Breiddalsa better than last year
This remarkable salmon measured 98 cm yet weighed 23,5 pounds.
Breiddalsa finished the 2008 season with a healthy total of 910 salmon which is its second highest total ever. The record itself is very recent in fact, it only stems back to 2006 when 937 salmon were caught on the Breiddalsa. While the record held in 2008, this was still a better total than in 2007 when 873 salmon were landed. Then, as now, the river would probably have come close to cracking the record if not actually tilting over a thousand fish had not some violent flooding wrecked some important days during September when the draughts were finally over and the water levels were back to something like normal.
The bigger salmon are placed in costody for brood stock use later on.
The season of 2008 stands out from any other season on Breiddalsa due to the fact that never have as many huge salmon been caught in the river. From the start the leasers have been pairing together mws-salmon in the hatchery in the hope that the genetics will transfer into the smolts. That seems to have happened in a big way. A dozen salmon at least caught were ranging from 20 to 25 pounds and these were shorter fish than the guidelines for weight versus length seemed to offer.
There were many massive salmon taken from Breiddalsa in 2008, among them this estimated 25 pounder.
A 98 cm salmon weighed 23,5 pounds instead of 19,5 pounds, such was its massive bulk. And this fish was not the only one. Besides the 20 plus, there were excellent numbers of mws salmon. The only blot was the poor grilse runs that spread over the whole of the east coast and the presence of many super small grilse.
Breiddalsa has also long been one of Iceland’s better sea char rivers. It has held its status very well despite sea char runs declining in this country over the past few years. This year there was a marked come back for the sea char and while did not reach their former standard, it was nevertheless a substantial upturn.
