Iceland Information

Tips & Advice for an angling holiday to Iceland

Iceland offers one of the best value destinations in Scandinavia. The Gulf Stream combines with the North Atlantic current along the sheltered fjords of the northwest of Iceland creating a super-rich sea. Masses of baitfish arrive in April in turn attracting huge shoals of predators.

The fishing is excellent from April right into late September. Huge halibut, perhaps the highest average size of anywhere, are often hooked but not always landed. The average size here is around 100kg with far bigger specimens feeding on the vast coalfish, mackerel and herring shoals. Please note your catch is weighed in the harbour and forms part of the areas quota.

Fishing trips to Iceland are for 10 nights and 11 nights’ duration with arrival days being Monday (10 nights) and Thursday (11 nights). We feature two centres Sudavik and Bolungarvik. Both are superbly run by Iceland Sea Angling and offer excellent accommodation, top boats and expert local advice.

Sudavik in the far north-west of Iceland is a charming fishing village with a population around 200 people only a few minutes’ drive from Isafjordur, Westfjord’s largest town. It offers exceptional sea fishing with well stocked tackle shop, restaurant, small pub and accommodation a short walk from the harbour.

Bolungarvik is a fishing village located at the Vestfirdir peninsula, 14kms from the town of Isafjordur. It is one of Iceland’s oldest fishing outposts, well positioned close to abundant fishing grounds. It has a grocery store, petrol station and a couple of restaurants that serve local food. A large harbour is the focal point of this small fishing village with scenic mountains providing a magnificent backdrop. The sheltered fjord offers top class fishing from April to late September. It has a central deep channel with lots of shallower features and fish holding areas.

Boats have been designed for this region and are licenced for up to 6 anglers. The standard of design is excellent with spacious deck area, cabin, powerful inboard diesel engines, top safety gear, GPS/chat plotter/echo sounder. With a 130hp Volvo Penta D-3 engine they have a top speed of 15-20 mph!

Fuel - How much you use will depend on distance travelled and speed operated but an average could be around £400 per boat/week divided by the number of anglers. Some will use less, some more. One nominated boat operator from each group will take a quick boat operators certificate on the first morning. It is a straight forward simple test that takes a few minutes then you are safe to enjoy great fishing.

Iceland operates high standards of boat safety at sea. No other documentation is currently required.

Flights:
Please note flights are not included. If you require assistance booking your flights, please call Martins World Travel on Tel: 01246 220020 for the latest information. Please do not confirm any flights without contacting us first to check that they will connect with the transfers.

Due to flight time changes and check-in procedures clients are required to overnight at Keflavik and book flights to return the day after leaving the fishing centre.

You are advised to book your flights direct with your chosen airline and pay on your credit card. This gives you maximum protection in the event of an airline failure.

Transfers from Keflavik Airport to Sudavik and Bolungarvik are included. Transfers are via luxury coach with on-board toilet. A representative from Iceland Sea Angling will be on board to answer questions etc.
Outward journey - The coach will depart Keflavik airport at 17:00 (possibly later if the flights are delayed). After approximately 2 hours the coach will make a stop for 30 minutes for clients to have a break and buy some basic provisions if required. The journey takes approximately 7 hours and the coach should arrive at your destination around 23:00.
Return journey - The coach will depart at 08:00.

Importing fish from Iceland:
Sea fishing in Iceland is strictly controlled to ensure high fish stocks. Eat what you catch and fillet, pack and freeze your own catch for free. Each centre has large cooler/freezer bags that easily hold 20kg of fillets. Perfect for bringing your catch back home and for future trips. If you do not wish to fillet your own catch, then you can buy pre packed fillets for around 130 Euro per 20kg box. Filleted and packed individually into an insulated box (4 x 5kg blocks of fillets.) Limit is 20kg per angler. You pay the airline extra baggage charges.

Passports:
Ensure your passport is valid for your trip. For travel to Norway your passport must have a date of issue less than 10 years before the date you arrive and have an expiry date at least 3 months after the day you plan to leave. Passports issued after 1 October 2018 are now valid for only 10 years, but for passports issued before 1 October 2018, extra months may have been added if you renewed a passport early. Some countries, particularly in the EU, do not recognise these extra months. You should assume that your passport validity is 10 years from the date of issue.

Holiday Insurance:
It is more important than ever to get comprehensive travel insurance and check it provides sufficient cover. We recommend that you arrange travel insurance as soon as you book your holiday.

Insurance should cover your itinerary, planned activities and expenses in an emergency.

Check the following Government website for rules for travelling to Iceland:

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/iceland