You feel like you’re making more out of the summer when you use the time after work for outdoor activities. For instance, I find it ideal to head east to Lake Þingvallavatn after work and fish until evening. I did exactly that this past Wednesday, driving out of town in bright and calm weather. At Þingvellir, it was a bit more overcast, but the weather was still excellent—cloudy with a light southwesterly breeze. I parked in the small spot above the fishing area between Hlíðarkrókur and Ólafsdráttur. I then lugged my gear with considerable effort down the rocks and through the brush until I reached the water. I assembled my light tackle and fished along the bank, back and forth.
I had two strikes, so I was fairly certain there was fish in the area. However, I didn’t get a solid take until I tied a Scud (Marfló) onto my leader and cast toward Mount Búrfell. Then, I had a powerful strike. I could tell immediately that this fish was stronger than others I’d caught in the lake. It breached twice, and as far as I could tell, it was a brown trout.
That turned out to be correct, as I landed a four-pound brown trout. Now I wonder, is something changing in Lake Þingvallavatn? In the two fishing trips I’ve taken to the lake this year, I’ve landed four trout. Three of them were brown trout, and only one was a snail-eating Arctic char. Could the brown trout population be strengthening significantly, perhaps at the expense of the char?
