The numbers arriving in w/c July 9th (approx 170 caught) did not hold up last week but the fishing was good all the same. Sport was patchy on the beats and quite tough at times if you were not amongst the pods of runnng fish. The Association water had a slightly better week as visiting anglers increased, around 20 fish were caught taking the total for the river to just over 100 or so.

Water levels remain quite low and I would expect the Association water to fish well again in the coming week. There is still availability although it will be quite busy. Catches have been mainly small grilse with a sprinkling of fish between 5 - 10lbs, there are better and bigger to come.

This weeks pics are from Mr Green with a nice 12 pounder from the Style pool on the Association water.

The awesome new Loop Cross S1 14ft with Loop Evotec, Carron Jetstream 8/9wt and a 5 pounder on the new Helmsdale mirage shrimp.

Our deadly little Mirage Shrimp designed by Ron which works a treat - order here now - http://www.helmsdalecompany.com/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=1218

The fishing is improving each week on the Helmsdale as grilse arrive in good numbers. last week reported the best score of the season providing excellent sport throughout the length of the river. The Association water struggled however, partly due to high water levels early in the week. Visiting anglers boosted the catch on Wednesday with 7 off, myself included, the total for the week was around 15. Once again coneheads scored heavily in the peat stained water but the river is set to fall steadily in the week ahead with very little rain forecast. Lower water is preferred for the Association water and I would predict that the next two week will be the peak scoring weeks of the season.

This week there are few photo's but I have acquired a GoPro so we have a link to some action from the Association water here - https://vimeo.com/45763675 - In the short film I am testing the superb new Loop Cross S1 salmon rod and a new budget salmon reel from Vision - both were quite superb in action and for £60 the vision Deep reel was as good as many more expensive reels on the market, good capacity on a u shaped arbour, tight drag system and it looks the part. The loop S1 is as good a rod as you will ever cast, http://www.helmsdalecompany.com/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=1271 so light you can cast single handed and the 3M technology (same as in Hardy Sintrix rods) makes it super strong when a big fish turns up and effortless when you need to cast that extra long line. We also have a full range of budget 4pc Loop XACT rods in stock from £277 - 12ft 6 - 15ft.

Ron's new Rainbow conehead Flamethrower tube which is working great right now.

I note the Helmsdale District Fishery Board have gone live with a new website here - http://helmsdale.dsfb.org.uk/ However, the current river information is a little baffling stating that it is the second longest river in Scotland with a main stem of 107 miles?

The Helmsdale sprung into action last week with the arrival of more grilse. Good water levels encouraged fish to run in numbers and as a result the Association water produced over a dozen fish. Gordon Sim had 3 in the short time he spent on the water and most of the locals scored. The upper river fished well with estates generally faring well. I would estimate well over 100 fish were caught on the river including the Association water score, probably the best week of the season so far.

Coneheads fished great and anglers fishing a dropper over the nect few weeks will maximise their chances. The grilse seem in good condition overall and we are probably heading for a better run than last season if numbers stay on the increase.

Some of our deadly new coneheads below -

Park Shrimp

Ron's most famous and deadly design, the Willie Dog

Cascade Dog

As we said last report, we are stocking up on Loop rods now and on the amazing new Cross S1 rods http://www.helmsdalecompany.com/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=1271 we are offering part exchange. Call us if you want to trade in your current rod for these state of the art models with 3M technology. We will also do part exchange on Mackenzie DTX rods.

Most Highland rivers seem to be coming to life where rain has fallen, the Oykel reported over 100 fish last week. As I write, the River Helmsdale is up to around 1ft 6" so the week ahead should be very interesting indeed, with a bit of luck grilse numbers will keep improving and the whole river will have a super week. The Association water should provide good sport once again and for £25 per rod you can have a great day out with every chance of hooking a few fish.

I had an e-mail from a rather chuffed friend of mine, Susan Capper (below) who this week who got off the mark with a cracking 10 pounder. The little river Strathy was the destination. Her partner Ric Marr hitched up the fish and Susan moved in to seal the deal on a Flamethrower fly, what a devilish double act!

Another one for the ladies, Fiona Muir releases a super 14 pounder from Sand pool beat 1 on the Helmsdale.

The Helmsdale doggedly keeps producing good catches throughout the traditionally quiet month of June. Water levels have been unsettled to say the least but rods are still finding steady sport. Fresh salmon are being caught in the teens of pounds regularly which is a good thing I guess but let's hope it is not once again at the expense of a decent grilse run, it's early doors yet so hopefully the summer run will grow week on week from now on. The total for last week would be around 100 but only a disappointing 2 came from the Association water which generally favours low water.

The Tackle Shop are now getting kitted out with all the latest gear from the cutting edge Loop Tackle brand and are the latest Loop Pro Shop on the international platform - 3M technology is the new buzz on the fishing rod scene and Swedish tackle geniuses Loop have one of the only two licenses available to sell it. 3M allows rods to be built much lighter and stronger than before, the technology really is a major step forward in rod building and should totally eliminate any breakages under normal use. Read all about it here http://www.helmsdalecompany.com/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=1271

Our flies are making big news again, this time in Russia. The new RS Super Snaelda is murdering fish all over the place and proving to be a huge success for many anglers - call us if you want some, we have them available in limited numbers in sizes 0.5, 1" & 1.5" they will suit the current high river levels in the UK so get one on the end of your rod! below is just a snippet of what's going on.

Dee McColgans 29 pounder on Yokanga river on the RS Super Snaelda

We also have a great offer available on some of our unique Feeler tubes including some RS Super Snaelda below - superb high water flies totally exclusive to the Helmsdale Company and designed by Ron Sutherland. Buy them here now - http://www.helmsdalecompany.com/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=1278 and only 10 sets are available so its "first come first serve"

Many thanks for tuning in - tight lines