Trout Fishing in Iceland; a game of two halves - by Steffan Jones of FishTravel.co.uk

Iceland is undoubtedly one of the last bastions for Atlantic salmon. Numerous rivers still producing catches into the thousands on rod and line every season.

Is it expensive? Absolutely! However, when you consider the limited number of rods allowed to fish each day and that these rods get the lodge and the whole river exclusively, then the price tag is to be expected. Consider that guiding is included along with your accommodation and meals, then the price tag is not too distant (if not comparable) to a prime week on many Scottish rivers.

Can it be done cheaper? Yes, and there are two ways this is achieved. Fishing days in Iceland are long – you fish two six-hour sessions per day. As such, rod sharing is highly recommended as it’s a tough ask to fish well for twelve hours. In addition, given the visual nature of the fishing in Iceland and the stunning surroundings, it’s nice not to fish every minute of the day and absorb the whole experience, which is often lost if you’re just thrashing the water to a froth all day. Secondly, there are some great self-catering options. These can present phenomenal value for money, if you’re willing to look after the cooking and don’t need a guide to assist you all day.

Explore outside the salmon fishing in Iceland and you will find the cost does become palatable, especially in the trout and char fishing world. Albeit still not cheap, it is comparable with what you would expect across the world.

You have an amazing sea trout fishing option Battle Hill Lodge in the South-East of the country, which provides both numbers and size of fish comparable with those found in Argentina, without the arduous journey involved in getting to the likes of the Rio Grande. They fish a myriad of different rivers from the lodge, and you rotate over them during your stay, with sea trout of over 20 lbs being produced every season.

What the salmon and sea trout fishing in general have in common though is that there is very little flexibility in terms of length of stay and schedule. Unless you take a self-catering option, you will be tied to either a three or six day stay – most fishing is sold in three days slots. With this being the case, if you did want to do a week, then I would highly recommend combing to different rivers and fishing three days on each rather than having an extended stay on one river. This really expands your experience and showcases what Iceland has to offer.

What you can also do is combine the salmon fishing with some trout fishing, especially as most of the trout fishing on offer is very flexible in terms of arrival / departure dates and length of stay.

The trout fishing in Iceland is amazing, whether it be on river or lake. They pretty much have everything on offer, from big, cascading freestone rivers, through to almost chalkstream like rivers and everything in between.

Back in June I travelled back to Iceland to revisit an old haunt, but also check out two new lodges and opportunities, to better understand them but also represent them moving forward.

First stop was in The Highlands of Iceland, an area in general that I had never visited. It is a slightly surreal place due to the landscape. There was still some snow on the ground, but then lupins starting to emerge, adding a beautiful splash of colour to the otherwise raw landscape.

It is one of those places that still feels unspoilt. It still creates that feeling of being the first person to explore a given water. You’re not, of course, but the lack of development and people in general helps conjure that reaction.

Without hesitation, this is world-class char fishing. It is a special, special place. You rotate over a myriad of waters during your stay, from lake fishing, through to sight fishing on small, crystal-clear streams. You will be nymph fishing some spots, but if the weather is kind and the midges are hatching (non-biting) then you are in for a treat as it is dry fly heaven!

Whilst char are the main attraction – they are present in good numbers and also size, with fish of 4-6lb being relatively frequent catches. There are also some amazing trout to be found. These are less plentiful than the char, but they’re special fish and proper warhorses. They also reach a good size – unsurprisingly, given that their main source of protein is baby char!

The char are incredibly strong, especially if they have some flow around them, which they invariably do. You are primarily fishing with #3-5 weight rods and they will test every gram of that.

If you’re a numbers person, then The Highlands fishing is likely to satisfy. However, I am often after a bit more of a challenge, and the next two locations I visited provided just that, in two very different ways.

First stop was on the West Ranga. The West Ranga is revered for its salmon fishing, always being in the top two every season in terms of number of salmon caught. However, above the main salmon sections you have amazing trout fishing that hold some very special fish. If you’re after quantity look elsewhere. If you’re looking for quality, then this is the one for you. You must grind away every day for 2-4 fish, perhaps even suffering the occasional blank. However, this river can absolutely produce trout into the teens, with fish of 4lb of less being rare and hardly noteworthy.

These are meat eaters. The West Ranga is primarily a hatchery-based river, and the trout love nothing more than a smolt as a meal! The river is very cold, so the trout cannot charge around picking off midge and small invertebrates all day. If they move for a meal, they need it to count.

I took my drone up around some of the smolt ponds and you could literally see the trout awaiting a smolt to make a mistake. There’s not a huge density of trout, but what’s present are big and worth working for. I saw trout that were certainly over 90cm…

Throwing big streamers around all day is hard work and not for everyone. However, for a given mindset it is paradise – I loved it, as it was more like hunting than fishing.

The game of two halves appeared with the next stop on my journey. I have visited and fished the Minnivalalaekur (Minni) a few times over the years. It is a special place and one that keeps calling me back. It is an incredibly technical and tricky river but holds trophy fish of a lifetime.

This, again, is not a numbers river. If you are stealthy in both your approach and your casting then you will get fish. However, if you skyline the fish, wade in heavily, crash your cast etc. then in all honesty you’re likely to blank. It’s a challenging river, but if you take your time and ‘hunt’ each fish, then they are catchable. The river is crystal-clear, so you will see all the fish, which makes it mesmerising but also frustrating at times. There are definitely fish present touching the 10lb mark, all being wild…

Think about the perfect day on a saltwater flat and that is pretty much what you want on the Minni; blue skies and no wind. This makes seeing the fish a lot easier, but also this tends to bring on the midge hatch, which is the predominant diet of these fish.

Long leaders and fishing relatively fine – you have to fish fairly fine in order to thread the eye of the small midge patterns, so it’s a natural conclusion. However, do not be tempted to drop down too fine, as this will end in misery and it’s also unethical on the big fish.

The lodge is beautifully located on the junction of two streams. It’s a great headquarters for your fishing stay, where you can literally cast from the lawn! You can also walk to a lot of productive water, which is great if you’re with friends and decide to split up to explore more water – two anglers staying in the upper section then two taking the car and exploring the lower section.

You get the whole lodge and river exclusively for four rods. No set length of stay or arrival / departure days. The lodge can accommodate up to eight people, so rod sharing is possible or non-anglers could also stay and explore the area.

If you’re interested in any of these rivers / lodges mentioned or if you’re considering somewhere else in Iceland, then please do get in contact and I would be delighted to assist. You can call me on 07879 898 344 or email me on info@fishtravel.co.uk

More information can be found on www.FishTravel.co.uk