Selá in Steingrímsfjörður August 28th - 29th, 2015
Sometimes it´s impossible to fish in Selá
For several years, my friends and I have fished the Selá in Steingrímsfjörður around the turn of August and September. This time, we had Friday the 28th and Saturday the 29th of August. The weather forecast was not in our favor; it predicted significant precipitation. The river is a spate river (dragá) with a large catchment area, and under such conditions, it simply becomes unfishable.
Unfortunately, the forecast held true, and when we reached the river on Friday morning, it was heavily swollen and murky. There was little reason for optimism. It wasn’t even possible to justify staying by the river all day by claiming to ‘enjoy the outdoors and nature’—it was nothing but misery. Not only did it rain on us all day, but there was a howling northeasterly gale in the valley, and the temperature was only 3–4 degrees [Celsius].
Consequently, no fish were caught except for a two-pound sea-run Arctic char that struck a black Toby lure in Hermannshylur. This char will go down in the history books, as it is the first char we have ever caught in this river. Calling Hermannshylur a ‘pool’ (hylur) is a misnomer, as I see no pool there—only a heavy, flowing stretch. The river from Þjóðbrókargil flows into Selá just above Hermannshylur. The water in the Þjóðbrók river was slightly clearer than in Selá, and it was at the confluence where the char took.
On Saturday, the weather was somewhat more manageable, though still cold—so cold that the mountains turned white with snow overnight. The river was still high but not as extreme as the day before, and its color was slightly better. We decided to focus on the upper section.
To make a long story short, we saw no signs of fish except for one salmon, just over three pounds, which took my worm just above Dimmubakkar.
