West branch of the Rangá system. Premier South Iceland salmon river with excellent runs and strong fly water. More commercially developed than East branch. Volcanic bedrock underlies this river. Iceland's salmon are managed conservatively under operator and national rules — quotas, size limits and catch-and-release are widely applied; check the river's rules before fishing.
Vestari-Rangá — the West Ranga — rises near the foot of Hekla and runs better than seventy kilometres across the southern plain to join the Hólsá and the sea, an hour from Reykjavík. It is entirely spring-fed, and that is the making of it: the water holds a steady temperature and flow, never running truly low and seldom colouring even after heavy rain. Around fifty metres wide on average, it reads as a series of gentle flats and long, even guiding runs punctuated by impressive multi-tiered falls, the lies clear and consistent over a volcanic-sand-and-gravel bed. Sustained by smolt-rearing, it is the most dependable of all Icelandic salmon rivers and among the most prolific — more than six thousand fish in a normal season, and a once-in-a-generation ten thousand in 2009. Wading is straightforward on firm footing, with care below the falls.
Wading: Fast water below the multi tiered falls
Summer-autumn runs, variable seasonal patterns by region
- River
- Volcanic
- Unconfined
- Pool riffle
- Meandering