We knew that the cabin we were heading to was relatively isolated on a farmer's land so we were on our own for food and beverages. After hitting the grocery store we wound around and finally found ourselves making the last turn onto a dirt road. We parked right alongside the deck which was perfectly aligned with flawless views of the Laxá River stretching ahead of us and flowing straight north into the Atlantic, short kilometers away. The Laxá is a well-known salmon river with large specimens by Iceland standards. We were a little early in the season for salmon and still had brown trout on the brain for our day of fishing here.
We got the lay of the land from our new friend Snaevarr who took the day off of guiding to fish with us. We were told assorted nymphs and small streamers were typically the way to go so between the four of us, we tied on a mixture. Two with streamers, two with nymphs. A few smaller fish were intrigued by the nymphs but the biggest look we had after a few hours into the day was on a small, heavy light brown and olive streamer. If the rest of us wanted to find bigger browns, we figured we had to start stripping streamers.
The Laxá is big water for single-hand rods, but certainly manageable. After the first few larger fish, we started to pattern their likely spots and between three of us landed 5 fish over 24" in a short period of time. Seeing native, resident river brown trout of this size was unforgettable. We have to go back though, we are told there is another size class above these ones in there...
For more information on fishing in Iceland or to book a trip, check out the Fish Partner website: www.fishpartner.com.
4 comments
Strange as it may seem, I just fished the evening hatch on the Laxà on Monday 8/23/2021 . We fished dry dropper and my nicest brown took a nymph that looked like a size 14 barrs emerger. There were a ton of breaking browns but, as you may know, the midge hatch is so prolofic, (head nets required), that the browns will not move , according to my biology teacher local guide, more than 7 centimeters to chase down a meal. That gave me a 14 centimeter window at the end of a 10 meter cast. Unfortunately, the outfitter I used supplied a flyrod with an iffy reel and a wrecked flyline that clicked its way through every guide. My chances of hitting the window were nil. The lessons learned are: 1. Bring your own gear even though it will cost you about $30 and 20 minutes to get it inspected at customs on the way in, and 3. Use Rep Your Waters vetted guide service. You won’t get on the water on your own. The bordering farmer owns the fish in the river and fishing clubs lease rights from them that are resold to outfitters.
Thanks for the great story and primo photos!!!
Just out of curiosity what does a trip like this cost?… Including air fair, car rental etc…..
Thanks
WOULD LIKE INFO ON TRIP