Christmas is fast approaching and we have a stunning new range of designer brooches in stock to enthrall the lady in your life. They are all individually hand tied by Ron and mounted in classy gift boxes. Check them out below, you can easily order by clicking this link - http://www.helmsdalecompany.com/designer-spey-brooches.html

Spey Cascade

Spey autumn gold

Spey blue sky

Spey summer green

Spey Royal

Spey ruby

Time for a catchup to keep you in the loop with latest Helmsdale Co operations. The days are shortening so apologies for the extended prose but knowledge is power!

Firstly I would like to personally thank all our customers for another incredibly well supported season ( still going on some rivers ). A new RS fly collection has been launched and phased in over the season and feedback has been incredibly positive. Many of the new flies are designs which I have devised and tested over the years with great success, some are tweaks some completely new and certain flies have been way way out there as best sellers. See new collection here - http://www.helmsdalecompany.com/

Let me explain the thinking behind some of our new concept flies so you get where we are coming from. We don’t just offer the basics at Helmsdale Co and never will, I will always be pushing the boundaries of fly design, our customers demand it and deserve it!

Our Naked range has been huge, classic hairwing flies with no body materials to get ravaged by sharp teeth. Sounds simple? The key is quality Partridge Patriot silver and gold doubles and our innovative design. These are so popular we have given them a homepage category of their own.

Then there is our SuperSquid range which we now have on on tubes. Beautiful flies with a sprinkling of Amherst pheasant spears which make them come alive in the water ( intruder style) but more subtle, the crucial part is that they come in a range of 4 sizes right down to micro which need to be seen to be believed, the quality is astonishing. Continuing with the SuperSquid concept I have created a lethal Spider Monkey range with a hint of the same tantalising leggy look, tied again on best quality bare Patriot doubles and Loop bottle tubes. Last but not least is my Solar range. Conceived 3 years ago using amazing solar edgebright material which literally adds a bolt of lightening to flies in the water. I tested the concept on large Monkey tubes first and had immediate explosive success fishing for spring and autumn salmon, this concept was a goer! Demand is very high for these so I had no hesitation transferring the idea into double hooks, again another set of flies which merit a category on their own.

Incredibly Christmas is only 11 weeks away but we have some top quality boxed salmon fly selections you can buy for your fishing friends and top of the range Loop rods, reels and fishing jackets. Our new collection flies are very popular indeed so a boxed selection of those would definitely make someone very happy, contact me if you want to customise any selection and we can box with doubles or trebles.

Our hugely popular salmon fly cube along with fishing accessories, fly selections and designer brooches is to be relocated from Baxters village to a much more accessible roadside shop in Fochabers right next to the Gordon Arms car park, more on that as soon as we are set up.

Last development to report on is that the full RS new collection will be available to the trade soon from a new web platform, keep an eye out for that and tell your local tackle shop they need to have some of our superb new flies in stock for next year.

Let’s hope for more consistent water levels in 2019 and a general bounce back in salmon numbers.
Many thanks for listening and buying from us this season and feel free to spread the word about our new flies.

A pair of our new designer Spey brooches

Findhorn 45 pounder from the Drynachan beat

Tight lines

Ron Sutherland

The season closed out on a real high with around 300 fish off in the last week and many in the 20lbs + range. As an outdoor sporting event its as good as it gets and suggests a healthy population in the river. Sadly all good things come to an end and it is now time to leave gravid fish to get on and do what they came to do.

Talking of outdoor sporting events, the golfing spectacular "greatest show on earth" hits fever-pitch today between Europe and the USA. I have the feeling that the famous Ryder Cup trophy will not be heading back West, the European stars look like they are cruising to victory.

The salmon season may be all but over in the North but the Tweed etc in the south are just getting into gear. Anyone fishing late should bag up on some of our deadly autumn fly selections, hand picked and proven flies over the years which also hammered fish on the Helmsdale over the last 2 weeks.

The Helmsdale sprung into life along with most rivers after rain finally arrived. Around 250 were reported off the river last week and many fish were in the high teens and 20+ range, the upper beats scoring heavily and the Association water produced around 70. This week has also started very well with some incredible sport so the season will end on a real high. 28 were caught on just one beat.

I had a day on the Findhorn Association water and was quickly into the fish on the RS SuperSnaelda Red Gold tungsten conehead. The pics below are from the Roadside pool. This water is fishing very well right now and Graham Bell had 4 landed before I even got going! he landed another 2 with the biggest at 19lbs for a personal best day of 6. Big thanks to both Graham Bell and Glyn Phillips for showing me the water and organising the day ticket, Glyn had 3 fish on the day also and I am very much looking forward to going back for a cast.

RS Red/Gold SuperSnaelda - which you can buy here in 4 deadly options  - http://www.helmsdalecompany.com/rs-supersquid-red/gold-tung-conehead.html

Two for me before the river went quiet.

Graham Bell with his biggest from Sonnies pool

The weather is set to break this week infact after a night of heavy rain last night many rivers are rising as I write, including the Helmsdale. Salmon will now be on the move at long last and be heading for their spawning grounds at high speed and this is your chance for some great sport and maybe your first action of the season.

Big flies and a selection of sinking tips will do the job wherever you fish so now is the time to grab some of our killers and get out on the water....Copper Tubes and coneheads will be pefect, if you want my perfect autumn pick look no further than out RS SuperSnaelda red/gold tungsten conehead and Rs Red Cascade Pro fished off a sinking tip. If this pair of well proven tubes do not catch you salmon in the autumn then nothing will!

RS Red Cascade Pro - buy here now - http://www.helmsdalecompany.com/rs-supersquid-red/gold-tung-conehead.html

RS SuperSnaelda Red/Gold tungsten conehead buy here - http://www.helmsdalecompany.com/rs-red-cascade-pro.html

Tight lines, the season is going to finish with a BANG!

As autumn kicks in we will hopefully get some proper rain and rivers will rise, thats when tactics finally change and bigger flies fished on sinking tips catch the majority of salmon. In the meantime don't forget to grab a set of out stunning micro tubes ( see them in reports below ) which are catching salmon everywhere dispite the low water.

The Helmsdale is just simmering and 30 - 40 fish are coming off weekly, many on micro tubes.

To help you we have set up a new autumn category which offers all the most successful patterns and accessories. Click here to grab superb autumn flies from the past and present - http://www.helmsdalecompany.com/rs-autumn-killers.html?page=all

A couple of our best below to get the juices flowing...RS SuperSquid red conehead.

It's tough work finding positives when it comes to fishing reports this season but we are all getting used to it...the river gave up around 30 hard fought fish last week due to the dexterity of some very keen anglers. Low water prevails and the river has finally succumbed to the ravaging lack of rain as compensation water runs out. Longstanding ghillies report that they have never witnessed such a low river in their lifetime, par for the course I guess this season. Next spate will be a bonanza but will it happen soon enough? Light tackle, micro flies and a wiley approach are the tactics.....all part of the craft! We have all the micro flies required (see below ) and our absolute best selection can be purchased right here - http://www.helmsdalecompany.com/deadly-rs-micro-tubes-pro-choice.html

We have another superb batch of "New Collection" flies in stock for you to enjoy, the quality is amazing and needs to be seen to be believed....most of the tubes are in 4 sizes and right down to amazing Micro's in 0.25 copper/tungsten and coneheads. Check out our new Ally monkey Micro below to give you an idea. Our new Solar Cascades are in stock, SuperSquid tubes and coneheads, SuperSnaeldas in micro coneheads and many more. See new collection here - http://www.helmsdalecompany.com/new-rs-collection.html

Some more of our micro tubes - grab the set of 10 for £35. The Allys Monkey at the bottom is teamed up with a Fulling Mill silver tube double size 12.

Another one of our new flies which is making the news on Speyside especially is the new RS Naked Kinermony in 10s & 12s. It is selling out fast so you should grab a few whan you have the chance! you can buy then right here - http://www.helmsdalecompany.com/rs-naked-kinermony-killer.html

Some of our other stunning new flies on offer, superb reds for the autumn.

RS SuperSquid tube red copper or tungsten

Rs SuperSquid rainbow coneheads

Rs SuperSquid Kinermony conehead.

New Zelda double

There are many more killers, have a good look through the New collection and seek out those stunning micro tubes too.

The river is still producing against all odds, there was a small weedy rise in the water at the weekend but it didn't exactly freshen up the glen. last weeks total was around 40. I am sure there is still better to come if the rainy season arrives before Sept 30th.

Our super popular 3 + 1 deal is still on and we don't care being blitzed! its little wonder as we have the best selection of quality salmon flies online, its that simple...for every 3 flies you buy, we add another killer free from our new collection if your order comes to more than £35. The pic below is a selection of free flies for one of our latest orders from a lucky customer - doesn't get much better as a fly deal, but your order does not need to just contain £35 of flies to qualify, pop in a sinking tip? or a zinger? or maybe a flybox or nylon? whatever comes to £35 or more gets free flies.

The river miraculously produced around 60 salmon last week in the continuing tough conditions. Locally Adam Macdonald, William Jappy and Richard Davidson were all fast out of the blocks with Monday fish on hitch flies and tiny tubes. Sport deteriorated as the week went on and rain is a must now....ofcourse, we have all the flies you need to catch in these testing conditions. Have you tried the Hitch fly? The Sunray Shadow?, the tungsten Frances on varying leader length? Tiny Singles flies, Micro tubes? these are just some of the tactics you need in low water, chucking in a size 10 Cascade aint going to cut it right now unless you are lucky enough to have caught some fresh water....trust me!

There are some great new Loop lines out now with integrated running lines which you can buy online right here in 8, 9 & 10# - Loop have always been at the cutting edge of tackle innovation and these new lines are no different! Hot off the press and super smooth integrated they shoot like a dream http://www.helmsdalecompany.com/loop-sds-tactical-salmon.html