After a prolonged north wind, it was a welcome relief to hear in the weather forecast earlier this week that the wind would shift. By Thursday afternoon, the forecast predicted a change in direction, and just before the evening news, I tossed my fishing gear into the car and drove east to Þingvellir. At 19:03, a Teal and Black fly was cast into the lake on the eastern shore, just south of Arnarfell.
The north wind hasn’t been yielding much success for me, so let’s just say this trip was conducted for ‘research purposes.’ Does Þingvallavatn deliver in a southerly wind? The conditions were certainly excellent for fly casting—a light southern breeze that kept the fly away and warm air. I started fishing a spot that sometimes holds fish, but after pounding the area for an hour and a half, I began to grow weary of the lack of action. I decided to walk as far north as permitted and fish my way back.
This is my fourth trip to Þingvallavatn this summer. In the previous three trips, I was mostly fishing in dead calm, and lo and behold—as I reached the northern point, it fell completely still again. Yet again. Remarkable. The conditions there on the eastern bank are quite uniform, and in truth, there is little to tell you where it’s promising to try. There was nothing to do but cast here and there and try various flies. I did so, but failed to charm the snail-char (kuðungableikja). I did, however, catch a few murtur (small char).
It was getting late by the time I returned to my starting point, and honestly, I had given up hope of bringing home a meal from this trip. I decided to cast a few more times anyway. I put the Teal and Black back on, and after a short while, a beautiful 1.5-pound snail-char took it, allowing me to head home to bed satisfied.
