Switch On

Here we go.

Over the last few days in Reykjavik I’ve been getting prepared and sight seeing. I visited Veiðihornið, a fishing and hunting shop in Síðumúli, Reykjavík. Like all fishing shops around the world, they were more than happy to have a chat over a coffee and were very interested in fly fishing in Australia.

Iceland, like the rest of Europe, had an usually hot and dry summer this year. This has affected the water flows in the rivers which makes for tough fishing. With that said it’s currently raining while I sit here in my apartment in Reykjavik and write this post. The sound of the rain on the roof seems like music. It actually rained last night and today as well. Great news.

I visited one of the many hot springs in Iceland today to relax before the coming days fishing. There I spoke to a Finnish couple who had only just concluded three days fishing at the Laxá í Kjós. I couldn’t believe my luck. He confirmed that the river is running low and the condition are tough. But there are numerous Salmon in the river. Counting 20-30 fish in certain pools. Unfortunately he couldn’t get many to look up at a fly. He did have one show some interest in his Red Francis fly, but the fish rejected the fly at the last moment.

Hmmm…I think changing to a smaller fly might have been a good tactic there.

But he did manage to land a few smaller Salmon. And he told me that someone landed a 10kg Salmon while he was there.

Iceland has a wealth of incredible nature. Things you just don’t see anywhere else. Immense cascading waterfalls. Massive glaciers. Black sand beaches. Towering mountains. I’ve been fortunate enough to experience so much of these while I’ve been here. But my Finnish friend turned my attention back towards fishing.

He also mentioned a want to fish the Grímsá. On my drive to the hot spring I passed a few great looking rivers. One of them was the Grímsá. So on my way back to town I stopped at the bridge on the highway for a bit of a reccy.

I walked the banks of the river downstream from the bridge. The river looks great. Crystal clear glacial fed water cascading over bauxite boulders with wide and deep pools.

I spotted some fish and was keen to keep exploring until I remembered I was on private property. Not wanting to attract any unwanted attention I bounced back to my car with a spring in my step. I’m starting to switch on. I can feel that now and can’t wait to hit the water tomorrow.

Please respect local trespass laws. These rivers are privately owned by farmers and angling clubs. Fishing these rivers is a privilege, not a right.

Rich