29. August 2005. Sela


This was our first year in Sela so we did not know what to expect, except it was supposed to be pretty good...(it probably is among the very best in Iceland). We came to Leifstadir (the lodge) around 3pm. We where not going to stay there as everyone was staying at Ljotstadir as we would have full service there. After gearing up we went to Leifstadarhylur witch is straight down from the lodge. Joe fished it from one side but then we waded across and I fished it from the other side. I put on the chewed up Snaelda and after couple of casts I hooked a salmon. I am not sure how big it was but it was over 10 pounds. The salmon backed down the river and finally he stuck his head in the moss and left the fly there.


The Leifstadir lodge that we had access to but did not use is a great, very spacious house with old and new amenities.


You truly are in the middle of no where at Sela. Taken above Leifstadarhylur to East.


Taken above Leifstadarhylur to the West.


The first afternoon we fished Leifstadarhylur, Rettarhylur and then Skipahylur. Skipahylur is a very long pool as you can see and the water moves very slow. The pool is always full of salmon and we could see them jump all over the place. The tail of the pool is perfect for hitching. Joe is there in the tail with hitch.


The "take" in the tail is between the stones that are submerged on ether side (you can see small "V" being formed).


30. August 2005. We had a section way in on the mountain and the weather was not bad at all very early in the morning, but that was about to change.


Our trusted fish-mobile in this trip took us to the mountain, but we still had to walk for awhile to get to Hamarshylur (I think the rental had to throw it away after we returned it...).


We walked to a pool named Hamarshylur. We at first had no idea how to fish this enormous pool but Joe gave it a try while I tried to see where there was fish. We did not have any luck with us that morning.


The name of the pool Hamarshylur, gets it's name from these cliffs (Hamar means a large rectangular shaped cliff, or Hamar = Hammer in English). The best fly spot in this pool is directly underneath the cliff and upstream from there.


After fishing few pools bellow Harmarshylur we walked down to a pool named Krokur (Hook) and is supposed to be a great pool. It was getting close to noon and the weather was starting to show us who’s boss around there. The wind was blowing very hard and it was starting to rain. I tried for awhile with my 6 weight and I got the fly out fair enough but with out success. We went for lunch but when we returned around 3:30pm there was hardly any way to get the fly out but we tried like hell until 9pm but our life saver was for sure the little Coniac we had with us. We returned to the lodge wet and cold and with out a single hit the whole day.


Although the weather was bad then the view was not.


31. August 2005. We where back where we had started in Leifstadarhylur but the river was split into three sections and you always had half a day at each section. After trying for a long time from the this side (where I took the photo) I told Joe to cross and fish it from the other side. After few casts on the other side it FINALLY happened! Joe hooked a fish but he had not hooked a fish since 6:30pm, on day one of our fishing trip on 23rd of August! I started yelling and telling him not to pull him to hard (because he tends to...) and he seemed to be in control. I started taking photos and watched the action. All of a sudden the salmon was gone...


and Joe was........

After questioning Joe about the terrible event, Joe gave an explanation of what had happened. Apparently after he hooked the salmon he gave a few good tugs but nothing major. Joe some how though the fish was not that big so he started pulling him a little harder and the fish moved over, closer to him. Joe then tightened the drag but just after he did that the tail of the salmon came out of the water and Joe saw how big he was (he estimates at least 15pounds). When the salmon was about couple of yards away from the river bank, and Joe, the salmon sees him and that's when it happened! It just took off and the drag was just too tight.

After recovering from the trauma in Leifstadarhylur we moved to Rettarhylur. I told Joe to wade across and hitch it from the other side. While Joe was crossing the river way bellow the pool I took my rod and ran up with the pool on my side. I fished it quickly from the head and down to the tail. Just about when Joe was walking up to the pool on the other side I hooked a salmon. I was half embarrassed when Joe came walking up on the other side and I fighting salmon on my side...I landed a fine new run 5 pound female in record time and released her back in the pool with the hope she would take Joe's hitch. Joe started fishing on the other side and after short time he hooked a salmon. Some how that one came off too.


We decided to rest the pool for awhile and went to Skipahylur. Joe tried it for awhile but nothing happened so we moved back down to Rettarhylur. I wanted to try to fish it from the other side now so I moved bellow the pool and crossed. I had only taken couple of casts with the hitch when I hooked a salmon. I landed it quickly and it was about 4pound male that I released back. I started fishing again where I had hooked that last one and after maybe 5 casts another one was hooked. I landed that one and it was about 6 pound but I released that one as well. Joe tried Leifstadarhylur for few minutes before we went for lunch but without success.


After lunch we had the top section and we experimented with some pools on the mountain. There I am sitting above Grofarhylur with my camera gear on my back as always...but Joe had the camera..


Joe in Grofarhylur. He is standing on a ledge in the cliff I was sitting on in the photo above.


We moved further up the river and walked up to Hamarshylur. We saw some char and Joe went for them for awhile but not even they were interested in his stuff... It became my turn and I hooked and landed this 6pound male that I released. I was hiding behind the big rock that is to the right of my shoulder and cast maybe 4-5m down stream with a micro hitch. I think it is the perfect place for hitch. The photo is of course taken by Joe but the nice glow on the salmon is because the glass on the lens was wet (it had been raining a lot...).


In the evening we ended in Krokur and on the way down there I slipped and broke my 9 weight (fu..$#@&% ). We saw a lot of activity but no catch. Joe moved to the other side and the fog was getting so thick I could barely see him on the other side. If you look closely you can see him standing and a green bank on the other side.


1. September 2005. The last day of our fishing trip this year. There was snow in Smjorfjollum but it was a beautiful day.


We fished Graenihylur, Stapahylur and Pottur. The Pottur (photo) was full of new run salmon that was rolling all over the place, they where all at least 2 year olds. We saw some really huge salmon in there but no take. We ended in Stapahylur where we saw some huge salmon and Joe had one really big one look at his fly couple of times. When we walked up on the cliff we saw why. They had already started to make their spawning beds. We could see circles where some of them had cleaned the algae of the stones. It was very nice to see and to walk away from the river with that sight in mind, it was time to go home. We will be back for their of-springs...