Happy new trout patterns

WOW!!! It’s been a long long time since my last post here. For those of you that don’t know, this blog has now become the official blog of Iceland Angling Travel, an angling travel agency I started about a year ago. The first year has been good with plenty of happy clients returning to their homes with a smile on their face. Check the website for trips that might suit you or contact me at info@icelandangling.com for a custom made trip for you.We also have available rods in packaged trips that are short 1-2 rods in a more suitable group size. Details on the website.

Anyway.. now that the publicity is away it’s time to focus on the year 2009. What stands out for me personally is perhaps my involvement with the publication of a fly tying book here in Iceland, called “Trout flies”. That and of course my involvement with the crew at Gin – Clear media on the filming of their fly fishing movie, “The Source – Iceland”. I certainly look forward to seeing the movie.

My job with the fly tying book was to do the text editing and write most of the text in there. The book features six well

The cover of the new fly tying book just out.

known fly tiers and anglers here in Iceland and the main idea was to give them the chance to open their fly boxes, pick out their favorite flies and secret weapons and present to the rest of the angling world in Iceland. When the project started getting some buzz we started getting calls from fly tiers that wanted to add some of their secret weapons in their so we did a special feature in the back of the book with flies from five more tiers.

This book was the third and last volume in a series of fly tying books called “In the Icelandic nature”. The first one, “Salmon flies”, is now also available in English. The second one, “Streamers”, was published in 2008 and features Iceland’s top streamer specialist. This one, “Trout flies”, simply has nymphs, dries and wet flies, over 100 flies.

Who knows what the future holds and we might be looking at English versions of the books in the years to come.

That’s it for now but I might get the permission to throw in the recipe for a secret weapon from the book!!

Stay tuned,

Stjani Ben

October fishing for sea trout

Thouch conditions for fishing

Well well well… It’s been a very busy few months and so the blog suffers. I know… excuses, excuses. My last post was a review of my September fishing and so I thought maybe I just keep going with fishing stories.

In early October we were hit with a few days of frost all over the country. Nothing that unusual but this kind of frost in early October is not exactly the most common thing, even for Iceland. Me and my buddy had booked three days of sea trout fishing on the Huseyjarkvisl river up north. The forecast looked terrible for sea trout fishing, clear skies, sunshine and down to -8°C temperature.  We had our Teeny 300 lines packed and were looking really forward to this trip so there was nothing that could break our spirits.

We arrived at the great lodge just about the right time, an hour before we could start fishing and the weather was

This happened to us all the time, ice in the guides and on the line

absolutely beautiful. There was snow on the ground, the sun was shining and there was no wind at all. We made coffee and some snacks to take with us (even though we never eat it) and headed off to the junction pool, where the muddy waters of the glacial river, Heradsvotn, joines the Huseyjarkvisl.

The clear water and muddy water don’t mix right away and the muddy water flows kind of on top of the clear water, putting a roof on top of it. There underneath lie some big sea trout, especially when the weather is so bright. When we got down there we saw ice floating down the river and it was coming from the glacial river. We gave it a few casts anyway since we were down there but the ice was making it hard. Our friend and local guide was fishing the river a few pools below us and after a while we got a call from him. At the exact same time as my phone started ringing, I hooked a fish. I answered the phone and

The second biggest we got in the trip.

said “I’ll call you back in a few minutes” then hung up and landed a small sea trout, about 1,5 pounds. Oli, the guide, told us he had already caught 3 fish, 3-5 pounds in size. The ice had melted where he was so we drove off to meet him.

We had a great time fishing that afternoon but did not catch anything more. All we saw was the bowel wave of a very big fish swimming past us. After some promising work done on the BBQ me and my friend Valdi ate some great marinated pork and took a dip in the hot tub. That night was then spent tying flies that would give us two more fish the following day.

That next morning we had more problems with ice and only managed to get 3 more fish, two sea trout and a brown trout. The day after that Valdi hooked a very nice sea trout and it took him a while to land it. We were fishing a spot

The biggest we got in the trip

where landing conditions are bad and left the net in the car. After a while I decided to run to the car and get the net. Now for those of you that have not seen me, I am a big guy and not in the best running condition of my life. Add to that waders and full gear and you have one out of breath angler trying to net the fish my buddy had on. It was a success and a beautiful fresh sea trout was landed, photographed and released. That was our last fish of the trip since on our last morning we could not fish at all due to ice floating down the river.

But after all it was a great trip and nothing we could do about nature and the conditions it throws at us. The day after we got back home there was a heat wave that hit Iceland with temperature well over 10°C. For some that’s no heatwave but for Iceland in October that’s unusual. That week there was a 20 pound sea trout caught on the Huseyjarkvisl. That’s fishing for you.. constant gamble.

September 2009 – Part 2

After our awesome trip to the Tungulaekur river, me and my friend Valdi drove to our next destination, the Laxa Nesjum river. Our trip to Tungulaekur had been easy so now it was time to work hard for our fish. When we arrived the river was low and the fishing had been slow. We started up in the canyon and saw some fish but they were just not taking. Just before dark Valdi caught a beautiful fish on a Green Butt tube fly.

That night it poured down rain so the following morning the water levels were high and fish were active. Still not taking our flies. Although I had been very very unlucky early in the morning. Upon arrival at a pool I started fishing with a small tube fly. I hooked a fish but lost it almost immediately. I kept going and soon I got a good strike but the fish did not get hooked and I wondered why considering the weight of the strike. I checked my hook and saw that both of them were broken leaving just blunt stumps of metal. This can happen when fishing in a canyon and it is a good reminder to check the hooks regularly.

Further downstream I caught a nice brown trout on the Sun Ray shadow tube fly. Then another one in the canyon later that day. I changed tactics and tried fishing for the salmon using upstream nymphing tactics but with a small tube fly with a tungsten cone. I saw the group of fish all the time and I saw my fly coming towards them. Suddenly I saw a fish breaking away from the group and taking my fly. Sight fishing at its best. After a good fight in terrible landing conditions I managed to land that fish.

We did not get any more in the Laxa Nesjum river but went home very happy with our four days of fishing in two seperate rivers.

Teaser for an upcoming fly fishing DVD

September 2009 – Part one

It’s been way way too long since my last blog post. I have a great alibi that I know is understood by you all, I was fishing. After a busy schedule all summer long I went salmon fishing with some friends and family. It was tough but I managed to get 8 salmon in my first two trips and I learned a lot on how to cope with difficult conditions. The first river I went to was low and cold and the fish were not very eager to take my fly. I hooked 10 fish but only landed 5, thereof one humpback salmon that was clearly a bit lost.

On the next river conditions were equally hard. There I managed to hook 4 fish and landed 3. My last fish in that river was a tough one that I worked really hard for. I had to climb a gorge and then slide on my back down in the gorge to go unnoticed by the fish. On my knees on the hard rock in the bottom of the gorge I somehow managed to roll cast a half inch black Frances tube with a tungsten cone head with my 10 foot Sage Z-Axis 6 weight rod. Add to that a long leader and some strong gusts of wind. Finally I got my fly to the right place and a nice fish nailed it. I love it when all the work effort you put in a single fish pays off like that.

Then it was off to the Tungulaekur for some big sea trout. I was there with a film crew that is shooting a fly fishing movie in Iceland. I had been asked to fish for the camera in search for the huge sea trout that spawn in the river. I did not get the really really big seatrout that reside in the Tungulaekur but I hooked one and broke off. Who would have guessed that 18 pound Maxima would not be enough? I had enjoyed some great fishing during my first day of fishing and already hooked and landed several seatrout of 3-7 pounds in size as well as a few salmon. Then that afternoon was not going so great for me and it had been a few hours that I had not had a single tug on my flyline. Then finally I get that violent take followed by a half-assed jump from that monster of a fish. It looked like it could barely make it half way out of the water because it was so big. I had absolutely no control, even though I was working a 9,5 foot 9 weight rod. After about 2 minutes of fighting time, with a shake of it’s head the leader broke. For a few minutes I stared into space.

About an hour later I was at another pool and it was getting close to dark. I admit I was still a little frustrated even

11 pound brown caught in Tungulaekur river.

though everyone kept telling me not to be. Well you know how it is. I had on a 24ft., 300 gr. sinktip and a tube fly called Bizmo. I stripped that thing fast through the pool and booooommmm. Something heavy nailed it. I wrestled that fish with no mercy and called my friend to bring the net. I was going to make this a quick fight. When we finally got the fish in the net we saw what it was, a very very big brown trout. The fish was weighed in the net and we could not believe our eyes. The fish weighed 5,5 kilos which adds to 11 pounds. Needless to say I was very happy but my mind still wondered about that other fish that felt a lot heavier then the 11 pound one I managed to land. I will probably always think about that fish.

First salmon tradition

It has been way too long since I wrote something on here and for that I am sorry. I have now set up a fan page on facebook for Iceland Angling Travel and I have the website to update, my blog in Icelandic and also the website for the river I am leasing. So busy busy. Salmon fishing in Iceland is going very well despite the drought. Yesterday it really started to rain and boy what I would give to be fishing a salmon river on the west coast today.

But on a more personal note, my girlfriend has now joined the few lucky ones that have caught an Atlantic salmon. In Iceland there is a tradition that when you get your first salmon you must kill it and bite the fat fin off and swallow it. Now I know that killing a salmon is wrong so it was good that it was a cock fish and a grilse as well. I got some photos of the battle, the fish and then a video of her when she is biting the fat fin off. Watch the video and at the end take notice of the real joy fishing can bring to a person.

Laxa in Leirarsveit is in 20th spot on the countries highest catch rate list, Breiddalsa in 28th place and Hrutafjardara in the 26th. I will try to keep you all updated on the list as it is released.

New salmon river – Laxa in Leirarsveit

I just added information on available spots in the Laxa in Leirarsveit river. Laxa is located on the south-west corner of Iceland, about 30 mins away from Reykjavik. Normally the river would have been sold out with long waiting lists. However due to the economic situation, a lot of the big corporations and banks have pulled out leaving the best spots for the rest of us.

Last year 1600 salmon were caught on the 7 rods in Laxa putting it in place with Iceland’s top ten salmon rivers. There is a beautiful lodge located on the banks of the river with full service and gourmet meals.

We at Iceland Angling Travel are proud to offer fishing permits in Laxa in Leirarsveit river. Please visit our website www.icelandangling.com our send us an e-mail at info@icelandangling.com for booking and more details.  See promotional video for Laxa below:

Why we love salmon fishing

Salmon fishing – new river

My first salmon of the season - Lahylur pool in Huseyjarkvisl

The salmon fishing season has gone off with a bang this year and it seems that every river is getting full of fish, and big fish to boot. Personally I did my first salmon trip of the season this week and was one of the first to fish a small two rod salmon/sea trout river in the north of Iceland called Huseyjarkvisl. I have been there before fishing the sea trout beat but never before fished the salmon beat this early. The reason I was there is because we at Iceland Angling Travel will from now on offer full service trips to Huseyjarkvisl for prime time salmon season.

We have been offering combination trips for sea trout and brown trout and now we can offer salmon fishing in the mix as well. Follow www.icelandangling.com for updates on Huseyjarkvisl.

We fished there for three days on two rods and caught five salmon and lost three. Add to that over 10 trout and char and you have yourself a very good trip, especially good since it is still early for salmon in this river.

New video

I made this video last night with the musical sound of two Icelandic artists called Eiríkur Hauksson and Herbert Guðmundsson. This video was shot in Galtalaekur river yesterday morning. Enjoy.