We had tough fishing conditions on the river last week with unsettled water levels and it is believed that dredging at the harbour mouth is not helping matters. The coastline has had a real battering recently and as a result inshore water clarity has been very poor at the mouth of the river. Add to this the constant dredging and associated swill of foul smelling mud greeting migrating salmon and you have a possible reason for the lack of fish entering the system.  This of course means we are still stuck on 4 fish off.

Hopefully there will be a full complement of rods on the river in the week ahead and we will be able to notch up another fish or two, it is mid February after all! I recall a weekend in the not too distant past when I had 2 lovely springers off the Association water in mid Feb let alone the whole river so there are sure to be fish running.

Our latest fly BOGOF ends tonight at midnight for Club Helmsdale members but do not dismay, we have another special offer in the wings. Anyone who buys a Mackenzie or Loop salmon rod in the next two weeks will receive a free line of their choice and a casting lesson if they can make it to Helmsdale. You can upgrade anytime to full Club Helmsdale membership for £9.99 anytime and scoop up some great deals all through the season - http://www.helmsdalecompany.com/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=1672

On a completely separate note, here is a fascinating short movie on the incredible effect of nature on rivers ( only 4 mins long ) - http://www.filmsforaction.org/watch/how-wolves-change-rivers/

To brighten things up a little, here is a selection of some of our latest killers - you need some if you are fishing soon!