Before we start, We have all our RS Baby TDs on a buy 2 get 1 free right now, simply put, if you purchase 2 we add another for free to your order so pickup some before the season runs out, they are deadly and can all be purchased individually or in a stunning full set, link to the set is here - https://www.helmsdalecompany.com/rs-baby-temple-dog-deal

We also have a nice reel of the second fish hooked on Ronald Sutherland facebook page and now on the Helmsdale Company facebook page, please follow either of these to watch.

Well the Helmsdale is far from flying and you would have to concede that it’s probably peak season. But, it does have one huge advantage over all other highland rivers, it has water! All be it compensation water from the catchment, it is still water and that keeps the river fishing when others are almost dry. I had the luxury of 2 days on the Association water but recent catch stats were not exactly getting me too excited about my prospects but you can see some of the fun below, the grilse are definitely running but the numbers are nowhere near what they were a few years ago.

The Monday morning set up was classic summer dibbling tactics with 12lbs Maxima Chameleon and a dropper ( Naked Alistair ) and my highest scoring fly of all time as the point fly, the RS UV Baby TD tube. To cut a long story short, the dropper was attacked by a grilse coming right out of the water to drown it, it was landed and the UV Baby TD was also chased on the surface by 2 other lovely grilse and both also landed. Even a daytime seatrout had a go at the TD and it was also landed and was in amazing shape, it certainly fed well as you can see from the pic below.

So, onto the dibbling part, it seems to be a tactic that’s dying out but my advice is that if you are on a small to medium size river then fish with a dropper because you will simply pick up more fish. You may have a few more fly management issues since there are 2 but all in all it’s worth the risk because there are lots of reasons why this approach offers more chance of catching salmon. The smaller fast flowing parts of a river suit it perfectly as in summer when fresh fish are running they are often pausing in the fastest water at the head of a pool, even in the white water so these areas need to be covered properly and with control over both your flies. The dibbling method suits this perfectly. To keep it simple, your setup is already geared for it so all you are looking to do is start with the shortest possible line, cast quite square and immediately raise the rod tip and hold it out across the stream, the dropper will pop up to the surface and you are in full control of both flies. Once you can see the dropper then you can slowly move the rod tip towards your bank and the inside edge of the stream then let out a couple of feet of line and repeat the move. The width of the run dictates length of line. You can lengthen as the run widens and make sure you take a step between each cast or two. You are basically in total control of the speed of the flies swinging  with the point of the rod so you can hang them out in the fastest water to give salmon enough time to see and hit them. It’s a deadly way to fish which simply cannot be done with anything longer than a short line.

Traditionally the set up is around 12ft nylon in total with the dropper set in the middle. The dropper itself is slightly bigger than the point fly so it shows up better in fast water and this also helps to anchor the fly better rather than have it bouncing, you can also raise or lower the point of the rod to always have dropper dragging properly on the surface. That’s the basics of it, but because of this tactic, you can be faced with many scenarios. Salmon love to rise to a fly, in fast water this can lead to some explosive lunges at the fly and not just once but many times before the fly is even taken properly, if it even is! Salmon can rise to the tail fly numerous times times and get bored with it so one step forward will then present the dropper where it is often taken immediately. Then ofcourse you can change fly size or colour once you have a fish interested and this often results in a solid take. So that’s the basics of dibbling, A book could be written on the subject on classic Helmsdale dibbling. So to summarise, the advantages of dibbling are as follows, you are using 2 different fly patterns rather than 1 to tempt fish. You use 2 different sizes of fly so are offering a choice there too. You have full control of fly speed in the fastest of water. You are playing right into the fact that salmon love to hit a fly skating on the surface. One word of caution, don’t strike or lift the rod when you see a fish come to your fly as for some reason they do not like this and generally you never see them again. The whole aspect of this super exciting way to fish in summer is a far cry from searching a huge deep pool with a 3” Willie Gunn copper tube on a sinking line in the spring. So, if the water allows you to fish a short line at the head of any of the pools, get dibbling as you will catch Atlantic salmon wherever they swim, I guarantee it! Fishing the Sunray Shadow and Hitching are also great tactics to get salmon chasing your fly on the surface but they are both different methods and maybe for discussion another day....

An early start pays dividends, RS UV Baby TD strikes

RS UV Baby TD  ( wet look )

RS Naked Alistair Gold Patriot double

RS UV Baby TD ( dry look )

A pristine 5 pounder also on the UV Baby TD

Breakfast treat from Mother Nature.

A stunningly shaped seatrout hit the UV Baby TD also.

A change of tactics in the sun. Red Frances copper tube 0.25" and size 12 Pearly Allys Patriot double

The stunning Bridge pool just a few yards from the sea.

Hi there, not much information coming from the Helmsdale last week but the river was unsettled by the sound of it. I would imagine that there are certainly fish getting caught on the association water and up river as we approach the peak weeks of the season. I will fishing it hard next week for a few days so watch this space to see how things are going close up.

Some more deadly flies below to keep you catching...all of them are available to buy right now on the website so grab some if you are heading out on the water, you will catch salmon on them thats for sure!

Start your shopping right here - https://www.helmsdalecompany.com/index.php

Our deadly Kazcade conehead with a hint of UV, blue and our new Scandi coneheads which fit our flies like a glove.

Our beautiful Foxy Alistair coneheads which are flying out the door this summer, we will be offering a red version soon for the autumn.

A few from the weekend sizing from 12cm UV Laerdal Sunray Shadow in copper and alumin bodies right down to our UV Micro tubes and hitches.

Tight lines.

The grilse are running the Helmsdale now as a few are getting picked up on the Association water. The run should grow daily and peak sometime in July so check out the top 4 flies (below) you need for the Helmsdale and any other river actually, these catch salmon everywhere.

The new RS Helmsdale Summer Top 4 which you can buy right here - https://www.helmsdalecompany.com/index.php

Our stunning summer set with an RS UV Wisp, Baby TD, Alistair conehead and a Willie Dog conehead. Totally proven hugely successful not just by Ron but everyone who has fished with them wherever salmon swim! They all work brilliantly from dawn till dusk, something to do with the UV in them?