Salmon fishing in the North-East of Iceland on the beautiful Svarlbardsa River. Just three rods per day (over 400 salmon landed during 2024 season) – you have exclusive access to the whole river and also the lodge! An amazing place to fish and unwind.
This relatively small river in the North-East corner of Iceland consistently produces around 400 salmon per season to just three rods (429 in the 2024 season! The Svarlbardsa has a healthy run of grilse, but also larger salmon, which will often enter the river and head straight for the upper reaches around the waterfall pool (Pool #1). There are also some sea trout, brown trout and sea-run-char present, but they do not appear in numbers and the main focus is very much the salmon.
The water is crystal clear and whilst there are a few larger pools, the Svarlbardsa is famous for little pockets and channels which allows the fish to scatter throughout the system. It is very interesting to fish and you can easily cover a few miles each day searching out such water.
Access to around pool 16 is great, with a gravel road running close to the river. However, from pool 16 to pool 1 it is all by foot, which adds extra intrigue to visiting anglers – this is largely a canyon section and it’s beautiful. Well worth the walk, but you have to be relatively fit. The majority of the pools are located from pool 16 and down, so there is something available for most mobility levels.
The lodge is absolutely stunning and is located within a stone’s throw of the river. The lodge has four twin rooms, accommodating up to eight people in total. It is self-catering, but catering can be arranged if needed.
To get to the lodge, you get a domestic flight from Reykjavik to Akureyri then collect a car rental from there and drive around three hours North-East along an absolute stunning coastal road. Supplies for your stay can either be purchased in Akureyri or Husavik.
As the lodge can accommodate up to eight people, rod sharing is available but also non-anglers are perfectly welcome to stay too – this also makes it extremely good value for money. It is a beautiful area to relax in, or to explore from the luxury of the lodge.
There is a vast amount of fishing available to just three rods, making rod sharing highly recommended. The pricing below is based on four anglers sharing three rods, as there are four bedrooms available. However, again, the lodge can accommodate up to eight people, so please do make contact if you would like pricing on a larger party.
Price & Availability
Prime time for the Svarlbardsa is late July, throughout August and into early September. Due to its location, it is often later than e.g. most west coast rivers.
26-29th August or 29th August – 1st September 2025. Alternatively, you could do a full six days fishing, staying 26th August to 1st September.
£2,860 per person, based on four people sharing three rods. Three day stay.
£5,460 per person, based on four people sharing three rods. Six day stay.
Filling the lodge with eight people (non-anglers and / or rod sharing) would bring this cost down to £1,555 per person based on three days, or £2,855 based on six days. Again, fishing maximum of three rods at any one time.
Further dates available – please make contact if these do not work for you.
The price does not include any guiding (available at a cost), catering, car rental. It does include the exclusive access to the whole river and the entire lodge.
Interested? Have further questions? Please contact Steffan Jones at info@fishtravel.co.uk
