Iceland, salmon under the midnight sun

In Iceland the landscape still seems under construction: volcanoes, lava fields, glaciers feeding clear, fast rivers. In the south of the island, near the Golden Circle, some of these rivers see a good summer run of Atlantic salmon.

In July and August the sun barely sets, and fishing follows the rhythm of the light and the river rotations. You cast into pools of transparent water where you sometimes see the fish before you hook it.

Icelandic sagas tell of Viking settlers and open-air assemblies: nearby lies Þingvellir, seat of one of the world’s oldest parliaments. Between sessions you can visit Geysir and the Gullfoss waterfall.

You stay in a full-board fishing lodge a few minutes from the pools, so not a single hour of light is lost.

Recommended tackle: 9–10 ft single-handed rod or light switch, floating lines, small flies and hitch tubes, waders and a windproof jacket.