Langá á Mýrum runs some thirty-six kilometres out of Langavatn — a lake dammed into being by a prehistoric lava flow — down through the Borgarfjörður lowlands of west Iceland. The hard bands of lava rock that shape the country have made the river: they pen it into two handsome canyon reaches, one low on Beat 2 and a more dramatic gorge at the top on Beat 6, and between them break the flow into ninety-three named pools and runs over clean volcanic stone. The water is crystal-clear and the flow dependable, drawn steadily from the lake above. This is predominantly grilse water — bright fish of one to three kilos with the occasional heavier salmon — fished best on a floating line through the season. Wading is comparatively easy on firm rock and gravel, the canyon sections excepted, where the footing wants respect.

Wading: Uneven rock in the canyon reaches