Spring is coming terribly late this year. My wife and I decided nonetheless to drive east to Þingvallavatn to check on the conditions. We weren’t particularly optimistic about the catch, as we were certain the water was still too cold for the Arctic char to be properly on the move.
According to information from a fisherman we met at the parking lot by Lambhagi, the water temperature had reached 3.6 degrees [Celsius], which in my opinion is rather cold. We walked down to Leirutá anyway, as the weather was absolutely wonderful. There we met Andrew, who knows the lake very well and has visited several times this spring. He confirmed our suspicions: the char had hardly begun to show themselves.
We didn’t let that dampen our spirits, however, and enjoyed practicing our fly casting in the calm weather until nearly noon, observing the birds in their spring bustle. Four red-breasted merganser drakes were tussling with one another, hoping to win the favor of the single female in the group. The Great Northern Diver was in its usual spot, paying no mind to the antics of the anglers.
Around noon, we headed home fishless. Yet, it wasn’t as if we saw no sign of fish; we saw char swim past us at least three times, so there was always a glimmer of hope that one might take the fly.
