Jokla projects best ever start
The Jokla project of turning a former wild muddy glacial river into pristine salmon water along with several tributaries is working. This is the start of the third „real“ season since the start of the project and we have seen it‘s best ever start.
Halldor Óli Halldorsson with a fine mws from Jokla...
The Jokla is a former glacial river of huge proportions, „cleaned up“ by a highly controversial hydroelectric dam in the interior, a dam which has emptied the stunning Dimmugljufur canyon of all water except clear water from several tributaries. While the glacial flow is taken via subterrain turbines and spilled into Lagarfljot, the next valley‘s glacial river, the outfitter Strengir headed by Throstur Ellidason, has started a smolt releasing scheme on the current Jokla.
Things have been going well and the area has been developing. Last year saw almost three hundred salmon caught plus several hundred trout and char, both stationary and migratory. Last season the first salmon was caught on July the 14th. The season opens for salmon on July the 1rst but the first weeks are not very popular as it is hardly known if they are any good or not. That may change, as a handfull of local anglers have had a look already and the very same day they caught the first salmon last year, eight had already been landed this year as well as anglers sighting salmon in several places in the vast area.
„This is great news and we feel that we will surpass last year this year. This feels like the early days on Breiddalsa when we were developing the smolt releasing program as well as improving the rivers spawning grounds. The Breidda came forward in leaps and bounds and the same is now happening on the Jokla system. This is a thrilling project with great potential,“ Throstur told us this week.
