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Posted

I booked a day trip, 9 hours fly fishing in Iceland, a 2-3 different river options, they catch mostly brown trout, char, salmon and sea run trout. 

I'll be there next week, I'm really excited but also a bit anxious as I spin fish 99.9% of the time.   I've probably fly fished a total of a couple of dozen times, I used to live in Colorado and could regularly catch trout on the fly but the fish were plentiful and apparently very hungry because it never made a difference what I threw at them! 

Have any of you fished Iceland? What should I expect besides very cold water, LOL.   I've also tried to google a guide to tipping with poor results, some sites say they are offended by tips and others say you should tip generously for good service. :hmmmer:

I hope to have some great pictures to share when I return. 

Posted

Good luck! 

Atlantic salmon on the fly are the pinnacle of fly fishing (my opinion, sure some will correct me:rofl:).

I am sure a good guide will get you hooked up! Enjoy the trip 

Posted

I just did a little (& I do mean little so don't rely) research on fly fishing Iceland.  I read there is no public water, none, & all fishing is paid.  I looked at a few prices & they ranged from $800-$1,500 for 1/2 & full days.  Most involved assigned beats or a single pool.  Someone on here probably has been there & will give you better info.

Posted
8 hours ago, nb6624 said:

Can't wait to see the pictures!

:agree:

Sounds like an amazing trip, enjoy the experience!  

Posted
15 hours ago, nmc02 said:

Good luck! 

Atlantic salmon on the fly are the pinnacle of fly fishing (my opinion, sure some will correct me:rofl:).

I am sure a good guide will get you hooked up! Enjoy the trip 

I would agree with that. First one I hooked (Canada) leaped 4 times before I could begin to gain any line control and it finally threw the hook on the streamer I was fishing. It was a love affair right then and there. 
 

@Gman tips are just like waiter staff. 15% to 25% is the norm.  Have a great trip. 

Posted
11 hours ago, gregtpal said:

I just did a little (& I do mean little so don't rely) research on fly fishing Iceland.  I read there is no public water, none, & all fishing is paid.  I looked at a few prices & they ranged from $800-$1,500 for 1/2 & full days.  Most involved assigned beats or a single pool.  Someone on here probably has been there & will give you better info.

Yes, I booked already, it is crazy expensive but it's Iceland, everything is expensive there.  I've seen it compared to fishing Patagonia...I'm excited. 

Posted

I've been there and it is a beautiful country, I was just sightseeing but what a gorgeous place to visit. Just one tip, stay away from places that bus tours stop the prices are usually higher there. 

Posted

I really envy you, but I know that unless I hit the lottery, I'll never get to fish there. I had the pleasure of fishing with 3 Icelanders in Northern Quebec. They were friends of a good friend who regularly fished Iceland and invited them to join our group at the lodge he had booked. My friend and his wealthy client fished Iceland many times and told me how they fished one famous river and shared a rod on this one beat, to the tune of $2100 for the day!  I had the opportunity to be invited to fish for these unbelievable fish in Quebec for several with a friend who owned half of a lodge. Haven't been there in 15 years, but there is tons of public water, but at the time the rates were about $60 a day and strictly enforced. I believe you may have to employ a guide in Iceland and all the Salmon rivers are leased. Don't expect easy fishing, as hookups don't come easy.  Enjoy and "Tight Lines" 

  • 2 weeks later...
Posted

I'm back from my trip to Iceland and have to report that I am very disappointed.

The weather was terrible, wind was a steady 30-40 mph with gust that would push me.   The outfitter really should have cancelled the trip, the forecast was for high winds all week. 

I even questioned him the  night before and he said the trip was on and the guide knew of some sheltered areas that would be out of the wind.  That was an outright lie, needles to say I did not get to fly fish any rivers, instead the guide took me to one lake that holds Char and brown trout.  I spin fished for several hours battling the wind and 35 degree weather.  What really upset me was the crappy gear.  He had 1 spinning rod and two reels, the Rod was about a 7ft medium action, one reel was about a size 2000, half spooled and with a knot somewhere back in the line that would catch my line during my cast.  The other reel was a small 1000ish size and less than half spooled with line.   Both reels were junk. 

I understand that we were primarily there to fly fish but he brought the back up spin gear because he knew casting a fly would be nearly impossible.  But the spin gear was crap and he had a total of 4-6 lures, two spoons and two spinners that looked like they were several years old with hooks that were as dull as my guide. 

The lakes there are not like any I've fished before,  they are shallow, you must wade out a few hundred feet and then cast looking for deeper holes in the lake.  The wind also churns up the water, I could not see the bottom in 1 foot of water.  The deeper end of the lake had the wind right in my face, the other side was very shallow and with the crappy gear my cast were short even with the wind at my back. I managed to hook and loose one large char (saw him jump) during the 6-7 hours of hell that I spent trying to cast.  I asked several times if we could try some different lakes and he refused, saying they would all be the same.  

I was very annoyed, it was a very expensive outing and I expected to at a minimum see some cool landscapes.  I blame myself, it was a last minute booking, I reached out to several outfitters and booked the first one to reply.  I didn't do my homework, but still the outing should have been cancelled. 

If any of you ever wind up in Iceland I would recommend you stay away from https://gofishing.is/

I will likely go back to Iceland again as my wife travels there frequently and next time I will do my homework, call some fly shops and get a solid recommendation.  I also would not fish early June,  I believe July - September would be prime. 

 

Posted (edited)

Sorry to hear that you had such a terrible experience. I would never have gone in June, as the weather can expect to be miserable. I believe my friends went in late July. I would assume the weather would be somewhat comparable to Northern Quebec where I went 3 years in a row. I fished the George River. which is a huge river (Picture the Delaware near Lamberville), and the fishing was tremendous. The weather up there can change in a minute. First day fishing was good and temperatures comfortable. That night we had 11" of snow and 40 mph winds next day, so  a day of rest in the lodge. You never know with these fish. We always went the end of the season, second or 3rd week in September. The last year there were like no Salmon in the river, so the outfitter flew us to a camp in Labrador to fish for Char and brookies. This was a wonderful experience that I would not trade for any Atlantics. This was with the George River Lodge 30 years ago, and although it was expensive for me then, along with the week of Salmon fishing, you could buy a license and shoot 2 Caribou. I did shoot 1 the second year. 

I just looked it up and although I thought it was costly 30 years ago at almost $4000, I would never be able to experience it now at $10,500 !!

 

Edited by Jerzguy2
additional info

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