The eccentric Atlantic salmon
Photo by Heimir Óskarsson. Lower photo by Gunnar Yngvi Þórinsson.
We are attempting to kill time until the new season starts by digging up some of the taller tales told on our riverbanks. Here‘s one we found in a book about Hrutafjardara and its tributary Sika, published by Gisli Palsson and mostly written by Sverrir Hermannsson a former politician and bank manager who leased the Hruta for years before the current outfitter Strengir took over.
Sverrir describes each pool in one of the chapters and when he comes to Maríubakki, he relives one of his most memorable days on the river. Here is a translation of his tale:
„I had been fishing the pool slowly, inching my way downstream. I can‘t remember anymore if I hooked any fish high up in the pool. This was on a sunny calm morning.
When I had fished quite far downstream I was facing a slight depression in the higher grassy bank on the other side. The pool is very wide and deep at that point, I could however wade a few feet out in order to stretch my casts as far as needed.
I had been using a number 8 Green Highlander on a floating line. The rod was a ten foot Hardy single handed rod. Suddenly a salmon appeared out of the deep and followed the fly without touching it. To make a long story short, salmon were after the fly time and time again but they only followed it. They never touched it. I tried a bigger Green Highlander and then a smaller one, but there was no interest or movement. So I went back to the number 8 and the whole thing started over again. They followed again and again but never touched the fly.
Now I started to try other flies. A Blue Charm, White Wing, Colburn Special, a Collie Dog and perhaps some others but there was no movement. So back to the number 8 Green Highlander, and wouldn‘t you know it, the whole proccess started again!
By now I was getting very curious so I waded over and crept up on the high bank at the depression. It is of course not recomended during calm sunny weather, but I simply had to know what was going on in the pool. I was driven by curiosity. Once at a vantage point I could clearly see a large group of salmon close to the bottom. After I had determined that there were shadows there as well I felt that there were 20 to 30 fish in the pod.
I waded back across and went further downstream for some char fishing while I rested the pool. Once back I started with the number 8 Green Highlander, but it was all over. Neither the Green Highlander nor any other fly worked this time. All was still, no more action. And so that was the end of it, but no words can describe the fun and joy I had that morning on Maríubakki.“
So ends Sverrir‘s tale. We have been tripping over some others recently and might put them in here over the coming weeks along with various other items of interest. So stay tuned!
