A CAST AT LAST!!!
2 years from my last overseas salmon fishing trip which was East Ranga 2019, packing the gear seemed almost surreal. Jumping the various Covid Grand National fences nearly had one faller before we got off the ground. Android phones don’t like Luton Airport. Nor do I for that matter but with so few flights anywhere that was our only option.
Anyway we got there and the Iceland immigration was simple enough provided you could show the paper work.
First afternoon and off to beat three for Cecil D. and me. 10 minutes in and a 3 lb fresh sea-trout. on down the pool and opposite the big rock by the bench, I hooked a big fish. A difficult spot and a nasty wade… minutes later whilst still struggling to get to the bank, it got under the ridge and came off. B…….r!
Busy swearing and shouting the info to Cecil downstream whilst recasting, got another take three casts later. That fell off too. F…. it!
Nothing for the next hour, but finally got a solid take in the tail of the pool below and… 13lb spanker.
Cecil meanwhile copied my earlier trick and lost two fish higher up the pool. Still at least a start. Elsewhere David H got a nice fish on 5 but otherwise that was it for the first afternoon. Not too many fish around apparently after an exceptionally cold Icelandic winter.
Day two, Cecil and I were on 9 then 6 – a rather confusing rotation. but there were few fish in the upper beats and nothing for us. I have to also report the flies (house flies not mosquitoes) on 9 were seriously irritating. Head net next year.
Elsewhere fish were coming in ones and twos: Patrick F got a couple of 12 pounders and David H got a 9lb I think from beat 4. Michael B got a cracking 18lb fish and Richard C opened his batting with a 12 pounder. on 5.
Day two was also next Covid test day – I have discovered that I am a tad better with a fishing rod than a computer but we waded through it as fishers do.
Day 3. We went down to beat 2 (for some reason) but Cecil D managed an 8lb fish from the whirl pool as I call it. Nothing for me. Then up to beat 8. Nothing for either of us. On Beat 1 Michael B got 2 more, Richard C another one and David H 2 more.
Last morning on beat 5 nothing happened until 11.15 despite serious effort, but then a run of fish came in. Cecil hooked one and got taken 1/4mile down the left bank by a fish of 22lbs which he finally landed with Gunnars help and they got it into the box for the hatchery. I thought I had blown my chances but 5 minutes before time at 12.00 hooked into a cracking 15pound cock fish which was duly landed , weighed and put in the box. Patrick F also got a fish, probably from the same run on 7.
We ended with 20 Salmon and the Sea Trout for our three days. Hard work and not everyone got a fish which was a pity, but that’s fishing… At least we got a line in the water again so thankful for that.
My thanks to all at the Aurora Lodge for their kind hospitality and excellent food. We very much hope to see you again next year.
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