Breiddalsa was opened up for fishing at the turn of the month and despite heavy rain causing a flooding, there were several salmon hooked and landed, so everybody is happy out there in the east!

Fly fishing in Iceland is a fountain of endless unforgettable  occasions. A reader of ours, Gunnlaugur Stefánsson, the minister of the church on the banks of Breiddalsa, and an on and off guide on the river told us a memorable tale from last season.

We told you the tragic story of the death of the huge salmon on Breiddalsa earlier this season, the outfitter Thorstur Ellidason having tried to get a 100 cm hen salmon to the hatchery, only for her to die in his hands. Life goes on, Throstur eventually turned happy again and now the 24 pound salmon graces the walls of the beautiful lodge at Eyjar in Breiddalur.

Breiddalsa is doing well and recently had a makeover on its water levels. They have not been a persisting problem this season but some recent rains along with warm weather have kept the autumn fishing ticking along nicely.

A huge female salmon was caught on Breiddalsa over the weekend. It measured 108 cm. However, the salmon was neither photographed nor weighed. Judging by the other huge female salmon caught on Breidda this season, this specimen will have weighed 26 to 28 pounds.

„The river turned to some semblance of hot chocklate. The fishing stalled while it was at its worst but it looks like there will be no more low water this year,“ Throstur Ellidason of Strengir told us. He manages the east coast rivers Breiddalsa, Jokla and Laxa in Nesjum. They are all proud of their levels these days.

They‘r catching and spotting some seriously big salmon on Breiddalsa these days and a long line fisherman looking for haddock and cod out on the bay got in on the action as well. This coincides with the same time last season when huge salmon were caught on a daily basis on the river for a while.

A tragic death occured on the Breiddalsa this weekend when the biggest salmon caught on an Icelandic river so far this season died while in captivity as it was due for the hatchery. It was an awesome 100 cm hen fish weighting 12 kilos, 24 Icelandic pounds....

The old Canadian geezers opening Breiddalsa have finally broken their duck, as they landed three salmon yesterday. The group has an averag age of 90 according to outfitter Throstur Ellidason and he states that it is an honour and priviledge to cater to them.

A few rivers open up tomorrow morning, among them Breiddalsa and Hrutafjardara. There have been regular sightings in both rivers for quite a while now and a trout fisherman fishing above the Breiddalsa‘s Beljandi falls actually caught the first salmon last weekend.

Since being controversially ousted from the West Ranga fishery several years ago, Throstur Ellidason took his smolt releasing scheme to the far east Breiddalsa, a far more difficult river to build up as a salmon fishery yet a far more beautiful one should it all work out. And work out it has.

The Atlantic salmon season of 2009 is fast building on the horizon. And it comes on the back of such a stunning record season that hardly anybody knows what to expect this year. But for the most part people have concluded that the coming season has a considerable margin for slipping from 2008 without losing a label of excellence.

Which flies to use in Iceland? You often hear that anglers going to Russian rivers use to great effect the same flies that fish well in Icelandic rivers. But you do not hear the reverse, that flies good on Russian rivers are that particularly good in Iceland. Belief of course plays its part, but there are a few stalwarts that you must use in Iceland.

Breiddalsá 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 Breiddalsá.