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Fly Fishing in Iceland
Wild brown trout, Atlantic salmon and arctic char.
In Iceland you fish clear water, and on many rivers you see the fish before you cast. In June and July it hardly gets dark.
Big brown trout live in the northeast around Akureyri and Lake Mývatn, and arctic char in many of the country's lakes. On the East Rangá and the West Rangá in the south you fish almost only for salmon.
We arrange fishing licenses for your own trip, or organize guiding and a lodge. Our hosted trip goes to the northeast.
Your options for Iceland
Tell us what you are looking for, and we will find the format that suits you.
Thomas Schatzmann, co-owner of Klejch, travels with the group in person and is out on the water all week as well. He knows northeast Iceland first-hand. The trip is about wild brown trout on waters between Akureyri and Lake Mývatn.
You fish the trout beats of the Laxá, starting out with a local guide. Then there is the Reykjadalsá near the lodge, a small, clear tributary of the Laxá that is known for dry fly fishing. On the Geitafellsá you fish for brown trout as well. On nearby Lake Vestmannsvatn you also have a chance at arctic char, and in some years the first salmon enter the Reykjadalsá as early as June.
Based on double occupancy. Single rooms on request.
- 6 fishing days
- All fishing licenses
- A local guide to start you off on the Laxá
- 6 nights in a double room with two single beds and a private bathroom
- Lodge with a kitchen for self-catering, a grill and a hot tub
- End-of-stay cleaning of the lodge
- Experienced group leadership by Thomas Schatzmann
Not included: Flights including the domestic flight, rental car and fuel, transfers, food, nights outside the lodge (in Akureyri on the day you arrive and, depending on your connection, before the flight home), gratuities, personal gear.
Planned itinerary
Day 2 (Sun): Morning in Akureyri, around 45 minutes by rental car to the lodge, first fishing in the afternoon
Days 3–7 (Mon–Fri): Fishing on the Laxá, Reykjadalsá, Geitafellsá and Lake Vestmannsvatn, starting out on the Laxá with a local guide
Day 8 (Sat): Fishing in the morning, drive back to Akureyri, domestic flight to Reykjavík
Day 9 (Sun): Flight home, depending on your connection as early as the night from Saturday to Sunday
You fish in the morning and from late afternoon into the evening, and it is fly only. By the end of the week everyone will have fished all the waters.
You book flights and the rental car yourself, and we will suggest suitable connections from your departure airport. You need a rental car to get between the lodge and the waters. We recommend four-wheel drive and one car for every two people. When we talk, we will go through the extra costs you should expect.
You can come as a beginner too, and the Reykjadalsá suits beginners especially well. A course with us before the trip is ideal. Tell us how many of you are coming. If the group is full or the dates don't suit you, we will plan an individual trip to Iceland with you.
The fishing in Iceland
On most waters in Iceland the number of rods per day is limited. That is why sought-after licenses are taken months in advance.
Wild brown trout
In Iceland the brown trout is the fish for the dry fly and for sight fishing. In the northeast it lives in the Laxá and its tributaries and in the Litlaá, which is fed by springs and by Lake Skjálftavatn. Every year the Laxá and the Litlaá produce trout of several kilos, a few of them over 70 cm.
Atlantic salmon
Atlantic salmon run from June to September. In the south you fish for them on the East Rangá, the West Rangá and the Stóra Laxá, which is known for big salmon. Farther west and north come the Norðurá, Langá, Þverá, Vatnsdalsá and Blanda. On the Laxá in the northeast you fish below the trout beats, where salmon over 10 kg turn up, and on its tributary, the Mýrarkvísl.
On most rivers you fish a single-hand rod, a floating line and small flies, often with a riffling hitch on the surface. Salmon rivers are the most expensive waters in Iceland. On many of them the lodge, meals and a guide are part of the package, which usually covers three days. Rivers with a self-catering lodge cost less.
Arctic char
Arctic char live in many rivers and lakes. On the Geitafellsá in the northeast, char gather in the shallow water of the river mouth in high summer and take midges off the surface. Lake Þingvallavatn holds four morphs of arctic char that have been isolated in the lake since the end of the last ice age.
The regions of Iceland
Which region suits you depends on your target species.
The northeast around Akureyri and Lake Mývatn
The northeast is the most varied region. Between them, the Laxá, the Litlaá and the Geitafellsá hold all three target species. Several lodges sit right on the rivers.
The south with the Rangá rivers and the Stóra Laxá
The East Rangá and the West Rangá are among the best-known salmon rivers in Iceland. Both are wide, and you mostly fish them with a double-handed rod and a sink tip. The Stóra Laxá is a medium-sized river that runs through canyons in its upper reaches. Lodge packages are often taken well in advance, so early planning pays off.
The west and northwest
The Langá, the Norðurá and the Þverá are in the west, around 90 to 120 km from Reykjavík. The upper Þverá, known as the Kjarrá, is remote. In the northwest come the Vatnsdalsá and the Blanda, both with big salmon.
Lakes and the highlands
Lakes are a good choice if you are watching your budget, and they suit a DIY trip by rental car. Lake Þingvallavatn, by the UNESCO World Heritage site of Þingvellir in the southwest, holds arctic char and brown trout, and the mountain lake Hraunsvatn near Akureyri holds char. In the highlands we organize fishing on remote rivers and lakes with brown trout and char.
More waters on request: Iceland has far more rivers and lakes than the ones named here, including waters for sea trout. Tell us your target species, and we will look for the right water.
The country & the season
Iceland lies in the North Atlantic, just south of the Arctic Circle. You land at Keflavík near Reykjavík. From Reykjavík the Rangá rivers in the south are around 1.5 hours away. Akureyri in the northeast is around 5 hours by car on the Ring Road, or 45 minutes by domestic flight from Reykjavík.
The season runs from April to October. Many waters for trout and char open between April and June and close as early as September, while you fish for sea trout into October. Atlantic salmon run from June to September, peaking in July and August. Because it hardly gets dark in June and July, you can fish late into the evening.
Gear for Iceland
For trout and char a light single-hand outfit is enough, and for salmon you need a heavier rod. Whatever you bring has to suit the water, and it should be gear you know. Because the weather changes fast, your clothing counts as much as your rod.
- Rods for trout and char: Single-hand 9–10 ft, #4–#6. Most casts are short to medium range. If you like, you can also fish the trout beats with a switch rod. Single-hand fly rods in our shop →
- Rods for salmon: Single-hand #8–#9, which covers a lot. Depending on the beat, a double-handed or switch rod gives you an advantage, 11–12 ft in #7/8. On the Rangá rivers and the Stóra Laxá a double-handed rod of 13–14 ft is the rule. Double-handed rods in our shop → · Spey lines →
- Reels: A reliable drag and enough backing, above all for salmon. Fly reels in our shop →
- Lines: As a rule, a floating line covers everything. On wide salmon rivers such as the Rangá rivers you also need a sink tip. Fly lines in our shop →
- Flies: For trout and char, dry flies such as sedges and midges, plus nymphs. Streamers for big trout. Hitch flies and small salmon flies on tubes or doubles for salmon. Our top 10 flies for Iceland (blog, in German) → · Iceland flies in our shop → · Dry flies → · Nymphs → · Streamers → · Salmon flies →
- Leaders & tippet: For trout, 4X for nymphs and dry flies and 0X for streamers, and for salmon 16 lb and 20 lb. Icelandic trout are not particularly leader-shy. For slow or heavily fished stretches, pack 5X and 6X as well. Fluorocarbon tippet material should be in your kit too. Leaders & tippet in our shop →
- Waders & boots: Breathable waders are a must. For wading boots we recommend rubber soles, which grip best on lava rock and sand. A folding wading staff helps in the current. Waders in our shop → · Wading boots →
- Clothing: A weatherproof wading jacket with a hood, with fleece and warm base layers underneath. Wading jackets in our shop → · Jackets & sweaters →
- Polarized sunglasses: With amber lenses. You need them every day for sight fishing. Polarized sunglasses in our shop →
Before your trip: Come by our shop in Vienna. We put your Iceland setup together with you, and you get to handle everything before you leave. You can also call us or order everything from our online shop.
Frequently asked questions about Iceland
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Which species can I catch in Iceland?
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Plan your Iceland trip
Tell us your travel dates, your target species and your budget. We reply within 24 hours.