Salmon fishing in Iceland
Salmon fishing has been practiced in Iceland since the first settlers arrived in the late 800 AD.
Dragnets were widely used, but now people debate if our ancestors fished by rod or not. (A fine topic for debate, since no one can prove their point). Soon after 1860, English and Scottish gentlemen came here to fish for salmon. They frequented rivers in the south-west area, such as the Ellidaár, Grímsá, Langá, Thverá and Norduá. Some even bought all fishing rights in rivers, like the Ellidaár and the Langá. This continued for the next 50 years until the First World War put an end to it. Even thouh some of the anglers returned after the war, the attendance was never the same.
In the late 1960s some American anglers rediscovered Icelandic salmon fishing and soon Americans became the most common foreign fishermen in Iceland. In the last two decades, the number of European anglers has increased, and by now, they are almost as numerous as Americans.
The influx of foreign anglers increased the demand for good fishing, and raised the prices considerably, so local fishermen were not at all pleased. By now, this dispute has settled and Icelandic anglers acknowledge that salmon fishing is a costly sport.
The status today
There are more than 100 self-sustaining salmon rivers in Iceland. Of those, at least 25 offer the prime time on the international market. Most market their fishing as a 6-or 7-day packages, including the fishing permit, all food and accommodation, one guide with a car for every two rods, and all local transport. A few rivers also offer shorter terms.
Prices and services differ somewhat. As the dollar is now at an all-time low, (from 110 kr./1$, to hovering around 60 kr./1$ in 3 years) the price in dollars has been rapidly increasing. Currently anglers may expect to pay from about $1,150 to $1,850 (750- 1250- €)per rod/day. Lower prices can be expected for rivers with little or no services, and self-catering cabins.
If you are preparing a fishing trip to Iceland, but do not know how to book a permit, you may find our English list of Icelandic salmon rivers useful. There you will find information on rod numbers, average catch and more. We hope you will find this website helpful, and are happy to provide any additional information we can give. Just send us an E-mail to svfr@svfr.is Tight lines.
