Sela

As far as they go. Efrifoss in Sela and the angler in the frame has just hooked one. Photo Haukur Geir Garðarsson.

Sela has over the years established itself as one of Iceland’s greatest salmon rivers. It is a big river by Icelandic standards, fast, rocky and challenging. Its salmon are also big by average and the river produces several twenty pound plus salmon each season, It is a truly awe inspiring river located in the northeast, just north of the village of Vopnafjordur. The fishing on Sela is strictly fly only, with a flexible catch and release system. All mws salmon are put back in and there is a small limit of grilse anglers are allowed to kill. Very many do not even use their limit and put all their salmon back in.

An 18 pounder launches itself. Photo Vigfús Orrason, top Sela guide.

Over the years Sela has been split up into two main beats. The lower beat has held six daily rods and the upper beat three. The upper beat has held a self catering lodge while the lower beat has been a full service fishery. This is changing, as a new road on the upper beat has now been finished. The beat used to require lots of walking and jerking around in 4x4’s on awful paths. From 2009 the river will be sold as one beat operating from a new full service lodge that is set to be revealed in time for the 2009 season.

It's worth all the hard work. Photo Vigfús Orrason.

Now, back to the fishing. The fishing is varied throughout the river with several deep canyon sections that offer very visual fishing in fast deep pools. As with many Icelandic salmon rivers the well-known pools are fished almost exclusively, and Selá is no different. Yet, there are so many good looking pools on the river, most notably in the canyons in the upper river, that many pools that are full of fish are hardly ever tested. Every now and then an angler will pop up that goes to pains to bypass the usual pools to fish only the lesser names. And these anglers invariably get the same results if not even better ones.

Sela’s scenery and drama has to be seen to be believed. It is by far one of the most sought after of Icelandic rivers. Those who are lucky enough to find a vacancy want to go back again.