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Fishing spot

River Helmsdale

River Helmsdale, a river in Highland, Scotland, flows into the Moray Firth. The water warms from 6.1 °C in January to 15.1 °C in July. Brown trout peak from June to August, best caught on fly or spinning.

HighlandAlba / ScotlandUnited Kingdom

River
Popularity
Unpopular
Difficulty
Normal
Rating
—
Directions

Fishing Forecast

Today · 16:00

· Afternoon

Fair 62

  • Air

  • Wind

  • Rain

  • Clouds 76%

  • Water

  • Moon

  • Fish activity

Today 22/10

Tomorrow 23/10

Saturday 24/10

Sunday 25/10

Monday 26/10

Tuesday 27/10

Wednesday 28/10

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Fishing score

Fish activity

Low High

Weather comfort

1 5

Weather

Moon

Forecast by Open-Meteo

·

Fair 62

Fishing score

The score blends three parts: the fish in season and on the move, the timing of light, moon and tide, and the weather and water. Confidence drops the further ahead you look.

Fish
80
Which species live here, whether they are in season and how close the water is to the temperature they like.
Timing
50
Light, moon, solunar periods and the tide at this hour, for the species most likely to bite.
Conditions
82
Wind, rain, pressure trend, waves and water clarity, weighed for the method.
Forecast confidence
100
Drops the further ahead the hour is and when weather data is missing.

The breakdown is for the Auto pick; switch the method back to Auto to see it.

Fish activity

How much the fish here are on the move at this hour.

Fish activity
—
Most active
Learn how fish activity works
  • Resting0–19
  • Low20–39
  • Moderate40–59
  • High60–79
  • Very high80–100

How much the fish at this spot are on the move, from 0 to 100: the time of day, moon and tide that suit each species, weighted by whether it is in season and the water is at a temperature it likes. The number is the most active species.

On the chart each species adds a translucent red layer, so deeper red means more species feeding at once.

Activity is about the fish only. The fishing score also weighs the weather, the water and your method, so a busy hour in a gale can still score low.

Weather

Air temperature
8 °C
Feels like
3.7 °C
Humidity
76%
Pressure
999 hPa 3 h +1.2 hPa
Pressure, last 24 h
+6.7 hPa
Visibility
56 km
UV index
0.2
Cloud cover
76%
Weather comfort
2.5 / 5
Learn how the weather affects fishing

Falling pressure ahead of a front often switches fish on; a sharp rise after it can slow them for a day. A steady barometer means steady habits.

Weather comfort rates how pleasant it is to be out, from 1 (wind, rain or storm) to 5 (dry, calm and mild). It does not change the fishing score.

Hourly model data from Open-Meteo.

Wind

Speed
17 km/h
Direction
292°
Gusts
31 km/h
At the shore
12 km/h 22 km/h 32 km/h 45 km/h
  • Calm Easy casting, light lines work.
  • Breezy Good for most methods; a ripple helps.
  • Windy Harder casting; light tackle struggles.
  • Strong wind Tough and tiring; look for shelter.
  • Gale Not safe on exposed spots.
Learn how we rate the wind

The arrow points where the wind blows to; the letters say where it comes from.

Wind is scored per method: float and fly fishing want it calm, surfcasting and popping cope with more.

Rain

Chance of rain
0%
This hour
0.1 mm
Last 24 h
8.3 mm
  • Unlikely0–20%
  • Possible20–50%
  • Likely50–80%
  • Very likely80–100%
Learn how the chance of rain works

Chance of at least 0.1 mm of rain in the hour. Open-Meteo runs about 30 versions of the forecast model; 40% means 4 in 10 of them bring rain here. It is not the share of the area or of the hour that gets wet.

Light rain often livens fish up; heavy rain over the last day muddies rivers and shallow water, which the score counts as run-off.

Water

Water temperature
10.4 °C
Learn how water and tide affect fishing

Each species feeds best inside its preferred water temperature; colder or warmer water slows it down, and the fish score counts it.

Sun

First light
—
Sunrise
—
Sunset
—
Last light
—
Learn why first and last light matter

Dawn and dusk are prime time for most predators: low light hides the angler and brings bait fish up. First and last light are when the sky starts to brighten and when it goes dark.

Moon

Phase
Lit
86%
Moonrise
—
Moonset
—
Solunar
Next
Learn how the moon affects fishing
  • New moonDark nights and spring tides: predators hunt hard at dawn and dusk.
  • Waxing crescentA thin evening moon; tides ease towards neaps.
  • First quarterHalf lit, neap tides: steady, gentler feeding.
  • Waxing gibbousBrighter evenings; activity builds towards the full moon.
  • Full moonBright nights and spring tides: night feeding and strong currents.
  • Waning gibbousLate moonrise; early mornings often fish well.
  • Last quarterHalf lit, neap tides: calmer water.
  • Waning crescentDark evenings return; dawn and dusk take over again.

Solunar periods: the major ones when the moon is overhead or underfoot, the minor ones at moonrise and moonset. Fish tend to feed harder inside them, and the score's timing part counts them.

Fishing methods

How each method scores at this hour. Auto picks the best method for every hour; the Method menu shows one method on the chart.

  • Fly Fishing —
  • Spinning —
  • Bottom Fishing —
  • Float Fishing —

Lure Box

Mixed light: start with a natural-coloured minnow and go brighter if fish ignore it.

Species

Each species' score at this hour. Open one to see how it is doing and how to catch it.

Fish activity

Time of day

Best method

Water temp

Species details are unavailable right now.

Learn more about catching this species

Best lures for River Helmsdale

Bring the following lures to this fishing spot for the best results.

  • Streamer
    Fly

    01

    Best for 2 species

    Streamer

    • Brown trout
    • Atlantic salmon

    A long fly that imitates baitfish and leeches.

    Learn more about Streamer
  • Wet fly
    Fly

    02

    Best for 2 species

    Wet fly

    • Brown trout
    • Atlantic salmon

    A soft-hackle fly swung or drifted just under the film.

    Learn more about Wet fly
  • Spoon
    Metal

    03

    Best for 2 species

    Spoon

    • Brown trout
    • Atlantic salmon

    A metal flutter bait for spinning, trolling, and ice.

    Learn more about Spoon

How to fish River Helmsdale

Place, water, species, best hours, and the months that matter at this fishing spot.

Best hours

  • Dawn

    First light

    Active

  • Morning

    After sunrise

    Peak

  • Midday

    High sun

    Low

  • Afternoon

    Late day

    Active

  • Dusk

    Last light

    Peak

  • Night

    After dark

    Peak

Average water temperature

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Climate data: Copernicus ERA5-Land and Copernicus Marine

When to fish

01
January
02
February
03
March
04
April
05
May
06
June
07
July
08
August
09
September
10 Now
October
11
November
12
December

Fishing methods

  • Fly Fishing
  • Spinning
  • Bottom Fishing
  • Float Fishing
Water body

River Helmsdale

River

The River Helmsdale flows southeastwards from Loch Badanloch through the Strath of Kildonan to discharge into the Moray Firth, sustaining populations of Atlantic salmon and sea tro...

Explore River Helmsdale