Vatnsa: High note and high drama at seasons end
An aprox eight pound female about to be put back in. Photo by Reynir Friðriksson.
Vatnsa ended on a high note last weekend as well as with a bang as a gale force low pressure system raged over the southern part of Iceland, flooding most rivers . But as the water level receeded as the weather steadied, the fishing picked up big time and the fishing ended on a high note.
According to Asgeir Asmundsson, the river keeper, the final total for Vatnsa and its mother river Kerlingardalsa was over 500. Somewhat off from last year when a 900 plus record was established. There were good numbers of sea trout and stationary browns as well. All in all a fine season. „It started off well, but petered off during the middle, picking up again towards the end. The final group landed 18 salmon despite the awful weather,“ Asgeir told us.
Salmon fishing in the eye of the storm. The anglers where swept into the river on a few occasions, but as they said, if your hold up in the lodge, you wont catch anything! Photo by Reynir Friðriksson.
There was a spell of high drama on Vatnsa at the end of September, as an angler hooked up with what looked like being the biggest sea trout off an Icelandic river for years. Fighting hard in the petite river, the huge trout continually snagged the line on rocks and crevices, at one point snagging it at two points before clearing the falls below the lodge. Clearing it upstream that is! Once above the falls it settled for a while, as the angler and his guide frantically hauled all the line off the reel in order to clear it off the rocks and snags. Having finished that successfully, the fish was still holding patiently above the falls as the angler threaded the line back through the rings and filled the reel again with the line. Once connected again, the trout dashed wildly back downstream, cleared the falls going back downstream, and.....the fly pulled out! By then the struggle had raged for one and a half hours! The angler and several witnesses would, under oath, state that the trout was no less than 100 cm at least and not an ounce under 25 pounds! High drama indeed.
