Þingvallavatn cheat sheet
Both fish, the park permit and the shore-only rule, the fly rigs and the one light kit. One page to take to the water.
Þingvallavatn
Season 20 April to 15 September. Fly only and browns released until 31 May; fly, worm and lure from 1 June. Trophy browns late April–May and late Aug–Sept; char all summer. Shut the rest of the year.
Permit
The park's own day permit, one rod, ISK 2,500 (2026), from the Leirar service centre or thingvellir.is. Children free with a paying adult. A valid national Veiðikortið card (ISK 9,900, 2026) also gives access; display it in the windscreen.
Shore only
No boats, no float tubes, no floating device. You fish on foot, wading the lava margins and drop-offs.
Log everything, release carefully
Every catch, kept or released, must be logged in the research catch log. All browns released 20 April–31 May; release tagged fish and big browns; browns over 60 cm can carry high mercury. Clean and dry kit between waters.
Bank vs boat · season · time → rig
| Fish | Where on the shore | Best window | Best time of day | Rig |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brown trout (trophy) | Margins, drop-offs, off the points | Late April – May and late Aug – Sept | First and last light | Streamer rig |
| Brown trout (along the drop-off) | The fissure lip and seams | Shoulders of the season | Low light | Nymph rig |
| Arctic char (rising) | Shallow lava margins and bays | June to mid-September | Through the day when they rise | Dry-fly rig |
| Arctic char (not rising) | Margins and drop-off | June to mid-September | Through the day | Nymph rig |
| Char and smaller browns (spin) | Margins and drop-off | From 1 June (lure allowed) | Low light best | Small spinners on the light spin outfit |
There is no bank-vs-boat choice: it is all on foot. Fish the trophy browns at first and last light; fill a summer day with char.
The rigs
Fly line → tapered leader → tippet → a char- or stickleback-imitating streamer, stripped along the edge for the big browns
Perfection loop · improved clinchFly line (sink-tip for the deep drop-off) → leader → tippet → a weighted nymph fished slow along the fissure lip
Perfection loop · surgeon's or blood knot · improved clinchFloating line → tapered leader → fine tippet → a small dry fly to rising char on a summer day
Perfection loop · improved clinchFrom 1 June: light spinning rod → braid → short fluoro leader → a small spinner for char and smaller browns
PalomarWhat you need
One fly outfit and a wallet of leaders, tippet and flies build the whole lake. A light spin rod and small spinners are the June-onward option.
The knots
| Knot | Ties | Used by |
|---|---|---|
| Perfection loop | A neat loop in the leader for a loop-to-loop join. | Leader to fly line |
| Improved clinch | A simple, strong tippet-to-fly knot. | Tippet to fly |
| Palomar | The workhorse, the spinner knot. | The light spin option |
Learn the loop-to-loop and the clinch first; they tie most of the fly fishing. Wet every knot before you pull it tight. The leader-to-tippet joins (surgeon's or blood knot) are on each fly rig page.
This one page is the printable I take to the water.
Give me an email and I will show it to you, ready to print. A one-page reference: what's on by month, the licence and rules, a rig for every fish, the shared tackle box and the knots.
I'll send you the cheat sheet, and email you when I add a new place to fish. Nothing else.