Fishing for Sea-Run Trout, with Krystjan from Fish Partner in Iceland
Podcast Transcript:
Tom: Hi, and welcome to the Orvis Fly Fishing podcast. This is your host, Tom Rosebauer. And my guest this week is Kristján from Fish Partner. And I'm not even gonna attempt to pronounce Kristján's last name because my Icelandic isn't so good. In fact, it's nonexistent. So, [00:00:30.079] he'll pronounce it for you on the podcast, but, the topic this week is, sea trout, sea-run brown trout fishing. And I've never done a podcast on sea trout mainly because I've never caught one. Those of you who've been to Europe or been to Tierra Del Fuego, may have caught sea-run browns. I haven't. So Kristján's gonna give us some tips on how to catch these, hard-fighting, ocean-going fish. And, I think if you're interested in fishing for sea trout, you'll pick up [00:01:00.090] quite a bit of tips in this podcast.
And before we do the fly box, instead of giving you tips on some of the Orvis-endorsed operations, guides, outfitters, and lodges and expeditions, this week, I wanna talk about the Orvis Manchester fly fishing schools. These schools started back in the 1960s, and they are the oldest and most established, professional fly fishing schools in the world. [00:01:30.400] In my early years at Orvis, in my first few years at Orvis, I taught in the fly fishing schools. I think I taught, I started one of my first years at Orvis and and taught for, I don't know, maybe eight or nine years in the fly fishing schools. And, it's a great experience. I talked to hundreds and hundreds of people who tell me that they've learned fly fishing. They started fly fishing at the Orvis School [00:02:00.090] in Manchester, Vermont. It's much more professional than in my day. The instructors are incredibly knowledgeable and great teachers, easygoing, patient, and, they've seen it all. So if you have any reservations at all about your fly casting or your fishing skills in general, this is a great place to go.
And, you know, while you're in Manchester, Vermont, there's a [00:02:30.069] lot of great things you can do. Of course, there's fishing on the Batten Kill. We have great, small-stream trout fishing, all around the area. We have some bass fishing nearby in Lake Champlain and the Connecticut River. Great smallmouth bass fishing. And then while you're at the school, you take a rod shop tour so you get to see the Orvis fly rods made, fiberglass, mostly graphite and bamboo in the rod shop. And right next door is American Museum of Fly Fishing, which [00:03:00.129] is definitely worth a couple of hours while you're here. And, of course, Southern Vermont is a beautiful place to visit. It's peaceful, quiet, and there are lots of great hikes to take, canoeing and kayaking, and just all the kind of things you would wanna do in the Vermont woods. So it's a great experience, and, the school is a great experience to plan another trip around.
Now when you go to the school, you have the option of, depending on [00:03:30.104] the day, you have the option of the regular two-and-a-half day fly fishing schools, which are kind of a basic school. You have the Vermont trout combination school. There's a women's fly fishing school. There's a one-day advanced fly casting school, and there's a two-day parent and child fly fishing school. It's a great experience for you to go to with, with one of your children or grandchildren for that matter or nieces or nephews. So, great experience. [00:04:00.294] You can find all about the different schools that are available on the Orvis website under trips and schools.
And then speaking of trips, I got a couple of trips coming up. I have one to Iceland, which is the topic of today's podcast. July 15th through 20th with Fish Partner. We're gonna be fishing for possibly Atlantic salmon, brown trout, char, sea-run brown trout, and sea-run char. We're gonna try to achieve the Icelandic, [00:04:30.950] grand slam on this trip. I won't be disappointed if I don't get a grand slam, and I hope you won't, but love to see some podcast listeners on this trip. I often get people that found out about my trips through the podcast. And then in September, taking a trip to the Pyrenees to fish for native brown trout in a spectacular part of the world with amazing food and wine, and this is a great trip [00:05:00.235] for couples. I'm actually bringing my wife on the Spain trip because she doesn't fish, but I know she's gonna enjoy the trip. And then, in January, January of 2026, January 31st through February 7th, I have a trip to Estancia Teche, which is miles and miles and miles and miles of Spring Creek fishing and lakes, in Argentina. So I'm really looking forward to that because I love Spring Creek fishing. [00:05:30.264] All these can be found on the Orvis website, at orvis.com/adventures.
All right. Let's do the fly box. And if you wanna send a question into the fly box or share a tip, you can send it to me at
And the first question this week is from Lance. I have a streamer fishing question. For the context, I predominantly wade-fish in Middle Tennessee for smallmouth. Most of the creeks I fish are around 20 feet wide. I recently heard Kelly Gallup say he fishes streamers upstream when he wade-fishes small creeks. This contradicts what I've heard others say about streamer fishing, and he recommend [00:06:30.105] a 45-degree to downstream approach. Would his advice translate into smallmouth fishing since smallmouth are more prey inhalers and brown trout are more prey grabbers? Or would the size of the river be more of a factor on fishing upstream versus downstream?
Well, Lance, Kelly Gallup is certainly a phenomenal angler and teacher, but I'd have to disagree with him. Yeah. Fishing upstream in a [00:07:00.035] small stream is great, but so is fishing across stream, you know, if the stream is a little bit wider or fishing straight downstream. You can do it all. I think that he's right that probably fishing upstream is the best, but don't get in a rut where you're only fishing in one direction. Of course, you have to decide first whether you're gonna wade upstream or downstream in a small stream. But, you can fish them in any direction. And same thing with smallmouth. I don't think it really matters, and it's really gonna depend on, [00:07:30.019] the ease of approach at every little pool or pocket and figuring out the best way to get a fly to the fish, whether it's moving upstream or downstream. You know, these fish are out hunting, and they're looking for prey. And I don't think that it always matters that much which direction you throw the fly as long as you keep it moving. And then again, sometimes a dead drift works. Sometimes just throwing it [00:08:00.089] upstream and letting it drift back with maybe the occasional little twitch would work. But, you know, the fish in different water courses behave differently. And even on different days, they behave differently. So with streamer fishing, you really have to be flexible. Don't get yourself in a rut where you're only fishing in one direction. Try everything.
Mark: Hi, Tom. A quick story and a few questions. I was out fishing in some slightly high water the other day, and I caught a couple of rainbows [00:08:30.459] on a double nymph rig under a strike indicator. I moved to a new hole and caught a new fish deep. I set the hook. As I went to bring it in, it slipped off before I could even get it to the surface. I cast again and the same thing happened. I often lose fish with barbless hooks, but I had a tight line the entire time, and I'm a little confused.
Now for the good part. I cast into the hole again and a new fish, a very large rainbow trout comes flying to the surface and smashes the orange strike indicator [00:09:00.460] and even pulls it under. Of course, I can't set a strike indicator so I bring it back to the surface and cast again. Two or three casts later, the same fish smashes the strike indicator again. So I quickly move to a caddis dry fly, which it ignores. I switched to a large orange attractor pattern to no avail. I even switched on to some hoppers and smacked them out of the water like a strike indicator might. Nothing.
I decide to go back to my indicator rig [00:09:30.019] for the two that had gotten away from me earlier in the hole. I cast again, and that same big bow comes to the surface and smashes the strike indicator again. I tried every dry fly I could think of without success. I never did bring in that fish. I saw the trailer for cocaine bear, so I posed something weird could have made that trout so mad. Questions. Any tips on how to keep from losing fish on barbless hooks? And two, what is up with that trout? And what would you have done? [00:10:00.945] I suppose I could have put a hook in the strike indicator. Thanks for all you do.
Tom: So, Mark, you know, as I was listening to your question, I was thinking, well, try a dry dropper if the fish is eating your strike indicator, but you're trying a dry dropper, and it didn't work. So I'm not sure what was going on with that fish. The only thing I can think of is maybe it thought the indicator was a big blob of eggs floating on the surface because [00:10:30.975] rainbows especially do like to eat eggs, sort of brown and brook trout. But, you know, I honestly don't know what was going on. And, you know, generally, that's what I do when I have a fish take my strike indicator, I immediately put on a dry dropper. But that fish seemed to want your indicator, and who knows why? I don't have a clue. You know, I'm sure you found the roundest, [00:11:00.404] most strike indicatory looking fly in your box and you tried it and it didn't work. So something about that indicator that the fish like, but who knows? I know people who have put hooks on strike indicators, but I don't personally do that.
You know, how to keep fish on barbless hooks is a matter of keeping tension on, particularly if you have a weighted fly on a barbless hook like a bead head or a streamer with some weight toward the head because the fish can shake those things very easily and [00:11:30.095] the barbless hook can slide out. It's really a matter of keeping tension on the fish all the time. And one of the ways that fish often get off barbless hooks, well, there's two places. One is when you first hook the fish and you try to get the fish on the reel. And, you get some slack line and the rod tip is bouncing around while you're trying to get the line on the reel and then the hook slips out. Don't do that. Strip in a fish until the fish starts taking line, [00:12:00.345] then you use your reel. And then also, when fish gets close to you, don't spend a lot of time letting the fish thrash on the surface. Steer it around and get it right into the net because that hole where the hook is in the mouth has opened up a little bit and gotten larger as you play the fish, and it's a lot easier for that barbless hook to come out. So try to keep tension on the fish, is the the general philosophy [00:12:30.475] for landing fish on barbless hooks.
Here's another email from Tom from Colorado.
"Hi, Tom. I am new to fly fishing and like many have had the vision of wading through streams as part of it. I have read, however, that you should try to avoid wading as much as possible as there is very low probability that someone can wade through water where they won't spook fish. In other words, remain on banks, on rocks, etc., and only wade when you need to. Other than the enjoyment of being in the river [00:13:00.184] and enjoying, is there any truth in this?"
Well, Tom, if you can, you know, if the stream's relatively small and you can stay on the bank and you can keep, you know, your profile hidden, you don't wanna stand up on a rock because that's gonna raise your profile and more of a chance of the fish seeing you. But if you can stay close to the bank or on the bank, you're gonna be less visible to the fish. You're not gonna wade through the water, obviously, so less chance you're gonna spook a [00:13:30.004] fish. And that's good to start out. But, you know, in a little bit bigger river, you're gonna find out that you just can't get to fish, that you wanna get to. You can't get to a spot you wanna get to, standing on the bank. You often need to wade to get yourself into position to make the right cast, to get some back cast room, to get a little closer to the fish so that you can make a nice accurate cast. So the answer is yes. Stay in the bank when you can, but, don't be afraid of wading. Just, [00:14:00.325] be careful of your wading, and, you know, fish close if you're wading, fish close to you at first just in case there's a fish there in the shallow water and then gradually, move out to where you've just cast and continue to work the rest of the stream.
Here's one from Bill from Maryland. "This one might be too basic." Bill, no question is too basic. "I have multiple reels, so that means I have multiple leaders on those reels. Of course, the leaders [00:14:30.245] aren't labeled. So now I put the leader in a small ziplock bag in the reel case with the reel. Presto. I now know what leader is on that reel."
Well, Bill, that's a great tip. And I don't do that myself, and I should. So, thank you very much for the tip. That's a really good one.
Paul: Hi, Tom. It's Paul over in The UK. Love the podcast, and thank you for everything you do for our sport. [00:15:00.058] And great that the podcast is free of politics, one of the few places on the Internet not to contain discussion about divisive politics. It is something of a refuge. Anyway, I digress. A question about leaders. I like to tie my own leaders, Tom. I've done so for many years, and the more I do it, the more I start to question what I'm doing. Now you can go on the Internet and find, [00:15:30.014] you know, dozens of recipes for different lengths and different breaking strains, but I'll confine my question to two areas. Two recommendations from you, Tom, if that would be possible, please.
The first is on material. Would you opt for a hand-tied leader made of copolymer or fluorocarbon? Which is the best for turnover for the presentation of a dry fly? [00:16:00.309] And the second question is to do with knots. Which knot would you prefer to join the sections together? I'm conscious of the phenomenon known as hinging, where you get those awful leaders that do hinge. I want a smooth rollover and a good presentation. And, of course, as every good angler knows, it's the last 9 or 10 feet of the system that matters most regardless of whether you've got a, you [00:16:30.220] know, $100 rod or a $1,500 rod. It's that presentation that's so important and, your advice, your observations would be more than welcome. Thanks, Tom. Keep up the good work.
Tom: So, Paul, I think that for tying your basic leaders, nylon is best. Not a copolymer, not a fluorocarbon, but nylon is best for dry flies [00:17:00.728] because if you have a leader made entirely of fluorocarbon. Fluorocarbon sinks pretty well and you're gonna find that, your fly's gonna drag more because the leader is gonna go underwater and pull on your fly, and then mending is gonna be difficult and also it's gonna drown your dry fly. So, I would use neither fluorocarbon nor copolymer for dry fly leaders. I would just use standard nylon. Nylon [00:17:30.119] tends to float or it's almost neutrally buoyant, and, your your presentation with dry flies is gonna be much better.
Now if you wanna put a fluorocarbon tippet only on a nylon leader, a lot of people do that. They think that having the tippet, sink is stealthier. I don't think so. But some people do, and some people think that fluorocarbon is less visible to the fish. I don't either. I don't believe that either, but I do like fluorocarbon, [00:18:00.390] because it sinks. I mainly use it for nymphs and streamers and saltwater fishing because it sinks a little bit better. So fluorocarbon is a lot more expensive, so is copolymer. I would just stick with nylon for building your leaders and maybe put a fluorocarbon tippet on there if you want.
And as far as connecting sections, really, I know you're not gonna wanna hear this, but there's no better knot than the blood knot. It's slim. It stays straight in line. The [00:18:30.119] sections don't cock off to the side. They tighten so that the sections stay in line. They're slim. They're clean. They look nice and they hold very well. Now, when you're up in the heavier sections of your leader, you know, first your butt section and your first couple sections, you can generally get away with three or four turns on that heavier stuff. It'll be fine. You don't need to go five turns. But as you get closer to the tippet, you're gonna wanna put a five-turn blood knot in there. [00:19:00.049] So, there may be a better knot, but I don't know of a better knot for connecting leader sections.
Here's one from Tom from Maynard. "Thanks for all you do for the fly fishing and conservation community. I'm not sure you'd be able to answer this question, but my wife and I were recently in New Jersey fishing my wife's family, and we wanted to explore some of the trout streams nearby. We had a good time exploring, though we were not successful at all. Her family lives in New Jersey about forty minutes from [00:19:30.144] New York City, and there is a stream that runs through their backyard. We were both surprised to see what appeared to be trout in the stream. It is stocked. However, these fish were of varying sizes, four inches to roughly nine inches. The size difference may seem like these were not stocked, but where they are is very developed. So it seems surprising that there could be a wild population there. Is this a possibility? Or maybe we're just confusing our fish. We did not try to catch them. Thanks as always."
Well, Tom, you know, [00:20:00.125] what you saw could have been, young suckers or dace or creek chubs or fall fish, other small relatively slim fish that kinda look like trout in the water. Unless you can get a real close look at them, it's often tough to tell them from trout. But it's certainly possible that that stream could support wild trout. You know, if the water stays cold enough and there's a good food supply, you know, there's no reason that trout can't live [00:20:30.315] in a suburban or urban environment. I know a number of places where there are wild trout that live very close to large metropolitan areas. So, you know, if the habitat's right, the trout will be there, and those very well could have been wild trout.
The other thing is, some places do stock fingerlings, young trout, in streams so they can grow up more or less wild or wild-looking anyways. And it could have [00:21:00.005] been that, but I suspect they were either some sort of minnow or bait fish or they were wild trout.
Here's an email from David. "Those of us who live to fly fish and are out on the water as often as possible know that the best casting motion in the world is useless without a proper leader-tippet fly configuration. Toward that end, one hears and sees numerous ways to attach terminal tippet to a tapered leader, whether that be a commercial extruded leader or a sectional Harvey [00:21:30.355] type deal. A. Triple surges knot. B. Tippet ring with dual clinch knots. C. Blood knot. Oh, no. I have a hard time with these. And D, other. Under other, I recently heard of an individual who ties a perfection loop at the end of the leader, then attaches terminal tippet via clinch knot.
Tom, let me head you off in advance and acknowledge that as in all things fly fishing, it depends. There's a world of difference between the rig you might use to cast a size [00:22:00.134] 18 dry fly to picky and spooky wild trout in a mountain creek versus throwing a 12-inch streamer to tarpon on a saltwater flat. So let's stick to general fly fishing for trout in streams."
Well, David, you know what? It doesn't really depend. All of those are good methods. A triple surgeon's knot is not quite as clean and smooth as a blood knot, but it's very strong, and a lot of people use it exclusively. A tippet ring with dual clinch knots is [00:22:30.523] fine. I don't use tippet rings that much because I don't mind tying knots, and it's just something else I have to dig out of my sling bag. But, you know, if you put one on the beginning of the day and then you just, if you're using the same size tippet all day long, you don't lose anything when you attach a new section. And so it works quite well. The problem with tippet ring is if you're, like, going from a nymph to a streamer to a dry fly in the same day, [00:23:00.150] you're probably not gonna wanna use that tippet ring because you're gonna be using different size tippets and you're gonna have to move it around. And moving a tippet ring around is no fun because you usually lose them. So it works, certainly works well, very strong. And, again, I don't do it with dry flies and I wouldn't do it if I were gonna change my tippet often.
And then the blood knot. I'm sorry, but that's the one I use. I trust it. It's strong. It's clean and it works. Now there [00:23:30.000] are other knots. There are many other knots. There are many other knots to tie a tippet to the rest of your leader. The Orvis tippet knot is a really good one. I used to use it and I forgot how to do it, and I don't use it anymore. But as I remember, it was very strong. And just thinking about this, I'm gonna go back and practice it and use it more because I found it to be a really good knot. But there's, you know, double uni knot. Even some people tie a double-nail knot. There's all sorts of ways. [00:24:00.749] All the ones you recommended or all the ones you suggested were great.
Personally, I wouldn't use that perfection loop deal just because it's clunky, even with a small perfection loop, it's gonna more likely to get tangled than a nice clean notch. You've got that little loop going through the air. It's a little more air-resistant. It'll work fine, but it would not be my preferred way of tying on a tippet. So, you know, [00:24:30.119] if you have trouble with blood knots, then, yeah, either the triple surgeons or the tippet ring with two clinch knots will work just fine. But I really urge you to practice that blood knot. Get good at it. It's not that insurmountable and it is a really great knot.
Here's an email from Rob. "I have one product review of my own and one question I hope you can provide some guidance on. The product review. Your reviews tend to focus on the fishing gear Orvis supplies, [00:25:00.819] but I've found some of the other Orvis products to be equally impressive. I travel quite a bit for work. And in the last year, I've been from the U.S. to Japan, Singapore, and throughout Europe, and then back all across the U.S. I upgraded from my previous luggage to the Trekkage LT roller bag and backpack. If it can handle the baggage handlers at O'Hare and Heathrow, then trust me, it can handle anything. I highly recommend the Trekkage line of bags, the highest of quality and very [00:25:30.309] practical.
Now my question. I'm lucky enough this summer the before mentioned backpack will come with me on two trips to Yellowstone in Grand Teton area. One of the trips is a daddy-daughter most epic road trip to the Grand Teton Yellowstone Parks, and we will be doing a little bit of fly fishing on the Firehole in Madison River. She's had some decent success on some of the local stock streams here in Arizona and has developed a pretty good roll cast. However, the stock trout are forgiving [00:26:00.309] when it comes to presentation. She's using an older seven-and-a-half foot four-weight of mine and usually a nine-foot leader minus some length after changing flies. The shorter rod is better for her than my nine-foot four-weight, but it limits some range on the cast. Would you recommend a longer leader, say a 12-foot, to give the fly a little more distance and better chance at natural presentation? Do we power through with a longer rod? This is most likely a it depends question, and ultimately, [00:26:30.599] there's no wrong answer. We're just looking forward to try our hand at some trout in a fantastic place and creating memories."
That's a tough one, Rob. I mean, there are places, smaller streams in the Yellowstone Teton area where that seven-and-a-half-foot four-weight will be fine. But I think you'll find as you get on the bigger rivers, I mean, even the lower fire hole, gets relatively wide, it's gonna be a hindrance. She's not gonna be able [00:27:00.866] to hold enough line on the water. She's not gonna be able to cast as far. She's not gonna be able to mend her line as easily with that seven-and-a-half-foot four-weight. It'll work particularly if you're, you know, in places like the fire hole where you're generally working upstream and you can get right behind the fish. You can make a nice short cast to those fish. And it should be okay. But the seven-and-a-half-footer is gonna have a little more trouble throwing that 12-foot leader too. It's just not gonna be as easy [00:27:30.888] to cast as a nine-footer.
So, you know, that nine-foot four-weight that you have can't weigh more than an ounce more than that seven-and-a-half foot four-weight. And I think your daughter, you didn't say how old your daughter was, but I think your daughter could handle a nine-foot four-weight rod. They don't weigh that much. And, you know, she should be able to. She's old enough and strong enough to wade in a river, I think she can handle a nine-foot four-weight. But, [00:28:00.883] you know, I'd take the seven-and-a-half-foot four. You might have fun with it, but I think that she's gonna be happier and better off with that nine-footer on most of the streams in that area.
JP: Hi, Tom. JP here from Michigan. I have a few tips and a question for you. First, one of the tools that I have found that is increasingly useful for fly tying and fly fishing is a 3D printer. These are increasingly accessible for people and they offer unique solutions to unique [00:28:30.677] problems which we tend to have when it comes to fly tying and fly fishing. We tend to be fairly gadgety and you can print off these gadgets that you may need. So for example, I have a feather gauge that did not quite fit my Renzetti vice, so I designed a collar for it and now it fits perfectly. You can design your own solutions or you can access the hundreds if not thousands of files online to print for free. So it's been very, very useful and I'd highly recommend it.
The second tip has to do [00:29:00.134] with organization. As a beginning fly tier, I had a lot of difficulty when it comes to finding particular hooks and beads especially when they all come in packages that look more or less the same. I'd often miss particular hooks that I had and I'd buy duplicates and it caused a lot of problems and frustration. So what I ended up finding was a jewelry tray on Amazon. The ones that I use in particular, they have 28 slots that are each about an inch by inch by inch. So they fit in [00:29:30.984] probably about the size of a 3,500 Plano tackle box. And I can put all the hooks of one particular type in the slot, cap it, and then I can label it.
I personally print out label maker labels that work really well. I can have the information of the hook, the size, any particular features of it that are useful. But you can certainly use a Sharpie to write these. So at a glance then, I can look at 28 different [00:30:00.255] types of hooks or beads or whatever and figure out what I need or what I want to use. It's been incredibly useful. And I even designed a shelving unit to go at my bench and printed it off on my 3D printer.
As an aside, a potential podcast idea might be for how do you organize fly-tying materials. I know that when I tie flies, my bench kind of looks like a bomb exploded and I would love to hear tips and tricks that people use to organize [00:30:30.189] their benches so that things are easily accessible and in a somewhat orderly manner to be able to find what you need when you need it.
Now, for the question. So I've noticed that you really like the dry dropper system because you can fish dries and nymphs at the same time. You've talked about using dual nymph rigs during tight-line fishing. I've heard you talk about trio rigs on wet flies so you can fish different [00:31:00.144] types of flies at the same time. Generally, the idea is the more flies that you have out, the more options fish have, the more likely you are to hook up. One of the things I have not heard you talk about and I don't know that I've heard many people talk about if at all is dual dry fly rigs. I could see for example a situation where you might have a hatch and you might want to mimic a adult fly as well as an emerging fly. So you could have both on the same rig. Is this done? Is this something that just doesn't work well [00:31:30.174] when it comes to casting or presenting? I'm curious to hear your thoughts about this. Thanks again for all you do, and I'm looking forward to your response.
Tom: So, JP, that's an interesting idea. I've never played with a 3D printer, but they have one. The product developers have one in the Orvis office. And I might go and see if I can use it and see what I can make for fly-tying tools. That sounds kinda cool and kinda fun. And that organizational tip that you had, [00:32:00.857] is also a great one. You know, your podcast idea, I've resisted the temptation because I get this question fairly often. I've resisted the temptation to tell someone or even suggest how to organize your fly-tying desk because everybody's needs are different. Everybody's mind works differently. Everybody's organizational skills are different. But [00:32:30.190] I will consider it. Maybe get somebody like teacher Tim Flagler on to talk about how to organize fly-tying materials.
And then regarding your question, yeah, a lot of people use dual dry fly rigs. In fact, if you go to YouTube and you go to the Orvis YouTube channel and you go under Tom's tips, there is a video there called, can you fish two dry flies at once? And that'll answer some of your questions, [00:33:00.140] but I can also answer them here. That'll show you the method in action. But yeah, you know, often, if you're fishing some water where you think a little ant or a beetle might work or even a little tiny dry fly might work, you don't see any fish rising, so you don't have any targets. And you can't see that little fly, particularly in a riffle or fast water. A lot of people will put on, you know, a big parachute Adams or, Royal [00:33:30.430] Wolf or Chubby Chernobyl or something and then tie about two feet of five X or six X tippet on the end of that and put the little tiny dry fly behind it. And, the big fly gives you an idea of where your little fly is, or sometimes it actually acts as a strike indicator. Sometimes you see the big dry fly move, and you never see the fish inhale your little ant or beetle. So, it works. And I do it a lot.
You know, [00:34:00.130] I start with a dry dropper usually. And if all the fish are taking the dry and none of them were taking the nymph, which does happen on some days, then I'll try a different dry fly, usually a little smaller one behind the dry. So absolutely, yes, you can fish two dry flies at once. The only time I personally don't use two dry flies, won't use two dry flies at once is if I'm in a situation where there's a hatch and [00:34:30.039] there are fish feeding that I'm targeting, I find that I can be a lot more precise and a lot more accurate with a single dry and disturb the water less. So, in a hatch, I will not use two dries, but other times I will.
And there are even people that do that during a hatch. They'll use a floating fly during a hatch and then put an emerger behind the floating fly so that they're fishing both a fully hatched insect and an emerger at the same time when the emerger is more or less a dry. [00:35:00.706] So, yeah, you can do it. It works, and, I'd urge you to try it out.
All right. Well, thanks for your great questions this week. There were some really good ones in there and some really good tips. And, now let's go talk to Kristján about fishing for sea trout.
Well, my guest today is Kristján, and I'm gonna butcher this Kristján, so you're gonna have to correct me, Rafnsson. How is that?
Kristján: [00:35:30.750] It's okay. You're never gonna get it right anyway.
Tom: No. No. And I know I don't know any Icelandic, but I should learn some because I'm gonna be coming to fish with you in July, and I'm really excited about it. Kristján is owner at Fish Partner in Iceland, which is also Orvis' partner in Iceland. We've had many great trips to Iceland with your company and with you. [00:36:00.159] And, I have never been, so I'm very excited about this trip. And I think there's a couple of spots open in case anyone's interested. I don't know. Do we have any spots open in the Iceland trip? Do you know?
Kristján: Yeah. We actually do have few spots. The last remaining spots are open.
Tom: Okay. Good. And what are we gonna be fishing for when we're there?
Kristján: So I think we're gonna aim for the Icelandic Super Slant.
Tom: Yeah. [00:36:30.857] What's that?
Kristján: Which is, Atlantic salmon, sea-run brown throat, resident brown throat, sea-run Arctic char, and resident char. So all the five species we're gonna go after. So it's very exciting.
Tom: Yeah. And everyone on my trip is gonna expect to get a slam. And so you and I are gonna be busy.
Kristján: We're gonna be busy. Yeah. We're gonna keep you very busy. But hopefully, [00:37:00.000] it's gonna be easy.
Tom: Well.
Kristján: But it's fishing. You know?
Tom: It's fishing. It's never easy. Anyway, what I wanna talk to you about today is sea trout fishing, sea-run brown trout because, I get a lot of questions about sea-run brown trout in the podcast, mainly from Europe. We have quite a few listeners in Europe. And I know nothing about sea trout. There are as far as I know, [00:37:30.766] there's only one small river in Maine that has sea-run brown trout. Now there are probably more, but that's the only one I know of in North America. So it's certainly not a common thing to fish for here, and I've never fished in Tierra Del Fuego or in Iceland or Scotland or Ireland for that matter. So, tell us about sea-run brown trout. Let's talk about, you know, when, where, [00:38:00.844] how to fish for them. Now have you fished for sea-run browns in places other than Iceland, Kristján?
Kristján: Yeah. I've fished in Tierra Del Fuego once in at the Rio Grande. It was about two of, yeah, probably 18, no, 20 years ago. So I've been down there once for the sea-run browns, but I really don't need to go there because they're all in my backyard. You know? So...
Tom: Well, I just I just wanna make sure [00:38:30.936] that what you tell people is gonna transfer to other rivers. Other than Iceland.
Kristján: Yeah. So, yeah, let's just start with, yeah, talking about the sea trout. So the sea trout in Iceland it's all native fish. Nobody brought them, unlike the ones down in Argentina. We have sea trout spread all over the country [00:39:00.875] or all over the coastal rivers, but they are quite different between areas. All the best and the biggest sea trout you can find in Iceland, they're all, like, on the south coast of Iceland. And, these main rivers, they're all kind of, connected to a very, very big river called Skafto. So there's a lot of fish that live in the Skafto. It's a big glacial river. It's [00:39:30.034] quite murky in the summertime, so basically unfishable. But, all the tributaries have a very good stock of fish, and there's really, really a lot of them there. And the sizes are just, unbelievable. I mean, the average size in the rivers we fish in is about eight pounds on average. You catch you catch them anywhere between pound and a half and up to 25 pounds.
[00:40:00.307] They run in the fall or the first runs that come, like, late July into the river system. And they're running all the way until after the season, which ends 20th of October. I've heard from some farmers that they're running all the way until December. So they run in the fall. They stay in the river, for the whole winter, and, they usually go back in May. Then they go back to the ocean, [00:40:30.355] and then they come back up at the fall. These fish, they get very old. They can get up to, like, 16 years old. So they run up to 11 or 13 times up to the river system.
Tom: That's fair. That's very old even for a brown trout. That's really old.
Kristján: Yeah. Yeah. That's very old. And, yeah, they're just a very, very special fish, and, they're very hard fighting. [00:41:00.474] This area, in the South Coast, it's all volcanic. So, all the all the rivers are full with, like, volcanic sand. They have lived a lot of volcanic eruptions, lava flows, and, you know, a lot of stuff that they've survived. And, so they are very, very strong and special fish in my opinion.
Tom: So tell me a little bit more about their life history. So they spawn in freshwater, [00:41:30.434] obviously, and the young drop back. How long do the young stay in freshwater before they go to the ocean?
Kristján: That's a good question. I mean, it hasn't been, like, done, like, a good research on it, but, they stay, like, a small, like, two or three years in the river. And then they just go traveling. I know about some creeks and small lakes connected to the glacial system, And I [00:42:00.000] know they travel, up to these small creeks, up to these lakes. They go back all the way down to the sea, but they really do not go far away. So they live a lot in the estuary or in the lower part of the river until they reach maybe around, you know, two pounds, then they go into the ocean and, go feeding there. So, it's not until they reach puberty that when they come, like, back, [00:42:30.329] like, in the fall and stay in the river. So sometimes you're getting these little guys, like, up to three pounds, like, midsummer. They're just traveling back and forth, so they're like travelers in the system.
Tom: Oh, that's interesting. So they go for freshwater down to the estuary. They stay in the estuary for a couple of years, and then they finally go to the open ocean?
Kristján: Yes. Yes.
Tom: Interesting. Now do you know or does anyone know [00:43:00.646] how far they range in the open ocean? I was under the understanding that unlike salmon and steelhead, they don't go really far from the home river. Do you know how far they go?
Kristján: I don't know exactly how far they go, but they really do not go from the river mouth. I really do not know how far, but it's really not that far because they like, [00:43:30.440] like cruising along the coast. Their main food source is sand eels. It's like a small, long, silver bait fish. And these little fish, they live along the coastline. So they really don't have to travel far for food.
Tom: Do people fish for them in the south along the coast?
Kristján: No. Usually, we don't, but I'm pretty sure it is possible. I know some people that had caught them, [00:44:00.449] especially up in the north and in the west fjords. But down there at the south where the main sea trout area is, they're all huge sand beach, and there are big waves. So it's it's kind of impossible to fish there.
Tom: I don't know. We fish for striped bass in those conditions, and they're eating sand eels as well. So maybe we should bring some of our patterns over there and try it.
Kristján: Yeah. Well, it's it's possible, but the waves are so big down there. [00:44:30.251] It's just dangerous. They'll pull you out. So yeah.
Tom: Okay. Well, we won't go there then.
Kristján: No. No. I don't think so.
Tom: Okay. So, let's talk about fishing for them. Now when I was in the UK, and I had the opportunity just once to fish for sea trout, and we fished at night. They didn't fish for them there during the day. But in your summer, [00:45:00.014] you don't really have a night, do you? Not a real dark night.
Kristján: We don't have a dark night, but, like, at this time of the year, now is a sea trout season, so we fish for them in the fall, and then we fish for them again in the springtime before they go to the ocean again. So we do have night at this time of the year and in the fall. But the funny thing is, the fishing is really not that good at nighttime. I've tried it [00:45:30.094] many, many times and it's really not that good. So the good thing about the sea trout in Iceland, that you don't have to, you know, stay up all night for them. You can just wake up in the morning, go out fish and then, you know, have a beer in the evening and have a good night's sleep.
Tom: So they're active. They're active, during the day.
Kristján: Exactly. They are. They are.
Tom: And do they feed when they come into freshwater. when they're on their spawning ground?
Kristján: Yes.
Tom: They do feed?
Kristján: [00:46:00.045] Yes. Yes, they do feed, unlike the salmon. Sometimes when the rivers blow out, you can see they've been eating like worms. You know, you catch them and they're just throwing up worms that that the river is flushing down. Also like early in the fall season, we have some crane flies hatching and you can see them very often just grabbing the crane flies. I mean, they are trout. You know? They are trout, so they behave like a trout.
Tom: Wow. [00:46:30.860] So it's not just kind of trying to upset or make a fish angry. They're actually feeding, unlike salmon.
Kristján: They are actually feeding. They are actually feeding until it's getting very, very close to their spawning time, then it could get tricky. And it's tricky because, you know, they're not obviously not thinking about food. You know?
Tom: Right. Right. Yeah. [00:47:00.521] Like most like most trout.
Kristján: Yeah. Exactly. Exactly. So what we use for them as flies and technique, which it's really exciting, we use, like, all the trout techniques and Atlantic salmon techniques as well. So you can fish them with a streamer on the swing. You can fish them, you know, by stripping a streamer. We fish them with nymphs as well, [00:47:30.855] occasionally dry flies. And then we can use salmon techniques, like surface flies. We call them the riffling hitch. It's like a small plastic tube with a hole in the middle of the tube. So it's like staying on the surface of the water. So we use all kinds of different techniques, and that's really, really exciting.
Tom: Now this is a personal question. If I tie some tube flies [00:48:00.255] on plastic tubes, can I punch a hole in them on the stream and then just run it through the side? Is that how you do it?
Kristján: Yeah. Yeah. You can do that.
Tom: I just wanna be prepared.
Kristján: As as long as the body is not dressed, then it's no problem.
Tom: All right. Because I'm gonna be tying flies for months before I come, and I wanna make sure I have the right flies. So, yeah, let's talk a little bit more about techniques. Do single-handed rods, double-handed [00:48:30.235] rods? What's the...
Kristján: It all depends on the water you fish. In the bigger rivers, I always use a Spey rod because I love Spey casting. And then in the smaller streams, it's just single-handed rods. It's like a nine-feet, seven, eight-weight floating lines mostly, but we also use like, sink tips to get it down if the river blows out. And with with the Spey rod, I'm using [00:49:00.119] usually, anywhere between, 12 and and 13-foot, actually up to 13.6-foot. Spey rods, I personally use a gadget line, when I'm fishing the bigger rivers because I really like to, like, throw it, you know, far out and get a proper swing. So yeah.
Tom: Do some people use Scandi lines as well when the water's a little lower and clear?
Kristján: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. [00:49:30.050] Yeah. Yeah. We use both Scandi and Skagit. So...
Tom: And so let's talk a little bit more about techniques. Let's say, do you see these trout, in a river? Do they roll like salmon occasionally do? Or, I guess you might see them rise once in a while, actual rise to an insect.
Kristján: Yeah. Yeah. You see them roll. You see them jump, like, you just, you know, far out from the river just like salmon. And [00:50:00.239] in the early season, in like, May, when we are having our first hatches, you will see them occasionally going to the surface. Also in August, for the crane flies I told you about. You'll see them. You'll see them every once in a while rise. But, especially when they're running, you see them rolling all over the place. So it's really exciting.
Tom: So you come up to a pool, and [00:50:30.349] you see some sea trout in there. What's the first thing you do?
Kristján: The first, first thing I do is usually using a floating line. And, you know, not to spook them. And I just do, like, a swing. I just swing through the pool. If nothing, I might go deeper or throw an infin there. But it actually all depends on the conditions, you know. If it's [00:51:00.269] low water, you know, you have to sneak up to them because they can be super spooky. If we have like a clear sky and sunlight, then they're super spooky, then you have to go light, you know? If we have overcast and like a rain or the river is a little blown out, then we just throw a streamer right into the pool. So it all depends on the conditions and the...
Tom: Okay. As it is with most trout.
Kristján: [00:51:30.579] Yeah. Exactly.
Tom: When you fish nymphs for them, let's say the water is low and clear and you don't wanna swing a streamer through there, Do you use indicators?
Kristján: Sometimes we do. Yes. Sometimes we do. Sometimes not. Sometimes we use, like, a euro-nymphing.
Tom: Oh, boy.
Kristján: Yeah. So.
Tom: Yeah. And that must be, I mean, a euro-nymphing rod is pretty limber. It must be quite a fight with a big sea trout on a euro rod.
Kristján: [00:52:00.389] Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. We use, like, all the way down to three weight, like, 10, 11-foot long, and then just euro-nymph them. But it's a lot of fight. You have to put a lot of pressure on them. A lot of pressure.
Tom: Yeah. I bet. Yeah. So, what size tippet are you using, curious, for sea trout?
Kristján: We use, like, anywhere from, like, 10 pounds and up to, like, 15, 16-pound leader.
Tom: Okay. Yeah.
Kristján: Yeah. [00:52:30.469] It really depends on what you're doing. You know? When I'm swinging a streamer, I'm usually just using a 15 to 16-pound leader.
Tom: Right.
Kristján: Just a straight leader.
Tom: Yep. And then with nymph fishing, you go a little lighter?
Kristján: Yeah. Then we go a little lighter.
Tom: So 10 pound is, what, about two X?
Kristján: I'm not very familiar with the Xs. I'm in millimeters and pounds.
Tom: Oh. Yeah. Well, [00:53:00.460] I have a millimeter to inches cheat sheet that I keep. So I better bring that with me. Or I have a conversion thing on my phone, but that's too much trouble.
Kristján: Yeah. It's too much trouble. Yeah.
Tom: Okay. So, what millimeters are you using when you're nymph fishing?
Kristján: Maybe around 020. Yeah. Something like that.
Tom: [00:53:30.079] Okay. I don't know what that is.
Kristján: Zero-eighteen, 020, something like that.
Tom: I don't have my cheat sheet, but I'm sure people listening can sort that out. And, let's talk about some patterns that you use that are specific to sea trout, some fly patterns.
Kristján: Well, when it comes to streamers, the all-time most favorite streamer in Iceland is the Black Ghost.
Tom: [00:54:00.094] The Black Ghost? The standard featherwing Black Ghost?
Kristján: No. No. No. No. No. No. Not the standard featherwing. We use, like, Zonker variations with rubber legs and, you know, all the new, funky stuff.
Tom: So a Black Ghost Zonker.
Kristján: Yes. Yes. So it's it's just a black body, then like a white Zonker wing and yellow hackle, yellow tail.
Tom: That's a killer fly on the Batten Kill [00:54:30.184] for big trout too, by the way. It's interesting.
Kristján: Yeah. It is. It is. It is.
Tom: Interesting.
Kristján: We also use, like, trailer hooks with the like, just tinsel. Just silver tinsel or silver bluish tinsel. And it's like imitation of the sand eel. Just like this long, it looks like a kind of a Christmas tree, but it is actually everyone you see it in the water, it's just like a long sand eel. So that's a very, very effective one as well.
Tom: [00:55:00.074] I'll have to bring my striper flies in because I have a lot of sand eel limitations.
Kristján: They probably would work.
Tom: How about little clousers? I know for sand eel, I use a very sparse clouser. Does that work for your sea trout?
Kristján: Yeah. Yeah. I mean, we use a lot of clousers, you know, all kinds of clousers. But the colors we are using, you know, we're using a lot of bright colors. And all the way down to dark colors. It really... yeah. And [00:55:30.204] usually we're not using, like, these giant American streamers. Just smaller, like hook size streamer, hook size anywhere between eight and four. Something like that. Usually, the number four or maximum tool is absolute maximum. You don't need the big flies. They take the small stuff as well.
Tom: Okay. And what about the tube flies? What patterns do you like in the tube flies?
Kristján: I mean, we use very, very similar [00:56:00.766] tubes for the sea trouts, like the Black Ghost and all kinds of, like, you know, shiny tubes. But we also use, like, hitch tubes, like just normal salmon tubes like the sunray shadow.
Tom: Sunray shadow.
Kristján: Yeah. That could be very effective, especially on a sunny day. Sometimes on a sunny day, they just sit down there and they're not moving at all. Then sometimes a very, very effective way is just a floating line, long sunray, like, I don't know, [00:56:30.114] like a four, five-inch sunray and just strip it really, really fast over the surface. It just makes them crazy, and they just come up from the bottom and attack it. So, yeah, it could be very exciting.
Tom: That sounds exciting. Yeah.
Kristján: Yeah. Yeah. And also with the hitch tube, so they're like half inch long usually, the ones we use. And all you need is just a little bit of black wing. That's it. I think it's mostly [00:57:00.074] the v, the riffling hitch that they attack.
Tom: So behavior. Yeah.
Kristján: Yeah.
Tom: And then how about nymphs? Are there any special nymphs that you use, or do you use standard trout nymphs?
Kristján: Well, I don't wanna say it, but I will. The squirmy is very effective.
Tom: It is, huh?
Kristján: Yeah. I mean, especially when, like I told you before, you know, when the river blows out we just see them, you know, throw up, they're full of worms, [00:57:30.114] like, you know, like red worms. So, of course, the squirmy is effective. Then, like a copper john and all kinds of rubber legs. They don't have to be super big, these nymphs. It's like, maybe 12, 10 or something like that, but you have to have strong hooks. That's the key. Strong hook.
Tom: Yeah. I imagine you do. Yeah. So your rivers have stoneflies and mayflies, and caddisflies. Right? [00:58:00.204] Same as [crosstalk 00:58:01.609]
Kristján: The rivers there, they don't have any mayfly flies. They have caddis, and they have some stoneflies, but they hatch, like, in different time, like, in the wintertime or in weird times.
Tom: Interesting. So no mayflies?
Kristján: No.
Tom: Must be something to do with the volcanic geology or something.
Kristján: Probably. Probably. We have very, very few mayflies in Iceland, actually.
Tom: Really? No kidding.
Kristján: Yeah, very few.
Tom: Interesting. [00:58:30.534] Interesting. Now, how would you compare the sea trout fishing, the sea-run brown trout fishing in Iceland to other parts of the world, say, Tierra Del Fuego or Scotland, Ireland? How would you compare it?
Kristján: Well, the only place I can compare to is South America. Because that's the only place I fish for them. Well, the difference is, of course, it's they're native here. [00:59:00.105] They've all just been there. Nobody brought them. And we can fish them during the daytime. I remember when I was down there, always, the magic hour was just, like, you know, right after dark. So that's the difference here. You can fish them just during the daytime. And, yeah, well, you know, beside that, it's not a lot of difference between these fish. I mean, they're brown both, sea-run and Brown trout, so the [00:59:30.050] behavior is very similar.
Tom: Okay. And less wind in Iceland? I know it gets windy there, but probably less in Tierra Del Fuego. Right?
Kristján: It can get pretty windy here, but, you know, it can get really windy here. But down in Tierra Del Fuego, it's just, it's constant. It just doesn't stop. But, you know, you get breaks here. You can have a [01:00:00.543] few days and it's just calm and beautiful and nice and and then when it starts to blow, it can really blow. But it's not constant like down in Tierra Del Fuego.
Tom: Yeah. Probably more like Chile, which I'm quite familiar with where it's windy most days, but you do get some calm days.
Kristján: Yeah. Exactly.
Tom: All right. What else should we talk about? How about fighting sea trout? Is there anything special about fighting them as opposed to fighting [01:00:30.190] native trout or Atlantic salmon?
Kristján: Well, the sea trout, they're very powerful. They're full of energy. You know, they gain a lot of weight and, you know, they build up a lot of muscles in the ocean. So when they come and they enter the river, they're just full of energy. And, my opinion, they fight much harder than the Atlantic salmon.
Tom: Really?
Kristján: But usually the... yeah. [01:01:00.199] Usually the battle is is short. They give up earlier, but, you know, they gave in all the power from the first second till the end. So yeah. So they're really, really strong.
Tom: And they jump like salmon. Right? Or they can jump.
Kristján: Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Sometimes they just dance on the tail. Just it's it's amazing.
Tom: Now, how about when you're fishing in the spring for those dropbacks, are they a little less exciting because they've been in the river [01:01:30.349] all winter?
Kristján: Well, my opinion, they are very exciting. They're still the same sea trout, and they do feed in the river. It really depends, like, on the fishery where you're fishing, for them. Because if the river that they stay over winter is cold, they can be quite skinny. But in other rivers, they are warmer, and they provide food over the winter. So in these rivers, they're much healthier [01:02:00.375] and fatter. So, I mean, a lot of the sea trout, the overwinter sea trout we catch is, like, fatter than, you know, resident trout in some of our lakes. So they're still in very, very good shape.
Tom: So they don't spend an awful lot of time in the ocean. Right? So they drop back this time of year, which is early May. Is that correct?
Kristján: Yeah. [01:02:30.135] They usually drop back, anywhere between 10th of May until the begining of June. That's when they start heading back. They don't go back until they're completely silver. So when they arrive, they are silver, then they get colored up in the river, and then they get completely silver again, and their scales start to get loose, and then they're ready to go back to the ocean.
Tom: So they don't spend much time because then they come back in late July. [01:03:00.125] Right? They come back in fresh water in late July. So they don't spend an awful lot of time in the ocean.
Kristján: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, you know, some of them come in late July. Some of them come in October. Some of them come in November, you know? So, it's very, very different between individuals.
Tom: So they're in the rivers most of your season. One way or the other, there's sea trout in the rivers.
Kristján: Exactly.
Tom: And it's all catch and release, right, in Iceland?
Kristján: Yeah. Yeah. It's all [01:03:30.045] catch and release.
Tom: And is there a season?
Kristján: A season?
Tom: Is there a season...
Kristján: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. We have two seasons. Sorry. I'm running out of battery. I'm gonna plug my phone in.
Tom: Okay. Is there a legal season?
Kristján: Yeah, there's a legal season. The fishing season for the sea trout is from April 1st until they leave. And then, again, [01:04:00.155] when they arrive until October 20th. So basically, you can fish for them from April 1st till October 20th. But, you know, it doesn't make any sense to fish for them in the summertime because they're not in the water.
Tom: They're not in the water when I'm gonna be there in July. Right? How are we gonna catch that slam if we're coming in mid-July?
Kristján: Well, I'm talking about the South Coast sea trout. That's a completely different sea trout from [01:04:30.394] the ones up in the North. They come in the river in June, July. Oh. So they're completely different. Yeah.
Tom: Oh.
Kristján: Yes. Yes. They are completely different.
Tom: So let's talk about the North Coast sea trout.
Kristján: Let's talk about the North Coast. Yeah. So the North Coast trout, they don't get as big as the ones in the South Coast. Most of the sea trout we catch there is about 3 [01:05:00.130] to 8, up to 10, 12 pounds maximum. And, I mean, they have very similar behavior, but, they just run earlier up in the North.
Tom: Okay. Okay.
Kristján: Yeah. Yeah. The shape of the sea trout up in the north is also a little bit different from the ones in the south coast. Probably has something to do with the food in the ocean. So they're not as fat as the ones in the south, [01:05:30.110] but still, you know, they're very, very healthy fish. But, yeah, so they're just on a different time zone than the ones in the south.
Tom: Okay. And do they have sand eels up there as well, or is there a lack of sand eels up there?
Kristján: They have sand eels there as well. Yes.
Tom: And, say the same bug life, so no mayflies in the north?
Kristján: Yes. Yes. It's the same bug life.
Tom: [01:06:00.911] What else do they feed on when they're in the ocean? Do they feed on squid or shrimp, or other things?
Kristján: They feed a lot on squid. They stay, like, close to the estuary, and we have some also there. We have, like, kind of brackish estuaries nearby. They go in there and they feed a lot of squid, like, small squids, and the sand eels and, you know, sticklebacks as well. [01:06:30.039] They live in the estuaries, in the brackish water.
And so their food source is pretty much the same as on the south coast, but still a little different.
Tom: Okay. And how about, I have a big box of traditional hair wing and feather wing Atlantic salmon flies that I hardly ever get to use, but I like tying them. Can you fish for these fish with a traditional Atlantic salmonfly [01:07:00.420] on the swing?
Kristján: Yeah. Yeah. Actually, when we are salmon fishing, you know, all the other species are very often a bite catch, you know, the sea trout, the... yes. I mean, I've been salmon fishing very often up there, like, with a big Spey rod, maybe a big tube. You know? And I'm catching, you know, small jar and trout as well on the same technique, same flies. So they are aggressive. [01:07:30.409] They are very aggressive.
Tom: So you can catch your slam without even thinking about it.
Kristján: Exactly. That's the beauty about it.
Tom: Okay. All right, Kristján. Is there anything else that I missed about sea trout? Anything that we should discuss?
Kristján: I mean, we could sit here all day long talking about sea trout, but you know? So, well, I think we went over the most important stuff.
Tom: [01:08:00.599] Tell me a story. Tell me a story about a day of sea trout fishing. Tell me about something that happened that was interesting.
Kristján: Wow. Where to start? There are so many stories. Yeah. For example, last autumn, I was fishing in the Battle Hill fishery down at the south, and the rivers, they were just completely blown out, completely blown out. And what [01:08:30.229] happens in the lower part of the system when it blows out, it's all sand. So the pools, they just disappear. So the fish, they just spread out all over the water. So they can be very hard to find.
Tom: Right.
Kristján: So I was wading up to my waist, downstream. I've been looking so much for the sea trout. Didn't find anyone. And then on the way back... then I just decided, okay, that's it. I'm going back. So I was probably [01:09:00.380] about, I don't know, 200 meters, whatever that is in feet into the river because it's really, really wide river. You can hardly see the other bank. So I was just walking back, and I had my line out. And after, like, 10 minutes of walking back, boom, something grabbed my fly. So, okay, I fight the fish, and it ended up being like a 12-pound sea trout fresh. [01:09:30.680] So I stuck around there, and after about an hour, I had four fish all in this range between 10 and 15 pounds. So, that was pretty amazing. That was pretty amazing.
Tom: So never give up and never take your fly out of the water. Right?
Kristján: No. That's the key. Keep your fly in the water. That's how it works.
Tom: Yeah. That's for sure.
Kristján: Yeah. [01:10:00.821] I mean, I can tell you many, many stories, but, you know, I don't know where to start.
Tom: Well, tell me.
Kristján: They're all kind of so normal for me.
Tom: Tell me another one. We love hearing stories here. Tell me another one.
Kristján: Yeah. Once I was fishing in another river there in the region, and it had been very, very dry, and there was actually nothing happening. The water level was very, very low, and we had, like, clear skies, sunlight. So all [01:10:30.055] the guys in the house, they decided, no, we're not gonna go out to the... you know, why should we? But this morning, it start to rain a little bit, and we had some overcast. So I went down there into the pool, one of the main pools, and just first cast. Bang. And I had one friend with me. And I think we had probably around 10, 12 fish between us, you know, within one hour.
So I called the other guys and told them, you know, [01:11:00.154] get out of bed. Come on. Come fish with us. Everything is getting crazy. So they came back after, like, I don't know, one hour or something. And then we had, I don't know, 15 or 18 fish between us. And one of the fish I caught was over 20 pounds, and it was so fat, I couldn't hardly lift it. So the picture I took of the fish is the fish laying on my legs because I couldn't hold it. It was too fat and [01:11:30.005] heavy. So yeah. But finally, when the other guys came back, we had over 20 fish between us. So...
Tom: Oh my god.
Kristján: Yeah. So keep your fly in the water. Never give up. Even if you have hard days, go out in the morning. Don't stop.
Tom: Don't stop. Don't give up. Don't get discouraged.
Kristján: Yeah. Yeah. Because you never know when it's gonna happen. You know?
Tom: That's a good philosophy for nearly any kind of fishing, isn't it?
Kristján: Yeah. Exactly.
Tom: Okay. Well, Kristján, [01:12:00.598] thank you for taking the time today to tell us more about sea trout fishing, specifically in Iceland. We've been talking to Kristján, and pronounce your last name for us.
Kristján: Rafnsson.
Tom: Yeah. Easy for you to say.
Kristján: Yeah. I can pronounce my full name because I have a middle name as well.
Tom: Oh, okay. Yeah. Let's hear your full name.
Kristján: Hello, everyone. My name is Kristján Páll Rafnsson.
Tom: [01:12:30.756] Okay. It's gonna take me some practice, but now I have an audio file. So by the time I come and see you in July, I'll listen to this and I'll be able to pronounce your whole name.
Kristján: Yeah. We'll practice it together.
Tom: Okay. All right, Kristján. Well, thank you so much. And, again, if you're interested in fishing with us in July, I forgot the date. It's mid-July sometime. It's on the Orvis website, under Iceland, [01:13:00.720] and, maybe hope to see some of you there. Thanks, Kristján.
Kristján: Thank you so much. It was a pleasure.
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