The Kjarrá river is the upper part of the Thverá/Kjarrá river. It is characterized by its remoteness and untouched nature. The river varies greatly in character, from steep canyon pools with challenging fly water to the more easily accessible pools in the Kjarrá valley.
For more information please contact erik@starir.is
The Thverá/Kjarrá river is a fly-only river. This river has consistently yielded some of the highest catches of any Icelandic river. The average catch for the past ten years is just under 2000 salmon annually with the best year exceeding 4000 salmon. The prime season runs from late June to mid-late August .In recent years the best weeks have produced over 600 salmon between the two lodges.
The Kjarrá itself is 45 km long and is fished with just seven rods on seven private beats that rotate every fishing shift. There are 92 named pools, offering great variety to the angler. The fishing is usually organised on a three or six day basis. Anglers will begin fishing in the mid-afternoon of day one and finish the final session of the trip at noon on the last day.
The first spring salmon return to the birth river at the end of May. As spring turns to summer the runs of salmon steadily increase until they reach their peak in July. Fishing remains consistent well into August, with fresh runs of salmon still arriving, albeit in smaller numbers. The season comes to an end in early September with the onset of autumn.
FISHING SEASON
From beginning of June until early September.
PRIME TIME
From late June to early August.
RODS
Seven rods who fish on seven private beats in rotation. Rod sharing is welcome.
RECOMMENDED FLIES
Silver Sheep, Black and Red Francis, Arndilly Fancy, Collie Dog, Green Brahan, Micro Hitch, Sunray Shadow and Small Cone Heads. Fly sizes 14 to 18 are most common.
RECOMMENDED TACKLE
Single-handed rods and small double-handed rods. Floating lines.
Our knowledgeable team of guides is headed by Gími Gunnarsson, who has been guiding anglers for decades. All our guides have been fishing the river for many years and will do their very best to assist anglers in every way during their stay.
All our guides are English speaking and provide our guests with four-wheel-drive vehicles for transport along the river. Each guide is normally shared by two anglers, but a private guide can be provided upon request.
Salmon fishing has been practiced in Iceland for centuries. Fly fishing for salmon was first introduced in Iceland by English fishermen who arrived in the country in the later part of the 19th century.
The Thverá/Kjarrá was one of the first rivers the English gentry fished on a regular basis. Many of the pools in the Thverá/Kjarrá reflect this heritage. The pools such as Hambro, Stewart, Wilson, and The Three Princesses named after these early fly fishermen reveal the English roots. The English built a lodge at the mouth of the river in 1904 that still stands, albeit unused. The lodge is still referred to as The English House. The fishermen then moved their base further up the river system to the Kjarrá River in 1919 where they built a second lodge, which no longer exists.
Today there are two first class lodges serving the Thverá/Kjarrá. At both camps our award-winning chefs and attentive staff do their utmost to make your stay a memorable one.
The Kjarra lodge, Víghóll, is set in a dramatic highland scenery featuring a large terrace with great views of the river and its surrounding. A sauna and Jacuzzi are located on the terrace where one can relax after a day’s fishing. Later one can enjoy a three-course dinner prepared by our renowned team of award-winning chefs.
The lodge features an attractive lounge and dining room, eight twin-bedded rooms, all with private bathrooms and shower. The lodge has central heating, a drying- room and storage areas for fishing gear and equipment.
We welcome rod sharers on all our rivers as well as non fishers. We can also offer our guests extra rooms depending on availability
Yes, disinfection must be carried out by a veterinarian from the country of embarkation and a certificate of disinfection presented to local custom officer upon arrival to Iceland. If a certificate cannot be obtained, the fishing equipment must be handed to customs officers upon entering the country for immediate disinfection at owner’s expense.
We kindly ask our guests to adhere to the check in schedules specified here on the website or in the brochures in order for our staff to be able to adequately prepare the lodge for your arrival.
In Iceland English is widely spoken by the locals and can be referred to as a second language.
The Kjarrá is very remote with the only road being the one that is maintained for fishermen. The river varies in accessibility with some pools reachable straight from parking and others requiring more of a hike down to the canyon or uphill towards the mountain. The lodge is conveniently located by the river on beat 3 with a beautiful view overlooking the river.
The wading on the Kjarrá is mostly optional but in case of high water you can never go wrong in bringing a wading stick.
Salmon start running the lower part, Thverá in numbers in June and the highest concentration of runs happens in mid July. How many of them make the full journey upstream is always dependent on water but mid to late July normally has the highest amount of fish running.
Adjusting to the water level each time the most effective and common way of catching fish on the Kjarrá is by using surface flies such as Sunray Shadow or the riffling hitch and small double and triple hooks down to size #18. As the water grows the flies tend to get bigger but full float is always the way to go.
Like everything else this depends on the angler’s preference and experience. The Thverá & Kjarrá are perfect for single handed rods size 6-9 but if the water level is high a small double handed rod can come in handy.
DISTANCE FROM REYKJAVIK
97,6 km
DRIVING TIME
Approx. 2 hour.
GPS
64°45’15.8″N 21°07’15.7″W
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Office: Skólavörðustígur 27, 101 Reykjavík, Iceland
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