Midfjardara, Iceland, August 2013 - The Trip Report

By Jim Curry

After last season’s low water and testing conditions, everyone had their fingers crossed for the Iceland 2013 season. But salmon fishing comes in cycles and we shouldn’t have worried. The whole of Iceland fished well this summer and the Midfjardara system amazed even those who know it well.

Salmon had arrived in good numbers from even before the start of the season, so we knew the pools would be full of fish. The water was a perfect height when we arrived and it was clear that good numbers of fish were spread throughout the three rivers that make up Midfjaradara system.  Water temperature and air temperature were ideal for salmon fishing and the nerves were starting to tingle.

Nick Moody, now a veteran of the Midfjardara, hit the ground running and finished the week as top rod with 41 fish including one at 25lb and one at 27lb. These are stunning fish for Iceland and a mark of the range of fish sizes Midfjardara produces. They were also great fun on his trusty St Croix six weight single-hander! It was great to have Nick back again with us - always great company in the lodge and a weapon on the river.

Nick Moody lands another on his way to 41 salmon landed

For the first couple of days this year, our group consisted mainly of a team of UK vets headed up by David Babington. In spite of a lack of experience, David and the boys in the group really found their feet on the second day and everyone caught fish! Both of David’s sons caught their first Atlantic salmon – great pictures for the family album!

Special mention also has to go to Bernard Lambilliotte and his son Gabriel who joined us for three days as first time fishers. It was wonderful to see a father and son team that get on so well sharing time together on the river bank. It reminded me of fishing with my father when I was 14! Both Bernard and Gabriel hooked salmon in the first pool we fished. Gabriel returned to the lodge with his first ever fish and true to Icelandic tradition had to bite off the adipose fin. He won’t forget that in while.

Well done, Gabriel, you really looked like a fisherman after three days and we were all impressed by the way you were belting a line out on the windy bottom beat on the final morning.    

A lovely fish for David Babington

We had something a team rotation for the back end of the week, as some saw new rods and some familiar faces joined us and hit the water with the river still in perfect order. Mike Cooney scored well on his first Icelandic adventure with a creditable 17 fish in four days. His fishing partner Paul Lalwan, back at Midfjardara for the second year running, was again on form. And yet again Paul managed to find the big fish, as it seems only he can, anywhere on the planet.

Peter Miles notched up an impressive 27 salmon in four days on both single- and double-handed rods. It was a great effort from Peter for his first Icelandic fishing experience – really thinking through the pools and seeking to fish each one to its maximum potential. Hugh Dalgety, an experienced angler who joined us for our Eden course this year, also came out for three days on his first H&B overseas trip. He put his experience into play from the off and caught consistently.

But probably star of the show was Anne Chaffers, who, in her own words, came to enjoy her “last salmon fishing trip abroad”. Fishing with Rabbi as her guide, she landed twelve fish, including five in one session. Fishing at her own pace - just a couple of hours in the morning and the same in the afternoon - she was a delight to have in the group and an inspiration to us all.

Ann Chaffers battles a large salmon as  Rabbi offer encouragement

As usual on Midfjardara, single-handed rods were the normal weapons of choice. However, due to the extra water this year, switch rods and light double handers also were a worthy addition to the armoury and came into their own on some beats. But even with more water, small, Icelandic-style flies were still all that was needed. Floating lines coupled with small Sunray Shadows, tiny doubles and the occasional heavy but small Frances tube fly did most of the damage. 

As ever Hakan, the chef did us proud with his culinary skills, simply the best food you’re likely to find in a fishing lodge, and which would grace the finest restaurants (where, in fact, he works the rest of the year). Rabbi’s team of world-class guides were a pleasure to watch at work. Their ability to match the skills of their clients to the huge variety of water on each beat meant that the rods kept bending on every session. The guide team is another of the factors that really sets this river apart.

Nick ponders the trek down into the staggering Midfjardara canyon

 And the prospects for next year? Well, a scientific study just conducted on the river has revealed a huge number of big, healthy smolts returning to sea. That’s fantastic news for the future of this incredible river system. 

All in all, this was one of the most hectic week’s salmon fishing I can remember! A whole bunch of new friends made, a wonderful variety of characters, some great father and son bonding moments, first salmon, so many memorable fish caught, hooked and lost and, as ever on these trips, a lot of laughs.

 I’ll look forward to next year with great anticipation – and I know I’m not the only one!

Rabbi shows what Midfjardara can produce