Cheap(ish) salmon fishing in Iceland

Skógarfoss is a popular tourist destination

Skógarfoss is a popular tourist destination Golli / Kjartan Þorbjörnsson

There are many gorgeous rivers full of giant salmon in Iceland and fishing in them is very expensive. Don’t despair though, there are lots of other rivers that perhaps don’t have quite as much salmon, or not as big, but are still located in gorgeous nature, have beautiful fish and plenty of it. And you don’t have to pay an arm and a leg for the fishing license. Here is a list of our favourite, cheap (in this terms) rivers for salmon fishing in Iceland.

Skógá

Skógá is known for being the river of Skógarfoss waterfall, a popular tourist destination in South Iceland. It used to be a very prominent river for salmon fishing, until Mother Nature stepped in with a volcanic eruption in Eyjafjallajökull, not far off. The biosphere of the river is still recovering. The silver lining is that the price for a day of fishing in the river dropped considerably. There is less fish than before the eruption, but still plenty for the price.

Twilight in August lends fishing a certain something.

Twilight in August lends fishing a certain something. Sigurður Sigmundsson

Krossá á Skarðsströnd

Krossá is the most remote of all these rivers, it runs through Villingadalur in West Iceland and there are only a few farms around it. Krossá is a small river and very clear. The size is not a downside to the experience of fishing in the river, far from it. There is something amazing about being able to see the fish clearly in the river, and watching it take the bait.

Andakílsá

Andakílsá is in Borgarfjörður, the same area as the prominent salmon fishing river Norðurá, but a lot cheaper. Borgarfjörður is renowned for its beauty, so much that it is a very popular destination for Icelanders on summer holidays. The river is rather calm, not all that big and all the best part of the river for fishing are easily accessible by car, which makes the river very family friendly.

There are plenty of fish in the rivers

There are plenty of fish in the rivers Einar Falur Ingólfsson

Sogið

Sogið runs from lake Þinvallarvatn, which is perhaps one of the most popular tourist destination in Iceland. Sogið is in many ways a magnificent river, the surrounding area is beautiful and the sheer size and power of the river is stunning. It’s probably one of the biggest river in volume that is popular for angling salmon. The size also means that anglers must take care, going too far into the river and falling can be dangerous. The drive to Sogið from Reykjavík takes around 1 hour, so the fishing can be an easy day tour from the capital.

Blanda is a popular fishing river in North West Iceland.

Blanda is a popular fishing river in North West Iceland. Einar Falur Ingólfsson

Blanda 2

Blanda is a glacier river. It originates in Hofsjökull Glacier and runs down North West Iceland and meets the sea by the town Blönduós. In 1991 a damn was built in Blanda which opened it up for salmon fishing. Like sogið it is a large river, but in a different way somehow. The river is divided into 4 areas, all with a different price ticket and different surroundings, Blanda 2 is the cheapest of them. The surroundings at Blanda 2 are not as stunning as in the other areas, especially 1 and 4. But as Blanda 1 is known for big fish and a lot of it, Blanda 2 is a brilliant solution for those who want to fish in a great river without paying the high price, as naturally the fish swims up and down the river.

Blanda divided into 4 sections.

Blanda divided into 4 sections. Einar Falur Ingólfsson

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