About

Fish Partner is a fly fishing outfitter, fully licensed travel agency and tour operator that offers a wide range of high-quality services for angling travelers from all over the globe. We organize various scheduled tours: professional angling tours, fishing vacation packages, combinations of day tours and fishing adventures, multiple fishing activities, and lastly, we tailor tours in many of the greatest rivers and lakes of Iceland. Not only do we offer one of the largest selections in fishing spots in Iceland, but we also offer our customers to combine their trips with other activities from our trusted tour and travel operator partners in Iceland.

We at Fish Partner have more than 70 years of combined fishing experience and over 30 years of experience in servicing foreign and domestic fishermen as guides and tour operators in Iceland. For us, fishing is a passion, one that we could not be without. Therefore we know the importance of a well-organized fishing trip. From the attributes of the fish and the beauty of the landscape to the quality of the food and the smoothness of the transport, we know that every detail is essential to the overall experience. Since the founding of Fish Partner, it has been our passion to make your fishing experience in Iceland an unforgettable one. If you want to chase trophy Browns on streamers, dry fly eating Arctic Char, or catch your first Atlantic Salmon on the fly— We will make it happen. From DIY trout fishing to high end luxury fishing, we have it all.

What is Fishing in Iceland all About?

In addition to the abundance of big fish and amazing rivers and lakes, Icelandic fishing is primarily known for its exclusivity. All fishing rights in Iceland are either privately owned or owned by municipalities. Outfitters like Fish Partner lease the fishing rights and make them available to fishermen. All rivers and lakes are controlled by the limitations of rods, some with catch and release and fly fishing only. Fishermen can therefore know exactly what to expect. No need to wake up in the middle of the night and race to your favorite spot – it is reserved for you throughout the day!

Fish Partner offers a great variety of lakes and rivers with banks and distances that is impossible to cover in one fishing trip. While fishing in Iceland with Fish Partner, you can expect to fish some of the best trout, char, and salmon streams in the world, all by yourself or with the best guides in Iceland, standing in the middle of the most scenic landscape in the world. And at the end of the day, a world-class meal in quiet and cozy lodges or hotels.

Range of Services

We at Fish Partner offer a wide range of services. As fishermen ourselves, we understand that people have different needs. Therefore, we offer everything from a single-day license to fish up to multi-day trips where every detail from the fishing and guiding to the food and transportation is arranged by us. Everyone should find something in our Experience packages or our Day tours. If you have specific ideas, do not hesitate to contact us directly. And remember, there are no stupid questions!

How is the setup?

A common setup in a full-service tour is that our guide picks you up at the airport when you arrive. Most often we go straight to the fishing grounds from the airport, or we can make stops on the way if desired. When salmon fishing in Iceland the day starts at 7 am and finishes at 10 pm, with a break from 1-4 pm. These timings are more flexible when trout fishing, but a limit of 12 fishing hours per day is always applicable. In the Highland, we fish from 9 am to 6 pm and have lunch on the bank. This gives you a chance to relax or sightsee in the evenings. In Lake Thingvallavatn we fish into the night, as dusk is very often the best time.

Who is it for?

Everyone who wants to experience nature and fishing in Iceland! We arrange trips ranging from roughing it DIY in remote backcountry locations to high-end luxury adventures and everything in between. We have decades of experience servicing everyone in the fly fishing community, be they young or old, fit or disabled we love to customize the trip that is right for you. Although we at Fish Partner enjoy taking experienced anglers out on the river and trying for these big trout that are playing hard to get, we also love to teach beginners what fly fishing is all about.

The Species

There are five species of freshwater fish in Iceland, three of which are targeted by fly fishermen. Those three are all part of the salmon family (Salmonidae): the Atlantic salmon, the Arctic char and the brown trout. The other species are the three-spined stickleback and the eel. All these species require to, or are able to, live in the sea for part of their life cycle, which explains how they originally arrived on this Atlantic island.

Brown Trout / Sea Run Brown Trout
If you are reading these lines, you have most likely heard of Iceland’s brown trout. This favorite of so many anglers can be found swimming wild in countless streams and lakes throughout Iceland. The brown trout has two different types of life cycle. They either spend their entire life in freshwater (landlocked brown trout), or spend their first years in fresh water as fry, before later migrating to the sea every summer and returning every winter to the home river (sea trout). Iceland is known for its incredibly large brown trout, mainly the ice age trout of Lake Thingvallavatn which got landlocked there during the ice age, and the Sea trout. Common size for brown trout in Iceland is 2-5 lbs, while the ice age trout and sea trout can reach over 30 lbs and averages around 8 lbs.

Arctic Char
Arctic char is the most widespread freshwater fish species found in Iceland. It inhabits a wide range of habitat from lakes and small mountain streams to roaring glacier rivers, but throughout its habitat, it requires cold, clean water. Like the brown trout, the char can either be landlocked or searun. Common size for char is 1-4 lbs, with the biggest one ever caught in Iceland being 22 lbs.

Atlantic Salmon
Iceland has been known for its world class Atlantic salmon fishing. There are a number of excellent salmon rivers in Iceland, many of which could be counted amongst the most beautiful waters in the world. The Atlantic salmon is a searun species and runs up the rivers during the summer. The salmon season starts in early June and ends late September. The main runs take place in late July to early August, depending on rivers and parts of the country. In most rivers the majority of fish are grilse (one winter at sea), opposed to multi sea winter salmon. However, several rivers have large numbers of multi sea winter salmon in the 10-25 lbs range.