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STRENGIR
breski

It’s all over now, and what a season it’s been!

Expectations were high for the fishing at Jökla this year, and as opening day on 23 June approached the excitement was building. Because of the favourable conditions in the low water level at the Hálslón dam throughout the winter, the forecast from the operating company was that there would be no overflow before the end of September. So we held our breath and crossed everything physically possible in the hope they were right. The water level at the dam remained low, the fish came in greater numbers, and in the end the fishing exceeded all our hopes.

Things began slowly as late snowmelt kept river levels high in late June. Once the water dropped and settled, by begynning July, catches immediately improved, were on fire from mid-month to mid August, then remained consistantly good until the last day of the season, 30 September.

Jokla
The Jökla guides were busy this season!

The total catch of salmon and grilse for the Jökla and its tributaries in 2026 was a fantastic 2,311 fish. A record season! In a year in which twelve Icelandic rivers* recorded one thousand fish or more, only two recorded over two thousand and Jökla was one of them. The statistics also showed that Jökla had the second best fish per rod/day ratio, which was 2.56. (* The Ranga rivers are not included in this list, compiled by Landssamband Veidifelaga, being purely smolt-release rivers.)

We experienced a huge run of big 2SW salmon, and around 1,000 were landed by our anglers. There were 500 fish in the 12 to 20lb class, and nearly 100 of those were between 15lb and 20lb. As far as the quality of fish goes, there can’t be many rivers in the country that could match this in recent years.
The grilse arrived around mid-July and were in excellent condition and of good size. These fish boosted the already fantastic fishing, and on many occasions we saw between 40 and 70 fish landed per day!
With no overflow of dirty glacial water from the Hálslón dam this season, it meant that the Jökla was fished right up to the end of the season for the very first time. This meant that the tributaries were lightly fished, despite the Kaldá holding more fish than for many years. This is good news for the future, if the river is needed in late summer because of overflows.
From Hrútafjarðará river
Our little three-rod gem, Hrútafjarðará, had a good season with 355 salmon, plus fair number of sea-run arctic char. The regular clients who have fished there for many years, were very happy with the season and most have decided to keep there slots. Each season there is always limited availability, so please get in touch if this river is of interest to you.
Minnivallalækur (Minni)


Minnivallalækur (Minni) had some good quality brown trout with the usual sprinkling of trophy-size fish. This really is the place where you can likely bag your biggest wild brown trout! It is more popular than ever and the cosy self-catering lodge, perched on the riverbank, provides wonderful views of rising fish against the stunning backdrop of Mt. Hekla! It really is one of the nicest trout lodges in the country.

I and all the hard working staff at Strengir look forward to welcoming you in Iceland during 2027.

With my very best wishes,

Throstur Ellidason