Blanda Beat 4 is for sure the best kept salmon secret in Iceland , beautiful little river gin clear and you can see the salmon in most places. Beat IV is actually not the Blanda river , it is a small tributary of the Blanda river about 40km from the sea. How to describe it ….. I would say .. like the Austura on Midfjardara, Upper Kjarra , Upper Nordura , small sensitive … floating line riffling hitch , thin leader.
Number of salmons caught per year in river Blanda:
2007: 1117 – 2008: 986 – 2009: 2413 – 2010: 2777
2011: 2032 – 2012: 832 – 2013: 2611 – 2014: 1931 2015: 4829! 2016:2386
2017: 1433 – 2018: 870
Beat IV has been extremely popular among anglers and it has been difficult to secure rods.
Fishing season: June 20th to September 20th.
Prime time: July 10th to August 15th
Average catch: 6 year average 2502 (whole river)
Fishing hours:
June 23rd –August 9th 07:00-13:00 & 16:00-22:00
August 10th – September 15th 07:00-13:00 & 15:00-21:00
Best flies:
Beat 4 in Blanda is an entirely different river from the other beats. This is a small, clear single hand river. Use small flies, hitch tubes and floating lines on this beat, the best flies are:
Black & Blue (sizes 12 – 18)
Black Frances (sizes 12 – 18)
Red Frances (sizes 12 – 18)
Collie Dog (¼ – ½ inch)
Silver Sheep (sizes 12 – 18)
Hitch tubes in various sizes
In late august the river gets colder and one should add larger and heavier flies/tubes to this selection (even bring a sink tip for especially cold mornings):
SunRay Shadow (1 – 2 inches, with and without a cone)
Pool Fly
Red Frances (½ – 1 inch, with cone)
Black Frances (½ – 1 inch, with cone)
Map: Blanda IV Map
Location
Blanda lodge
The Blanda lodge is a new and beautiful lodge, about 19 km from Blönduós. It was built in 2006.
The lodge has spacious 12 twin rooms, all with bath and shower. The living room is big and comfortable and the dining room also. It is a full service lodge with two Jacuzzi’s, sauna and veranda.
Food of top restaurant standard is provided in the lodge during your stay, two course lunch and a three course dinner. Fresh local ingredients are preferred when available.
Phone number at the lodge: +354 451 4070 (During the summer)