• FISHING

A JOURNEY BACK IN TIME

If you are ready for your first trip to Greenland, we’d be more than happy to take you to some of the most unique places: Rivers far-removed from civilization, rivers that will offer you a journey back in time. These rivers still have big migratory arctic char returning by the thousands during the summer months, like they have done for thousands of years, from a time before the first humans ever found a passage to the world’s biggest island some 5000 years ago.

BEST IN THE WORLD

Imagine rivers that haven’t seen the negative effects of human interference. No pollution, no dams, or habitat destruction. Just thousands and thousands of fish returning for their annual spawning migration and winter home, fat and feisty after months of frenzied feeding in the cold but abundant sea. This is unspoilt fishing at its very best.

If you appreciate clear water, strong fish, and solid numbers of fish caught in good sizes – Greenland is quite possibly the best fly fishing for salmonids anywhere in the world. We’re convinced that very few other places exist in this world where you can be more at peace with yourself than when walking a river valley in Greenland, fly rod in hand, with miles of river to yourself, knowing that you will catch more than a few nice fish before the day is over.

TACTICS

Brightly coloured streamers and nymphs are very effective for char. Fishing a streamer traditionally; swinging it across the river, will unquestionably get you in contact with your quarry. However, after a few days, most fly anglers get addicted to more visual methods. Sight-fishing a streamer on a short line can be very exciting, for instance. Especially in fast water, the fish tend to hold in deeper pockets. And when casting a short line, you can navigate a weighted streamer into place with the fly rod – and provoke the char into action. It is an amazing sight when a three-kilo fish suddenly leaves the bottom and hits the streamer just below the surface.

Skating floating foam flies across the river can offer some very intense fly fishing memories and it is what seems to attract most clients. Following these very visible flies with a fixed gaze as they swim across the surface will keep you on your toes – and when a wake suddenly rises behind them… Well, it’s nothing short of breath-taking. Once you get the hang of it, there is no way back.

HIKING

In Greenland, you don’t need to fish a lot of water in order to catch fish. You need to fish a lot of water to make the most of your stay. With so much nice water holding hard-fighting char it would be a shame not to fish it all. Make sure you have a good pair of breathable waders and boots that you are comfortable hiking in. If you are willing to hike for an hour or two, you can spend the entire day fishing with a friend and not having another soul in sight.

Seeing a big char inhale your foam fly, experiencing crazy runs and exposed backing – and having that 6-weight of yours bend all the way into the butt section; that is what Greenland is all about.

HOW GOOD?

So, how good is the fishing then? Are we talking fifty fish per day – or a hundred? Luckily, neither. Sea-run arctic char are not always easy to fool into taking a fly, especially if the weather is too nice. They do, however, have their biting periods during the day and that’s when the real action happens.

Of course, if the conditions are good, it is sometimes possible to catch ridiculous numbers of fish – but what’s the point in that? These are the times, when we have to challenge ourselves. That’s when the foam flies come into play.

GEAR FOR GREENLAND

Fifteen years of sending fly fishermen from all over the world to Greenland has made us quite knowledgeable about what tackle and clothing to bring for these trips. It might not be rocket science, but being far away from the nearest tackle shop, we would like to make sure, you arrive in camp with what’s needed.

Fly rods in #5-7 loaded with floating WF-lines are preferred by most anglers in our camps. We recommend a 9-foot #6 fly rod as the go-to rod paired with a matching fly reel with 50-100 meters of backing.

To make sure nothing is left in the dark, you will receive a detailed Pre-Trip Planner when booking your trip.

FLIES

We have clients who visit our camps with nothing but foam flies, but there will be plenty of opportunities to experiment with many other different types of flies. For instance, fairly large streamers in bright colours, like pink, red, purple and orange, are char classics.

Besides the standard attractor flies, small and basic streamers can be very effective at times when the char seem to reject the larger patterns.

Foam flies are our favourites – simply because the surface action is so spectacular. These flies float well through the fast currents, even when using the heavier but more durable fluorocarbon leaders. For visibility, a bright coloured foam back is preferred, but make sure to bring a selection of orange, purple and pink foam flies. Sometimes one colour is superior to all others.

Even nymphs have found their way to Greenland. We use heavily weighted nymph-style flies on long leaders in the deeper parts of the rivers, if the surface action seems to be off.

We try to fish these rivers without causing any impact. Therefore, we only allow the use of single barbless hooks. A single hook effectively hooks the fish and it does minimal damage on the many char that are released.

SEASON REPORTS