Fishing for Arctic Char in Iceland – Arctic char are the most common freshwater fish in Iceland. They are found in rivers and lakes all over the island. The Arctic char is closely related to both salmon and lake trout, and has many characteristics of both. The fish is highly variable in color, depending on the time of year and the environmental conditions of the lake where it lives. Many anglers come to Iceland to try to catch the arctic char – we often customize tours for groups where the Char is the main focus.
The Char breeds in fresh water, and populations can be either landlocked or anadromous, migrating to the sea. Sea-run char are also widely distributed in Iceland but predominately in the north. It is the dominant fish specie in many cold rivers in Iceland. The best time to fish for the char is from mid June to mid August, each season. The sea run char start to run the rivers in numbers, in late June.
Fly Fishing for Arctic Char is great fun. In the rivers, best technique is to fish up stream with nymphs. Using a strike indicator can be very helpful, because the strikes can be very soft. As soon as you get a strike, you have to set the hook firmly, but not to aggressively. In June and July you can expect the char to be feeding, most of the time, in the rivers. It can be tricky to match the size or type of nymphs that works best, at the time you are fishing. Presentation can also be very important, specially in rivers that provide lot of food for the Char.
Arctic Char Fishing in Iceland – We offer day tours to a very good Char river that is approx. 1 hour from Reykjavik. 7-9 hour tour that is both suitable for beginners and experienced anglers. We offer both Fly Fishing and Spin Fishing tours. Here you can read more about our day tours from Reykjavik.
If you want to come to Iceland for a longer fishing trip, focusing mostly on arctic char, please give us more info by filling into our contact form here.
Thank you,
Tight lines.
