A Photo Essay from the Middle-of-Nowhere Iceland’s Hölkná Cabins

Far flung in the northeastern expanses of Iceland, Eleven Hölkná Cabins exist for one reason and one reason only—to guide anglers on eight miles of remote water in pursuit of the most highly sought a er fish in the world: Atlantic salmon.

ATLANTIC SALMON ARE ALSO KNOWN TO THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY AS SALMO SALAR, MEANING THE LEAPER. WHETHER THE ORIGINAL DEFINITION WAS MEANT TO GIVE CREDIT TO THEIR LEAPING ABILITY OVER WATERFALLS OR AS A GREAT JUMPER ON THE END OF A LINE, IT ALL BODES WELL FOR THE LUCKY FEW IN THE HÖLKNÁ CABINS. FOR THEY WILL EXPERIENCE A RARE OPPORTUNITY TO BE ONE WITH THE SALMON, ON UNFISHED WATERS, IN FANTASTIC SCENERY, WITH A GUIDE WHO WILL INSTRUCT, EXPLAIN GENTLY, AND IN THE EVENING, ASSIST WITH THE MAKING OF A PERFECT MEDIUM RARE STEAK OR LEG OF LAMB OR MANHATTAN.”

THE HÖLKNÁ, EVEN BY SPARSELY POPULATED ICELANDIC STANDARDS, IS FAR OFF THE BEATEN PATH.

YOU FEEL LIKE THE ONLY PERSON TO EVER CAST EYES ON THIS BEAUTIFUL ATLANTIC SALMON RIVER— AND YOU BASICALLY ARE.

Cast 1

Cameron’s first cast gets a serious boil right against the rocks.

Cast 2

The second cast has another playful boil on the swung fly. Same fish or new fish?