Laxa in Mývatnssveit River

Laxa in Laxardal River and Laxa in Myvatnssveit river – Possibly the finest trout fishing in Europe with fish reaching double figures.

Above the famous salmon beats of the Laxá-river in Adaldal on the North coast of Iceland are two beats called Laxárdalur and Mývatnssveit. These two areas combined have over 20 miles of fishing and are divided into 15 beats, each accommodating between one and three rods. Each year numerous fish between 5 – 7 lbs are caught, with the occasional 8 – 9 lbs fish making an appearance. The river has also produced three fish of over 12 lbs – staggering for wild brown trout.

In the upper part of Laxa in Adaldalur river, we have also few very good brown trout areas. These area do not come with full catering lodges, like Laxardalur and Myvatnssveit – anglers stay at self catering cabins or in Guesthouses in the area. These areas are more affordable, but fishing is often great there, just like in the upper river.

The lower beat, Laxárdalur, is wide and shallow and is a little like bonefishing for trout. The upper section at Mývatnssveit is wonderfully braided with fast runs, pocket water and crystal clear water. Pools for the most part are grass banked, wide, and with a relatively even bottom. There are the intermittent lava shelves that drop away, hidden from someone reading the surface, in turn creating some excellent lies. As these fish live in fast and powerful water they are extremely strong, and hooking one will test your tackle and skill. Some Icelanders fish with streamers, but upstream dry fly and nymph tactics are considerably more effective. Although there is none of our normal variety of biting mosquitoes in Iceland, they do have a number of other chronomids that the trout feed on readily. The brown trout in the Laxá-river in Aðaldal have only a few short months of the Icelandic summer to feed as much as possible, so they really feed hard below or above the surface.

The 90 day season normally produces from 3-5.000 wild brown trout, with the best years producing up to 8.000. This is truly one of the places to visit to experience spectacular nature and some of the best trout fishing in Europe.