Salmon Fishing on the River Helmsdale
The river Helmsdale is one of the most productive salmon rivers in northern Scotland. It was once reported that a single top beat on the river had nearly 600 fish in one season, with two rods accounting for 94 salmon in a week. The best of the fishing is preserved and not easily accessed. The salmon fishing on the river is divided into twelve beats – six above the falls of Kildonan and six below. A total of 12 rods may fish and one top beat and one bottom beat are available to two fishermen each day. The river Helmsdale is the earliest to begin fishing in Scotland and salmon may be caught from the opening day on 11th January. It was not unusual for the gillie and his fisherman to break the ice in the morning before fishing, although with global warming that necessity appears to be less frequent today. By early April, salmon will have passed through the falls into the upper beats, and excellent fishing can be expected from April onwards. Grilse will normally appear in June and run through to the end of August. Fishing, as on all the northern rivers, is by fly only.
On the lower one mile section of the river, some of it tidal, day permits are available to the visiting angler in the village of Helmsdale. This association water can fish well throughout the season with fresh run fish coming in on each tide given suitable conditions of weather and water. Sea trout are also caught throughout the summer months.
River Helmsdale Map
Tap or click on the map below to view full size image
Note: the maps on this website are extracts from the Bartholomew “Half Inch” map series dating back to the middle of the twentieth century. There have been many changes since the maps were made, and much of the human detail, e.g. buildings and roads, will have changed over the period. It is to be hoped, however, that the unique character of our Scottish rivers, and the trout and salmon in them, will not have altered too dramatically over the years and that they may still offer the wonderful fishing prospects of days gone by. Bearing the above in mind, anyone planning a fishing or walking trip in Scotland is advised to equip themselves with a compass and the appropriate up-to-date Ordnance Survey map, the most useful for the angler probably being the Landranger series, scale 1:50,000. For Helmsdale, see O.S. map number 17.
For further information about the fishing on the Helmsdale see River Helmsdale Fishing
For information about the trout fishing in the area see Trout Fishing Scotland