One of the most seasoned river Selá anglers must be Gísli Ásgeirsson, fishing guide, Selá river keeper, landowner and manager of the angling club Strengur, the group managing the river. Gísli tells us, that the late Garðar H. Svavarsson, a founding member of Strengur, was the one who “coaxed him” into heading east to try out the fishing there. That was in 1992 and the destination was not Selá but the neighbouring Vesturdalsá. Gísli and Heimir Garðarsson, son of Garðar, were childhood friends. Garðar was among Iceland’s foremost salmon anglers and he owned the property of Vakursstaðir in Vesturárdalur. These trips led to Gísli aquiring experience and he was soon guiding anglers in the rivers of Vopnafjörður.
The guiding actually started in 1996 as Gísli managed groups “every now and then”, mostly on the Laxá í Kjós in west Iceland. In 1998 he purchased some land in Selárdalur in collaboration with Jóhannes Kristinsson and Lárus Gunnsteinsson. With that the focus shifted to Vopnafjörður and his fishing and guiding was thereafter mostly based in those parts. Not just on the river Vesturdalsá but river Hofsá and river Selá as well. By the year 2000 he was almost exclusively on the river Selá. In 2001 Gísli and his two colleagues bought the property of Rjúpnafell which owned a part of river Selá, thus they were then knocking on the door of the angling club Strengur. In the end they purchased shares in Strengur owned by the late Rafn Hafnfjörð who was one of the founders of Strengur. Gísli has been on the board of Strengur since 2007, during that same year Lárus Gunnsteinsson left the group. Gísli is the current manager of the club which English magnate James Ratcliffe now owns the biggest stake in.
“I found Selá enchanting from the start. I had heard the stories beforehand, so I had high hopes. Getting to know the river my hopes were realized. I have had mixed success at getting to know other rivers, different rivers here and there, yet with Selá it clicked from the start. You could say that Selá greeted me with open arms and that the two of us, Selá and myself, have had a long, happy and fruitful marriage,” Gísli says and more:
“What thrills me most is the astonishing variety. The beats are long, the river is big and powerful. You are alone a lot and seldom see other anglers. Also, the rivers holds large salmon that are unusually strong. And, as the years go by, the river is so long that we are still learning new things about it, new pools. You quite often have to work hard for each Selá salmon. That mostly applies to cold seasons when there are few salmon in the river and they are moving slowly due to the cold. You never know where you will find them and need to cover a lot of ground. But when you do find them the thrill runs through you because you know that after all the hard work, that you stand a great chance of being rewarded, of hooking a salmon and landing it.
Selá also likes to break the rules. Usually hot sunny days are not considered good days for salmon fishing in Iceland, yet on the Selá you quite often have your best moments when the weather is at its best. It is true that hot sunny days are considered very good in the Vopnafjörður rivers, mostly Selá and Hofsá. It is probably because both rivers are relatively cold so the sun brings down the centigrade and livens up the salmon. When you fish the river during such conditions, be ready for something special, even huge catches that you might rather expect while fishing other rivers such as Laxá á Ásum. I have fond memories, for instance landing thirteen salmon during one shift in the upper Sundlaugarhylur. I also have several similar memories from the bottom beat where it is common to intercept strong runs of salmon holding temporarily. When you get lucky, be prepared for some gruelling hard work with the rod bent and the reel screaming while fighting fish after fish.
Selá’s salmon runs have not changed over the years. The first arrivals are almost exclusively big fish but the runs soon turn into a blend of multi years salmons and grilse. There is never one culminating run and then nothing or little thereafter, instead the salmon are running steadily until the end of the season, so we continually have new fish arriving in the pools and that livens them up terrifically. The biggest salmon pods do run close to the biggest tides. However not necessarily right at the time of them, much rather two to four days after the highest tide. However old river Selá specialists have this saying: They come when they come! It is a special river and don’t ask me to name favourite pools, I would start somewhere and not stop talking until I had named most of the pools on the river. And not realize it until I had stopped talking as there were no pools left to talk about.
The deep total involvement in everything about river Selá is especially gratifying. It gave for instance a special feeling to be involved in the building of the new lodge at Fossgerði. It is a unique fishing lodge, unrivalled in Iceland for its quality. It is no secret that for a while there were quarrels; when to build it, where to build it, should we build it and so on. Some were worried about the cost of it and that was understandable having only just begun building when hit by the financial crisis in 2008. The crisis stopped us in our tracks, like the rest of the society, Iceland came to a standstill. Things were very difficult for a while as there had not been total harmony. Others will tell the tale of how we got started again and finished the project because when matters were laid bare, everybody was in agreement that something needed to be done.
The years I have spent in Vopnafjörður are quite many by now. I have lived a substantial part of my life on the banks of river Selá and although, when I first came here, I was considered to be „a specialist from down south“, as the locals called people from the capital region, I nevertheless feel like a “Vopni” by now and have felt so for years. I have many friends here and it always gives the same great feeling to arrive after the long drive or the shorter plane flight. The region is beautiful, the people are friendly and direct. No bad vibes. To come here is to heal the soul, especially when I find myself on the banks of river Selá.
Although I asked you not to ask me to name a favourite pool, if you pressed me, I would name Vífilsfljót. Each time I come there I feel the adrenaline rush through my veins. It is a terrific pool. Many feel they would say the same about Bjarnarhylur and they are quite alike. When I arrive at Vífilsfljót I start off by sitting down and clearing my head. It rids me of the apprehension and relaxes me. I sit there and behold the river with its strong even flow. Knowing that everywhere and anywhere a salmon may be holding. They are all over the pool, many of them huge, and it is such a vast pool that it takes a good half hour to fish it patiently from top to tail. If you want to try a few flies it may take you three, four or even upto five hours to fish the pool. And even if it means that you will not try some other pools on the beat, it is all right because patience has often paid off here. Many a beautiful catch has been recorded here when salmon finally started taking after several flies had gone through the pool. Plus, the next angler on the beat will have several rested pools to choose from.
I have often had such moments on Vífilsfljót, both fishing by myself as well as while guiding others. I recall once coming there with two Americans, a father and son, and neither with any experience. The father had lifted a rod before, the son, a 15-16 year old, however had never done so. The idea was to hook the boy up with a salmon and when he had tried for quite a while, using several flies, a number 14 Collie dog set the pool off. Over the next one and a half hour, the boy landed three big salmon, 15, 17 and 19 pounders. He was beyond exhaustion way before landing the third and final salmon. By then his father was suggesting that it might be his turn to try to catch something. Yet when he tried his luck, with the same fly, the magic moment was gone, and the pool was still as if there were no salmon holding there.
River Selá has been a project in constant motion and evolution. First the fish ladder in the lower falls, then years later the second ladder in the upper falls. To be constantly involved in this vast project and watching the growth of the salmon stocks as they acquire vast new areas pulls you closer to nature. The river seems to actually flow through your veins. I have forever been up and down this river, walking, driving, from the estuary and way up further than river Hrútá, all the way to Urðarkambur were the salmon now must stop. I have felt like a pioneer, overseeing generation after generation of salmon in their new habitats. It feels like a part of your family is growing and thriving. It is a privilege and a source of happiness.”