Fishing holidays in Iceland

The rich and well-protected waters that surround Iceland offer some of the best cod fishing in the North Atlantic. However, it's not only cod you can catch, many other species swim in our waters and all offer you the chance to set a new personal best. Experience a fantastic unforgettable fly fishing experience in the Icelandinc Mountains.

Fishing tackle and tactics vary depending on the species you want to target. Our favoured set-up for shore fishing is a reasonably powerful rod suited to fishing heavy ground, combined with a 7000-sized reel loaded with 30lb to 40lb mono. This will tackle the majority of the fishing you're likely to encounter. Distance casting isn't necessary, either, because most of the fish are caught between 30 and 100 yards. It's worth bringing along a reel set up for distance casting, though, because the spurdogs and rays are sometimes a little further out.

WE FISH THE SOUTH COAST VIA KEFLAVIK AND THE NORTH COAST VIA AKUREYRI. ALL LOCAL TRANSFERS AND GUIDING INCLUDED.

CATCH LATEST BY 2 CLIENTS...

SATURDAY: 1/2 day ANDY 50 cod , 5 coal fish , 4 dabs 1 scorpion fish, dave 40 fish.
COD to 7lb coalfish to 7lb dabs to 2,1/2 lb. TOTAL 100 fish
 
SUNDAY: 40 COD to 8lb,10 COAL FISH to 7lb, 4 HADDOCK to 2,1/2 lb, 6 WHITING to 3lb,45 DABS to 2lb, 3 LONG ROUGH DABS to 2lb, 1 wolf fish 6lb
TOTAL 109 fish.
 
MONDAY 8 hour session, 3 coal fish, 200 cod, 31 dabs TOTAL 231 fish.
 
TUESDAY,101 COD to 6lb, 29 coal fish to 10lb 2 dabs, TOTAL 132 fish.
 
WEDNESDAY,1 PLAICE 3LB, 1 STARRY RAY,1 DAB,1 LONG ROUGH DAB,4 COD up to 8,1/2 lb
WEDNESDAT EVENING, 60 COD, 21 DABS ,TOTAL 89 FISH,
 
THURSDAY , breakwater,34 COD average size 5lb fish to 8lb, 1 DAB TOTAL 35 fish.
 
FRIDAY,13O DABS, 37 COD,1 LONG ROUGH DAB,1 COAL FISH, 1 STARRY RAY, 1 WOLF FISH,TOTAL 191 fish
 
SATURDAY,4 COD,109 DABS,1 PLAICE,1 TROUT ,TOTAL 115 fish.
 
TOTAL for the week 1006 fish 2 rods.

We have top end Century rods suitable for the type of fishing here so, if you would prefer, you can leave your rods at home and use ours. If you want to bring your own rods, they must be suitable for fishing rough ground. Upon arrival in Iceland you will be asked about your rods and whether you intend to use them in freshwater. The answer is to tell customs they are for use in the sea; otherwise you will be charged to have them disinfected
You must bring your own reels and they should be suitable for fishing rough ground. loaded with 30lb ¡V 40lb mono in the case of multipliers, and either mono or braid, again 30lb ¡V 40lb in the case of fixed spools. If you don¡¦t bring suitable tackle then you will seriously restrict the amount of fishing available to you. Distance casting is not usually necessary but you can pack a reel for long range if you want to experiment. Occasionally the spurdog and rays are just that little bit further out.
Pack waterproof clothing and something warm, it is possible to experience all four seasons in one day and it is essential to be prepared. Temperatures are roughly the same as the top of Scotland, during the summer you can expect up to 18c and early or late season, sometimes as low as 1-2c. There is no wading on any of the venues we fish so footwear should be waterproof boots, preferably walking boots as these give a good grip and support on rough terrain. Rucksacks are the easiest way to transport your tackle etc.
Species you are likely to catch.
Virtually the same species are available from both boat and shore, and to date, we have actually caught a bigger variety of species from the shore than the boat!
Cod, haddock, whiting, coalfish, wolf fish, dab, flounder, plaice, lemon sole, torsk, ling, spurdog and starry ray are among the regular catches from the shore. We have had redfish from the shore but the one¡¦s swimming around out there that we haven¡¦t managed to land yet include monkfish, halibut and common skate. Diver friends report regular sighting of both halibut and monkfish at most of the venues we fish, and we have hooked into some strange things that have chewed through 100lb mono! It is only a matter of time before something really exceptional comes out
Best times to come
April produces big wolf fish and cod, both into double figures. Along with the occasional haddock, dabs and flounder are there in numbers along with early season plaice.
May, can sometimes be a little quiet by Icelandic standards, the wolf fish are settled in their holes and become localised, the cod are interested in making babies but the sheer number of coalfish that invade is mind-blowing! General stamp of these fish is around 1.5lb but as the season progresses the double figure specimens move in, whether you can get through the smaller fish to the bigger ones is another matter altogether. Lemon sole and starry ray begin to show up in among the dabs and plaice while flounder disappear back to the estuaries.
The end of May and beginning of June brings the really exceptional fishing here. Almost everything with fins is on the feed and it¡¦s a regular occurrence to have your bait taken before it even hits the bottom. This is how fishing should be, Mother Nature at her best, it¡¦s eat or be eaten time! This continues pretty much none stop until the middle of October when things begin to tail off and the bulk of the fish begin to move offshore for
the winter.

Lure fishing works very well here, and both cod and coalfish into double figures readily take a variety of artificial lures, including flies. If you want some fun with lures, bring along an uptiding rod and a fixed-spool reel filled with 80lb braid. This may sound over the top, but if one of our big coalies nails you then you might wish you had something even more powerful! Saltwater fly fishing is a total blast and it's possible to hook into some huge fish but, remember, anything much over 3lb is a real handful on fly gear. There is no need for complicated rigs. The best all-round rig is a pulley Pennell kitted out with an Impact Shield and strong 4/0 to 6/0 hooks. Two-hook rigs are useful additions to your armoury but make sure the hooks are strong because you never know what will take your baits. Three-hook rigs are definite 'no-nos', otherwise you could easily be pulling in 10lb plus of fish every cast. This may sound great but, believe us, it soon wears you out when they are all pulling in different directions..

Double-figure cod and coalfish are available from both boat and shore. Large haddock and whiting are numerous, and huge ling and torsk are often taken from the boats with the possibility of double-figure specimens from the shore. Big wolffish are regularly caught from the boat and, believe it or not, also from the shore. Dabs are everywhere; we did an experiment in the harbour using a two-hook rig and it took less than 15 seconds to get a double shot. We also have specimen-size lemon sole and plaice but perhaps the flatfish of most interest is the halibut. With more than 20 metres of water within casting distance of the shore, this fish is no longer exclusive to the boat angler. Starry rays, although not common, are caught often enough to be target fish and common skate also swim in Icelandic waters. Huge packs of spurdogs are available at certain venues and can be targeted if that's what you want to catch. Redfish are caught from deep-water boat marks, but they can also turn up from the shore occasionally. Last but not least we have big angler fish. Normally thought of as exclusive to the boat angler, these can, with a little patience, also be caught from the shore.

Imagine a shore mark where catching double shots of fine, fat, flatfish is very much the norm rather than just a rare exception. A place where plump, rod bending, purple flanked haddock will readily engulf just about any juicy bait you care to offer them, a venue where catching whiting the size of which would draw envious glances were you fishing afloat are commonly caught, a venue where at times ravenous shoals of cod weighing up to and beyond double figures can prove to be a real pain! If you were thinking that such a mark could not possibly exist then you would be wrong. I‘ve been there, I’ve fished there, and I have experienced for myself a standard of shore angling I’d never thought I would be privileged to enjoy. Following my all-too-brief single days fishing with Steve Mason at Icelandic Fishing Adventures all I can say is that Steve has rekindled a passion for shore angling that in all honesty I thought had fizzled and died out years ago, and that when next I fly to Iceland, which will be in the very near future, I will be going specifically to fish from the shore.

Best of all for British anglers the Icelandic Krona is currently very weak, and is expected to stay that way for the foreseeable future. Consequently exchange rates are excellent so there has never been a more affordable time to visit Iceland. I genuinely can’t wait for another crack at what surely must rank as the most productive shore based fishery in the north-east Atlantic.

 DAVE LEWIS, Features Editor Sea Angler Magazine and Shimano Consultant.

The Package

You will be met at Keflavik Airport and transferred to your accommodation base. There are two defined areas, South island and North island. Accommodation will be in comfortable self catering cottages ideal for groups of 4 to 10 persons. Steve will be your guide personally attending to all your fishing and transport needs... Average cost for 7 nights inclusive is.. £645 pp Various durations can be considered from short to longer breaks. Flights.. We offer attractive flight prices to Keflavik and onwards to Akureyri with Icelandair. The north part of the island also offers char and sea trout.

FOR BEST EXCHANGE RATES CHANGE YOUR MONEY IN ICELAND.