Thverá

Welcome to
Thverá River

The Thverá is the lower part of the Thvera/Kjarra river and originates in the north-western highlands of Iceland. Thvera has all the qualities that make Icelandic rivers unique in the world of salmon fishing. Crystal clear water and an endless variety of pools alongside luscious fields and fertile farmland.

For more information please contact erik@starir.is

General Information

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 Thverá river is 26 km long. 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. There are 107 different named pools on the Thverá that offer the angler a vast variety in fishing; from fast moving streams in the upper river to the quiet flows of the meadow pools. Most of the beats are easily accessible with no trees to hinder casting. 

The first spring salmon return to their  birthriver 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
Beginning of June until early September.

PRIME TIME
Last week of 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.

Expert Guides

Our knowledgeable team of guides is headed by Andrés Eyjólfsson, a farmer and landowner at Thverá/Kjarrá who has been guiding anglers for decades.  All of our guides are trained and have fished the rivers for many years. They will do their very best to assist anglers in every way during their stay. 

All of our guides are English speaking and provide our guests with four-wheel-drive vehicles for transport along the river.  Normally, a guide is shared by two anglers, but a private guide can be provided upon request.

Thverá River History

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.

Enchanting Lodge and Cuisine

The newly renovated accommodation at Thverá lodge is luxurious and set in magnificent natural scenery. The lodge offers a large and attractive living room, a dining room and a large terrace with great views of the river and its surroundings. There are seven twin-bedded suites and seven twin-bedded rooms with a private shower.  

There is an outdoor Jacuzzi on the terrace and an outdoor Finnish sauna where one can relax after a day’s fishing. The Lodge has Wifi, TV and a music system. 

Thverá FAQ

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 Thverá is considered to be very accessible with most pools directly reachable by roads especially maintained for fishermen. The lodge is conveniently located by the river and the journey to home pool is only two minutes.

The wading on the Thverá is minimal and completely up to each angler’s preference. We never discourage people who like to use a wading stick to bring it as the water level can rise with rain but most of the time we fish the Thverá from land.

Salmon start running the Thverá in numbers in June and the highest concentration of runs happens in mid July.

Adjusting to the water level each time the most effective and common way of catching fish on the Thverá 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. 1 hour, 30 min.

GPS
64°45’07″N 21°20’41″W

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