DREAM WATERS: Svartá River, Iceland

from In the Loop Fly Fishing Magazine - Issue 25

MONGOLIA: The Last Refuge of the “River Wolf”

Iceland is home to some of the most beautiful and productive salmon rivers in the world, and the Svartá is among the very finest the island has to offer. It is located in the Northwestern corner of Iceland - 290km from the capital Reykjavik - in the scenic highlands that stretch across the sparsely populated and relatively barren Norðurland region.

The river has a loyal following of customers in Iceland, but abroad it is still a rather well-kept secret. The River Svartá derives its name from the fact that is looks quite black compared to the other glacial rivers in the Norðurland region. ‘Svartá’ simply means ‘black’ in the local Icelandic language, but looking black quite simply means that the river is clear - and that the dark boulders, rocks and gravel on the its riverbed clearly shines through the surface.

Being a fly only river with just 4 available rods per day, the Svartá receives very little in terms of fishing pressure.

It offers 25 kilometres of prime salmon water, where one immaculate and pristine pool supersedes the other in a meandering surge downstream.

The river is home to prolific runs of salmon that start in early July, intensify through august and end in September. The prime time is from late July to late August, and during this period the river is teeming with indomitably powerful salmon ranging from 4- 20lbs with the average fish being around the 8lb mark.

The fish are quite agressive, and since the river is fairly shallow and clear, they

can be targeted with light equipment, floating lines, long leaders and small riffling hitches in size 16-18. Some of the most popular flies include Black & Red Francis, Black & Blue, Collie Dog, Blue Charm, Black Sheep, and Sunray Shadow. These flies can be actively stripped cross current to induce takes - or simply skated or hitched calmly across the river’s limpid water surface.

The fishing on the Svartá is administered by Icelandic travel- and guide agency, Lax-A. They have a comfortable self-catering lodge right on the river, which accommodates 8 anglers.

The lodge is equipped with four twin bedrooms, a kitchen, living room, dining room, a porch and a hot tub.