Brown Monster Book
Giovanni Sealy
The timing could not have been better. You see, that was the year my parents split up. It was a complicated situation. But when life was tough I had my art to keep me company. The self-confidence I gained from feeling like a real artist was invaluable during those years. And I might not have developed my artistic skills, or a sense of confidence, if not for my monster teacher.
I needed to make sure my story ideas were on target, so I started asking people about their own experiences in school. I asked teachers how they handle difficult children. I asked children how they handle difficult teachers. I asked my friends about their experiences in primary school. People had a lot to say. And their words helped me refine my ideas.
The stories of anglers getting spooled by the monster trout in Thingvallavatn (AKA ingvallavatn or Lake Thingvellir) had also passed my nose.
The land of Sagas.
The legendary stories of the monster in the local pond eating the ducks and dogs.
Grandfather hooked it, but the beast won.
Well, I did not believe all of it, but the part on getting spooled by monsters turned out to be true.
My first experience with a close encounter was when flexing my 6 weight rod into a nymph-hooked fish. I had just set-up a new reel with 140 meters of backing, 30 meters of fly line and a 4 meter leader, so more than 170 meters or 550' to give. I did not see the fish being hooked but only the line disappearing in a nonstop steady pace, until there was only a few meters of yellow backing left. I believed it was a foul-hooked fish and did not want to loose my line so just put my hand on the spool and blocked the fish. The leader and size 12 fly endured the pressure, and I could start dragging in this heavy fish that was about 170 meters out. To my surprise, the hook was right in the upper jaw. I had just been treated to the power of a mint condition Thingvallavatn brown trout weighing 9.5 kilos or some 19 lbs.
Lake Thingvallavatn is located on the ridge dividing the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates, which are moving away from each other with about 1 cm or about half an inch per year.
With a surface of 84 square kilometers or 32 square miles, Lake Thingvallavatn is the largest natural lake in Iceland. The greatest depth is 114 meters or 375' and the lake has an average depth of 34 meters or about 100'.
The lake is very fertile and rich in vegetation, despite the low temperatures. 150 types of plants have been discovered in the lake, which is also popular among divers due to the gin clear water and stunning waterscape.
I'm born with a gold spoon up my butt, and out of my approximately 1,300 trout, maybe 15 are over 20 pounds. When that is said, on a good day on ION, I don't even bother the measure a fish of 65-75 cm anymore (that's sub 30 inches).
I once experienced landing four fish between 80 and 86 cm in a row (31-34 inches). I don't even know have many I have caught between 78 and 92 cm (30 and 36 inches). Who cares?
This kind of fishing is out of this world and every fish is running on Ultra Plus Extra Duracells and shines with perfection. Of course we have some out-spawned, damaged fish each spring but they turn out to be very important for the lake, having spawned up to eight times in their lives.
ION is divided up in two beats. What makes them both unique is warm water springs. Beat I has four underwater hot springs while Beat II has a river entering with slightly warmer water than the lake.
It is clear that the big brown trout come in schools, and move in and out of these areas to speed up their digestion.
You can see them come in and just park like cars, just sitting there, like we do parked on a couch after eating a big steak. Otherwise you will see big schools cruising around in the upper water layer sometimes with their back breaking the surface. Cold water is heavier than warm which explains this behavior, at least in theory.
Big trout are normally territorial but here it's completely different. It is not rare to see 100-200 big brown trout cruising around like tarpon. I have a theory that these fish go out to the deeper and colder water to hunt like tuna and some whales. They pursue their prey, and push it up towards the surface before having a feast.
I think it would be difficult for a big fat trout to catch a small speedy fish in a fish-to-fish pursuit. But teamwork in the mid-water it is a different story. Note that this is just my theory, which I put together after seeing splashing out on the middle of the lake over very deep water.
It's a fact that the Murta live in the colder water and the trout go there to catch them. Then they come into the ION beats to digest. As I mentioned earlier, many of the fish I have caught have half digested Murta coming out from their throat.
Anyways, ION should not be confused with other beats on the lake. I have met people who I think have been effected by the success of ION and think that this is how it is in other locations on the lake. Well, it is not! Some have fished a week without a pull other than from Arctic char.
ION is by far the best fishery on the lake with around 80% of the fish caught there. It is also the most expensive fishing in the lake, no surprise...
I have been fortunate to have fished a lot on ION and it is also where I spend most of my time today. But I have through the years tried many other places around the big lake where there are some very interesting spots. Krastair and The Black Cliffs are a couple of them. I fished there a lot before it was taken over by an outfitter, who is now doing a good job with limiting the rods and making it C&R. And the prices are fair.
Especially The Black Cliffs caught me, and is my second favorite after ION. It is more regular wading with long casts and a streamer at the end of the line. It is quite simple, when you have found the fish, they just hammer the fly. Sometimes I have landed 10-12 fish in an afternoon. So it can be really good. But it all depends on the wind here!
It was said in the old days that the fish only came into the shallows in the evening and night. Not true! I caught almost all my fish in the daytime when people were home preparing for their evening fishing.
The fishing techniques are different from ION. You are fishing for trout on the hunt and not big and lazy digesting fish. You won't be needing long thin leaders and small flies. On ION we always use floating lines, but on The Black Cliffs a sink tip can come in handy in high waves. On the location Krastair, it is really deep and sinking lines are used by some anglers.
There is also the Villingavatn beat close to ION. I also fished that quite a lot in the old days, and sometimes had excellent fishing with the techniques similar to those used on ION. The Villingavatn beat is now run by the same outfitter who is handling Krastair and The Black Cliffs.
Veidikortid.is has a big part of the northern bank of the lake, with the largest area available on one license, and also the least expensive. In fact you can buy a yearly fishing permit, which covers this and 33 more fishing locations in Iceland. The area is very beautiful with many bays and small islands. I have not fished much here so can't really tell you how to crack it.
I know from fellow anglers that the techniques are similar to Krastair and The Black Cliffs, but you often need to work a lot for each caught trout. I would definitely hire a guide the first day if visiting here. Make sure to get someone who actually has fished and caught a lot there!
The season is slightly different from location to location. Generally, the lake opens just past mid-April and closes mid-September. The weather can be a nightmare in April and May. Come June, summer is there. July and August is true summer, while the weather in September can start shaking things up again.
Fishing is really good on ION Beat I in the hot springs when the season opens no matter the weather. There are fish there all winter. The whole lake might be frozen over, but is ice free in the east side of the bay on Beat I. 25 degrees hot spring water keeps this part of the lake ice free.
Early in the season the fish are often easier to catch, but in the prime time they become tricky. The number of fish will increase, and they will often be visible in the surface. Dry fly time! Beat I peaks in May till mid June.
Beat II on ION can be good in April but is far more stable in May and actually until the season closes in mid-September. Prime time is also mid May and all June. You will see lots of fish all summer but they are very challenging, even for a skilled angler. In September some of the fish have changed into spawning colors, shape and behavior. You will see them jump more straight out of the water like salmon, and they are like a totally different fish. Not many anglers are fishing at this time. There are normally quite a few open rods on ION during July, August and September, which is a good option to get started there. Not to mention that it is also cheaper. There is always fish on Beat II at this time!
Krastair, The Black Cliffs and veidikortid.is are located close to the river where most of the trout are spawning. It is therefore natural that many of the out-spawned trout are searching for food in these areas in April. But we also catch the big fat ones at this time. The safest and best time is in mid May til beginning of June.
The Villingavatn River Beat is great in mid May and June like beat II on ION.
I'm not going to spend any time telling you that you have to use and certain brand to catch a fish. It really does not matter. I will instead give my opinion on what to use and why. You can catch a fish on all kinds of gear but like in any sport, you can optimize you tools and techniques.
On ION, I more or less only use #6 rods mounted with WF6 floating lines. I have two rods rigged up:
- A medium/fast action rod for the dries and nymphs.
- A fast action for when the winds bites and a weighted steamer might go at the end of the line.