Fnjoska
Malareyri, one of the best early season pools. Photo by Ingi Freyr Ágústsson.
This is truly one of Iceland's most picturesque rivers. It is big and strong with long, broad, rocky pools, a dramatic canyon near the bottom and some of the most beautiful scenery on display anywhere in Iceland.
A beautiful mws from Fnjóská. Photo by Ingi Freyr Ágústsson.
Fnjoska is slightly cold for salmon so the wild salmon stock is sometimes hit hard during severe conditions. To face the problem, brood stock has been taken from the river consistently over the years, and juveniles have been reared in captivity to smolt stage. This has evened out the runs and upheld the quality of the fishing as well. So Fnjoska is a pretty consistent river.
Prime fly water but is would be helpful to know where the fish are! Photo by Þorsteinn Geirsson.
Fnjoska is not everybody’s choice. It is big of volume, fast and rocky. It needs steady wading and a guide would be a must for anglers unfamiliar with the river as it is not always easy to read. Anglers fishing the river have a choice of two self catering lodges according to weather they have purchased their permits from the Angling Club of Reykjavík or the Angling Club of Akureyri who share joint management of the river.
The pix shows the strenght of the flow. Care should be taken on Fnjoska. Photo by Þorsteinn Geirsson.
Fnjoska salmon are mostly big grilse but the river is among those in Iceland that has a healthier than most stock of the bigger fish. Twenty pounders are also not unheard of and there were at least two such monsters caught last summer. The river also has a good stock of sea char, some of them even very big by Icelandic standards. The top beat of the river is in fact a char beat with an outside chance of salmon.
