Fishing in Iceland

Iceland, the land of fire and ice, is home to some of the best Atlantic salmon and game fishing in the world. In 2008 it had its best salmon fishing season for many years.

With crystal-clear, well-managed rivers and breathtaking scenery, it is no surprise that for generations, anglers have come to (and subsequently fallen in love with) Iceland. Fishing for salmon, sea trout, trout and Arctic char under the midnight sun is an experience no angler will ever forget.

The island landscape varies from barren lava fields and glacial plateaus to verdant farmland and provides a wealth of non-fishing activites for the family to enjoy whilst you fish.

Iceland is only a three hour flight from the UK and five hours from the East Coast of America with several airlines providing plenty of options.

About Icelandic rivers  

HISTORY

People have been fishing for salmon in Iceland since the Dark Ages. In those days most of the fishing was done by dragnets, but no one can say for sure whether rod and line was used also.

In the late 1800s the landed gentry of the UK started to arrive and fish for salmon, primarily in the south and west areas of the island. A few even purchased the riparian rights to the fishing.

This traffic petered out after the Great War and did not reach the same numbers until the 1960s when Iceland again became a mecca for anglers, this time from America and now more recently from Europe.

CLEAR WATERS

One of the beauties of fishing in Iceland is the clarity of the water. Many rivers run gin-clear and on many of the smaller streams it is possible to perch on the bank and watch salmon in their environment.

This not only allows the angler to get a better understanding of where salmon lie and why, but also gives anglers fishing in a group an opportunity to try "sight" fishing for salmon where a partner on the bank can direct the angler as to where and when to cast his fly. A popular method of doing this is to skate riffle hitched flies and micro-tubes across the surface and watch the salmon follow and take this fly in an explosion of water.

RIVER TYPES

Whilst most of the rivers in Iceland hold naturally occuring salmon a few such as the East and West Ranga are supplemented by a smolt rearing and release programme. These programmes have turned some of the minor salmon rivers into rivers to be reckoned with. The East and West Ranga for instance accounted for over 21,000 salmon in the 2008 season.

BOOKINGS

Fishing in Iceland is either sold as 'whole day' permits or the permits are sold using the term 'afternoon to noon' (sometimes called 'noon to noon', but meaning the same).

With 'whole day' permits, fishing simply starts in the morning of the first day purchased and terminates in the evening of the last day purchased. However, with 'afternoon to noon' permits the fishing starts in the afternoon of the first day purchased and terminates at 12:00 noon on the day after the last day purchased.

Information about the fishing

Fishpal is able to provide salmon beats and trout fishing enabling an increasing number of people to enjoy this wonderful sport.

You can read about each river, see its current fishing availability and book fishing permits online or by telephone.

Check in this website: http://www.fishpal.com

Johanna, Iceland24h.blogspot.com
April 2015

Skagafjörður

Skagafjörður is a wide fjord, maybe even a bay, in Northwest Iceland (not the Westfjords) which is home to the large town of Sauðárkrókur and some lovely natural surroundings.

Another great thing about Skagafjörður is that it’s a little bit off the beaten track because, despite the presence of Sauðár- krókur, the Route 1 highway does not pass through. Or, more accurately, it only passes through very briefly and you could easily miss it.

Skagafjörður is a fertile farming region and particularly famous for its horses. Apparently it is even the only part of Iceland where horses outnumber people. For the record, sheep outnumber people in Iceland as a whole. Just so you know.

The people of Skagafjörður are known for being open and eccentric, in a nice kind of way. The tiny town of Varmahlíð – which Route 1 actually does pass through – is the base of North Iceland white water rafting on the East Glacial River. This is one of the top spots for rafting in all of Iceland.

Sauðárkrókur has over 2,500 people, which makes it the second biggest town in the north, after Akureyri. Icelanders generally find it hilarious to translate the name of the town directly as Sheep River Hook. Weird, right?

The town is pleasant, modern and open with a few good attractions including a museum and a surprisingly interesting rock exhibition. In the winter there is a well-liked ski area by Sauðárkrókur and plenty of hiking opportun- ities. There are also a couple of islands in the fjord and boats in the harbour you may be able to get there on.

Skagafjörður is home to Glaumbær farm, a beautiful old fashioned agricultural centre, now open air museum – and one of the cutest opportunities to take quaint oldy-worldy photos anywhere in the country.

The Icelandic Emigration Centre is in the Skagafjörður region and you will find it in the town of Hofsós, which is a pleasant village of 200 people which has recently been remodelling itself to better cater to tourists. This means, among other things, that the place is well-maintained.

Skagafjörður is roughly a hundred kilometres from Akureyri and 300 kilometres from Reykjavík. There is an airport in Sauðárkrókur which is not used for scheduled flights. Akureyri, on the other hand, has lots of scheduled flights and there are plenty of coaches (and even city buses) along Route 1.

Peter, Mars 2015
Iceland24h.blogspot.com

Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon in Iceland. An adventure you'll never forget!

Jökulsárlón is today one of Iceland's best known and most popular natural wonders, and for a good reason. A magnificent view welcomes you as you arrive there and it's almost like stepping into a fairy tale landscape.

Jökulsárlón (literally "glacial river lagoon") is a large glacial lagoon in southeast Iceland, on the borders of Vatnajökull National Park. Situated at the head of Breiðamerkurjökull, it evolved into a lagoon after the glacier started receding from the edge of the Atlantic Ocean.

The lake has grown since then at varying rates because of melting of the Icelandic glaciers. The lagoon now stands 1.5 kilometres away from the ocean's edge and covers an area of about 18 km2. It recently became the deepest lake in Iceland at over 248 metres depth as glacial retreat extended its boundaries.

The size of the lagoon has increased fourfold since the 1970s. It is considered as one of the natural wonders of Iceland. The lagoon can be seen along Route 1 between Höfn and Skaftafell. It presents a picturesque parade termed as “A ghostly procession of luminous blue ice-bergs through the 17 km2 Jokulsarlon Lagoon”. Jökulsárlón has been a setting for four Hollywood movies - A View to a Kill, Die Another Day, Tomb Raider and Batman Begins - A postage stamp depicting Jökulsárlón was issued in 1991 with a face value of 26 krónur.

The tongue of the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier is a major attraction for tourists. Tour operators conduct snowmobiles and jeep tours to visit the glacier along the winding iceberg studded Jökulsárlón Lagoon. The base station for visits to the area is at Joklasel, which is approached from Höfn. It is termed as Tourist Conveyor belt.

FAUNA

The lagoon is filled with fishes that drift in from the sea along with the tides. Seals gather in large numbers at the mouth of the lagoon to catch fish during the winter, which is a sight to watch. Large numbers of sea birds, particularly arctic terns, which nest nearby also gather to catch herring, trout, salmon and other fishes and krill.

LANDSCAPE

The white cap of Breiðamerkurjökull glacier dominates the lagoon and its icebergs. Jökulsárlón is separated from the sea by only a short distance, and the combined action of the glacier, the river that empties from the lake, and the ocean may eventually transform it into an inlet of the sea. There are plans to prevent this from happening, since the only road in the area passes over the narrow isthmus.

HOW TO GET THERE

Sterna (buses)
Jokulsarlon-Skaftafell
Reykjavik-Laugarvatn-Reykholt-Gullfoss-Geysir
Reykjavik-Hofn
Reykjavik-Hvolsvollur-Vik
Reykjavik-Arnes-Fludir
Vatnsmyravegur 10
101 Reykjavik
Tel.: 562-1011
bogf@bogf.is

More information about Vatnajökull Region
Jókulsárlón panoramic view

Berglind Rós
Iceland24h.blogspot.com
Mars 2014