Having spent much of the last three decades fishing Icelandic rivers most of the summer, often with the advantage of visual fishing and observing how salmon react to different patterns, I’ve accumulated a fair amount of data to support these choices. Of course, a little personal bias is involved too - some of these flies have become trusted favorites over the years.

Before we begin, it’s worth noting that most of my experience comes from clear-water rivers holding predominantly wild salmon. In my experience, there is a noticeable difference in behavior between wild and hatchery-reared salmon. Wild fish develop their instincts naturally in the river environment, while hatchery fish spend their formative period under very different conditions. Whether this fully explains the differences we sometimes observe as adults remains open for debate, but it is a theory I find difficult to ignore.

Why Small Flies and Surface Presentations?
As a general rule, I prefer smaller flies fished high in the water or on the surface.

Why?
1. They enter the salmon’s field of vision earlier due to the wider viewing angle near the surface.
2. They give the fish less time to inspect the fly before reacting.
3. They create less disturbance and are less likely to spook fish in clear water.

With that out of the way, let’s get started.

1. Erna (Double Hook)
A fly I originally designed for fishing Laxá í Aðaldal. Erna has evolved into one of Iceland’s most successful salmon flies. It has topped catch statistics on both Jökla and Laxá í Aðaldal and, to this day, I don’t have another pattern that has accounted The proportions, materials, and overall profile play a major role in its success, as does the way it is fished and the conditions it is used in. Unfortunately, some commercially tied versions are far too bulky and simply miss the point. As Tyler Durden famously said: “Sticking feathers up your ass doesn’t make you a chicken.”

See here:
https://a-fishing-iceland.com/fies2/salmon-flies/erna

2. Autumn Hooker (Double Hook and 1/2" sunray style)
I first tied the Autumn Hooker in 2002, and it made its Icelandic debut on Miðfjarðará in 2003.
Together with my good friend Jóhannes Hinriksson, we experienced extraordinary results. During one trip, the fly accounted for roughly 90% of the group’s catch—a trend that has continued ever since.
Over the years it has established itself as one of Iceland’s most reliable “safe-play” patterns. Despite its name, Autumn Hooker is not just an autumn fly. It fishes exceptionally well throughout spring, summer, and autumn, making it one of the finest all-round salmon flies I know.
If I could only keep one salmon fly for the rest of my life, this would probably be it.

For best results, tie it with Icelandic horse hair. Bulky Arctic Fox wings simply don’t produce the same results unless you’re exceptionally skilled at selecting and thinning the fibres.

See here:
https://a-fishing-iceland.com/fies2/salmon-flies/autumn-hooker

3. Stormy Daniels (Double Hook & Sunray-Style Tubes)
In Icelandic tradition, a new fly doesn’t earn its name until it has landed a fish.
When this pattern finally did, I asked for suggestions. Local angler and leaseholder Haraldur Eiríksson happened to make his proposal just as news of Donald Trump’s affair with Stormy Daniels broke worldwide. The name stuck. Like its namesake, it seems particularly effective on old, ugly orange males—something every salmon angler hopes to encounter. The fly’s debut fish was memorable: a colossal 111 cm salmon landed in the Vitaðsgjafi pool on Laxá í Aðaldal, becoming Iceland’s largest salmon of 2018.

Since then, it has accounted for an impressive number of fish. Once again, proportions and materials are critical. There are some very poor versions available that completely miss what makes the fly work.

See here:
https://a-fishing-iceland.com/fies2/salmon-flies/stormy-daniels

4. Radian (Double Hook)
Originally a closely guarded secret, Radian entered commercial production in 2016 and quickly became one of Iceland’s hottest flies.
It immediately began producing exceptional results, including many of the largest salmon on Laxá í Aðaldal. In 2017 it was again responsible for Iceland’s largest salmon, a magnificent 111 cm fish landed on Víðidalsá.

This fly simply works when many others don’t.
One famous evening on the Nes beat of Laxá í Aðaldal, two guides fished together in the Stíflan pool. One guide consistently raised fish on a Radian while the other couldn’t buy a take. Eventually he borrowed the fly - and immediately started raising and hooking salmon.
Between them they raised around 40 fish from a single pool.

The key ingredient is Arctic Runner. Other materials have been tested extensively, but nothing has produced the same results.

And again, “Sticking feathers up your ass doesn’t make you a chicken.”

See here:
https://a-fishing-iceland.com/fies2/salmon-flies/radian

5. Haugur (Hitch Tube)
Created by Siggi Haugur, this has become my preferred hitch fly.
It’s an excellent pattern in its own right, but the bright red head also makes it much easier for me to track on the surface. More importantly, it embodies what I believe makes a great hitch fly: simplicity.
A slim body and sparse wing consistently outperform bulky designs in my experience.
A must-have.

6. HKA Sunray (Tubes)
Without question, one of the most successful salmon flies ever developed for Icelandic rivers.
Created by Henrik Kassow Andersen in 2002 while guiding on the Rangá rivers and Blanda, the HKA Sunray rapidly became legendary. Logbooks from that era are filled with its name, often accounting for a remarkable percentage of the catches.

Henrik tied the pattern in several color combinations, but the pearl-bodied grey-and-black version and the blue-bodied black-wing version remain the most popular.

Today it is one of Iceland’s most widely used and effective salmon flies.

7. Sunray Shadow (Tube)
Needs little introduction.
Bring them in every size imaginable—from tiny micro versions to large one-inch tubes. I also recommend carrying a few black conehead versions for deeper or colored water.
Bring different colored hook holders.
For tying materials, I favor goat, monkey, or Icelandic horse hair. If you’re a skilled tier, blending materials often produces the best results.

Simple. Deadly. Essential.

8. Frances (treble hook and micro tubes)
A true Icelandic classic. Few flies appear more frequently in Icelandic catch records, and that alone says a lot.
Personally, I favor a red Frances tied on a size 12 or 14 gold treble. For tube versions, I prefer tying directly on weighted tubes rather than using oversized cones, which spoil the fly’s elegant profile.

It’s a superb fly, but use common sense. Large, heavily weighted Frances patterns can be very effective, but they should be treated as a last resort in sensitive water, especially if other anglers are fishing behind you.

Runners-Up
Metallica (Double Hook)
Ketill Máni (Double Hook)
Collie Dog (Tube Fly)Bring a selection tied with different coloured hook holders.
Beygjan (Double Hook)

Final Thoughts

That’s it. With these eight patterns in your box, you’re well equipped for virtually any salmon river in Iceland.

Could you catch fish on hundreds of other flies? Absolutely.

But if I were stepping onto an Icelandic river tomorrow and wanted a selection built around confidence, proven results, and decades of observation, these are the flies I would bring.

If you’d like more inspiration or a closer look at some of my own fly designs, follow the white rabbit:

https://a-fishing-iceland.com/fies2/