As the beginning of June approaches we are only a month away before the first flies start to swing across the rivers of Iceland. This is time of great excitement and preparation for the coming salmon fishing season. With three of us hosting groups in Iceland this year we look forward to sharing the experience. If you don’t have a fishing partner or would like to join one of us Steffan still has a couple of slots left on his hosted trip to Hafralonsa and Laxardal. Here is our pick of the remaining availability:
Option 1- Laxa I Kjos
23 – 26 June: 2 rod, ISK 582,000 per angler (approx. £4,200) – Early season slot for bigger fish, 6 rods only
14 – 17 August: 4 rods, ISK 540,000 per angler (approx. £3,900)
31 August – 4 Sept: 4 rods, ISK 588,000 per angler (approx. £4,200) – 4 days, can be sold as 3 days
Laxa I Kjos is one of my favourite rivers in Iceland and where I learnt to hitch in in its crystal clear pools. Being only 45 minutes from Reykjavik it is a longstanding favourite and also has one of the most comfortable lodges in Iceland. This would be perfect for a small group to take privately or for those who are on the search for a large Icelandic sea trout which are running through its meadows at this point.
Option 2 – Nordurá:
15 – 18 June: 2 rods, 535,800 ISK per rod (approx. £4,255 at today’s exchange rate)
27 – 30 June: 8 rods, 777,600 ISK per rod (approx. £5,560 at today’s exchange rate) – Reduced rate due to cancellation
30 June – 3 July: 4 rods, 948,600 ISK per rod (approx. £6,776 at today’s exchange rate)
2 – 5 August; 4 rods, 516,600 ISK per rod (approx. £3,690 at today’s exchange rate)
The Nordurá offers 65 km of fishing to its rods with well over 100 pools and again takes 12 rods. This time frame it prime time and the river lands over 2500 in a season. It has a huge variety of fishing to offer and they recently renovated the lodge adding a whole new room section, so the lodge is really lovely. The Nordurá is the first main river to open in mid-June and is often used as a benchmark to see how the season in Iceland will progress over all.
Option 3 – Hafralonsa:
2 – 5 August; 2 rods, 648,000 ISK per rod (£4,630 approximately) – Steffan Hosted Slot
8 – 11 August; 4 rods, 720,000 ISK per rod (£5,150 approximately)
17 – 20 August; 4 rods, 720,000 ISK per rod (£5,150 approximately)
The river can be fished with up to 6 rods, but you only pay for 4 which makes it better value for money. Click HERE for further information on dates and prices. This particular slot is prime time for the river. It’s not going to be big numbers, but like all East Coast Rivers, big fish in clear water. Hafralonsa is one of those rivers for those that like to explore and winkle big fish out of rocky pools and draws with some incredible battles. The trout and char beats above which used to be sold separately are also included. I think it is going to be the one to watch over the next years as the new leaseholders implement their strategy.
Option 4 – Langá:
6 – 9 July: 2 rods 751,200 ISK per rod (approx. £5,370 at today’s exchange rate)
July 30 – August 2, 6 rods 730,080 ISK per rod (approx. £5,220 at today’s exchange rate)
It is surprising to see availability at this time on the Langá as would normally be full in this prime time. The Langá is one of Iceland’s most notable salmon rivers, flowing over 36 km from its source in Lake Langavatn it offers some wonderful fly fishing water. The crystal clear water has 93 named salmon pools and is best fished with a floating line throughout the season. During the prime summer salmon runs the fishing is often best with micro flies or small hitch tubes across the surface.
Option 5 – Straumfjardara:
6 – 9 July: 4 rods 834,000 ISK per rod (approx. £5,960 at today’s exchange rate)
31 July – 4 August: 2 rods, 834,000 ISK per rod 4 days fishing (approx. £5,960 at today’s exchange rate) – or 3 days in that period 625,500 ISK per rod 3 days fishing (approx. £4,470 at today’s exchange rate)
The Straumfjardara is a unique river located up on Snaefells peninsular on the west coast of Iceland and one of the very few that offers a full service lodge to just four rods. The river itself has approximately 27 named pools divided into four beats over 12 km of fishing up to the Rjúkundi waterfall. Straumfjardara exhibits all the classic features of a great Icelandic river from the canyon section at the top to the fascinating rocky pools and holes to more open sections below.
Option 6 – Grimsa
14 – 17 July: 1 rod 1,032,000 ISK per rod (approx. £7,370 at today’s exchange rate)
26 – 29 July: 1 rod 1,032,000 ISK per rod (approx. £7,370 at today’s exchange rate) – SOLD
The Grímsá is one of Iceland’s most beautiful fly fishing rivers and is one of a few in Iceland that has tradition stamped all over it. It was frequented by British lords and generals as early as the late nineteenth century and whilst, as with most of Iceland’s rivers today, it is primarily a grilse river, during those early days the Grímsá was famous for its monsters. The medium sized river is easily fished with single handed rods, although given that Iceland is often windy, a small double handed rod should be available as well. The river is fly only water with a voluntary and widely practised catch and release system. The expected catch is between 1,100-1,500 salmon to just eight rods each season. Due to the cascading waterfalls and large pools the grilse tend to be slightly larger and more powerful than in neighbouring rivers. The Grímsá also has a substantial run of sea trout that can be caught both early and late in the season.
Option 7 – Hafralonsa, 2 – 5 August & Laxardal 5 – 8 August Combination: 3 rods, ISK 1,003,000 per angler (approx. £6,920)
If you are looking for the perfect combination of large salmon and specimen brown trout this trip should not be missed. Hosted by Steffan Jones, fish three days on the world renowned Hafralonsa River on the East coast of Iceland for large salmon, one of the prettiest rivers in Iceland. You will then transfer to the North coast and fish Laxardal, one of Iceland’s premium brown trout fisheries for a further three days. If you wish you may also choose to fish just Hafralonsa or Laxardal – the combination is not obligatory.
For more details on fishing in Iceland please do not hesitate to contact Peter McLeod or Alex Jardine or call our office on +44(0)1980 847389.