Vatnsdalsá (Char & salmon)

Excellent char fishing with a very good chance of catching salmon

Vatnsdalsá offers salmon and arctic char fishing for two rods in the northwest part of Iceland on the Westfjords peninsula. This area is in the middle of the Vatnsfjordur nature reserve and is famous for its beauty and wildlife such as eagles, harlequin duck and arctic puffin. The lower river reaches from Lake Vatnsdalsvatn to the sea and consists of about an 800 metre stretch of running water. The salmon can run between 4-5 km up from Lake Vatnsdalsvatn to the top part of the upper river. The char fishing is good on both rivers from start to finish of the season.

Fishing

At the start of the season most of the salmon fishing is on the lower river. However, from about 15th of July the upper river becomes more active for salmon fishing. Char fishing is good on both rivers from start to finish of the season.

Accommodation

There is a very basic cabin included but with no shower. However, there is a hot natural spring about 500 metres away and a swimming pool close by. Other options include the Hotel Flokalundur and a guesthouse called Gamli bærinn Brjánslæk.

Gear

The best two options are a 5-wt for char and a 7-weight rod for salmon with a medium action. Floating lines are the norm but bring a sink-tip in case. An assortment of flies from streamers to dry flies and nymphs of all shapes, sizes, colours and weight.

Ask The Expert

Tarquin Millington-Drake

Roddy Hall

Trip Specifics

You would need a small 4 x 4 car but the roads are not too bad. The drive from Reykjavik is about 4.5 hours. Another interesting option is to travel over to Vatnsfjordur by taking the ferry called Baldur across Breiðafjordur. This makes sense for people coming from rivers on Borgarfjordur or Snaefellsnes. The ferry leaves daily (sometimes twice a day - it takes 2.5 hours) from Stykkisholmur and arrives at Brjanslækur which is about a 5 minute drive from the Vatnsdalsa river. This way the guests get a little break from driving and get to experience another sort of adventure.

Rates

1st July - 10th July - €470 per rod per day
10th July - 25th August - €600 per rod per day
25th August - 15th September - €470