Debating Which Trip to Take: Iceland or Go West

[smperkin]

Hi Guys –

Huge fan of the podcast who just came across the message board… Nice to meet everyone! I generally go on one “big” trip a year and am having trouble deciding which option to go with this year and wanted to get some input. I appreciate any thoughts you may have!

Option 1: Iceland
– Target Species: Brown Trout & Char
– Locations: Laxárdalur, Staðartorfa & Múlatorfa Beats
– Timing: July

Option 2: Two Trips Out West
– Target Species: Trout
– Locations: Green River Float Trip (Trip 1) & Snake, Madison, Teton, and South Fork of the Snake (Trip 2)
– Timing: Green River (September) & West (July)

Both trips options somewhat comparable from a cost perspective and are run by reputable operators. I think they’d both be great experiences… Wish I could do them both!

Thanks a ton!

[Zach Matthews]

SMPerkin –

Great place to ask. We have a couple Icelandic experts floating around here who can speak to that, but for me, and I am saying this as someone who has been to the West many times and who is going to Iceland this summer, I would go West first, if you have never done that.

First of all two trips is just plain more awesome than one. Secondly, my understanding is that fishing Iceland is kind of a crapshoot and a lot of people go and return empty handed. If you book with a serious operation that probably will not happen, but it could. I don’t think it’s possible to strike out on one trip to the West, much less two.

Zach

[Buzz Bryson]

Can’t speak first hand to Iceland, but expect it would be a wonderful trip.

But, along the lines of what Zach and Mr. Greeley said, going west is an experience one never tires of. The diversity of fishing (species, size of streams and lakes, fishing conditions, etc.), the scenery, the wildlife, the food, the people, the weather. It’s a tough act to top. And you never know who you’ll meet: somebody from back home, Wall Street, Hollywood, and of course the locals.

And two trips a year can be great. Compare new waters. And, if you get a chance to fish some of the same water twice at either end of the season, some will be similar; some remarkably different.

My wife and I are headed out again this summer, the difference being we’re both retired. So we don’t exactly have a start date, or an end date. Don’t need them, as we’re driving. So we can count the rows of corn in Iowa, or perhaps find some more exciting stops on the way out. It’s a long way from NC to Montana/Idaho. And pretty much the same distance back . . .

Buzz

[snaevarr]

Laxárdalur, Staðartorfa & Múlatorfa beats are all the same river, and if there is any river in Iceland that reminds me of the big rivers in Montana it is Laxá. The difference is that Laxá is spring fed so the water levels are really stable, there is more trout than you can catch in a lifetime and because all water is private, you’ll have your fishing pools all to yourself.

Laxárdalur: Fewer fish but the average size is somewhere between 4-5 lbs! I’d recommend a guide to get those big fish. Laxá is a really, really big river and it’s really hard finding the fish. I’m sure you’ve seen pictures and videos, Laxárdalur is a beautiful place!

Staðartorfa & Múlatorfa: I was fishing there last summer for one afternoon and I could see about 40-50 nice trout rising at the same time, if you like dry fly fishing you’ll love it here! The fish are smaller, this trout I caught last summer is a typical size:

but you’ll get plenty of action. There are bigger fish of course inbetween(and a tiny chance of salmon in July). However, this isn’t a beat I would spent many days at, 1-2 days is fine, not much more. You don’t really need a guide here. It’s a big river and you might need long casts to reach the fish.

I can’t promise anything about the weather, foreigners don’t get how unpredictable the weather is in Iceland! You might get caught in a snowstorm in July and really strong winds from the north arctic(or you could get really lucky). Montana is probably a lot safer bet if you’re worried about the weather.

Just ask if you want to know anyhting else.

[smperkin]

Thanks a ton for the input, guys…. Really appreciate it. I decided to pull the trigger and give Iceland a shot. I figure I may not get another chance to do it, so why not? I’m pumped (and broke)!

Thanks again.

[Jack]

Im heading to Iceland as well in June. We are doing a self guided trip so hopefully wont get skunked! The rivers we are fishing are a bit smaller though so should have a better chance of finding the bigger fish if they are around. We might also have access to a river that has not been fished a whole lot which will be interesting.

@Zach where abouts in Iceland are you going?

[snaevarr]

Great, just ask if there’s anything you need to know.
Jack, what rivers will you be fishing?

[Jack]

Snaevarr, I’ll be fishing on the Varma river for two days and then we have an opportunity to fish the Fossa above the main waterfall. I’ve been told that it has not been fished a whole lot so it’ll be interesting to see if there is many fish about. I’m sure there will be a lot of walking involved!

[snaevarr]

Varmá has some really nice trout, I’m talking up to 15 lbs brown trout! And Fossá will be an adventure, you’ll probably be fishing in some pools that have never been fished before! Best of luck!

[Jack]

snaevarr wrote:

Varmá has some really nice trout, I’m talking up to 15 lbs brown trout! And Fossá will be an adventure, you’ll probably be fishing in some pools that have never been fished before! Best of luck!

I don’t think I’ve ever tied so many flies in preparation for a trip I’m pretty excited for it!

[snaevarr]

They just opened Varmá on april 1st and the fishing has been really good with sea trout up to 13 lbs:

And I just drove past the Staðartorfa and Múlatorfa beat yesterday. The river has cleared itself of ice and is looking good 🙂
I took this picture just below the Múlatorfa beat, the river is very narrow and deep here. Up by the two torfa beats the river is a lot wider and more fun to fish.

And please be careful when driving in Iceland, the roads are narrow and bumpy and gravelly. We had a tourist die last week cause he lost control of the car on a slippery road(not the one on the picture, this is just a random car that probably some local crashed).

[Jack]

Very cool Snaevarr. I remember seeing loads of signs warning about cars crashing and some wrecked cars on the side of the road when I was there a couple of years ago.

[Author]

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