Introduction

Reykjadalsá is one of North Iceland’s most versatile and enjoyable fly fishing rivers, offering excellent opportunities for both brown trout and Atlantic salmon. Stretching across open plains, through dynamic runs, and into a scenic upper canyon, the river is well-suited for anglers who enjoy dry fly fishing and nymphing with a fair amount of sight fishing opportunities. Because of its diverse structure and reliable fish stocks, Reykjadalsá consistently provides productive fishing from the April 1st opener until the end of the season in September. In this guide, we highlight the best flies for Reykjadalsá, along with recommended sizes and seasonal tactics to help you match the conditions and make the most of this exceptional river.

Character of the River

Reykjadalsá begins high in the Reykjaheiði plateau, where it emerges as a clear and lively mountain stream. In the uppermost reaches, the river is narrow, fast, and full of pocket water—excellent holding lies for trout early in the season and for salmon later in the summer.

As it descends, the river gathers volume and enters a beautiful upper canyon. This canyon is easy to walk but very few roads lead to it, leaving a whole lot of untuched water for those who are willing to explore. with broken currents, rocky shelves, and soft edges that create excellent ambush points for trout. This area is known for precise presentations and visual takes.

Below the canyon, Reykjadalsá transitions into its well-known middle and lower plains, stretching for roughly 15 km. These sections offer gentle, shallow water, grassy banks, and ideal conditions for dry flies and delicate nymphing. Wading is rarely deeper than the knee, making this part of the river extremely comfortable and technical in a rewarding way.

Reykjadalsá then flows through Lake Vestmannsvatn, where it briefly takes the name Eyvindalækur, before continuing its journey toward Laxá in Aðaldal. In the lower river, the flow slows, widens and gets deeper creating glides and pools that regularly hold both trout and salmon.

From top to bottom, Reykjadalsá offers an exceptional range of water types—mountain stream, canyon, plains, and lake-influenced stretches—making it a uniquely versatile fly fishing river.

Read more about Reykjadalsá here

Species

Brown Trout

• Active from April 1st onward

• Abundant across plains, canyon, and mid-river structure

• Very responsive to dry flies and nymphs from end of May and onward

• Trout fishing remains excellent even during peak salmon season

Atlantic Salmon

• First runs typically arrive in June

• Strongest numbers in August and September

Arctic Char

• • Found in a few specific pools and in Lake Vestmannsvatn

Recommended Flies & Sizes

Below are the patterns that consistently perform on Reykjadalsá, 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 (cased caddis) – #14–8

• Perdigons – #12–16

• Sexy walts – #12 – 16

Use larger patterns in April–May when temps are lower, and switch to lighter, more delicate nymphs in June–August when the trout become cautious on good weather days. A core method in early season and again in Septembe

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 commonly begins in early June, sometimes late May especially during warmer periods on the plains.

• Chubby Chernobyl – #10 – 6

• Fat Albert – #10 – 6

• Daddy Longlegs  – #12 – 8

• 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 though Iceland has no terrestrials this big, these are a must have in July and August. and work really well in a hopper dropper setup.

• 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 work really well on Reykjadalsá from the start of the season April 1st, and throughout September. Atlantic salmon will also take a trout streamer from time to time, so fishing streamers with heavy tippet from June – late July is a great idea as you’ll have a chance of catching both trout and a salmon.

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.

Salmon Flies & Tactics (Mid-July to September)

From the last week of July onward, the river shifts strongly toward salmon fishing. Early in the salmon run, salmon respond exceptionally well to small, unweighted Sunray tubes and slightly larger hook flies in #10–12.

Important Note on Brown Trout During Salmon Season

Even though our focus turns almost completely to salmon after they show up, brown trout fishing remains fantastic. We frequently cast to rising browns while salmon fishing.

Salmon flies

• Laxá Blá # 16 – 10

• Green Butt #16 – 10

• Munroe Killer #16 – 10

• Silver Sheep #16 – 10

• Black Sheep #16 – 10

• Dimmblá #16 – 10

• Red Frances & Black Frances #16 – 10

• Arndilly Fancy #16 – 10

• Haugur #16 – 10

• Metallica #16 – 10

Smaller sizes (#14–16) become more effective as water clears later in August. Sparsely dressed flies have proven to work best.

Tube flies

• Sunray shadow
• Evening dress
• Collie dog

• Frances 1/4″ – 1/2″

• Various riffling hitch patterns in different sizes
• Green but cone
• German Snælda
• Friggi 1/2″

Alltough we do 90% of our salmon fishing on the surface, it’s important to have a few heavier tube flies in case of high or cold water conditions.

Late August – September

As the season progresses into autumn, salmon often prefer smaller flies, and more delicate presentations become effective. Patterns in #14–16 are frequently used.

Seasonal Conditions & Tactics

April – middle of May

• Primarily nymph fishing

• Cold water → trout hold deeper

• Tungsten nymphs and indicator setups work well

• Some streamer action on warmer days

End of May – July

• Early dry fly season, often starting earlier than other Icelandic rivers

• Trout feed higher in the water on warm days

• First salmon arrive around the middle of June

• Dry-dropper setups are highly effective

Late July – Early August

• Peak action for both trout and salmon

• Dry flies and emergers for trout

• Hitch flies and small Sunray tubes for salmon

Late August – September

• Salmon runs are in full swing

• Smaller salmon flies (#14–16) preferred

Starter Pack – Essential Flies for Mýrarkvísl

A reliable all-round fly selection includes:

Nymphs

Perdigons, PT’s, Zebra Midge (#12–18)

Dry Flies

Adams, Caddis, F-Fly, Klinkhammer (#14–20)

Salmon Flies

Small Sunray tubes, Green Butt, Laxá Blá, Frances (#10–16)

Streamers

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

Fly Boxes & Lodge Fly Shop

We do have a small fly shop at the Mýrarkvísl lodge, 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 are two playlists with fly tying instructions that include many of the patterns mentioned above.

Trout flies: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcA7LaDVfk0&list=PLg9oZg6t-hmV7o545cMQ_tfBjgUMZ9bxR 

Salmon Flies: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLg9oZg6t-hmUz0QOnqwLuzu58Fu_n1nVQ 

Not the Only Flies That Work

While this blog shows a list of flies we regularly recommend for Mýrarkvísl, they are by no means the only patterns that catch fish and each spring, summer and 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.