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Cascade Feeler Salar double

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Testimonials

order no: 121111-205441-8361 - 12/11/12

Order placed 9.00pm Sunday and delivered 9.30am Tuesday, very impressed with the quality of the flies, packaged to prevent damage and delivered so quickly.

Web site is clear and concise, even though some of the flies I would have purchased were "Sold Out" at least the information was on the page to tell me, thus avoiding substitutions.

High quality service, I will be back...

Thank you

Regards Brian Emery

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Hi Ronald,

Just received my flies in the mail.

Thanks for the quick deliver and excellent quality flies. I have ordered Salmon flies from a number of mail order companies in the UK and around the world, and your flies are easily the best quality flies available. Let me know the next time you have a BOGOF offer and I will really load up.

Regards,

Blair Cribb

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To Whom It May Concern,

I have recently started to use your Company for fly tying equipment in preference to Sportfish and John Norris etc. I particularly like the way you put “out of stock” on your website items should this be the case, something the other suppliers don’t seem to do. My recent order for cone-heads resulted in the items being delivered the next day to Devon, this was particularly important as the river levels have been unseasonably high and I am in the middle of a cone- head tube session, many thanks for that. I will certainly continue to use Helmsdale and recommend it to other like minded soles.

Yours Aye: Jeremy Corke

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Dear fellow angler

Please send in your experiences and success of your fishing trips using Helmsdale Company flies. We hope that by printing your stories or testimonials here others will benefit and learn form your experiences.

Send your feedback to Ronald Sutherland.

Many Thanks,

Ron

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Dear Ron

I hope that you will be able to supply me with some more of the size 14 version of the PB Black Shrimps again for next season.

An excellent fly that accounted for dozens of grilse on the Costello and Dawros rivers in Connemara last season.

All the best.

Yours sincerely

Geoffrey H T Fitzjohn
Co Galway

Ireland

http://www.helmsdalecompany.com/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=615

Brand new sunray tsunami, no fly box should be without one!!

Steven Mackenzie - Head Ghillie on River Oykel.

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Dear Helmsdale,

I am writing to congratulate you on your marvelous service.

Ordered flies on Tuesday arrived this morning (Wed) great service and well tied flies.

One request, Would it be possible for you to supply the doubles or treble hooks to suit the size of these flies as you do in your presentation packs that I recieved xmas.

Again many thanks for a great service,

Brian, Gwynedd, North Wales

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Dear Ron

Please see attached proof that your fly works, a nice salmon of 7kgs from the Stabbuselva, northern Norway. Two grilse then succumbed to the same fly in a matter of minutes.

Please feel free to use the photo if you want to!

James Martindale MRICS

Thanks very much Ron,

That would be perfect. I have had tremendous success using your patterns in the last week and needless to say I'm hooked!

One of my best friends was fortunate enough to finally catch his first salmon ever after 5 years. The secret was I had loaned him your cascade potbellied pig tube fly.

Then this morning at 7AM in 3 degree weather, with only 5 days left in the season, I was fishing the river Don on the Kintore beat before work using the same medium baxters babe shadow that I had lost a big one on Saturday with when I caught my biggest salmon ever. I just weighed it on the postal scale in the mail room at work and it is indeed over 12 pounds and my first 'double' figure salmon! It was indeed a very fresh silver fish.

The battle was not easily won however, I had to fight the fish for about half an hour with numerous big head shaking jumps, runs into the fast water behind the red rose bush (a well known landmark on the beat), large clumps of sea weed getting caught on the leader and the fish. My hands became numb and my forearm sore but I still kept the tension on the fish. Eventually after several attempts at getting the net ready and the fish taking a run of line down to the second and third color of line (just before the backing) I was able to walk backwards up the shore and have the fish in a small eddy near the bank. The fish was so tired by this point and moving slowly so I took the chance and hand over hand pulled the sink tip leader in to where I could just barely put the net around the fish. Any sudden movement or jump by the fish at this point surely would have pulled the hook or made the line break.

I carried it up the bank 30 yards from the river so there were no accidents and there I found the hook solidly lodged right in the fish's tongue. I then held it up in the air against the rainbow that had just emerged in the distance. I sat with my hands in my wader pocket trying to stop the stinging sensation with the satisfaction that the fish was finally mine. It was a long hard fight but I won this time. It is probably the greatest fish I have ever caught and my best fight on the fly to this day.

As your website so rightly states, these fly's are deadly!

A very satisfied customer,

Trevor Malloch

Dear Ronald

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?

Hugo Breivik

We have been using Ronnie's coneheads, TDs and other patterns for many a year on the River Helmsdale to great success. What is more, the flies travel well too! A medium black & yellow Conehead TD travelled to the Mertoun beat of the Tweed in September 2006, after a busy week on the Helmsdale, and succeeded in catching Kola numbers of salmon on a particular morning session.

Thanks a million Ronnie!'
Hugh Colville

Dear Ron,

I just wanted to thank you for the excellent temple dog tubes you supplied for my recent trip to Russia. The fish loved them & I caught my biggest fish to date, a 26 pounder, on a 1/2" Green Highlander.

The flies stood up to a battering amongst the rocks, a testament to the tying quality of the flies.

Many thanks again!

cheers

David Wright

Ronnie,

In case I didn't mention it when I saw you in the spring, I was fishing the March Pool, D Beat on The Spey in September last year amongst very few fish (it was otherwise a blank week for the team!) but nevertheless with confidence using one of your conehead patterns (an Ally/Cascade I think - since lost). After a couple of pulls this produced for me a 14lb cock fish. The Spey Ghillies were impressed. The same fly caught an 11lb springer on Helmsdale this year, whereafter it's popularity became it's downfall - lost on loan!

I have been a fan since first using them on The Helmsdale in 2004. They do seem to dive and always fill me with confidence, which must be half the battle!

many thanks

John March

Ron,

Your small Willie Gunn tube scored on Saturday evening. A fine 4lb bright silver Sea Trout from the Rive Mole, North Devon. Add this to a brace of springers last weekend from the same river when others were failing, these were on the Conhead Willie dog, and, the Tweed springer in April when fish were only taking spinners. Your flies seem to be having an effect!!!!

Keep up the good work!!!

Cheers

Trevor Smith.

Dear Ron,

Thank you for finding time to design and tie a selection of the salmon variant of my favourite trout fly the Kingfisher Butcher

during my recent week on the Helmsdale. I had them first thing on the Thursday,when our best chance for the day was the Craggie Bend. I was up second for this pool after it had been well covered by a Helmsdale regular using an Ally Shrimp,no offers and nothing showing. It was the day after the spate and the water was very peaty. I tied on the copper tube and got started. As I reached the burn, several fish started to show,we could see them well enough to estimate their size at around the eight pound mark. While the usual discussion and swearing was going on,one of them took deep. Ten minutes later we had an eight and a half pounder on the bank. Within the next quarter hour a similar sized fish had been caught by another fisher using an Ally shrimp,and released, neither of these were sea-liced

On the Friday, I was lucky enough to be first up for Altnachoinniasgil which had one foot waves on it! The Kingfisher Butcher scored again and an eleven and a half pound beauty landed,again not a fresh fish but beautiful to me due to the weather conditions,the new fly,the fact that the guys had just sent me a text saying 'It takes a man to cast in this wind' and it was my 50th Helmsdale fish!

So it would seem that there is something about this fly that Helmsdale salmon find very provocative when the river is falling and dirty. The problem if there is one is that the larger trout go for it as well. On a couple of occasions the rod was well bent.

I had a brilliant week and the new fly was the icing on the cake. Thanks Ron.

Kind regards

Jo George.

It doesn't take long to realise that Ronnie's are the only flies Helmsdale salmon are remotely interested in! Over the weeks I have been fortunate enough to fish on the Helmsdale the coneheads and TD's are consistently the top flies, regardless of conditions.

Edward Cardozo

Ron

Thanks for turning my season into a cracker………………….. I bought a selection of your flies a few weeks ago and decided to give the little alisdair cascade tube a try in my home river just north of Stavanger.

1) Water height was perfect with a little colour after a spate………..nothing worked……………so I popped this little beauty on………………..3.5 kilo ………..first fish in my hom,e river this year.

2) Next evening in another local river………fishing the seapool…….after 2 other fly fishermen had fished up and down without a touch……………..I pop in with my favourite single handed rod…….11 ft 4 wt LOOP OPTI rod……………tide was wrong………low water…………….and pop first run through……………..4 kilo fresh run…………

Now I am beginning to think I am a lucky SOD.
3) Next day after a lot of rain…………………..fishing the incoming tide…………..and a lot of fish starting to move up………………..used heavier gear………..no luck………….went down in fly size………ally variants size 8 treble………….7 kilo and 5 kilo……………………then nothing…………….so I changed to a lighter set up and the cascade……pop 4 kilos

4) Next evening back in my home river………….very high water………………..blowing and raining……………………difficult to catch fish on the fly…………but try anyway………………nothing taking but fish running…………go to the car and get my other rod with sink tip and cascade on …………fish off the fast flowing main current just above the man made weir……………..see a fish showing as he cane over…………cast three times and pop……………..7 kilos…………………..carry on fishing the tail of the pool within 1-2 meters of the weir…………………….pop 3 kilos……………..pop 6 kilos…………pop 6 kilos……….pop 6 kilos……………………………..5 fish in 1 1/2 hours…………………..none lost all well hooked in a high dirty river……………………….even though I caught them on the side in very shallow water that was quite clear………………just hit them as they came over

5) Next morning get up at 6 with bad hangover……………….first run through.pop 3 kilos…………..10 yards above the hot spot……………….after that dead.

6) 3 days later……..river gone down a bit and cleared up…………………..nice weather…………………..caught a 3 kilo in a place where I haven't caught a fish in 10 years

7) Next morning………………pop 4 kilos………………………. Eleven fish……………………..within one week on two different rivers, in totally different conditions………………..low medium and high…………….rain, sun …………wind, no wind…………….lunchtime, evening……………..low tide hightide………..floating line, sinktip…………………..not one fish lost.I have got religion……………………… And then I made a mistake………………..I told my colleague………..Hugo ( who you have communicated with………………..and he gets all hot and fuzzy and buys some………and what does he do………goes to another river and it catches him fish……………………

UN.......BELIEVABLE!!!……………………………excuse my french.

In my opinion…………………….I think the secret is
1) very small hook…………they suck it in and before they know what hit them they are hooked
2) Very lightly dressed……………
3) That fantastic cascade tail/wing…………………it must really hallucinate them……………and they just cannot resist.

I have since had two blank attempts in a very high river this weekend………………but I still have the faith………………….this fly is here to stay…………………….Suggested modifications……………variations………………….give it a bit of weight……………with a cone head or lead wire on the body…………….it is very light and does not roll over in a head wind

Keep up the good work and I will update you if there are successes.

Nic Jepson

Dear Ron

Many thanks

Delighted as always with the flies.

Please let me know when the tungsten Pot bellied pigs are back in stock. I have had somewhat remarkable success with them on the Welsh Dee and am anxious to replenish my fly box.

All being well we will be back up on the Helmsdale in May so will look forward to popping in to the shop.

Best Wishes

John Pette

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Hi Ron

Well the Tsunami flies saved the day, great fun fishing them, but we were getting a very poor strike rate from fish risen to fish landed, is that normal?? I got a small grilse as soon as I got back to the river on Friday afternoon having left your shop, I then got another one on Saturday and a friend who begged one off me also got a fish, but between us, we must have had at least a dozen rises/follows.

We got three on Saturday in total, which was good given the conditions and the party ended up with 12 for the week 11 off the Lower River and one off the Upper.

Thanks for the suggestion and tips on how to fish.

Guy Hemsley

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