Nordura River, Iceland

The Nordura River is known to Icelanders as the “most beautiful of rivers”. It flows through the Borgarfjordur region in western Iceland and is one of several tributaries to the glacial Hvita River. The Nordura ranks consistently among the top five salmon rivers in Iceland in terms of annual catch, with an average annual total of 2104 salmon over the last 10 years. In 2013, 3351 salmon were caught. By Icelandic standards it is a medium river in volume, yet most of it is very accessable and relatively easy to fish.

Early in the season double handed rods can be very handy, but as the season wears on, lighter single handed rods with floating lines and small flies are the way to go. The main section of the Nordura is divided into 3 beats, which are fished in rotation by 4 rods each. In total there are 150 recognized pools although some of them may not hold fish in low water conditions which are common during mid summer.

The Nordura is 65 kilometers long. In its upper stretches it is smooth slower moving river with bed of gravel. Through the mid-section above and below Glanni falls, the river is dominated by large rocks and lava formations alternating with areas of shrubs and grassy pastures along its margens. In the lower section below the Laxfoss falls, the river runs through a deepened canyon area with some of the best fly water in the entire river. The Nordurá is just a fantastic river for fly fishing. Many of the pools are straight forward while others can be quite technical giving a good mix between easy and challenging. The catch is mainly composed of good size grilse mixed with two sea winter salmon. In recent years however the proportion of two sea winter fish has grown.