12/08/2022

STORA LAXA

– STORA LAXA –

ONE OF THE PRETTIEST RIVERS IN ICELAND AND JUST TWO HOURS FROM REYKJAVIK. ATLANTIC SALMON FISHING IN A BEAUTIFUL, CRYSTAL CLEAR RIVER. FANTASTIC MODERN LODGE CLOSE TO THE RIVER.

Factfile

Being just 150km from Reykjavik, the Stora Laxa River is easily reached. Just a two hour drive from the capital along the south coast brings you to one of the prettiest rivers in Iceland. It is a pleasure to visit for the scenery and solitude alone. A truly special place.

There are two lodges, with the upper lodge being best for the younger, more mobile angler. The lower lodge is well appointed to access the meadows and the beats with easier terrain.

The Stora Laxa has a strong salmon run and it is well known for having a good average size of fish too.

Overview

The Stora Laxa is a medium sized river located within easy reach of Reykjavik and Keflavik – just 150km from Reykjavik. The Stora Laxa takes up to 10 rods at a time for the 90km long system – rod sharing available. Due to the water clarity and nature of the river, the Stora Laxa is a dream river to fish the hitch or flies close to the surface on, which is one of the most productive methods on the river. With normal conditions, you can easily spot the salmon in the pools and witness them moving to your fly.

Due to the steep gradient of the river in the upper reaches and also the length the salmon need to travel to get there in the first place, the salmon in the Stora Laxa are notoriously hard fighters – testing the angler and tackle to the limit. There is also a strong grilse run to compliment the larger fish, equating to plenty of candidates to cast your fly to.

Fishing

There is a healthy run of salmon in the Stora Laxa, with the river being famous for producing larger than average salmon in Icelandic terms. The river has a fantastic character and is revered as one of the prettiest rivers in the whole of Iceland; it is rocky and quite sheer on the upper beats, but easier to access and slower flowing in the lower beats, providing something for most mobility levels. Driving up the river valley is truly breathtaking.

The Stora Laxa is a medium sized river. As such, a short double hander or switch rod is worth bringing, along with a standard 10ft for a #7 or #8 single hander when fishing the hitch etc. You only need to bring a floating line to cover all fishing eventualities, along with some sink tips, just in case.

accommodation and pricing

There are two lodges on the Stora Laxa; one servicing the upper river and the other servicing the lower river and beats. Each one will appeal to different parties in different ways. However, as a general rule, the upper lodge is best suited for younger, more mobile anglers as the upper beats are more demanding in terms of terrain and access, whereas the lower beats and river is slower and often meandering through pastureland.

Both lodges are spacious, comfortable, modern and very well appointed.

Each bedroom has two beds, but are single based on a single rod basis, but shared if rod-sharing.

For costs and availability please contact FishTravel, who will gladly assist you and advise you on the best time to visit.