunn salmon tube as a great example. We have all read a number of stories around the origins of this great fly but I think they all end with Willie picking his favourite fly from a sprinkling of tubes being scattered on the counter of that iconic tackle shop in Brora owned by Rob Wilson, a wonderful shop that I was lucky to visit on many occasions in my younger years when fly tying was my “go to” hobby apart from salmon fishing. Ok, so onto my point which cannot be made quickly but you will see why over the next few paragraphs. Having ghilliing experience myself over many years after been dragged onto the river from a very young age by my father father Andrew Sutherland who ghillied on Torrish estate on the Helmsdale for almost 40 years I can say that I have seen almost all there is to see when it comes to salmon fishing ( but we will never have seen it all ) still, I can honestly say that things have changed dramatically over the years when it comes to the tactical approach, especially when fishing in the spring.

Let me just set the scene on the Helmsdale 40 years ago in early February and you may see where I am coming from and knowing that there were certainly more early springers around at that time. My father would drift up the river with Jack Mackenzie for a couple of hours who fished Torrish rods regularly before the “paying guests” appeared in March. The set up was a 15ft rod, full wetcell sinking line, 4 ft of all 25lbs nylon and a Brora Willie Gunn fully 3” long in just the body, The modern angler might say “holy s..t” that must have been a nightmare to cast and control? Well before we move on and as an aside, let me just say that as much as that sounds like something out of the dark ages, the Rob Wilson Willie Gunn had an innovative shrink wrap applied to the body to protect kelts destroying the tube which I thought was a neat idea for the time. I’ll take this example a stage further and put us on the tail of the great Kilphedir pool on beat 2 of the Helmsdale at around 2.5ft on the gauge, lovely water for most of the best big spring pools and temps still in the 30’s f. The line would be launched and cast quite squarely across the pool, the fly would be given a few seconds to sink, a few large steps would be taken up the pool and then steadily hand lined back in to keep the fly off the bottom and the whole process would be repeated until around half way up the pool was reached. So, the modern angler might say why did he not just fish the pool down? Well tradition was to “back up” the slower water of a big pool to help the fly swing round better and hopefully attract salmon in water often passed by as too slow. We are talking water at almost freezing and let’s just say that the “old boys” know they had to get a big fly down to the fish in cold water, why? Because that’s what worked best after years of trial and error. One line was used, a big fly was used but the whole presentation was geared to the depth of the water and making sure that very lethargic freezing spring salmon did not have to expend much energy to connect with a salmon fly. Further up the pool the fly was cast at more of a downstream angle and line mended if required to make sure the correct depth was achieved whilst fishing the pool down still hand lining but a little more gently just to keep the big tube from snagging on the bottom of the river.

A superb set of the full range of sizes we have on offer right now copper and aluminium 1" up to 2.5" - grab the set here - http://www.helmsdalecompany.com/rs-original-brora-willie-gunn-spring-set

The results of these tactics were many January, February and March springers in the net and in the boot of the car because there was no such thing as catch & release. So there you have an snippet into the past of early season spring fishing tactics which were very successful. So, this may be controversial but how many anglers fish as deep as that nowadays early season? I can count on one hand how many and they catch more than anyone. In my opinion modern technology is to blame to a large extent in that people like casting to be easy so let’s put on a floating line with a sink tip and a much smaller fly which can be turned over most of the time. I would say that this definitely results in less fish being caught “but the casting was quite nice” I don’t think the fly gets anywhere near salmon enough these days in very cold water and it’s all down to the fishing tackle that is pushed the way of the modern angler most of the time. Don’t get me wrong, springers get caught on all types of tackle, there are less of them, but, are we really fishing consistently at the depth we need to be and do we try to avoid casting heavy 2 - 3” tubes? Probably. I can give many instances when 2 - 3” copper or brass tubes were needed on the end of full sinking lines in order to get down to salmon lying in the deepest lies in a pool where a fly on a sinking tip would be drifting aimlessly by meters above. So the moral of this story is when temperatures are very low then you need your fly to fish deep to maximise your chances of a hookup. Salmon do not want to move much to grab a fly so get it right down in front of them.There are exceptions but this is the general rule.

Give it a go this spring and make it “the Year of the Willie Gunn” especially the large spring versions of old. You can buy the hot original right here very slightly spiced up by Ron with the wickedest hint of his deadly UV and super tough braid gold body rib - http://www.helmsdalecompany.com/index.php

A closer up view of our subtle hint of RS UV in the hairwing taking this legendary original to a new level for 2025, We think Willie Gunn himself would have been impressed!

Hope you have a great season, there is more on this story under the fly if you fancy a purchase or more info on this greatest of them all salmon fly right here - http://www.helmsdalecompany.com/rs-original-brora-willie-gunn

This is a very unique upgrade on a legendary traditional highland salmon fly, the Yellow Torrish. Tied many years ago on singles and more recently on doubles, this fly made its name standing out in the peaty waters of the Scottish Highlands catching salmon for fun all through the season. 
Now, as well as legendary salmon flies, there are legendary salmon anglers and 2 in particular jump out especially due to their notability as very successful spring anglers, Mr Willie Gunn from Brora and Andy “Torrish” Sutherland from Helmsdale who perfected their craft on two magnificent spring rivers, the river Brora and Helmsdale where opening days have produced many sparkling springers. 

Andy Sutherland has just celebrated his 70th birthday, ( Nov 2024 ) and this was the perfect chance to design a salmon tube to commemorate the skills of yet another highland legend with a huge connection to the Torrish estate on the river Helmsdale where he spent many a day working there and of-course still regularly fishes there. The Yellow Andy Torrish tube is a superb new version of the old classic which is perfectly suited to spring fishing. This trendy modern tubefly has the potential to spar with the Willie Gunn for top spot in spring in its highly desirable black & yellow dress. But, then add the magic! Andys brother Ron has been at the cutting edge of fly design for the last 30 years and he has also caught many January springers. Taught flytying by the great Megan Boyd, Ron has an insatiable drive when it comes to salmon fly design, relentlessly pushing the boundaries to create that ultimate fly. He has taken the Willie Gunn and many more to so many new levels with his incredible skills using a blend of tradition and new flytying materials and he has now done it with this latest Yellow Torrish.

So, we have designed and put together a series of monthly sets of these unique flies which will grace any fly collection and give you a fantastic chance of catching an iconic spring salmon. The first set is ofcourse owned by Andy Sutherland and you now have the chance to grab a piece of history and purchase a set for yourself.
The set consists of 10 tubes, 6 copper and 4 coneheads in sizes ranging from 2” copper to 1/2” conehead. Stunning quality, unique to Helmsdale company and exclusive to only 3 very lucky set owners per month. As the fishing season moves on fly sizes will decrease until we tie some up on silver Partridge Patriot double hooks for summer. Sets are boxed in our favourite "Perfect" tubefly boxes and come with 6 x tube doubles.

Dont miss out on these historical rare boxed sets, hit the button to see if you have been lucky enough to secure one for yourself this month. Buy now right here - http://www.helmsdalecompany.com/rs-uv-yellow-andy-torrish-full-set-boxed.

With Christmas and the new season fast approaching we have been very busy designing and tying some stunning new salmon flies. Some just needed an upgrade like all our Solar tubes to give them better balance and an even more visible presence. Other new tubes have come onto the scene with great results through the autumn like our red UV Cascade Alistairs which we have now turned into spring colours.

The latest stunning new design is our new RS UV Yellow Andy Torrish which you can see and order below. Also we are very excited about our new Chartreuse & Yellow Monkeys which are a beautiful blend of the two best selling colours.

Most of these flies are in our Premium fly Category but they are also scattered around their other appropriate categories, you will certainly be able to find them if you want them.

One very pleasing thing for us is that anglers are popping in pre-season orders which allows us to get flies ready well in advance of the "madness" of all the opening days of the season ahead. It makes sense to pre order with us as you may otherwise need to wait for those cherished new flies.

One last thing, we have cracking fly selections available now for Christmas gifts with each order coming with 6 FREE flies right up until the Christmas last post. So please have a good look around for some stunning new flies and great Christmas gifts for your fishing friends

We have the quality, reliability and best atlantic salmon flies in the world, grab some for your friends and also stock your box for 2025.

The stunning new RS UV Yellow Andy Torrish tube which you can buy here along with our new Solar Chartreuse & yellow Monkeys and perfect boxed Christmas fly selections - http://www.helmsdalecompany.com/index.php

Hi there,

The 2025 salmon season is only a matter of weeks away, 9 as I write today. And boy do we have a stunning new RS Monkey online now for you. The new RS Chartreuse & yellow UV Solar Monkey which is a blend of our 2 best selling colours, but, this is the first time they have UV in the wing and they are also our new Solar Monkey design.

These stunning new tubes are available to buy online now in 2 sizes and they are also available in our new Spring Pro sets and Supersets - awesome Christmas presents for all your fishing friends!

Check out the new Monkeys (below) and buy here - New RS Chartreuse & Yellow UV Solar Monkey

Our new Spring pro sets ( below ) and buy here - RS Spring Pro Sets 2025

Gift vouchers are here also if you want to spoil a client or fishing friend with a trip to our website to stock up on our superb flies - Send Email gift voucher to someone here.

Enjoy your fly selecting! and Christmas shopping.

Partnering with https://salmonfishingholidaysscotland.com/

Spring Pro set with our new RS UV Solar Monkeys included

Spring Pro set boxed

Please order now if you can to make sure you get some of these great new RS tubes as season 2025 is going to be super busy and you may have to wait

Opening day on the Helmsdale river 2025 is only 11 weeks away and Ron has designed a totally new Spring RS Cascade Alistair UV on the back of huge success with the new red version this autumn.

He has also upgraded his phenomenally successful Solar Monkey, check out our website homepage to read all about them and you should also make sure you order some for your flybox pre season as during the season we may struggle to keep up with orders for them both.

The stunning new RS Spring Cascade Alistair UV which is identical to the Red version which is having so much success this autumn. Buy here - http://www.helmsdalecompany.com/rs-spring-cascade-alistair-uv

Rons upgraded Solar Monkey with the horizontal Solar beam and added UV in the wing - buy here - http://www.helmsdalecompany.com/new-rs-black-yellow-solar-monkey

We are also still selling these great autumn SuperDeal sets for a superb price under £30 which you can have additionally have boxed or bagged with tube doubles right here - http://www.helmsdalecompany.com/autumn-superdeal-flies

Ron had increased the size range of these great new stunning copper tubes below to 1.5" for bigger cooler autumn water as they continue to catch salmon everywhere. See fishy pics below.

There are now 4 sizes and you can buy them right here and get your rod bent! - http://www.helmsdalecompany.com/new-rs-red-uv-cascade-alistair-copper-tube.

We also have awesome new Solar Red Monkey Coneheads on our homepage. Ron's Solar range of flies is now making big news from a trial start a few years ago. The new solar Monkeys are tied differently and even better in our thinking for the fly profile, check them out and buy them here - http://www.helmsdalecompany.com/rs-uv-solar-monkey-red-autumn-special

Ron will be tying his most famous Black & Yellow Solar Monkeys for the Spring 25 season soon so order early to get your new stash!

The set of 4 sizes of our blistering New RS UV Red Cascade Alistair

Our new Red UV Solar Monkey which comes in 4 conehead colour options for you to choose.

Nick Warran on the Teith with a 24 pounder on our Red UV

Gary Scott with another on the Tay on the Red UV

The fly itself posing in its own success.

Hi there, we are just back from our annual holidays and hope that this has not caused too much disruption to your fishing. The Helmsdale season is over as we know and there has been little to shout about apart from a few weeks here and there when both water and fish have lined up.

Many rivers are still open and our flies continue to be enjoyed buy autumn anglers, and salmon. Our most spectacular fly design of late has been our new RS Red UV Cascade Alistair on coneheads but we now have taken it a stage further by making it available on copper tubes which are perfect for the cooler waters that are now running. This new fly design from Ron really has been a huge success as it seems to have everything for autumn salmon fishing so these copper versions will fish great, of that you can be sure. We knew this tube would be super popular as our standard RS UV Cascade Alistair is a constant best seller.

Check out this stunning new tube below on a 1" copper tube. There are FL head colour options too and you can order them right here right now - http://www.helmsdalecompany.com/new-rs-red-uv-cascade-alistair-copper-tube.

Partnering with https://salmonfishingholidaysscotland.com/

Hi All, there is only one highlight from the Highlands this week and it is the launch of what we think is our best ever autumn tubefly design, the RS Red UV Cascade Alistair.

This insanely great looking new conehead comes with either an Fl red conehead or Gold cone and it just screams autumn fly fishing. Including our stunning Cascade Alistair profile, lethal UV, a lush red badger hackle and real junglecock we have no more words to say other than "SNAP SOME UP QUICKLY" or join a very long que to get some tied up for you. Comes with a gold or FL red cone pictured below.

You can buy them here right now - http://www.helmsdalecompany.com/rs-uv-red-cascade-alistair-conehead

As the season slides past it’s peak the general consensus seems to be that the grilse run did not quite hit the heights of last season but summer salmon were more prevalent, and they are still both running in respectable numbers.

All in all after a very slow start it has come quite good pretty much everywhere. So, as we move towards the latter phase of the season many rivers will be well stocked and up for further sport as long as temps cool and rain keeps topping rivers up. On that basis, we have developed one of our best ever autumn designs. A fly that has been a best seller for us all season and was ready for one of our famous tweaks. It will be launched next weekend so please watch this space for an absolute cracker which we know will be another massive hit.

Keep the fly orders rolling in, best to be ahead of the game and not last minute as the website is very busy.