Hvalnes lake area - Veiðiheimar

Northwest Iceland

Photo credit: HH

Fishing season

25 May – 15 September

Baits allowed

Flies, Worms, Spinner

Fishing limits

No quota

Accomodation options

Fishing hut

Guidance

Not available

Accessibility

For beginners, Family friendly, Requires permission, Only 4×4 cars

Price range for fishing rods

For the full day

3000 ISK to 4500 ISK

What can be fished

Brown Trout

Arctic Char

Description

The lake area that belongs to the town of Hvalnes on Skagaheiði is huge and fishing licenses are sold there for six lakes and the rivers that flow between them. The lakes are Ölvesvatn, Fossvatn, Selvatn, Grunnatjörn, Andavatn and Stífluvatn and the main rivers are Eiðsá, Fossá and Selá. Ölvesvatn is by far the largest lake in the Selár water area, about 2.8 km2 size and quite deep. The access to the lakes is along a 6 km long jeep trail which is a short distance from the farm ^Hvalsnes and leads to Ölvesvatn. The lake area has both Arctic char and brown trout. There are a lot of ½ – 3-pound fish in the area, along with brown trout, which can be up to 6-7 pounds.

Accommodation & Facilities

Fishing hut

Fishing rules

Access to the fishing area is limited and it is safer to book a fishing permit in advance to ensure access. Bookings with accommodation take priority, both for the houses by Ölvesvatn and the attic in Skagavör. Holders of the Fishing Card must register in Hvalnes and receive a key to the area. Both the Fishing Card and ID must be shown. Net fishing is strictly prohibited, as is the handling of firearms. It is also strictly forbidden to leave rubbish and drive off-road. Children under the age of 14 fish for free accompanied by a cardholder. In Hvalnes, anglers receive fishing reports to fill in and information about the area. Fishing reports and keys must be returned at the end of fishing in Hvalnes.

Directions

Fishing area: fishing is permitted in the entire water area, i.e. Ölvesvatn, Fossvatn, Selvatn, Heyvötn, Grunnutjörn, Andavatn, Stífluvatn, Eiðsá, Fossá, as well as all othere streams that flow between lakes.

Lake Andavatn

This is a rather small lake that lies west of the so-called Ketubruni. It is about a 20-minute walk to the northwest from Grunnutjörn (pond) to Andavatn. Good char is said to dominate the lake, but brown trout are also found there. It is best fished from the outflow north along the east coast. The char is mostly about one pound, but larger fish are occasionally caught, up to 4 pounds. Fairly good brown trout are also caught on a rod.

Lake Grunnatjörn

This small lake is not named on the main maps, but it is a short distance northwest of Ölvesvatn. Arctic char is the dominant species, but brown trout can also be found there. The char is mostly small, but the larger fish tend to take angler’s bait. People have fished in Grunnutjarnarlækur, which flows to Ölvesvatn, in pools far up in the stream.

Lake Stífluvatn

Lake Stífluvatn can be found southwest of lake Ölvesvatn and is quite a walk from the fishing cabins where you come to Ölvesvatn. As in the other lakes, Arctic char is the predominant species in Stífluvatn, although brown trout are also found. According to Bjarni in Hvalnes, the best char in the entire lake area can be found in Stífluvatn. There are a considerable number of fish weighing two to three pounds. The main fishing areas are at the mouth of Stífluvatnslækur, which flows into Ölvesvatn, and on the shore between it and the stream that flows into the lake.

Lake Fossvatn

A short distance east of lake Ölvesvatn, south of the fishing cabins, is lake Fossvatn. It is 150 m above sea level and 0.27 km² in area. Brown trout are more common there than Arctic char and are often bigger than in Ölvesvatn. Wading some distance into the lake is needed to have a chance at the big ones. There is often good fishing at the mouth of the Eiðsá river, with char often caught there, finding food and cold water on warm days. Along the coast and where the Fossá flows from the lake to the east there is often good fishing. There are fish in Fossá, usually brown trout, but usually rather small.

Selvatn (southern one)

Selvatn, which is the second largest lake in the land of Hvalness, is some distance south-east of Ölvesvatn. It is 150 m above sea level, like Fossvatn, and 0.73 km² in area. Selvatn is the deepest lake in the area, about 16 m where it is deepest. It is possible to drive in big jeeps to Selvatn from the trail up to Ölvesvatn on Skaga, but the condition of the road is far from good. Brown trout dominate in the lake and in good numbers, but they are not very big. As in many places, the best fishing spots are at the estuary and outflow of rivers in the lake and then along the north coast.