Introduction

Laxá í Aðaldal is one of Iceland’s most iconic trout fisheries, known worldwide for its powerful brown trout, rich insect life, and consistent fishing conditions throughout the season. Originating in Lake Mývatn and flowing through several valleys before reaching the sea, the river offers an extraordinary variety of water types—each perfectly suited to adventurous trout anglers. In this guide, we highlight the best flies for Laxá in Aðaldal, along with recommended sizes and seasonal tactics to help you match the conditions and get the most out of this exceptional fishery.

Read more about Laxá trout beats Here

Character of the River

Laxá í Aðaldal is a relatively slow-flowing volcanic spring river with clear water, nutrient-rich currents, and excellent stability from spring to autumn. Anglers will encounter:

• Wide riffles and strong currents

• Classic pocket-water stretches

• Smooth glides ideal for dry fly fishing

• Shallow stretches where they’ll rise to dries even when there is no hatch going on

• Lava formations and weed beds that hold trout all summer

The entire system is fed by Lake Mývatn, resulting in an abundance of natural food such as gnats, snails, caddis, and midges. This allows trout to grow strong and fight with surprising power for their size.

We hold the lease for six beats in Aðaldal, each offering unique features and space for 2–3 rods per session:

• Presthvammur

• Staðartorfa

• Múlatorfa

• Efra Hraun

• Neðra Hraun

• Syðra Fjall

These beats provide a diverse mix of holding water and productive fishing throughout the season.

Species

• Brown Trout

  • Average size: 2–4 lbs

  • Top fish: 6–8 lbs recorded annually

  • Extremely strong fighters due to endless food supply

  Arctic Char (occasional)

  In colder periods or deeper pools, anglers may encounter char as well, though they are much less common than trout.

• Atlantic salmon (occasional)

  The lower beats on Laxá are salmon beats, known for a high average size of Atlanti salmon. Some of these fish will migrate all the way up to our trout beats so we’ll see them jumping from time to time and occationally catch one as bycatch.

Recommended Flies for Laxá in Aðaldal

Below are the patterns that consistently perform on Laxá, organized by category.

Nymphs 

• Pheasant Tail – #12–20

• Beykir – #12–18 (classic Icelandic pattern)

• Zebra Midge – #16–22

• Blow Torch – #12–16

• Krókurinn – #12–16 (classic Icelandic pattern)

• Squirmy Wormy – #12

• Bloodworm – #12–18

• Micro Mop – #14

• Peacock Nymph – #14–8

• Perdigons – #12–16

• Sexy walts – #12 – 16

Use heavier patterns in April–May when temps are lower, and switch to lighter, more delicate nymphs in July–August when the trout become cautious on good weather days.

Dry Flies (Size Range: #8–20)

• Elk Hair Caddis (Tan) – #14–10

• Griffiths Gnat – #20–14

• Parachute Adams – #18–14

• Klinkhammer – #18–12

• Galdralöpp – #14–10 (classic Icelandic pattern)

• F-Fly – #20–14

• Black Gnat – #12–18

• Cahill Dark  – #18 – 14
• Various midge patterns – #22 – 16

Dry fly fishing can be spectacular in mid-summer when hatches intensify and fish move into shallow water.

• Chubby Chernobyl – #10 – 6

• Fat Albert – #10 – 6

• Stimulators – #12 – 6

• Foam beetles – #12 – 6

• Foam ants – #12 – 6

• Hopper & cicada-style dries – #12 – 6

when the river has warmed up but no fish are rising, an attractor dry can be very effective, even tohugh Iceland has no terrestrials this big, these are a must have in June, July and August.

• Black Ghost – #10–6

• Rektor – #10–6 (classic Icelandic pattern)

• Dentist – #10–6

• Grettir – #10–6 (classic Icelandic pattern)

• Gray Ghost – #10–6

• Nobbler (white/black/yellow) – #12–6

• Dýrbítur (classic Icelandic pattern)

• Small Gamechangers / Sex Dungeon / Circus Peanut

• Wooly Bugger (various colours) – #10–6

Streamers shine on the Laxá in late spring untill late season (second half of may – September)  when the water starts warming up a bit. It’s difficault to fish streamers deep due to the lava rocks and bolders on the bottom, having said that, it’s always good to have some unwaighted and some wighted with a bead or a cone.

Wet flies/Soft hackles

• • Partridge & Orange – #14–18

  • Soft Hackle Pheasant Tail – #12–18

  • Hot Spot Spider – #14–18

  • Soft Hackle Hare’s Ear – #14–18

  • Teal and Black – #14–18

  • Partridge & Yellow – #14–18

  • Starling & Herl – #14–18

• Perfect for spooky midsummer trout—swing them across glassy stretches or fish them upstream with a long leader.

Seasonal conditions on Laxá – How fly choice changes 

Early Season (1 April – 3rd week of May)

• Primary method: nymphs under indicators (about 90%)

• Cold water → fish hold deeper

• Larger nymphs and hot-spot patterns work well

• Warm May days may bring early streamer action

• Occasional rising fish later in May

Late May – Late June

• Hatches increase; dry flies and wet flies become viable

• Streamers begin producing consistent

• Water temps increase

Late June – 2nd Week of August (Peak Surface Season)

• Dry flies & dry-dropper dominate

• Foam attractors perform extremely well on windier days.

• Trout may become selective → small dries (#18–22) needed

• Streamers work during warm spells when fish are active

September (Autumn Shift)

• Cooling water → trout become less selective

• Indicator nymphing returns as a primary method

• Larger, more colourful flies become effective again

• Streamers can trigger aggressive pre-winter takes

Starter Pack – Essential Flies for Laxá

A simple but effective fly box should include:

Nymphs

PT’s, sexy walts, zebra midges (#12–18)

Dries

Caddis, Adams, F-Fly, Klinkhammer (#12–20)

Attractor Dries

Chubby, Fat Albert, Stimulator (#8–12)

Streamers

Black Ghost, Rektor, Wooly Bugger (#6–10)

Fly Boxes

We do have a small fly shop, stocked with all of our favorite and most reliable patterns for both trout and salmon. If you would like a ready made selection tailored to the exact conditions of your trip, we can prepare a fly box in advance and have it waiting for you upon arrival.

Small Fly Box – 40–50 flies
Price: 35,000 ISK

Large Fly Box – 80–100 flies
Price: 60,000 ISK

For avid fly tyers

Here is a playlist with fly tying instructions that include many of the patterns mentioned above.

Trout flies: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLg9oZg6t-hmWXf8SXHic_MvNfp8Qe-6bS

Not the Only Flies That Work

While these are the flies we regularly recommend for Laxá, they are by no means the only patterns that catch fish and each spring, summer, autumn is different, so its always best to be prepared for everything. We strongly encourage anglers to bring their own favorites and “secret weapons,” as many of the successful trout flies used worldwide also perform extremely well here. The Laxá trout respond to a wide variety of patterns, so having a diverse selection is always an advantage.