The season has ended with a respectable catch total of 1720 salmon and grilse on the private beats. The Lower Helmsdale too had good catches. The rain continued most of the year but never resulted in enormous spates. River levels held up well. On the private beats the notable feature was that two thirds of the catch is estimated to be salmon and one third grilse. 20 years ago this would have been the other way round. It lends support to the theory that we are on the turn from a predominantly grilse cycle to a predominantly salmon cycle. Weights…

Source: Helmsdale – 30 October 2017