Blanda is a large, glacial-fed river of Iceland's volcanic north — big water with powerful currents, known for large multi-sea-winter fish. It can colour after rain but clears fast, and hitch fishing is productive. Atlantic salmon are managed conservatively here: one male salmon under 68 cm may be taken per shift, after which catch-and-release applies.
The Blanda is a 125 km regulated glacial river draining roughly 2,370 km² of the northwest flank of Hofsjökull, from a source at about 800 m down to Húnaflói bay at Blönduós. Since 1991 the Blöndulón reservoir has functioned as a giant settling pond, cutting the sediment load from roughly 570,000 to 63,000 tonnes a year and transforming a historically turbid glacial river into a partly-regulated freestone system that runs blue-turquoise through most of the fishing season. The roughly 37 km of fishable river below the dam is split between four reach types: a wide partly-confined meadow valley with long freestone pool-riffle (the lower beats), a mid-river canyon through basalt plateaus with more forced scour pool units, and the upper Rugludalur canyon with gin-clear bedrock runs. Substrate is basalt cobble and boulder over volcanic bedrock. Wading is heavy in the wide lower section and easier above.
Wading: Heavy wading in the wide lower meadow reaches
- River
- Volcanic
- Mixed
- Pool riffle
- Bedrock canyon
