The last 2 weeks have seen the arrival of good numbers of salmon. The upper river had its best week with 20 then last week that was surpassed again with nearer 30 fish off including the Association water tally. However, due to the very wintry weather all the action is happening on the lower river apart from a handful of fish getting caught over the falls and the Association water has proved to be as good a beat as the rest. Since Peter Macmillan landed the first fish in mid April, another 10 have been caught, Graham McCulloch has hit a purple patch landing 4 sealiced fish, Alistair Jappy 2, William Jappy, Keith Macdonald and Jim Forsyth one each and Mark Slight grassed a clonking 18 pounder from the Flat pool.

Coneheads and copper tubes generally fished on sinking tips are doing the damage with the odd fish taken on a stripped Sunray shadow. Temps are due to stay on the cold side so it looks like more of the same tactically for a week or two yet.

As usual, we have all the killer flies accessories and advice required to help you catch fish so give us a call. If you don't get through, please email or text on 07554510036 and I'll get right back to you asap.

Helmsdale Co are in the process of moving exclusively online and growing our internet side. We will still be offering almost all the equipment that is currently online including Rods and gear from Loop, Hardy, Simms, Mackenzie etc so call us for any quote and don't forget that we have the biggest and most innovative local and international salmon fly selection available online. We have pioneering many new fly trends and successful patterns like RS SuperSnaelda, Solar Monkey, Skullheads, Feeler flies on tubes and doubles and many more and we have our fly designs flies in all the big tackle stores including Sportfish and Glasgow Angling centre etc but for advice on using or ordering these call Ron ( who designed them ) direct or shop online right here - http://www.helmsdalecompany.com/

Helmsdale Co are always ahead of the game in fly design.......

Here is one of our latest superb new designs which is constantly selling out, the RS SuperSquid and you can buy them here right now, just hit the button on a range of patterns - http://www.helmsdalecompany.com/new-rs-supersquid-flaming.html

New seatrout killers like these, RS CDC Nightmare, these are unbeatable for hooking those nippy fish

We have stocked up again with many of your big fly favourites. Check some of them out from the list below.

Red Frances tungsten & copper tubes, 1", 0.5", 0.25"

Flamethrower Copper tubes 1" 0.75" & 0.5"

Pot bellied Pig tungsten and copper in Cascade, Willie Gunn and Black and Silver in 0.5" & 0.25"

Cascade Gold and silver doubles in 8s & 10s

Cascade Shrimp in 0.5" tungsten tubes

Baby TDs in aluminium 0.5"

Loads of superb Black and Yellow Monkeys in Copper, Aluminium and on Loop bottle tubes 0.25, 0,5 & 1"

Red Frances Gold doubles 10, 12, 14s

Scandi Cascade Green Butt and Red Butt Salar doubles in 9s & 11s

Willie Gunn Special copper tubes in 1" & 1.5"

Get stuck in before stocks are sold out again!

Tight lines

The Helmsdale has perked up a little recently with the last 2 weeks breaking into double figures. Regular David Macleod and his party had the best of w/c April 4th as he shared 4 super fish with daughter Kirsty Ann fishing Borrobol rods. John Sutherland added no 5 at the end of the week from Upper Carew on beat 2 below.The RS Solar Monkey took 4 of the 5 fish and the week ended with around 12 fish reported from the river as a whole.

Last week saw superb water and beat 6 started to prove it's worth providing most of the action as fish paused below the Falls of Kildonan. Fish are now running well over the falls and rods will soon start to focus heavily on the upper beats. Local Peter Macmillan finally got the Association water off the Mark landing a solid 10 pounder in sewerage pool on one of our deadly Alistair coneheads. The week ended with around 20 fish off.

Peter Macmillan with the first fish off the Association water

Our deadly Alistair conehead

Don't forget we have some great new flies online not just for the UK but for Russia, Scandinavia and Iceland who's fishing is about to explode into action again. Our new range of Solar Monkeys and SuperSnaelda are proving hugely popular as are our lethal SuperSquid doubles. May is only a short cast away, temperatures are slowly on the rise so we are fast approaching ( in my opinion ) the most exciting salmon fishing of the season. Big powerful fish will be entering all UK rivers and we have many options at our disposal to hook them as river temps hit the magic 50 degree mark. Look out for head and tailing fish which may be resting briefly and get your fly over them quickly, be prepared to strip a Sunray shadow tube if fish are around but seemingly uninterested in your standard offerings or fish short intermediate and slow sinking tips teamed up with conehead tubes or large doubles in Park Shrimp, Flamethrower, Cascade, Willie Gunn or our new SuperSquid. Classic floating lines will soon be the norm again as we try to cover large swathes of likely looking water with long slick casting so make sure you have your line cleaned and lubed up for the summer to keep your casting sharp.

As usual Ron personally welcomes calls for advice and he will make sure you are primed for action with the right kit and expert knowledge for your fishing trip or situation.

LAST MINUTE Rods are available on the river Forss this week - £40 per rod. If interested please contact, the water is up. Sat gone.

A better week on the Helmsdale has seen 9 off so far with some lovely fish in the teens of pounds and Achentoul rods have caught the first fish over the falls from Suisgil pool on beat 2 above. Hopefully this is the sign of a more significant run materialising.

However, the big news in salmon fishing recently was the capture of a huge fish from the Hampshire Avon. Mr Peter Fine fishing his Saturday rod got hold of and landed a monster measuring 48". The fish was finally estimated around mid forties and was caught in Edwards pool. After the excitement settled for Peter, he carried on fishing and duly landed another cracking 20 pounder on the same fly. The killer fly was an aluminium 1.5" Park Shrimp, how do we know this?, because Peter buys them from us!

Peters monster fish returned

The wee 20 pounder

The deadly Park Shrimp tube. You can buy them here right now - http://www.helmsdalecompany.com/park-shrimp-aluminium-tube.html