When many anglers hear that the river they are going to fish is running low their enthusiasm drops. Almost every year I hear anglers say "the river is just too low to fish, let's go and have a beer and see if it rains soon". It's true that fishing in low water conditions can be difficult since the water temperature rises and the water clarity increases (both for salmon and angler). On the opposite, this is a challenge as salmons get spooky and hard to fool but you should always keep in mind that every fish caught is an award. No river is too low to be fished and usually, the water level drops later in the summer which means many salmons have already run up the river.
Some rivers are more sensitive to low water conditions while others keep the water level more stable throughout the year. Salmons lay where they have oxygen and cover. Anglers need to be stealth and guile when approaching the pools and most of all are open minded since the first rule of fly fishing is.... there are no rules. Remember that by nature salmon don't feed in fresh water and it's still a mystery why salmons take the fly. With that in mind, the salmon knows how to make his life in the river as comfortable as possible. It seeks out different lies and moves up the pool, behind stones and in places where he has more oxygen and where it feels safe.
The salmon behavior
I have seen salmon laying in hundreds in the river mouth when the water level is low. Some will say it's waiting for the right conditions to run up the river and I have to agree to that, but I can also tell you that salmon also run up the river in low water conditions. Although they will not run in groups you can still find individual salmons seeking the "birth" pools in almost every condition possible. Sometimes you can wonder how the salmon could run up such a tiny river when rocks are sticking up from the river almost everywhere.
The salmon normally runs up the river from dusk till dawn. This is the time when the water level cools down a bit and the conditions are "better". This doesn't mean that the salmon doesn't run during the day and you might scan a pool in the morning and by midday you might notice new salmons laying in the pool.
In low water conditions the salmon behavior changes. They search for the best spot since their behavior is controlled by the temperature, weather, and water level. Salmon picks the place where it feels most comfortable depending on water temperature and cover. These are the places you want to fly fish in low water conditions. These places can be fast running current where oxygen levels are higher and the current also gives them extra cover. Places where salmons find a shade like around rocks or trees (yes, you might find an occasional tree in Iceland). Shades provide cooler area and shelter. Deep pools are also a place where salmons find cover and sometimes you can see them in hundreds laying deep in pools during low water conditions.
How should I fish for salmon in low water conditions?
The normal way for a salmon angler is to wade in the river, cast 45° and strip the fly. Afterward, the angler takes one or two steps downstream and cast again. Now, this is how I normally do things when rivers are running normal or high but when water level drops I tend to put my trout hat on and like trout fishermen I tend to approach the river in a different way. Normally I start by casting upstream... yes I cast upstream. This is well known to trout fishermen, but you usually don't see salmon fishermen cast upstream. Using small flies sizes 14 - 18 are good or small tube cones size 1/4" is the most effective way for me. Casting upstream helps to reach depths that normal casting wouldn't reach and if you hook a salmon you can drag it out of the pool and not disturb other salmons laying in the pool which gives you a chance to catch more than one salmon.
Fishing salmon upstream also gives you time to see where the salmon lay. You might see them jump or even head and tail rise from the river which gives you the benefit to crawl in better positions and cast on the "hot spot". When water is clear salmon will see your fly from long distance. I remember once when I was fishing in low water conditions and nothing was happening. I tried every small fly in my box and I knew the pool had salmons in it. Nothing worked and I was about to quit when I saw head and tail few meters above the pool. The normal way I fish this pool is to start at the top of the pool and fish my way down. If I would have done that I would have spooked the fish. Now I knew where it way laying so I slowly backed out of the pool and went into Rambo positions. I crawled to a place where I could cast my hitch tube across the stream and let it skate just above where I saw the head and tail. Let me tell you that acting like Rambo is not painless when you have your rod in your mouth and you are crawling on small rocks! Well at this point I could cast easily at the place where I saw the head and tail and in my third cast it was on. 20 min later I landed 96 cm salmon on a three weight rod.
So if possible fish upstream or approach the pool as far away as possible so you don't spook any fish. The line will not spook the fish as much as casting across the stream but be careful and not wade too close to the pool, you might want to move and finish the pool by casting across it.
In normal conditions, I use my eight weight rod, singles, and doubles. Normally single hand rods are enough for Iceland but occasionally the double hand comes in hand. When water level drops I use my five and six weight rods and I might move from 25 - 30 lbs leader to 15 - 20 lbs leader but as I said before I haven't experienced any difficulties with leaders or tippets in Iceland and I'm sure many people will disagree with me.
When I reach the pool I first select the rod and line and afterward I pick my fly. I change my fishing tactics in every cast, fast stripping, slow figure 8 and dead drift. Fast-stripping has been the most efficient tactic for me over the years but if the water is running really slow a slow figure 8 stripping is more efficient. The cast is also important to let the fly fish all the time so I tend to cast 45° if I fish downstream. It's important to let the fly fish throughout the pool and not let the leader come first. This might spook the fish easily so mending the line could be the key thing to hook a fish. Some people say that salmon can't hear you, but I will stick to what my father told me and always move as quietly as possible because if one salmon is spooked, others are also spooked. A good tactic is to start fishing far from the bank with a floating line and small flies and if nothing happens you or your fishing buddy comes after and fishes a bit more aggressively with sinking line and a bit bigger fly.
Rod and line
Low water conditions call for lighter rods, longer leaders, and smaller flies. This has proven to be the most successful setup and I always have this setup when the water level is low. Some people would always use floating lines, but I also have a clear intermediate line with me to fish the deeper pools. This helps to present the fly deeper since salmons tend to move in the upper part of the pool where there is more oxygen and pools are deeper. My experience in Iceland is that salmons are not afraid of tippets or leaders so I always use my 15 - 30 lbs even when fishing in low water conditions.
How should you read the river in low water conditions?
As I said before the behavior of the salmon changes when fishing in low water conditions. They move to places where they have more oxygen and cover. Normally the first thing I do is to get knowledge from people who know the river better than me. This will help you approach the pools and also it will help you catch more salmons. Water level drops normally later summer after many anglers have fished the beat before you. I always see the same pattern when I go fishing where fishermen look at the fishing reports and see where most of the salmons are landed. They note down the flies, pools and other information and go for the same tactics as other. You can imagine how many times the same salmon has seen the same fly drift on top of its head, probably hundred of times! I tend to move to another direction and focus on the pools where only a few salmons have been caught. These pools are normally rested and salmons haven't seen flies for days and these are the pools I normally stop by and fish. Another thing is when I approach a pool which has been popular during the summer I try to use different flies to start with. By doing this, you will also rest the heavily fished pools and later you will come back and you will have more changes hooking a salmon.
Some rules of thumb I normally follow when fishing in low water conditions
Start with a small fly and stand as far away as possible and after you can fish a bit more aggressively and use sinking and a bit bigger fly Try to read the river and imagine where salmons will lay. Deep in the pool, around rocks, and in shades. These are the hot spots you want to focus on Start fish upstream, this will give you a chance to spot where fish are laying and afterward you can move to a better position and only cast on these hot spots. Start fishing the lower part of the pool and don't wade too close to the pool. Don't move too much, try to cover the pool from the same point if possible Start fishing close to you and not too far. Casting over a salmon can easily spook it so try to cover as much as possible. Change flies frequently. Salmons can see the fly from long distance so usually, I try few different flies when I fly fish in low water conditions.
Flies
Like I said before, the first rule of salmon fishing is.... there are no rules! BUT there are always some methods that out fish other anglers and my personal experience is to select the smallest flies in your fly box. My favorite flies are trebles size 14 to 18 and micro tubes have also been successful when fly fishing in low water conditions.
Riffling hitch
My first option when approaching a pool in low water condition is to scan it with a hitch tube. Normally I would go for a small hitch or a micro hitch with treble 14 - 18. This will create a wake which forms a "V" on the surface. To successfully fish a hitch tube the pool needs to have a current to hold the tube on the surface. You can easily help it by stripping the line slowly on the surface or raise the rod slowly.
When everything else fails
When everything which I have written above fails I go all in and get my 8 weight rod with a fast sinking line and select 1/2" - 1" plastic tube. When fishing this way I normally let the fly move slowly across the pool and mend it multiple times to get it as slow as possible. Occasionally I might strip the fly fast the pool. This can easily excite the fish and the takes can be aggressive and at short range. My favorite flies are red Frances cone, collie dog and Sun Ray Shadow.
Tight lines and safe releases