So... part 2 of these articles on fishing in Iceland. I've talked about the volcanic area and it's effects on the brown trout and salmon fishing in Iceland so now it is time for Arctic char and sea trout. Now before I go any further I want to stress that neither this article nor Part 1. has any scientific data to back it up. These are just generalisations and simplified versions of the facts. Just so we are clear on that.
Like I said, the last article I talked about the younger part of Iceland where all the volcanic eruptions have been for the last few hundred (thousand) years. That is that "belt" that runs across the center of the country from north to south (or the other way around). This time we'll look at the east and west fjords as well as the sandy south coast and the sea trout fishing there.
Old is cold - sort of...
Perfect example of a cold char river. The Grafara River
What I mean by that is that in the east and west fjords the oldest rocks are. This is where geologically the country is oldest and hence the rock is hardest. There we have less highland plains like in the central highlands and more high peaks, jagged edges and steep drop. SO water is collected in the high peaked mountains as snow and then when spring and summer come that snow melts and water flows down these mountains to the sea. The distance travelled (for the water) is quite short down steep mountain sides and the terrain is mostly the bare, hard rocks of the mountain. So the water does not have time to pick up any real temperature from the sun, does not pick up a lot of minerals and nutrients from this hard rock nor does it flow nicely through a grassy valley to pick up nutrients from the plants (again - generalisation, not all the rivers are like that).
These rivers are cold and low in nutrients and there for not a lot of insect life. However that is not all that bad for the Arctic char. That fish is tough as a mother.. and can endure harsh conditions. In fact the char choose colder water. By the show of hands - who here has seen The Source - Iceland? Who of you remember when Nick is fishing that deserted fjord for char? That is the sort of river I mean - BUT that river flows down a grassy valley and so even though it originates high up in those jagged peaks it still manages to pick up nutrients. So like I said before - over generalisation.
Anyway. These are the parts of the country you are most likely to find sea run char rather than any other species of fish. In those cold rivers. Of course there are some brown trout and occasional salmon in there but the most common one to find is char.
Exceptions
There are of course exceptions to this. Some of the rivers in the east and west originate further inland in the central highlands where there are highland plains and moorland. Rivers such as for example the Sela and Hofsa Rivers in Vopnafjordur as well as others in the north-east famous for salmon. However both the east and west fjords are "littered" with small streams and rivers that usually fly under the radar but have stocks of sea run Arctic char running them. Those usually have a short prime time period and are mostly fished by locals.
Fire and ice... and sea trout fishing
Sea trout from the flooded Tungulaekur October 2011
Leaving the east and west we move to the south coast so famous for the strong runs of sea trout. With rivers like Eldvatn, Tungufljot, Tungulaekur, Grenlaekur, Geirlandsa and countless others where every autumn sea trout come to do their annual thing - spawning. Here the term fire & ice is so very true as here we have most of Iceland's glaciers as well as the volcanoes. Hey... the glaciers are active volcanoes!
Here most of the rivers and streams are spring fed or a mix of spring fed water and glacial water. Some of it is even glacial melt water that gets filtered through the huge lava fields. Take for example the Grenlaekur and Tungulaekur Rivers that both get water from the mighty Vatnajokull glacier and that water get's filtered through the Eldhraun lava field and pushed back up onto the surface as gin-clear water.... eeehhh well most of the time. In 2010 and 2011 there were some major floods due to all that volcanic activity resulting in the water in Tungulaekur being not so clear.
One other thing the south coast has plenty of is black sand. This is common with glacial areas due to reasons I don't want to get into. Anyway - I've noticed the sea trout seem to like the black sand. Maybe that is because there is lack of food in these rivers and so the trout are forced to go to sea for food - I don't know to be honest. But when I think about it two rivers in the north also have this black sand and both are very good sea trout rivers. River Huseyjarkvisl and River Litla. Whatever it is - I'm all for it as sea trout are my favorite to catch... at least these days.
Final words
That is it for this article on fishing in Iceland. I know this did not tell you all you need to know about fishing in Iceland but I hope your a step closer to knowing. I of course don't know all there is to know but the more I work with anglers from other countries while fishing in Iceland the more I learn and the better I become at what I do. So if you have a dream of fishing Iceland I can understand that since the freshwater fishing here can be amazing. Don't be put off by some of the prices for salmon fishing. Come trout fish with us at Iceland Angling Travel. We're trout bums ourselves and we'll show you the magic of trout fishing. We even have more affordable options for salmon fishing and we simply love fishing with single handed rods, getting visual takes and stalking salmon in smaller rivers. We also offer swinging flies with double handed rods and we have guides for all occasions.
My advice to you is simply drop me a line to
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and start the conversation with me so we can find the perfect fishing in Iceland for you.
All you need to know about fishing in Iceland! (Part 1.)
Now that is a bold statement if there ever was one. Of course this article is not going to tell you all there is to know about fishing in Iceland, not even by a long shot. What I am going to write about here is partly what it is that makes fishing in Iceland special. To experience it you have to come over and try it yourself.
First off I want to give you a small disclaimer (hope I‘m using that word right). This is nothing scientific nor is it an absolute fact. What I‘m about to tell you is a very simplified version of facts about Iceland and why fishing in Iceland is what it is. So keep that in mind. Also please keep in mind that I am Icelandic and English is my second language so I please forgive my grammar beforehand.
Iceland is an island
Trout fishing in Iceland - A nice trout caught on a typical spring fed river
You may already know that but if not – tadaaaa! It‘s an island in the north-Atlantic ocean. That fact is very important to the fishing in Iceland and I‘ll explain later. Because it is an island located so far north the climate and weather can be cold and wet. That is also important. We have glaciers, high and steep mountains and a very unhospitable central highlands where hardly anybody lives. I think I can even safely say – nobody lives. We have coastal towns and one city where most of the people live. So in short – we have a lot of space and only about 330.000 people living in that space. So.... it‘s very easy to get away from it all with your fishing rod and go fishing where you don‘t see a soul for days (and fairly easy to fish rivers that rarely see a person but that is another story).
But I‘m getting off track here. So an island in the north-Atlantic. Got that? But not only is Iceland an island, it is a volcanic island that is very young in geological terms (I better be careful with those big words as English is not my first language). A big part of the country is covered in relatively new lava and that is also very importand for fishing in Iceland.
Being a volcanic island in the north-Atlantic makes it so that it rains and snows quite a lot here. For the past few years us anglers would prefer a little bit more to keep water levels normal but that is a different story. Because the island is located this far north it rarely gets so hot for long periods of time that all this water (from rain and snow) evaporates. So we have a lot of water. A LOT!
We have plenty of both cold water and hot water and since we have glaciers we have an even bigger supply of water that just keeps coming. What is the one thing fish prefer above all? I‘d say that is water – right?
Plenty of water is not enough
Fishing in Iceland - Great example of a great habitat for chironomids
That‘s right – its not. We need nutrients among other things for the habitat of fish to be feasible. And that is where the geology part kicks in (at least partially). But first a little about the water. As I said before we have all this space and very few people living here so we‘ve managed to keep our rivers relatively clean and free of pollutants. So the habitat for fish is clean. It‘s also buried in our culture to sustain the fisheries and so the first laws protecting our freshwater species was set in 1932 banning all fishing for salmon at sea by the Icelandic coast line. Since then the rules and regulations have been increased and made the fishing in Iceland what it is today (of course riddled with pros and cons - like everything in life).
Staying on course we are talking about the geology of the fishing in Iceland. A very important factor in all of this is the volcanic factor. Sure it has done some harm over the years but the fresh lava helps create some wonderful habitat for fish.
There is a so-called hot spot right underneath Iceland and it can be described as a volcanic „belt“ that runs across the middle of the country from south to north. This is what we call the volcanic area and this is where the most active volcanoes are. On the south coast we have the glaciers as well and there the „Fire & Ice“ aspect of things is most visible.
One other thing about us being an island is the lack of variety in species (I have the Icelandic words for this one but not the English so I hope you understand). For example we "only" have trout (brown trout and sea run), Atlantic salmon and Arctic char (resident and sea run) as the freshwater sportfish (then we have eel and two kinds of stickleback but those are not sought after sportfish).
So a little bit about those species of sportfish in Iceland. As a rule of thumb the salmon like the fastest and warmest water, the brown trout like it a bit slower and a bit colder and the char like it the slowest and coldest. Char are also the ones that an endure the roughest conditions. Needed to be said.
Brown trout fishing in Iceland
Trout fishing in Iceland - A real HOG from the Litla River
Because of frequent volcanic eruptions over the years a big part of the land on the volcanic belt is covered in lava. In some parts you don‘t notice it because we‘ve done a good job in growing grass in these areas but the rock is soft and water is able to seep through and form underground reservoirs. In some parts that water get‘s warm due to the closeness to the hot lava underground but in other parts the water stays cool. The most important part in all this is the nutrients the water picks up from the lava making the water very good for insects.
That water then gets pushed up onto the surface of the ground and that is what we call spring creeks and rivers. Examples of these rivers are the Sog River in the south of Iceland, the West Ranga River, the Minnivallalaekur and Galtalaekur as well as the Litla River and Laxa Myvatn River in the north. These rivers on the volcanic part of Iceland are perfect habitat for brown trout and in some cases salmon as well.
These rivers are great habitat for midges (chironomidae) which are the most common food source for freshwater species of Iceland. The biggest species are the "Toppfluga" (Chironominae) and the larva can be up to 2 cm long. Usually those are the first ones to hatch in the spring, usually around the end of May – beginning of June. That all depends on where you are fishing but when the big hatches of "Toppfluga" come it can be awesome!
Most common are the very small chironomids in sizes 16-20 for larva and pupa patterns and down to 28 in the adult patterns. So remember to bring very small patterns when you come brown trout fishing in Iceland.
But it‘s not just the midges as we also have plenty of caddis (Trichoptera) as well. The most common ones found in rivers are the "Randavorfluga" (Apatania zonella) but the most common one found in general (all over in both lakes and rivers) is the „Grávorfluga“ (Limnophilus griseus) and the biggest one is the „risavorfluga“ (Potamophylax). I don‘t want to break any copyright laws so I suggest you Google the latin names and look at the pictures of these insects.
Another important one to mention is the "Bitmý" (Simuliidae). These ones I‘ve mentioned here are the most important ones but we still have some Mayflies (very rare) and Stoneflies (also very rare) so bring them with you but remember to bring your smallest ones.
Brown trout fishing in Iceland: Big brown trout on the Litla River
Atlantic Salmon fishing in Iceland
Salmon fishing Iceland - A belter from the Huseyjarkvisl in the north-west of Iceland
On the borders of that volcanic belt we have rivers that are formed in the highlands where the rock is a bit harder and the water does not seep through as easily. Then the snow melt water sits on top of the rock in high altitudes and gets baked by the sunshine of spring and summer. Grass starts growing in these highland places and sort of moorland is formed. That water is also high in nutrients but these rivers are usually a bit faster, a bit warmer and a bit more fluctuating than the spring creeks and so those are the best habitats for salmon. The rivers of the north-west (Hrutafjardara, Midfjardara, Vatnsdalsa, Vididalsa for example) and north-east (Sela, Hofsa, Hafralonsa and others) are prime examples of these kinds of salmon rivers.
Most of these rivers are medium sized and you don‘t really need a double handed rod for the rivers in Iceland. Some you do but for the most part you don‘t. Maybe I‘m not the best to judge since I love fishing with single handed rods the most and I like stalking salmon with small flies and surface action. More on that in this article about hitching for Atlantic salmon.
Fishing in Iceland
That‘s it for part 1. and for my next article I‘m going to go into the far east and west fjords of Iceland and what makes fishing there so special. I‘m also going to look into the sea trout fishing on the glacial south coast where black sand is so dominant.
Is the Hitch technique for salmon fishing the most fun way to fish for Atlantic salmon in Iceland?
Fishing in Iceland - Salmon took the hitch on Huseyjarkvisl in 2011
Tough question but if you have ever been fishing in Iceland I'm sure you've heard of the hitch technique for salmon fishing. I get asked a lot about this method for salmon fishing in Iceland and I also tell me trout fishing clients about it. The reason of course being that I love it myself. Also I sometimes hear the stereotypical views on salmon fishing as being something you do with a double handed rod (preferably a heavy one) with big tube flies on huge rivers, casting square, swing and then take two steps and cast again.
Don't get me wrong I love that style of salmon fishing as well but as my trout fishing friends and clients often tell me - they want that surface excitement and sight fishing they get in dry fly fishing for trout. Well that's when I tell them about the hitch technique for salmon fishing in Iceland.
What is hitching?
Fishing in Iceland - The surface wake created by a hitch tube
To be honest I'm not sure where that word comes from but basically the method requires the fly or tube fly to skate on the surface of the water, creating a "V" shape riffle on the surface that irritates the salmon (or whatever it does to it) and makes it either take it or splash it's tail to it. Either way it gets your heart going and you've located the fish.
To be perfectly clear - I am not any kind of guru on this matter and all I can tell you is what my experience with salmon fishing in Iceland and guiding for salmon has taught me. Glad we got that out of the way. These are my theories and I will be perfectly happy to take criticism, pointers, debates or whatever input you may have on the matter via e-mail to
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So I believe you need to get the hitching fly or tube pretty close to the fish to entice a reaction. An example on why I believe that:
In early August 2011 I was guiding an American on the Huseyjarkvisl River. We'd started fishing a pool with a hitch tube and about halfway down a fish splashes it's tail to my client's fly. I told him to stop, stand still and make that same exact cast with the same amount of line and he did and the salmon splashed it again. We did that one more time and the salmon did the same again so with the fear of "putting it down", so to speak, we switched to a smaller hitch tube. That did not work so we tried several flies without luck before I told him to put on the original hitch tube and try one more time. As a joke I told him "the first cast nothing will happen, second cast the fish will splash the fly and the third cast it will take". My client turned to me with a grin on his face and said "guaranteed?" - My reply - "guaranteed".
Fishing in Iceland - Client "hitching" on the Huseyjarkvisl River
So the first cast nothing happened. Second cast nothing happened and so I said to him (again as a joke) "we shortened the leader so much with all that fly changing so you have to take one step forward". The client going along with my joke took two steps forward so I made him take one step back. "Now the fish will take your fly" I said and again the client asked "guaranteed?" My reply was the same as before. And it came true - the hitch tube skated across the current and right where that fish had been coming up before it finally came up and hammered the fly. Sadly after a short fight the fish came off but we were left with that experience and a good story.
I've seen similar things countless of times and so based on my experience with fishing in Iceland that is my theory. I also believe you have to work the fly the right way, meaning you have to have your left (or right if you are a lefty) hand to work the fly in the water. You have to speed it up or slow it down depending on the speed of current you are fishing in. Chances are that you'll have different rates of current in even the smallest pools so even every cast you might have to work the fly with your free hand to fish it properly.
This is why I prefer to use a single handed rod for the hitch method of salmon fishing. A floating line is also crucial to keep the fly on the surface rather than underneath. So if the current is too slow the fly sinks and then your free hand comes in use to strip the line, increase the speed of the fly and keep it on the surface. If the current is fast you risk having the water "frizz" behind the fly and we don't want that either.
You can cast the hitch tube square, 45° down or however you want as long as you can work it properly. I've even caught fish by casting the hitch tube upstream and make it skate downstream. A tricky thing to do but the pool I did it on, The Rettarhylur pool in Huseyjarkvisl, is slow and so it can be done there.
I prefer to use hitch tubes as I feel it makes things easier and less complicated. I keep a range of sizes of these tubes from what we call a "microhitch" up to about an inch in size with a long black hairwing - a Sun Ray Shadow tied as a hitch tube. I adapt sizes to size and speed of water but I have also caught salmon on a microhitch on a big river in fast current. I have also caught a salmon on a big hitch tube in slow moving water on a small river so perhaps the message is - be creative.
Sight fishing for salmon
Fishing in Iceland - A selection of hitch tubes
To quote a great angler, Craig Rist, from the movie The Source - Iceland - you can't beat sight fishing for any fish but when you can do it for Atlantic salmon you can't beat that. And he is right. Imagine this: you get to a small pool on a rocky river and you spot a salmon in a pool below. You get in position behind a rock with the salmon in clear view. You get the line length right and set up for the shot. As soon as the hitching tube or fly hits the water you make it skate across the pool with your eyes peeled on the salmon and then when the hitch skates on top of it you see the flash of silver, a splash and then when the fish turns around and starts to dive again you lift your rod tip. That is amazing fishing.
Which reminds me - never ever strike on the splash! Always give the fish time to turn and dive again before lifting your rod and setting the hook.
Below you'll find a video we shot on the Nordura in June 2011. It shows how a hitch tube skates across the pool and then the salmon slam it with it's tail. It did not take it that time but we did catch some on the hitch on that trip. In 2012 it will be our mission to capture as many of these moments on film as we possibly can so subscribe to our Youtube channel ASAP. www.youtube.com/icelandanglingtravel
If you are one of those interested in sight fishing for salmon and fishing for salmon with light tackle and small flies, drop me a line to
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and we'll get started planning your trip.
Tight lines,
Stjani Ben - Owner / manager
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