Companion Friendly Arctic Char
But still not so easy to catch…
Wild arctic char generally dwell in inhospitable places. Camps that put anglers face-to-face with a char in Greenland or Nunavut are costly and remote. They are no place for a not-so-fish-crazed partner. Iceland, however, supports excellent populations of char and welcomes anyone with a taste for nature. Glaciers, waterfalls, icebergs, volcanoes, lava rock, hot springs, and extraordinary coastline are all abundant. There are also Atlantic salmon and brown trout, all close to a modern airport and paved roads. No float planes needed! An arctic char can get crossed off a bucket list and your companion will barely know they are on a fishing trip.
GETTING READY
For quite a while, my partner, Deb, and I had talked about Iceland. When a break in the pandemic appeared, we quickly made plans. Even before our flights to Reykjavik were finalized, I started researching fishing opportunities. After all, any destination is better when you go fishing for a day or two… Or three.
Just after the flights were booked, I set up a couple of guided day trips – one for char and a bonus one for brown trout. These would be the perfect complement to some serious sightseeing. Hopefully, the rest of this article will give you some insight into just what a day on an Icelandic river might be like.
DAY ONE-BRING ON THE CHAR!
The morning after we landed, Deb got ready for touring around Reykjavik, Iceland’s pleasant capital, and I was picked up by Bjartur, my guide for the day. He was driving a Toyota Land Cruiser, the perfect vehicle for penetrating Iceland’s rugged interior. It was the only vehicle I have seen with pitch and roll gauges.
A LOVE OF THE SPORT
On the two hour drive out to the Kaldavisl River, it became apparent I was in good hands because Bjartur simply loved to fish. Finally, after bumping over a sheep pasture, we parked beside a beautiful stretch of tundra river. Just upstream of us, a lively tributary poured in. Just downstream, the river dumped into a lake. Directly before us, a cliff overlooked a massive series of riffles.
Although most char are anadromous, Bjartur explained that the char here were land-locked and fed on midges in the riffles. We even spotted a pod of them from the cliff; the white edges of their pectoral fins gave them away. We skirted the cliff and hit the river. Bjartur had me rigged with a beadhead chironomid below an indicator. We combed the riffle far and wide, sometimes just covering water and sometimes sight fishing. Again, those white fin edges were like beacons.
A TOUGH BITE BUT UNBELIEVABLE SCENERY!
However, it was morning in early September, and we were just south of the Arctic Circle. The temperature was 6-degrees, and the fish were tight-lipped. We climbed back in the truck and drove through several miles of ancient volcanic ash. At the next stop, further upstream on the Kaldavisl, we fished the kind of canyon and waterfall that fly fishers dream about. They were drop-dead gorgeous.
Brown trout were now the quarry and Bjartur switched me to a streamer. Although they looked amazing, the canyon and waterfall were not producing, so Bjartur drove us back to our original spot at the riffle.
LATE AFTERNOON BONANZA
By this time, the late afternoon sun had heated things up and we saw plenty of white-edged fins. I was sight fishing exclusively, and Bjartur had the business end of my indicator rig switched to the ultimate in finesse – a size 20 midge larvae on 6X tippet. After about twenty minutes, the indicator dipped, and I was tight to a char. But only until it dove into some rocks and worked itself loose.
The disappointment did not linger, because we soon spotted a nice pod of fish. Bjartur actually stuck his phone in the water and photographed a few of them. After quite a few drifts, the indicator dipped again. This char was angry; it showed me the backing knot and led us about 50 yards down the river. Finally, it hunkered down tight to the bottom. Bjartur excavated a good patch of riverbed while scooping it with the net. Although the bite was on, the sun was starting to sink, and we had to get back to Reykjavik. Incidentally, the Land Cruiser had to battle through a “sheep jam” as we drove down the highway.
DAY TWO-TROUT AND SALMON ON THE MENU
It was late September and near the end of our trip. We had logged a lot of miles on a rental car and also our hiking shoes. However, it was time to scratch the fishing itch again. This time brown trout were the target, and Deb was part of the adventure. We were in northern Iceland, and there was a couple centimeters of snow on the ground by our rental cabin on the coast. However, the snow disappeared as we drove inland and met our guide, Hogni, at a roadside cafe.
His 4-by-4 delivered us to a sheep pasture beside the highway. Sheep pastures might look perfectly flat from the road, but clumps of moss and grass made this one feel like a boulder field in disguise. A short hike over it put us beside a meadow stream called the Geitsfellsa River. Although the day was dark and super chilly, the stream looked idyllic; it was full of deep bends, undercut banks, and chattering riffles. It screamed brown trout…
ANOTHER LOCATION CHANGE
We fished bead head chironomids under indicators and managed to entice a couple small browns. Since the big ones were evading us, Hogni called for a change in location. We piled into his vehicle and set out for the Myrarkvisl River. This was a pleasant surprise to us, and the equivalent of a late season discount, since the Myrarkvisl held Atlantic salmon and was not originally part of our package. Hogni said some straggler salmon had been sighted in a pool and was eager to give us a shot at them. After two sheep gates, one rickety bridge, and a rutted, almost impossibly steep hill, we hopped out of the vehicle and hiked down another fairy tale stream into a narrow gorge.
Hogni rigged an 8-weight with a salmon fly; we knelt beside the stream, and he directed my casts as I swung flies over the tail of a pool. Deb stood back with the camera, ready to capture the mayhem of a salmon take. Atlantic salmon, no matter where you are, do not come easily. Showing up late in the day and making a few casts, even ones expertly directed by a local guide, is not the best approach. Nevertheless, I hoped for a miracle.
Unfortunately, the miracle stayed in the river, and we had to call it quits. Like many other days, it was about the experience instead of the catching. On the whole, Iceland is an amazing experience, and sampling the fishing makes it even better. I absolutely recommend disguising a fishing trip inside an Iceland vacation.
Useful Information about Iceland:
- Fishing waters are accessed via individual day tickets, instead of a single license. To fish a particular stretch of water for the day, you must pay whoever owns the rights to it. A guide service will facilitate that for you.
- My day for char on the Kaldavisl was arranged through Fish Partner. Chasing brownies on the Geitafellsa was outfitted by Iceland Fishing Guide. Google will reveal many other Icelandic guide services. Multi-day trips with meals and lodging, as well as guided day trips, are all available. All the equipment you need can be provided. Day tickets without a guide are possible, but not on all waters.
- The weather in Iceland can be severe. We were there for three weeks in September and experienced snow on several days. We also had 100-mile per hour winds alter our itinerary. July and August offer the best weather.
- Steep and rough interior roads are given an “F” designation. They often ford rivers and are closed to rental cars. The Kaldavisl River was on the F-road network. These roads are the reason for the number of 4-by-4 vehicles with snorkels driving around Iceland.
- The ring road is a two-lane highway that circles the entire country. It allows access to most of the country’s natural wonders. The Geitafellsa River was also just off the ring road.
- The Golden Circle is a one day driving tour from Reykjavik; it encompasses a couple of Iceland’s best sights: Gulfoss and Thingvellir National Park.
- Be prepared for sticker shock regarding costs. However, self-catering cottages dot the landscape and preparing your own meals helps economize. Renting a camper van is another way to save money.