Grenlaekur is a 30km long river and one of the best sea trout rivers in the south of Iceland. The Grenlaekur area is sparsely populated, but extremely scenic and renowned for its nature and geology. The trip from Keflavik International Airport is only three hours by car. The farm Seglbudir owns Beat 5 which is about 11km long and four rods are allowed to fish the beat each day.
Grenlaekur is spring fed from numerous springs which well up from underneath the lava, which is very porous. The water originates from the glacial river of Skafta but leaks through and is filtered by the lava and comes out crystal clear. Its flow is typically 71 cubic feet per second.
The river is very fertile and courses in the upper part on lava alternating with sand bottom. In the middle part it courses through a canal previously dug by the big Skafta River. This part is extremely scenic. In the lower part it courses through wetland and moors with mud and sand bottom. The wetland area is home to numerous plant species and the birdlife is considered extremely important (Featured in Important Bird Areas in Europe) and the sea trout stock is considered one of the most prolific ones in Iceland.
The fishing
Beat 5 in Grenlækur belongs to the farm Seglbudir. The beat is more than 10 km long and 4 rods are allowed to fish each day. From the middle of June until late July there is brown trout and artic char fishing. The daily limit is 2 trout pr. rod but all char must be released. From late July until 20th of October the sea trout migrate and the daily catch limit stays the same.
Brown trout is the dominant fish and most of them are sea going or sea trout with a small portion remaining local. The spawning and early life of the browns is on the lave fields in the upper parts of the river. They live on insect larvae on the bottom. Their growth and development is strong in ideal conditions and during their second and third year the fish move down stream and live off sticklebacks and snails. At 6 to 12 inches they move to the sea, which happens in the spring mostly during May. From the middle of July they start returning to sweet water again in big runs. After two to three trips to the sea they become sexually mature. After that their growth slows down but does not stop as they spawn every other year. They can spawn a number of times during their lives and thus become very large and are sought after for sport fishing with the largest specimens reaching 20lbs.
Grenlaekur is home to Arctic char as well. They spawn in the middle part of the river in cold and steady spring water. They move to the lower parts for feeding and growing and return for spawning in the middle of June. These char become huge with the largest specimens weighing 12lbs. When they are running they are aggressive and catchable but when they have settled down in the pools they are harder to catch. It is assumed but not proven that some of these char migrate to the sea.
The record catch was in 1996 with 3876 browns were caught in the river as a whole. The Seglbudir beat normally has the most productive part with 500 to 1000 fish being caught annually.
The Lodge
Accommodation is included in a beautiful lodge standing just by the river. It has all the luxuary you need. There is a fully equipped kitchen with a spacious sitting and dining room. The lodge features four double bedrooms, each with two comfortable super deluxe beds. Each bedroom has bathroom facilities including a shower, a hairdryer, tv and radio with cd-player in every room. There is a special inside sauna and a jaccuzzi on the veranda by the lodge. Full service can be provided if required.
Other activities
Besides the great fishing and whether you can come in the winter, spring, summer or fall and you will find plenty of outdoor activities awaiting you within the Grenlaekur area including hiking, horse trekking and snowmobiling on glaciers which can be reached within an hours drive.
