Varma, Iceland

The Varma is a compact that tumbles through fast rapids and small pools in the upper section through to long sweeping pools in the lower river. Situated just half an hour from Reykjavik with no fixed in/out days it is the perfect river to combine with one of the salmon or trout rivers elsewhere in Iceland.

This river is one where you are never quite sure what the next fish will be; there are prolific runs of sea trout and sea-run char, good numbers of resident brown trout and Arctic char as well as the occasional salmon.

Large Icelandic sea trout

The fishing starts as early as April when good runs of spring sea trout show up and provide some great fishing through to mid-May when the runs start to slow down. For the summer angler, June, July and August offer great fishing conditions for the large resident brown trout and the chance to hook-up a monstrous char (known to reach 14lb). The sea trout runs start up again from mid-July but prime fishing runs from mid-August through to the end of the season in October.

When packing the fishing equipment you will need to make sure that you have a 6/7 # rod and streamers to target the sea trout as well as a more delicate 4/5 # rod with smaller nymphs and midge patterns. If you are really lucky you may encounter a Varma steelhead, these sea-run rainbow trout are a result of escapee fish from a fish farm a number of years ago and usually weigh upwards of 10lb.

Several accommodation options 

There isn’t an onsite lodge but it is possible to arrange accommodation in the nearby local town of Hveragerdi or remain based in Reykjavik itself.

Just outside Reykjavik

Situated just half an hour from Reykjavik with no fixed in/out days it is the perfect river to combine with one of the salmon or trout rivers elsewhere in Iceland.