Iceland Fly Fishing

[bigbassin]

Planning a trip with a buddy to do some fly fishing in Iceland this coming year. We’d plan on one week. Probably 1-2 days guided, 2-3 days solo. 2 days just sightseeing. Cheaper the better, i think it can be done on 3k easy but less is more in this category.

Thinking June time frame at the moment, but no issue making a change on this if another time of the year will be more productive.

Interested in any and all advice or recommendations y’all can provide. Specific guides to use/avoid, regions of the country to be looking at, can’t miss sights, favorite local food items, areas to avoid, tips to save money, etc.

 

[Rich M]

I'm no help but that sounds like an amazing trip.

Aren't they having a volcano alert or something right now?

 

[2531usmc]

Does look like an amazing trip! I was curious about sport fishing in Iceland, lots of good info on their website. But I did notice that there are restrictions on bringing your own fishing gear into the country. Seems as if a veterinarian has to disinfect your tackle before it’s admitted into the country.

 

[MTPipeliner]

What kind of fish are you targeting? Fly fishing Iceland is something that had never occurred to me.

 

[ganngus]

I just found this thread in looking for CO recommendations. My family is from Iceland and I lived there during summers in undergrad. I caught my first ever salmon on a purple wooly bugger up there. Also, Lake Thingvellir is known for MONSTER trout.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Iceland is awesome if you hate money. I went a few years back and was shocked at how expensive the trip ended up being.

 

[Poser]

Everyone I know who has been has talked about how expensive eating is, as in $75 for lunch for 1. If you are trying to stay on a budget, might think about how to address that. One person I know went there and rented a conversion van for awhile and they brought a bunch of their own food to keep costs down.

 

[ganngus]

I’d like to know where they went to eat because Ive never paid that much. Was it more expensive than US? Yes. But maybe like 10-20% more.

 

[Reburn]

Iceland is awesome if you hate money. I went a few years back and was shocked at how expensive the trip ended up being.

Same I went in 18 for goose hunting and was floored at the cost of all the ancillary costs especially eating out.

 

[left field]

Random Iceland thoughts.

It's very expensive as nearly all consumer goods have to be shipped into the country. Food in particular is costly. However, the hot dogs are the best in the world. I ate them everywhere.

As I'm sure you know, all rivers are private and you have to pay to fish. Depending on the species you're after, this can get very expensive with prime salmon rivers costing over 1K/dy. I tend to fish brown/char/seatrout rivers to keep my costs down.

The other option is to get the Veidikortid fishing card. This allows you access to 36 lakes around the country. Just follow the rules in the book. https://nat.is/veidikortid-fishing-card/

If you rent a car get all the insurance. Repair of vehicles is expensive. Some years ago, a couple got stuck in a river and abandoned their truck. Somehow they made it to the airport to escape the country but were stopped and had to pay the salvage and replacement cost of well over six figures.

Do not go on the F roads unless you have a reliable 4WD truck.



Here is a van I came across on the highway. The wind blew it over and as you can see they secured it with a concrete block to keep it in place until they could get a tow truck out.





If you want a few days alone, I would consider booking a self-guided trip in the highlands. You'll be camping and cooking your food, but you will be alone and have access to a lot of rivers and lakes. And you can fish at 2:00 am.

There are many great guides there so do a little research and pick who appeals. I used Heimar on my first trip to great success. https://gofishing.is/

Tipping is in a grey area now. When I first fished there I offered a tip and the guide almost seemed insulted. "I make a good living," was his response. My understanding is that the younger guides are now accepting tips, so do your research on that.

Iceland is stunning and one of the most pristine countries I've ever seen. There are no billboards or power lines along the roads. Lines are buried and the best explanation as to no signs was, "Why would we screw up the beauty of our country?"

Here's an article I wrote about my first trip.

When in Iceland to Fish, You Fish, No Matter What. | Gotham Canoe

David N. McIlvaney Iceland is a Shangri-La for the flyfisher, but you can't be picky in your choice of fishing days. Sheets of rain? River flowing in a ...

www.gothamcanoe.com

Enjoy.