With a little over three months to go until the Iceland salmon fly fishing seasons kicks off. We are encouraged by good levels of snow in the highlands. There are still some fantastic prime time openings as well as some great early and late season opportunities. Below we have broken down by river some of what is available, including one or two special offers.
Laxa I Kjos, West Coast
The river has one of the prettiest and most comfortable lodges in Iceland and sits overlooking the lower section of the river. The river itself is intimate and the fishing is more akin to trout fishing for salmon, a true hitchers’ dream. Small rock pockets, canyons and open meadows are perfect for single handed fishing with tiny flies. The river also has some huge sea trout which run throughout August and add to the excitement, a small tributary called Bugda boasts good numbers of brown trout. Laxá I Kjos offers some very exciting sight fishing and hitch fishing opportunities for salmon.
2020 Available Dates:
26 – 29 June: 2 rods – ISK 600,000 per person (approx. £4,140)
11 – 14 July: 4 rods – ISK 835,000 per person (approx. £5,760)
29 July – 1 August: 4 rods – ISK 798,000 per person (approx. £5,510)
27 – 30 August: 3 rods – ISK 475,000 per person (approx. £3,280)
Langa, West Coast
Langa is a river that can be fished with relative ease with good access to the pools and is fished well with single handed rods, small double handed rods can also be used. It is much less susceptible to poor rainfall, unlike some of the other Icelandic salmon rivers, as it is lake fed. It has been extremely consistent even during very poor years and is the nearest you will get to a “Safe Bet”. The runs are predominantly grilse and larger fish are seen occasionally through the season. The lodge is approximately 1 hour 20 minutes from Reykjavik and caters for 12 anglers.
2020 Available Dates:
3 – 6 July: ISK 650,000 per person (approx. £4,490)
6 – 9 July: ISK 650,000 per person (approx. £4,490)
9 – 12 July: ISK 717,000 per person (approx. £4,950)
15 – 18 July: ISK 757,000 per person (approx. £5,220)
27 – 30 July: ISK 705,000 per person (approx. £4,870)
30 July – 2 August: ISK 650,000 per person (approx. £4,490)
Transfers not included.
Nordura, West Coast
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.
2020 Available Dates:
18 – 21 June: ISK 645,000 per person (approx. £4,450)
3 – 6 July: ISK 1,045,000 per person (approx. £7,210)
12 – 15 July: ISK 1,062,000 per person (approx. £7,330)
15 – 18 July: ISK 848,000 per person (approx. £5,850) was ISK 1,062,000 per person (approx. £7,080)
27 – 30 July: ISK 566,000 per person (approx. £3,910) was ISK 1,062,000 per person (approx. £7,080)
2 – 5 August: ISK 535,000 per person (approx. £3,690)
Grimsa, West Coast
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.
2020 Available Dates:
8 – 11 July: 2 rods – ISK 885,000 per person (approx. £6,110)
23 – 26 July: 2 rods – ISK 984,000 per person (approx. £6,790)
2 – 5 August: 4 rods – ISK 864,000 per person (approx. £5,960)
Midfjardara, Northwest Coast
The Midfjardara offers amazing sight fishing opportunities in gin clear water. The river is perfect for those that like to use single or small double-handed rods with floating line and small flies or hitch-tubes. The main run of the river is predominantly made up of grilse but in the early season the majority of fish tend to be multi-sea-winter fish in the 10 to 18 lb range. Maximum 10 rods per week, each enjoying single, en-suite rooms as standard in the newly renovated and comfortable lodge but early season weeks can be limited to 6 and 8 rods. September is often a good time to catch salmon, but the weather can be really unpredictable at that time of year.
2020 Available Dates:
Availability on request.
Laxa I Dolum, Northwest Coast
It is a medium sized river with a fair volume of water, flowing down a rocky bed with alternate pools and runs. This river is famed for its large stock of fish and numerous multi sea-winter salmon caught every year. Many pools are deep and very clear like many Icelandic rivers, often allowing anglers to see salmon holding and targeting specific fish. All the pools are easily accessible by car and present little difficulty to fish. Some of the strong holding pools are formed by a bend in the river, having fast broken water at the head, a turbulent middle section and a smooth tail. The river offers a nice mix of one and two winter salmon throughout the season over 25 km containing 33 named pools. Pools created by hard rock bands can produce some fascinating topography resulting in extremely exciting sight fishing. In July the river caters for 4 anglers, moving to 6 anglers in August.
2020 Available Dates:
30 July – 2 August: Price upon request
West Ranga, Southwest Coast
Located in the south of Iceland, West Rangá is one of the country’s most famous salmon rivers along with its neighbour the East Rangá. Both rivers often feature near the top of the most prolific salmon rivers in Iceland each season, as well as numbers the river also boasts a higher average size of fish than the rivers on the west coast. The river has an average width of 50 metres, featuring wide long pools and smooth glides. The bottom is mainly made up of black volcanic sand making wading relatively safe and easy. The river is best fished with double handed rods and larger flies than other rivers in Iceland, it is often useful to carry some sinking line options as well. The West Rangá is an unusual salmon river in as much as there is very little in the way of natural spawning habitat and it therefore relies on a very successful smolt-releasing programme that began in 1989. The river sees consistent salmon runs throughout the season and fishes until the 20th October with good statistics right the way to the closing day.
2020 Available Dates:
12 – 16 August (4 days): £6,200 per person
13 – 16 September: £2,970 per person
Other availability on request.
Hafralonsa, Northeast Coast
The river can be fished with up to 4 or 6 rods for intact parties. Situated in the northeast of Iceland, it is best suited to the fit and able because it has some stunning but deep canyons and can require strong wading. It presents a lot of water for the number of rods (4-6) with the lower reaches being more open pools and less severe canyons but as one reaches the middle so the canyons get deeper and tougher to access. It’s appeal is the number of rods on the river, its beauty and the size of fish with a high percentage in the teens and even over 20lbs. The upper reaches are almost entirely canyon and the salmon’s journey ends with the top waterfall or the waterfall on the stunning tributary, the Kverka. The lodge has six double rooms each with a bathroom. There is an open-plan sitting/dining area with views up the valley and a nice deck from which guests can look up and down river.
2020 Available Dates:
2 – 5 August: 6 rods – ISK 648,000 per person (approx. £4,470)
Hofsa, Northeast coast
Hofsá is one of the “big” northeast rivers and one of the two major Vopnafjordur rivers and it is situated about 600 kilometres from Reykjavik. Hofsá has a long canyon on the top beats, a dramatic impassable falls and a string of challenging pools as the river thunders down the canyon. But once the canyon ends, the river turns into an almost endless string of long slow flowing pools, each one seeming more enticing and inviting than the last one. The lodge is on the banks of the river and is built in a classic Icelandic fishing lodge style. The architecture appears functional, but inside you will discover comfortable lounges, a dining room with a spectacular panoramic view of the valley, en-suite rooms and a heated wader room.
2020 Available Dates:
5 – 8 August: £5,350 per person
Icelandic Grand Slam, West Coast
In 2020 we bring you a salmon, sea trout and brown trout combination unlike any other. Based from the comfortable Laxa I Kjos Lodge, anglers will explore both the Laxa I Kjos and Brynjudalsá in search of salmon and big sea trout. Over the course of five days anglers will also get two sessions on Thingvallavatn to target the lake’s famous monster brown trout. August has long been known to be a fantastic time to target the sea trout on Laxa I Kjos, and a good reputation has been quietly gaining momentum on the Brynjudalsá. Combined with late season exploratory trips on Thingvallavatn we are confident that this combination will not disappoint. The trip will be hosted by Katka Švagrová, a young female guide who has excelled over the last few years in Iceland. She has a huge amount of knowledge that will ensure all anglers have the best trip possible.
2020 Available Dates:
22 – 27 August: 6 rods – £4,000 per person
All of the prices include full board accommodation, fishing and guiding, and airport transfers (unless otherwise stated). The cost excludes international flights (internal flights in the case of Hofsá & Hafralonsá), additional accommodation, drinks and gratuities.
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.