Archive

30

April

Rain required to kick start things!

Ronald Sutherland

As you can now see, the fishing report has been upgraded to a slightly different format, hopefully for the better, eventually!. Once I get to grips with how to use all the new icons I have in front of me the content should be fine with a few pictures.

We have added more new fly designs to our web-site this week for summer fishing in the UK and abroad. The secretive Dee Crathie fly and another unasuming but deadly low water summer favourite, the Logie. These are both tied on modern Salar doubles. We have also introduced new International Green Butt Loop doubles, Green & Red Butt Scandi Cascades, and Chartreuse into our range of feeler flies which have been a huge success since we introduced them to the market last year. However, don't forget just how good the old favourites are, like the Willie Dog & Ally Dog, Baby TDs, Silver Stoats tail, Alistair & Sunray Shadow. These flies and many more old favourites just keep catching fish after fish - discard them at your peril!

The Russian season is soon to get under way so we will be taking a hit on large Snaelda, Temple Dogs & Monkey's which proved so successful in recent seasons on the rivers of the Atlantic Salmon Reserve - Kharlovka & Eastern Litza etc. The new extra strong and super sharp Guideline doubles work great with these tubes as do the popular ever present Loop doubles, stocks are limited on these at the moment so snap them up when you can. Some of our new flies are displayed below but you can view the others on our homepage.

RS Dee Crathie fly

 RS Dee Crathie Salar double

RS Cascade Green Butt Loop double

RS Cascade Green Butt Loop double

 

Flaming Temple Dog

RS Flaming Temple Dog

Tweed Posh Tosh

 RS Tweed Posh Tosh

The deadly Alistair Conehead - a big Helmsdale favourite.

Alistair Conehead

The River Helmsdale has remained a little on the dormant side for the last two weeks. High pressure has dished out beautiful weather, but not for fishing! We do however have the luxury of compensation water and this has been a lifeline for anglers. While rivers all around the Highlands evaporate, the Helmsdale enjoys a reliable flow and this draws in a scattering of fish, mostly under the cover of darkness. 

Local angler William Jappy is keeping the numbers up on the Association water with early morning and evening sessions doing the damage but only 2 fish have been landed recently from this beat. The upper beats have produced reasonable sport for those who put in the hours and avoid the sun. The latest highlight would be a thumping sea-liced 24 pounder from Red Brae on beat 3 above. Ian Muir was the lucky angler fishing the Borrobol rods (pic below) Glen Macdonald was ghillie and the fish was released. Apart from that, there are encouraging numbers of fish being caught by some rods on flies ranging from micro tubes to large Sunray Shadows. Kildonan rods had the best of it for the week with a well earned 7 fish up to 17lbs from Caithness team Ross Mackay and Graham Robertson, the best fish came from the "Pot" on 2 above. They had fish on an array of flies including 3 to the trusty Alistair conehead, Frances flies, Sunrays and Tds nailed the rest. There are certainly fish around the coast now and most are waiting patiently for the next deluge - keep a sharp eye on the forecast, the next rise in river levels anywhere in Scotland should produce some good fishing.

Ian's Muir's big sea-liced fish being released.

Ian Muir 24 pounder released

Latest news from the Helmsdale Angling club Brora week - The Brora river is down to it's absolute bare bones. There are fish around, but tempting them is another story. However, Andy Sutherland had an evening on the water midweek and managed to hook one on a 12cm Sunray Shadow tube in the middle Stoney pool, unfortunately we both watched in dismay as the fish jumped and spat the hook after 3-4 mins. We saw several fish that evening, if only there were a few more inches of fresh water we may have had a great week! William Jappy did save the blank on Saturday Morning, again fishing middle Stoney, and using a baby Temple Dog he landed a sea-liced 12 pounder - I have no idea how this fish got up the river!!

Tickets are available for the Association water at £26 per rod per day. The loch is still feeding water so the Helmsdale offers a batter than average chance of a fish if we could at least get some cloud cover or a West/Northwest wind.

 17/4/11

We have some great new flies for sale, check out the homepage for pics and details. Crathie doubles, Loop Cascade green butt, Skandi Monkey and our fabulous new Cascade feeler tube ( below ) and more to come very soon keeping us well ahead of the game in cutting edge fly design.

The fishing picked up on the Helmsdale over the last two weeks but it was far from explosive. Torrish rods had the best of the first April week with 5 fish to the Denham party. After around 15 fish for the week ( still no fish off over the falls) prospects looked pretty good for the second week as the river steadied.

Monday got off to a flyer when Adam Macdonald returned a stunning PB 20 pounder in the Flat pool beat 6 for Badanloch rods, if that was not good enough, his mate Rob Sugrue landed his first ever salmon of 11lbs in the Dyke pool soon after. The upper beats then sprung into action. 3 fish were taken on beat 3 by Suisgill rods, and fish were caught on all the other upper beats bar 5 & 6. Then came another first fish on the Badanloch rods, this time it was Adam's dad who got in on the act with a superbly conditioned 12 pounder from the Black Brae on beat 4. The week ended with tough bright conditions and the fishing suffered but a seasonal best of around 30 were caught. One fish was taken from the Association water by Archie Miller on a mylar Willie Gunn conehead, We now need rain! Willie Gunn's, Alistairs and Td coneheads all worked well this week but the Sunray Shadow is starting to make more of an impact each week as temperatures rise. Andy Sutherland landed one on beat 2 above and moved many others all to the Sunray - make sure you have one in your box for the rest of the season!

Badanloch Ghillie Alex Fraser returnes a super 20 pounder for Adam Macdonald in the Flat pool beat 6.

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?Rob Sugrue with his first fish from the Dyke pool beat 6

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3/4/11

We are so keen for you to enjoy our Scott Mackenzie DTX range of salmon rods that we are giving away a free Carron Jetstream line with each rod for the next Month. The Carron series of salmon lines have been smashing distance casting records for years and recently they have even been improved. These remarkable lines just get better and better due to painstaking testing and the expert knowledge of Carron development team top man James Chalmers.

James is a real perfectionist and the new lines are twin colour and easy loading to make Spey and overhead casting a very easy operation indeed, even for the beginner. Match these superb lines up with rods designed by another legendary Highland distance casting genius Scott Mackenzie and you cannot fail to enjoy your salmon fishing whether you catch fish or not. I have used the DTX 15ft 4 piece rod since it hit the market and I have not used a better rod for the price.  

If you really want to gain some extra distance this season without compromising turnover and accuracy, and, enjoy and improve your casting, the DTX is the rod for you - with a free Carron Jetstream line to match! Incidentally, new Mackenzie DTX lines are just about to hit the shelves and word has it that they are going to be every bit as good as Carron lines.

The fishing was reasonable last week but once again many good rods blanked. Water levels were grand but Monday only provided 2 fish, things picked up on Wednesday when amazingly 3 fish were caught on the Association water. Ex Torrish ghillie Andy Sutherland could not get out to sea to fish for lobster due to bad weather so attention was turned to the river. By 3pm he had landed 2 cracking springers. One was taken on a Cascade conehead in the Flat Pool (7lbs) and the second lunged at an early season appearance of the 12cm Sunray Shadow 13lbs. Meanwhile fellow lobsterman William Jappy, also stranded on land for the day, had an 8lbs fish in the upper Allan pool. William was set up with a dropper on his leader and witnessed his fish taking this fly on its second attempt right on the surface.

Saturday was a washout due to heavy rain and the week ended with around 14 fish in total. Prospects look good for the week ahead and double figures should be easily achieved, I would also expect to see a fish or two getting caught on the upper beats.

Andy Sutherland returns one of his fish on Wednesday

The deadly Black & yellow Sunray in the scissors of Andy's second fish. If you have not heard of the amazing powers of the Sunray then you better get up to date fast!! check them out here - http://www.helmsdalecompany.com/index.php?act=viewCat&catId=7