Salmon fly fishing in Iceland
G’Day
When you turn 50, what do you do? You head straight for the door at the end of your comfort zone and barge on out of it.
Comfort is the enemy of growth.
So, at the age of 50 I’m about to set off on a trip which is way out of my comfort zone. And I’m as excited as a 16 year old.
I’m going fly fishing…in Iceland.
A human being that was given to fly…
Pearl Jam
The Langá river. North of Reykjavik, near a town called Borgarnes.
It’s a classic Icelandic Atlantic Salmon river. Glacial and spring-fed, the river glides through lava fields and tumbles down basalt gorges. Many waterfalls cutting deep pools in the bedrock. It’s 36 k’s long and has 96 named pools.
This summer in Europe has been particularly hot and dry this year. And Iceland wasn’t spared. It even got to 27 degrees in June. However, it looks like the rainfall has been keeping on the average. Which is good. What I’m hoping for, and quietly confident I’ll get, is a cold wet snap of weather leading up to the days before I get there.
I’ll be fishing for spawn-run salmon. All catch-and-release of course. It’s very similar to the type of fishing I am very accustomed to. I’ve been fishing for spawn-run trout in the Snowy Mountains in New South Wales with my Dad, his mates, my brother, my mates, our mates, and now my sons, since I was fifteen. The fish will behave similarly. Holing up behind waterfalls. Schooling. Making territorial strikes. Challenging. What I want is the cold wet weather to trigger a late run of salmon coming up from the sea. On the edge of the Arctic circle a cold and wet snap could be interesting. Maybe I should take some glo-bugs.
Hyped-Up, eager fish.
The Langá river is one of the best Salmon rivers in Iceland. It’s one of the best in the world. This video, which is produced by Nick Reygaert and the team at Gin-Clear Media says it all.
By the way, Gin-Clear also runs a fishing travel service. Nick put this trip together for me. Selected the rivers. Booked the lodges, the guides and rivers. He’s a legend.
Rich