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The big thaw is here on the Helmsdale, below is the Whinnie pool on beat 1 below 16/1/10 still no first fish.

 

Please have a look at the latest pics from the river Helmsdale here - http://www.salmonfishingforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16158 go to the latest fishing report above for the up to date news.

The river Helmsdale will open very soon and Badanloch Ghillie Alex Fraser will have the honour of launching the traditional first cast of the season. The long range forecast looks to be very icy but with a slightly warmer blip on the cards a few days before opening day on Jan11th - lets hope this relaxes the ice and opens up the current icy river. A good supply of 1",1.5" & 2" copper and tungsten tubes will be most usefull with medium sinking lines. The other popular Scandi approach is to fish lighter aluminium & plastic tubes on faster sinking lines or shootingheads. Either way you will be presenting your fly close to the salmon who will be lying on or close to the riverbed. The anticipation of that first cast of the season is a magical moment and when you have the whole lower Helmsdale at your mercy it feels even better.  If there is the slightest chance you can get away for a day or two get yourself booked into the last few rooms at the Bridge Hotel for the big opening day buzz. Call Ron at the Helmsdale Tackle Shop for advice on availability tackle & flies.

We had a super sea-liced springer on opening day 2009 caught by Andy Sutherland on a 2" Alistair copper tube. Beat 1 Lower Caen was the hot spot - It can happen! hopefully it will happen again and lets pray for a great spring in 2010.

 

Please click on the latest fishing report above,

 

Two cracking weeks on the Helmsdale have given summer numbers a welcome boost. Good water levels have had salmon interested all through the system and quite a few are still fresh run. The Association water is also still scoring steadily and has been providing around a dozen or so per week. Friday saw lots of rainfall and the river was in full spate on Saturday. The river settled by the morning and 6 salmon were accounted for locally, the upper beats also scored well with lots of salmon on the move.

The week ahead should be another good week with great water levels holding up. The Association water will be in grand order with a few late fresh fish moving through and tickets are readily available from the Tackle shop.

Bigger flies are doing the damage in the coloured water so coneheads and copper tubes will be perfect for the week ahead.

 

26/7/09

Its crunch time on the Helmsdale once again as we are expecting the main grilse run to arrive in the next fortnight. Recent weeks have been poor in general for July with another low dry spell but this is a sign of the times and to be more expected now. This week the river has suffered badly with high unsettled water conditions but in the past week around 75 fish have been recorded in total. The Association water produced the best quality fish and all (14) were fresh run grilse with an occasional 8lbs salmon. The upper river saw few fresh runners however pods of grilse were encountered amongst the persistent but welcome spate water. Most of the fish caught & returned were stale salmon.

Grilse numbers are definitely on the rise now. Hopefully the next month on the river should provide excellent sport.

 Don’t forget to kit up with the correct tackle here on-line. Give yourself the best chance of a hook up by having a good supply of the right flies for water conditions. All our salmon lines are on offer for the next fortnight so now is the time to get a slick new floating line on the reel to shoot those deadly new flies. The more fish you cover - the more action you will have! We have lots of Spey, double taper & shooting heads in store so call for advice on your best option.

 Tight lines.

20/6/09

 

The deadly original Willie Dog TD conehead designed by Ron...read below about its latest captures using the superb new Guideline tube doubles.

 

Things have slowed down slightly on the salmon front on the Helmsdale at least. The last two weeks have fished quite well and good numbers are still running however fluctuating water levels have made scoring a hit or miss depending on which beat you fish. Two grilse have been reported but generally excellent salmon of between 7 – 16lbs have been the norm.

The Association water has struggled slightly as fish are flying through the lower river but a couple have been picked up by locals, we are now on 25 fish for the season, Tommy Bird & Alexander Cowie catching the latest both at 9lbs.

The sea-trout have arrived in good numbers and I had one of my best sessions on Saturday night before the bells at midnight rudely stopped the bonanza! I had 7 super sea-trout up to 3lbs from 10,30pm – midnight mainly on a silver stoat double size 14. Last week provided another 25 for the week all to local anglers but rising water levels spoiled the fun by midweek and the trout are now sprinting way up through the system.

Heavy rain on Wednesday last week offered long awaited fresh water to most highland rivers and after an e-mail from the Sutherland estate office informing me of available fishing on our neighboring river Brora I was on close alert to the water levels over there. A quick decision was made and I was on the lower Brora by 4am next morning with brother Andy. To cut a long story short we had 6 fish between us and it was one of the most enjoyable few hours fishing I have ever spent on a river, smallest 9lbs biggest 14. All my fish came to a Willie Dog conehead set up with a new Guideline tube double. One fish came out of the Ford, 2 from lower Fannich and one out of lower Madman. Andy had fish from the Lower Stoney and Corner pool.

The Guideline doubles are superb new hooks and the best I have seen for sharpness and style…they are going to be massive!!! Check them out on this site.

Here is the deadly fly below with Guideline double inset, I keep going back to this fly in slightly coloured water and it never fails to produce the goods – you really need some of these in your box!! It is my original and most killer design to date and I highly recommend it to anyone fishing any river for Atlantic salmon. This fly has proven beyond doubt that it works extremely well all season in all sizes.

 

 

16/5/09

The Helmsdale has semi-bounced into action in the last couple of weeks. The week beginning Monday 4^th May finally gave up a respectable 50 fish. A small rise of only 3ins in the river and good fishing conditions stimulated some action all through the system. The Association water also provided sport and 3 were landed, 2 by P Macmillan and one for Alistair Jappy - all in all a good week and the best this season.

This week was never going to top the previous as bright sunshine and easterly winds were persistent. However fish were caught early and late but only one more was recorded on the Association water by Hector Mackay.

Today Saturday 16^th we have a 3ft spate rushing down the glen so the lucky rods fishing next week are in for some excellent sport one would think, lets hope there are lots of fish in the sea to come in.

Latest news…2 off the Association water this morning ( Mon 18^th ) before breakfast – William Jappy and Ron Sutherland had nice fish on gold Ally & Willie Gunn TD coneheads. The river level is around 10ins this morning and perfect, this water will be well worth a cast this week, call the shop for bookings on 01431821372…we have lots of cracking coneheads on-line so fill your boxes!

 

 

5/5/09

Just back from the Trout & Salmon Tweed Angling fair in Kelso at the weekend and its all doom and gloom on the salmon fishing front - all over Scotland . I was staying in the Ednam House Hotel looking over the famous Junction pool on the Tweed and I have yet to see a salmon jump! Many ghillies were milling around the show on Sunday from far and wide and the word was unanimous – the spring run is pretty much over and it never really started!

It also looks like the ASFBs ( Association of Salmon Fishery Boards ) in Scotland are about to cry a national call for 100% catch & release for the next 2 months to try and protect what’s left of this years worrying and feeble spring run – please read the attached article link http://www.fishandfly.com/articles/20090501 People may say it won’t make much difference to stocks as the problem is all at sea – well nobody has found out yet what is happening at sea and until they do I think we as anglers need to do our bit for each individual river, “every little helps” as they say!

On a more positive note it was great to meet and discuss all the latest tackle & fly-tying trends with the biggest and most clued up names in Atlantic salmon fishing, Mikael Frodin, Scott Mackenzie & Gordon Sim the list could go on for a long time! A big turnout saw superb fly-casting exhibitions, fascinating fly-tying demos and stands full of all the latest tackle on the market. A superb presentation by the Atlantic salmon reserve also lifted the event on Saturday night by raising funds for the Tweedstart kids angling programme in the Ednam hotel.

We also launched our unique and exciting new Sunray Tsunami tube fly which went down a storm – fistfuls are on their way all over the northern hemisphere with team Guideline & Loop etc and I look forward to the explosive feedback. This cracking new fly invented by yours truly will be for sale for the first time on-line this week; you need one in your flybox along side your Sunray Shadow. I’ll let you into a little secret – the Tsunami has been field tested from the Kola Peninsula to the Helmsdale on loch and river recently and results have been phenomenal.

 
Onto the fishing on the Helmsdale – The Association water continues to fish fairly well due to the low water conditions and local William Jappy had a super double last week with 2 cracking fresh fish up to 12 lbs within an hour, Tommy Bird also grassed his first, a nice 8 pounder today on one of his new home made Alasdair tubes. The total is now 9 for this water and it is well worth a cast for visitors. The upper river is steadily giving fish but not anywhere near the seasonal average.

One final thought to ponder – course fishing throughout the UK is extremely popular and sustainable and generates millions of pounds worth of income for the economy in many ways – all fish are returned.

Tight lines

28/4/09

 

Fishing conditions on the Helmsdale this week have been reasonable despite the Summer water levels but numbers of salmon seen and caught have been poor. Once again the spring salmon run has really not materialised and this is not just the case for the Helmsdale, it is the same worrying statistic all round Scotland .

However the Association water provided sport for Alexander Cowie and Alasdair Jappy who had a couple of fine fish up to 11lbs. One fish caught on the Sunray Shadow again and one on a small cotton bud tube.

Prospects for the week ahead are not looking too great as most of the rain forecast is for the South. Small flies will be the order of the day again unless you set up with the Sunray Shadow.

I will be at the Trout & Salmon Tweed Angling Fair in Kelso on Saturday & Sunday this week so if you are in the area why not pop over for a chat. I will be in the Atlantic Salmon Reserve tent with the team tying salmon flies (or at the casting competition!!) I will also have lots of flies on display and for sale – The new Sunray Tsunami is getting its official launch and that is a fly well worth seeing.

By the way, The ASR still have a few amazing slots available for salmon fishing on the Kharlovka/Litza/Rynda rivers in Russia . The full team will be on hand to discuss all the last minute deals and there will be refreshments and a superb slide show of the incredible salmon fishing on offer.

Hope to see you there.

After a long slow spring the fishing seems to be showing signs of improvement recently. Last week saw the first two fish off the Association water on the Helmsdale. Visitor Chris Cook didn’t take long to grass the first one (9.5lbs) in the Style pool after picking up his day ticket only 10 minutes before. The fly used was the Alistair which seems to have a habit of catching firsts! Andy Sutherland added to the total on Friday in the Flat pool landing an 8lbs fish on a black & orange Sunray Shadow.

The upper river was mediocre by all accounts and no fish have been caught above the falls of Kildonan yet. With water temps hitting the mid 40s it must only be a matter of time before one is found above.

I would get your supplies of Sunray Shadows ordered ASAP as the water temps keep rising, This fly keeps on producing explosive action when all else fails. Remember to fish it pretty fast and square on the surface for best results.

Chris Cook with the first fish off the Association water.

Yours truly (Ron) returning a solid Helmsdale 14 pounder last week from Upper Torrish on beat 3 ( full report below )

As predicted the weekly total on the Helmsdale increased again last week from the previous. The river rose constantly on Monday by 13ins so the day was basically washed out apart from an early Achentoul fish from beat 4. Tom Plumbly lured an 8lbs fish from beat 1 on Tuesday, Graham Robertson had a 6 pounder from the Craggie stream on 5 and Tackle shop owner Ron Sutherland returned a gleaming 14 pounder from Upper Torrish on beat 3. On Friday 2 fish were reported, a cracking 16 pounder returned by ghillie Donald Sutherland on beat 1 and George Sutherland returned an 8 pounder in the Vale of tears on beat 6. Suisgil rods had another from the Little Rock pool on beat 6 on Saturday bringing the weekly total to 7 – 17 for the season so far.

All things considered the fishing was not too bad as rods were practically blown off the river on Thursday & Saturday. Most of the fish were returned which is very pleasing and hopefully this will help boost future spring stocks.

Water levels are excellent and running at approx 1ft so the week ahead should produce around 8 – 12 fish if conditions are favourable.

At last the river Helmsdale has woken up. After a big thaw and spell of high water last week a few fish have appeared in the river. Things got moving on Monday when Lance Hacker landed the first Achentoul fish - a nice fresh 7lbs fish on Baddy Wood ( bt 4). Thursday saw Alan Stone fishing Borrobol rods land their first, a fine 10 pounder from Pilkingtons Point on beat 5 then the same fellow returned a super 18lbs fish from Lower Torrish on beat 3 on Saturday aided by Johnny Hardy. Johnny commented that he had not seen so many sea-lice on a fish in years.

With 3 springers off this week, predictions should be good for next – lets all keep our fingers crossed. We are now on 4 for the season.

Other Highland rivers are giving a fish or two now also, the Naver had 5 last week, Thurso 1 and Brora 1

All rods will be fished hard this week on the Helmsdale - Paul Young will be here, Andrew Thomas & Local Robert Mackay will also be on the water, if there is a fish about these guys will find them! Let’s hope it is the start of a good spring run and all rods score.

Don’t forget to stock up with flies from our site if you have a fishing trip organised and please place your order in good time.

Once again we have added new patterns so take time to surf through what is on offer.

 

 I will be at the massive Tweed Angling Fair in Kelso again this year ( May 2nd + 3rd ) in the Atlantic Salmon Reserve tent tying Russian killers for the Kharlovka, Litza etc Please pop along and say hello and check out the fabulous fishing and flies on offer. We will have lots of flies for sale, tips on fly-tying and information/films on screen about salmon fishing specialising in Russia.  

Oh….and you can bet I’ll be tying loads of those deadly new Monkey tubes which seem to be catching fish all over the place recently ( pic below ). I had three of my 4 springers on the Dee last week on my version pictured below - 1" Tungstem body with 6.5" hairwing...AWESOME!

 

 

The Park Shrimp - one of our great new tubes keeping Helmsdale Co at the cutting edge of salmon fishing. Invented by Ross Macdonald this fly has exploded onto the scene recently especially on the river Dee.

After the best possible start to the Helmsdale season, everything has ground to a halt. Not all rods are being fished too heavily but the river is being quite well covered and no more fresh fish have been caught or seen.
Conditions have been good right from opening day so we are slightly surprised not to have had another fish by now but it is still only January and things should pick up through February.
On the Highland front as a whole I have heard that 2 fish were caught on the river Morriston in Invernesshire last week, 8 + 16lbs and a 14lbs specimen was caught on the Borgie which we await scale readings to clarify.
Other than that things are pretty quiet on the fishing front up North.
Tomorrow (Monday Feb 2nd) we have the river Brora opening + Dee and Tweed amongst others so stand by for more early action especially on the Dee. The weather forecast is not good however with easterly winds and snow moving in tomorrow and the prospect of a long cold spell.

We have lots more great new tubes online this week like the new Park Shrimp, Junction Shrimp, Eternal Optimist and Black & Yellow in copper and aluminium all with jungle cock – these are some of the best traditional spring flies and they join a long list of other on-line favourites like Willie Gunn & Garry Dog etc
New lines and rods are also on offer at silly prices so call the shop if you fancy upgrading your tackle this season. Finances are tighter for everyone at the moment so if you have booked fishing and want to maximise your chances of a return and hooking up with the elusive Spring salmon please call the shop for advice on perfecting your outfit. The more water you cover effectively the more chance you have of catching fish – you won’t do it with a soft old rod and cracked fishing line! Simply loading a new slick line can make a big difference to your whole performance. We have super lightweight quality complete balanced combo’s not even on-line yet that will add many yards to your casting starting from less than £150 – we will even show you how to get the best out of you kit with free instruction. Please call Ron at the shop for any enquiries on 01431821372.
In the meantime, fish slow and deep for best results.
Tight lines.

The Alistair tube fly which caught the first Helmsdale springer. 

Now available if you call the shop in all sizes. Check out the latest fishing report.

T & S article Jan 2009 by Ronald Sutherland

The RS Turbo Frances – The Frances fly made easy

As the new Spring salmon season fast approaches in the Highlands the anticipation level is raising and hooks are being sharpened. The river Helmsdale has long since closed but some of us have booked our early fishing for 2009 and have been searching for new inspiration from behind the vice on the dark winter evenings. A new super improved Willie Gunn perhaps or another juiced up Temple dog? Or maybe even a fly with hypnotic powers which leads fish to jump ashore and give themselves up! Well, maybe it’s none of the above, and I’ll bet they have all been tried before anyway.
I think this winter I’ll just stick to tying the tried and tested and tweak the odd pattern here and there, after-all, what sort of Springer could possibly ignore the charms of my favorite gold bodied Willie Gunn!

I started thinking of the past season and to whether there was anything or any fly which may have possibly stuck out in any way. There are always maybe one or two flies which catch your eye or which you hear fishermen whisper about and you might say that from behind the counter of my tackle shop I would be in prime position to glean such information. Well you would be right, and over the last 2 or 3 seasons I have heard one name being mentioned more than most, what could possibly be getting more air time than my Coneheads or the fabulous Flamethrower, Sunray, or Park Shrimp, well it is the Frances. Love it or hate it, the Frances is gaining popularity wherever salmon swim. It seems to have finally broken its strict Icelandic mould and gained favour from the Fowey to the Borgie.

Armed with my classified information I had Frances fever in my fingers and was soon rattling off a selection of new hybrid conical delicacies. Now I don’t know about you but I have to admit I have always been slightly troubled by the construction of the strange carrot shape body required for these flies and the fact of the matter is that no matter how good a job you make of forming the perfect cone shape it can collapse if you are lucky enough to have had it struck by numerous salmon. It is only wool after all and therefore no match for the savagery of high-speed salmon.

It was whilst I was positioning the tungsten conehead on my latest Frances effort that I thought “lets add one of Frodin’s Turbo discs instead on the back of a big shlappen hackle (I’m sure he wouldn’t mind!) That would really create a new monster wouldn’t it? No, it would be totally bizarre so don’t even go there.” Then it dawned on me – why don’t I position a disc it at the thick end of my next Frances body, this would support body construction brilliantly. It fitted the job description perfectly and it was the easiest Frances I have ever tied, no worries or calamity inter-weaving thread all over the place as usual, it was sorted and a new wave of Turbo Frances were born. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with a bog standard Frances but everything can be improved! Call it evolution I guess.
So many people have asked me over the years “how do you tie that cone shape Frances body properly?” Well here at last I can show you a technique which will revolutionize your frances tying for good and help you build rock solid Frances designs with ease.   

www.helmsdalecompany.com have many new products on-line now so search very closley in all out categories, fishing accessories and fly-tying materials have been added and new flies are also arriving weekly.  By popular demand we have created a new green butt Cascade for Ireland and International rivers, Norway in particular. The popular Cascade Alistair has also had a new twist of green added + conehead for Russia & Scandinavia.

The Bruce & Walker Helmsdale Classic has proved to be very popular salmon rod since re-design in 2006 particularly as a gift. We have them available in 12ft, 13’6, 14 & 15ft. Trout rods are to be introduced for next season – Christmas is coming, who do you think would appreciate a new Helmsdale rod!!

 

Tight lines..fish hard.

The big news from the Highlands in 2008 was the new shop opening for the Helmsdale tackle Company, A friend of shop owner Ron - Paul Young was on hand to officially perform the honours.

Press release below

In these times of financial doom and gloom it is exciting to report on a Sutherland business which has expanded rapidly since being started on a kitchen table seven years ago.The Helmsdale Tackle Company Ltd, which sells fishing flies, tackle and accessories, moved into new premises this week, which were officially opened by top TV actor/fishing commentator Paul Young on Tuesday. The company was started by Helmsdale man Ronald Sutherland and is the result of several changes in direction as he realised where his market lay.
It was in 2001 that Ronald set up Highland Pursuits, offering fishing and golfing tuition, gold panning and his own tied flies, made at his kitchen table. He learned the art from world-renowned fly-tying supremo, the late Megan Boyd of Brora. Fascinated by the various colours, shapes and sizes to be adapted for fishing in different areas of the world, Ronald was soon building a reputation for his intricate designs. He says: “I found that the whole fishing side of the business, whether the fly-tying or the instruction, was taking over and I eventually had to drop the gold panning and golf tuition elements. I was offering fishing instruction not only on the Helmsdale, but all over the Highlands, so I was very busy.”The kitchen table was no longer adequate for the growing business and so Ronald moved it into a shed at the rear of his house in Strath Road in 2004. At about the same time, the Tackle Shop at the Bridge Hotel in Helmsdale shut, and the demand for his services increased. He decided in 2005 to open a shop in the centre of Helmsdale, in Dunrobin Street – River Helmsdale Fishing Tackle - where he was able to develop every aspect of the business and 18 months ago, set up a website selling the flies, tackle and accessories worldwide.The business was given a boost when Ronald was invited by the vanguard fishing magazine Trout and Salmon to join their stand at the Tweed Angling Fair at Kelso where he demonstrated fly-tying. “I opened up a lot of new business through that and it really put the web-site on the map.” From that, his website was attracting customers from all over the world, particularly for his flies for the four main salmon fishing areas – Norway, Iceland, Russia and the UK. Such was demand that he realised he needed more space and earlier this year he acquired the former Spar shop just along from his premises which he has opened this week. His former shop is now on the market. The new shop, The Helmsdale Tackle Company Ltd, is almost twice the size, with ample room for displaying tackle, clothing and, of course, a large selection of flies. He says: “We sell literally thousands of types of flies, not just my own but many international; destination selections such as specifically for Norwegian and Icelandic waters. They are high quality flies – Salmon flies can cost from £1.50 each to £4.99 each. There are flies to cover every eventuality for the fisherman. “We have to offer the best to compete but we also offer bargain items so that we cater for every client. Salmon reels, for instance, can sell from £30 to £500.”The expansion of the business means he has also taken on two members of staff to help with organisation and packaging. His niece, Yvonne Grant from Helmsdale, has joined him and Blair Colvin, Brora, has worked with him during the summer holidays and will hopefully join the team
when he leaves school soon. Ronald’s wife Karen deals with all accounts and book-keeping. Another great asset to the business is Ron’s lifelong fishing friend and global destination angling expert Gordon Sim. He says: “ Gordon’s great knowledge of fishing the best Atlantic salmon destinations is priceless and he will spearhead our future international sales drive especially on the Kola peninsula” On Tuesday, the locals gathered were all delighted to meet Paul Young, who is famous for his Hooked on Scotland and Hooked on Angling television series. Paul has been fishing the Helmsdale for many years and he and Ronald have often fished the Dee together. Says Ronald: “I was very excited when he said he would officially open the shop - that will give us a real flying start ". He is well known and very popular and he loves the Helmsdale.”The shop will be open six days a week from 9am to 5pm. - Shop number - 01431821372

The new team below showing off some of the world renowned flies on offer - L - R Yvonne Grant ( sales & marketing ) Karen Sutherland ( accounts/admin ) Ron Sutherland ( Managing director ) Natalie Sutherland ( trainee sales ) Blair Colvine ( trainee shop assistant & fly tying )

A view of the new spacious front of shop showing the plasma screen playing all the latest fishing DVDs.

Ron showing Paul Young some of his extensive range of fly tying materials.

Natalie Sutherland organising some of the latest fishing accessories.

A new killer fly in Norway!! -  Cascade Alistair designed and created in Helmsdale and you know where to find it, check out this testimonial below.

Ron

I had the best experince in Alta that you can think of.
Me and my friends caught 12 salmons from 15 kg to 8 kg and 8 of them
took on Cascade Alistair 1"copper tube.
From 8 PM 24.06 to 07 AM the 25.06 we took 8 salmon on the Cascade. I
got a 11 kg salmon on the first cast on the cascade. The weather was a
bit cloudy with some sun, just perfect for that fly.

My friends tried several other flies, but when i gave them my fly they
surrendered :-)

Can you make me some more copper tubes with the Cascade Alistair
pattern?

Hugh Breivik

Norway

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

29/6/08
A cracking 1ft 6” on the gauge greeted rods on Monday morning last week and a good head of sizeable salmon were on the run. The first two days of the week provided healthy sport but mainly on the upper beats as fish were running hard. Wednesday saw another rise with very coloured water and this slowed things down until late Thursday however the week finished well. Good numbers of salmon in the teens of pounds were taken by most rods and one reputed to be of 25lbs was broken at the net.
A few grilse were reported but they are not around in any numbers yet.
The Association water proved very quiet but this was no surprise with the high water levels. We have 2 visitor ticket options now on this water. The current situation offers a day ticket from 8am – 12midnight, (this was discouraging regular visitors to the area) The Board have now introduced a new option to visiting anglers and it is hoped this will reverse the trend. The new ticket will be back to a 24hour format and only anglers who strictly stay in the village will benefit. Tickets will be limited to 4 rods per day on the 8 – 12 option; the 24 hour ticket will have an 8 rod limit. Visitors are advised to book in advance to secure rods. The board have also decided to let ages 16 and under on the water for half price, rods are to remain at £35 per day.
This new arrangement will certainly encourage anglers to stay local as the 24 hour ticket is great value for money, the strict limit on rod numbers will also offer fair space on the water which will benefit all.
Don’t forget to stock up on your summer flies right here, make sure you start with a Sunray Shadow and some doubles & trebles in 10s 12s & 14s – the grilse are coming – be ready!
Tight lines.

Summer killers below - Sunray Shadow, Frances, Alistair, Baby Temple Dog, Snaelda, Cascade & Silver stoat.

This season has so far taken a similar route to last in many ways; the spring run has suffered due to a lack of water in evidence for the main run to materialise. A few good days fishing have been had here and there when the correct wind has hit prominent pools and a few early birds scored in cool conditions, but May will be remembered not for fish caught but more for dogged easterly winds and bright sunshine – tough conditions. Now as I report we are well into June and still no rain! Maybe we are about to witness a dry summer – somehow I don’t think so! The sea-trout have arrived in the estuary and 3 have been caught in the last few days, if water levels hold good sport should be had for the next few weeks.

New flies have been added to the site again and the grilse will be here soon so get stocked up on wee Cascades and Sunray Shadow. If last season is anything to go by I would get some tiny Icelandic patterns in your box to try – we had some great catches on 0.25” copper & tungsten tubes in Frances & Snaelda, I just can’t tell you how many times a pool was fished down conventionally first with reasonable action then fished down with the Sunray & weighted Frances/Snaelda resulting in explosive action.