I have just returned from a hosted trip with 25 fantastic clients who were fishing 18 rods between them. It was a trip full of laughs, superb food and a lot of salmon landed – it was also a trip full of some of the filthiest weather you could imagine.
For 3 days of the 4, we had lashing rain, howling gales and pretty much everything every gardener in England has been praying for – no heatwave for us!
It is a testament to the supreme reliability of the river that we did not lose a single moment of fishing as nearly every other river in the world would have been blown out.
We landed 168 fish over the 4 days and it was lovely to see fish spread throughout the whole system – there were no blank beats and we approached every pool with hope and expectation.
There is no doubt we would have caught many more with slightly more clement conditions, but we lost as many as we landed and everyone was in action most of the time.
These fish had found the feeding grounds that every other has been looking for – they were all in mint condition and fought with immense strength. One 20lb fish took very nearly 45 minutes to land with a very experienced rod who was being as tough as he possibly could. This particular fish ended up in the box and will be used for future breeding for the river.
We were guided by an incredibly enthusiastic team and they could not have worked harder to put our rods onto fish. When yet another session started in the pouring rain, it was very uplifting to see all of the guides smiling, laughing and looking forward to another session of landing fish.
We were blessed in the lodge with a simply brilliant crew where nothing was too much trouble and they smiled the entire time.
We were also blessed to have Clara, the Icelandic Masterchef champion, who cooked us food from the Gods’. We had food that would have graced 3 Michelin star restaurants and it was all served with panache and style, it was impossible to fault and sadly for our waistlines, impossible to say no to!
With faultless logistics, the most incredibly reliable river, awesome food and a massively enthusiastic team of guides and staff, we could not have been made more welcome or had more fun.
If you want productive and prolific fishing on a river that can take all that Mother Nature can throw at her, then the West Ranga is the one to choose.
If you are interested in a hosted trip or any fishing in Iceland in 2023, please contact us at info@roxtons.com
