Blanda is one of Iceland’s longest and most powerful rivers and is known for her powerful and big salmon, it’s divided into 4 beats and has one major tributary, Svartá.
Beat 1 is a relatively short beat that holds 4 rods, 2 on each bank. The beat opens in early July and leads the charts throughout June and sometimes July in salmons caught per rod. In recent years Blanda has gone from strength to strength, especially beat 1, in 2009 over 1800 salmon were caught on those 4 rods and in 2010 they were 2300. It should be kept in mind that beat 1 is usually only fished for about 60 days. Needless to say beat 1 is the most productive beat of the river.
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| This is a typical July salmon |
This one is a June salmon |
Not only are these numbers extremely high, bordering on the ridiculous, but the ratio of multi-winter salmon/grilse was over 40% in 2010. On average the mws/grilse ratio is around 36 – 39% throughout the summer and up to 100% in June. It’s also worth mentioning that the salmon in Blanda is 100% from natural stock, there has never been need for any assistance for the Blanda salmon.
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| Carefully measured before release |
It is very rewarding to see these beautiful salmon swim away after a good fight |
Blanda is an early season river, opening on June 5th every year and with the absolute prime being from late June until late July. For those looking for a serious fight with serious salmon, June is the right time. The salmon are fewer in June – but they are nearly all multi-winter fish, it’s only in late June that the grilse start arriving. As stated before, Blanda is a large volume river, no drought problems here, but this also means hard currents that a hooked salmon will use to its advantage. Every summer we hear stories from anglers that hooked a monster salmon, but never really stood a chance of landing it. Fortunately, we also hear from those who manage to get them on the bank as well.
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| One of the best fly pools in the country |
There's no surrender in the Blanda salmon |
Blanda is often described as “the crazy river” by those who visit her, not because she’s dangerous – but because all of her salmon seem to be insane. Even the grilse will drag you back and forth as you try to land them.
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| Some of the landing spots are a little tight |
Lovely surroundings |
The Blanda lodge is also one of our finest lodges, built in 2005 it has all the creature comforts that anglers desire. Two Jacuzzi’s, a large sauna and a very comfortable living room are among the places anglers can unwind in after a day of dealing with hard fighting Blanda salmon. More details can be found under the accommodation tab above.
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| The Blanda lodge |
The sitting room in the lodge is very comfortable |
Other rivers near Blanda include Víðidalsá, Svartá, Laxá in Asum and Hallá – all within an hour’s drive (some of them just minutes away). An ideal combination would be with either Svartá or Víðidalsá, all of them known for big salmon – but all very different from each other. Blanda is an ideal destination for those who are looking for serious salmon fishing, both in regards to the size of each salmon and in regards to the quantity of salmon caught.
