Minnivallalaekur: Good season, more big fish!
Not an untypical brown trout from Minni. Photo by Halldór Ólafur Halldórsson.
Minnivallalaekur was in good condition this season and produced a better catch than last year. Some 400 browns were landed and there were more super sized trout than in recent years. Which is saying a lot.
The early spring fishing was difficult due to an unusually cold climate. High northern winds and frosty conditions prevailed well into May leaving anglers counting their fingers at the days end rather than landed trout. But the big brownies were there as usual and the odd fish was hooked and landed, just enough to keep anglers on their toes. Then as it gradually got wamer, the fishing started to kick in. The summer season was excellent with some of the dry fly groups having utterly outstanding moments, one lucky fellow for instance landing a 12 pound brown trout on a number 16 dry fly! While that was the size of the biggest fish, many 7 to 10 pounders were caught plus a number of 4 pound plus. This river really goes beyond reality at times. But it can also infuriate as conditions may be difficult at times.
A point to notice for future guests to Minni and other trout fisheries in Iceland: The formerly well kept secret of autumn fishing for brown trout has been brought to the fore. Minni was more fished in the autumn than ever and some of the groups returned home very, very happy!
