Post by yellowtorrish on Feb 18, 2013 21:32:01 GMT
A little later from me this year, but yes, the Helmsdale did open in grand style on 11th January 2013.
No fresh fish were caught, but a farm fish was landed, photograph and released, in the hope it might 'make the cut'.
In spite of perfect fins, which suggested to me at any rate that this was not a recent escapee but had faired reasonably well in the saltwater before finding the Helmsdale to its liking (a lot of real salmon do), it was definitely on the soft side and with a proliferation of spots!
Still not the strangest fish I've seen or caught on the Helmsdale. Fishing the Cemetery pool on the town water many years ago, I rescued a distressed fish which turned out to be a lesser spotted dogfish!
Here's the opening this year - hell and high water and horrendous winds on the second day didn't dampen the spirits of some 200 hundred anglers who turned up to enjoy some of the most wonderful salmon fly fishing water in the country. Thank you Sir Michael Wigan and the Helmsdale River Board - and Ron Sutherland of Helmsdale Tackle for his opening the river with so gracious a cast.
River Helmsdale Salmon opening 2013
Enjoy.
Mike Shepley
No fresh fish were caught, but a farm fish was landed, photograph and released, in the hope it might 'make the cut'.
In spite of perfect fins, which suggested to me at any rate that this was not a recent escapee but had faired reasonably well in the saltwater before finding the Helmsdale to its liking (a lot of real salmon do), it was definitely on the soft side and with a proliferation of spots!
Still not the strangest fish I've seen or caught on the Helmsdale. Fishing the Cemetery pool on the town water many years ago, I rescued a distressed fish which turned out to be a lesser spotted dogfish!
Here's the opening this year - hell and high water and horrendous winds on the second day didn't dampen the spirits of some 200 hundred anglers who turned up to enjoy some of the most wonderful salmon fly fishing water in the country. Thank you Sir Michael Wigan and the Helmsdale River Board - and Ron Sutherland of Helmsdale Tackle for his opening the river with so gracious a cast.
River Helmsdale Salmon opening 2013
Enjoy.
Mike Shepley
