The Magical ‘Mio’: A two-rod gem with a beautiful private lodge in north-east Iceland

THE MAGICAL ‘MIO’: A two-rod gem with a beautiful private lodge in north-east Iceland

I believe I have discovered a gem, which happens extremely rarely these days, hence my urgency to get it down on paper and let those who may be interested know as soon as possible so they may have the opportunity to grab space before it is sold elsewhere.

By TARQUIN MILLINGTON-DRAKE

Let me give you some context before I describe this ‘gem’. I have fished in Iceland, without a break since 1989, that is 35 years.

I have fished most of the great rivers including Laxa in Kjos, Laxa I Adaldal, Blanda, East Ranga, Thvera, Kjarra, Hofsa, Jokla, Haffjaradara, Vatnesdalsa, Vididalsa, Asum, Grimsa, Breidalsa, Midfjardara, Leiresveit, Nordura, Hitara, Sog etc and many more but most of all, the best of them all by a country-mile in my view, the Sela from 1992 to the present day. I can tell you the strengths and weakness to all these rivers.

My relationship with the Mio has been distant until this past season when I finally got to fish the river for four days and stay in the brand new, amazing, best-in-class lodge. I have driven the river and knew it to be nice with canyons and more open pools but until you have cast a fly on a river and even spent time alone fishing on a river, you do not really know it.

My clients have been fishing it for a few years and their enjoyment and the numbers of fish they caught despite conditions intrigued me, but this was the year to see it at full strength with the new lodge, not the little old one where – admittedlyclients had been happy.

Let me give you some more background. The Mio is actually called the Midfjardara but it is called Mio to distinguish it from its north-west coast cousin.

It is lucky to be one of the ‘Six Rivers’; a relatively new brand under which fall the following rivers. The Sela, the Hofsa, its tributary the Sunnudalsa, the Hafralonsa, the Midfjardara and finally the Vesturdalsa.

These rivers benefit from the most forward-thinking Atlantic salmon conservation effort in Iceland, which includes tagging on all rivers, radio tagging and tracking on some of them, relocation of fish in the autumn to spawn in tributaries to open up the expanse of water available to the salmon, a massive tree-planting project to enhance bio-matter in the rivers to, in turn, enhance food in the river and perhaps the most enlightened rules adopted on any salmon river which are as follows:

• No weighted flies

• No sink or sink-tip lines

• No hooks bigger than size 12

• Two fishing sessions per day of no longer than 4 hours per session

• No more than 2 fish from any pool in one session

• Not more than four fish per rod per session

• Full catch and release

• Any dead/bleeding fish should be returned to the lodge’s kitchen

What these rules achieve is as follows:

• Less fishing pressure but great fishing for everyone

• Less impact on the fish

• Better fishing for everyone through the season due to less pressure of weighed or bigger flies

• Avoids excess when the opportunity to catch big numbers of fish arises

• A more balanced season for all

• No ‘damage’ to pool for the next guest who may fish it due to too many fish being caught or the way in which the fish were fished for

• No incentive to kill fish in the hope of taking it home by calling it ‘a bleeder’

These rules are working and now there is the data to prove it.

In short, the Mio is in as safe hands as there are in today’s Atlantic salmon world. Furthermore, a fish ladder has been built around the previously impassable falls to open the upper river. At the time of writing (August 2024), I am aware of 17 fish making their way up the ladder into the hinterland of water above.

“Below the falls pool there are some runs and pockets which hold fish at varying heights”

It is tempting to describe each pool of the 12 kms of fishing but that will likely bore you. The river is best fished with either a single-handed rod (I used a 6 weight) all the way up to a 12 or even 13ft rod. Floating line is the normal and the rule so ONLY floating line. At the top of the river is the impassable falls with the inevitable beautiful tail where one can see what fish you are going to fish for before you start. It is the most testing pool to clamber down too and will not be for everyone, but there are ropes to help as there are on some other pools too.

Below the falls pool there are some runs and pockets which hold fish at varying heights before a series of stunning canyon pools most of which fish at the head of the pool, and the middle as well as the tail which is the traditional place to fish in canyon pools. They are not so deep as to be impractical to fish. Pools like Skrudur and Efri and Nedri Armothylur are as epic pools as you will find in Iceland. There are 18 names pools/runs in the canyons with each one becoming less of a walk climb than the other. The really nice part is that you can walk long sections of it without having to come back up and this makes a real difference.

By Nedri Armothylur one is below the lodge and pretty much out of the canyon. The eleven pools below are either easy access or a short walk and they are pretty pools with nice flows offering opportunities for running and holding fish.

Then you have the Little Kverka which is a tributary that comes into the main stem just below the lodge at the end of the canyon. It does not have classic pools, but it has some good-sized pots and runs where fish stack up and should they take, crazy battles evolve as the fish make their way down through the pots and runs. The Little Kverka comes to a stop at its large impassable falls pool where fish can be caught as well. The reason why I think this river is a gem is because in its 12 kms it has all the qualities of Icelandic rivers, classic canyon pools, beautiful runs, open pools and pots and nooks and crannies. All for just two rods.

Furthermore, my guests have fished it in flood years and drought years, and they have caught plenty during both. As is typical of the north-east Iceland, fish sizes are broad with 20lbs fish possible, fish in their teens likely and grilse of course. Also typical of the north-east, some years are grilse heavy, and others are multi-sea winter heavy, but you cannot have the plentiful big fish years without the plentiful grilse the year before! In terms of fish stocks, as I have said, the river improves by the year and could not be in better hands.

The two rods caught about 42 fish for the three days I was there with one rod fished almost full hours and the other fished at about 40% or less of available time. They tended to stop fishing for the session after one fish.

“The river was full of fish with fresh fish coming”

The river was full of fish with fresh fish coming. I should also mention that, at present, the river comes with a truly excellent young English guide who, at just 21, is full of energy and has a grasp of Icelandic fishing and this river well beyond his years. The new lodge is a massive dollop of icing on the cake! Its closest competitors are the Sela Lodge, now over 10 years old, or Deplar Farm or its outlying fishing cabins but it exceeds them all.

Forget Icelandic fishing lodges – this is a spacious, interior designed house which happens to sit on a bluff over-looking an Icelandic river.

I will let the photographs do the talking but there are three very spacious rooms, all with large ensuite bathrooms and then there is the Master suite which is a bigger version of the other rooms. Those in the Master Suite will be very happy but those on the other rooms will not be jealous of the Master suite, their rooms are beautiful too with fine bedding, proper towels and curtains (not Icelandic handkerchiefs for towels etc!) with Yves Delorme Paris robes etc, you will get the drift! There is a large seating area with open plan dining and bar all overlooking the river.

Above all, the lodge is beautifully designed and spacious, and the tenant has it to themselves.

The lodge overlooks the last two main canyon pools so about mid-river in terms of drive times which would likely not exceed 15 minutes to any pool in either direction.

This year, the lodge will probably be fully catered only (I know who will cater it and they are fabulous) but having experience the lodge with total privacy while self-catering, I have appealed for that to be an option for those that may want that total sense of utter relaxation.

In summary, except for some pools being a tough climb in and out of the canyon making the river not for absolutely everyone and one or two of the lower pools being slippery (so studs on wading boots vital), I cannot see that this little river is anything but a gem.

It is a Sela in miniature, great pool variety, size of fish variety and the finest lodge in Iceland that I am aware of.

For more information, please visit: www.frontierstrvl.co.uk/the-mio