Top 10 Fishing Spots in the Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands rise from the North Atlantic in a cluster of eighteen volcanic islands, their basalt cliffs plunging straight into seas that run cold and clear. This is a landscape shaped by wind and water, where rivers hurtle off moorland plateaus and merge with fjords cutting deep into the rock. Anglers who make the journey — roughly three hours by plane from London or Copenhagen — encounter sea trout fishing of extraordinary quality, coalfish and pollock prowling beneath coastal shelves, and halibut grounds in water over 200 metres deep. Fishing licenses are straightforward to obtain, seasons are well-defined, and the landscape rewards patience with drama at every turn.
Sea Trout in the River Á við Ána
The river Á við Ána on Streymoy, the largest island, is the most celebrated sea trout fishery in the Faroes. It drains a catchment of open moorland above Tórshavn and pushes through a short, rocky lower section before entering Kollafjørður. Sea trout arrive from late June and run through October, with August and September producing the largest fish — specimens to 5 kg are recorded most seasons. The pools are compact and clear, so stalking with single-handed rods of 10 to 11 feet and floating lines rewards careful presentation. The local angling association Enniberg controls access and issues weekly permits.
Cliff Fishing for Coalfish at Enniberg
At 754 metres above sea level, Enniberg on Viðoy is one of the highest sea cliffs in the world. Faroese anglers have fished its lower ledges for generations, lowering weighted rigs to the kelp beds 30 to 50 metres below the surface where coalfish, also called saithe locally, gather in schools through summer and autumn. Fish of 2 to 6 kg are typical. Ledgering with heavy pirks or artificial shrimp rigs is standard, and the strike can come within seconds of the lure settling. Access requires local knowledge — some ledges are reachable only on dry rock after a careful scramble — but guided day trips depart from Klaksvík on Borðoy.
Pollock Spinning from Gjógv
The village of Gjógv on Eysturoy sits at the head of a narrow geo, a sea inlet carved by Atlantic swells. The outer rock platforms here shelter pollock up to 4 kg through June to September. Light spinning gear — 9-foot rods, 15 to 20 lb braid, and paddle-tail soft plastics in pearl or sand-eel colours — produces consistent results when the tidal flow is running. The geo also holds small coalfish, and lythe (European pollock) occasionally appear mixed in. There are no formal permits for coastal sea fishing; a national sea angling licence covers all tidal waters.
Lake Sørvágsvatn for Brown Trout
Sørvágsvatn, on Vágar island, is the largest lake in the Faroe Islands at roughly 3.4 square kilometres and sits at 29 metres above sea level — yet it flows to a waterfall that drops directly into the Atlantic. Brown trout here can exceed 2 kg and respond to small dry flies and gold-ribbed nymphs, especially in the brief calm windows between squalls. The optical illusion that makes the lake appear to hover above the sea is well photographed, but the trout fishing is genuinely productive in May, June, and again in September. Access is open with a national freshwater licence.
Deep-Sea Halibut off Suðuroy
The southernmost island, Suðuroy, offers the best-established deep-sea charter fishing in the Faroes. Boats out of Tvøroyri target Atlantic halibut in 180 to 280 metres of water over a mixed substrate of sand and rock on the edge of the Faroe Bank. Halibut to 100 kg have been recorded by charter vessels; fish of 20 to 50 kg are the realistic target in summer. Heavy jig rods with 200 to 400 gram pirks are standard, and bait rigs with mackerel are also effective. Most charters run from May to August when sea conditions and daylight allow extended trips of eight to ten hours.
River Fossa on Streymoy
Fossa is the longest river in the Faroes at around 7 kilometres and drains Sørvágsvatn before cascading in a spectacular 140-metre waterfall into the fjord at Hvalvík. The lower reaches hold sea trout from late June onwards, and the section below the waterfall can concentrate fish waiting for spate conditions before ascending. Upstream of the falls, resident brown trout inhabit moorland pools. Permitted beats are divided between two associations; the lower beat tends to fish best on a rising or falling flood after summer rain events.
Coastal Mackerel Spinning at Klaksvík
Klaksvík, the second-largest town in the Faroes, has a sheltered harbour and rocky foreshore that produces exceptional mackerel fishing through July and August. Schools move through the Borðoyarvík fjord on the morning and evening tides, and a simple feather rig cast from the harbour wall or from the rocky headland at Norðoyatunnilin can fill a bucket in an hour. The mackerel also draw coalfish, and light lure fishing with 10 to 15 gram metal jigs produces sport fish to 3 kg. No permit is needed for saltwater mackerel; it is considered open access from public ground.
Fly Fishing on Leynar River
The Leynar river on northern Streymoy is short — barely 2 kilometres — but fast and productive. It holds one of the more consistent runs of sea trout in the islands, and its small, boulder-strewn pools suit a double-taper floating line and upstream wet-fly approach. Patterns that work elsewhere in the North Atlantic, such as the Green Peter, Bibio, and local variants of the Teal Blue and Silver, all take fish here. Wading is possible in summer low flows, though felt soles on waders are advised on the slick basalt. Weekly permits are issued by the Tórshavn angling association.
Wreck and Reef Jigging off Nólsoy
The small island of Nólsoy, just 7 kilometres east of Tórshavn by ferry, is ringed by shallow reefs and has several accessible wreck sites in 40 to 80 metres. Coalfish, haddock, and ling are the main targets from charter boats. The reefs on the north side of the island are particularly productive for ling over 10 kg from September to November when water temperatures drop. Rubber eels and heavy jigging spoons in 100 to 250 gram weights cover the range of depths efficiently. Several Tórshavn-based charters include Nólsoy in their half-day reef packages.
Explore on the Map
The Faroe Islands' fishing grounds span eighteen islands — to plan your own route from cliff ledges to halibut banks to sea trout rivers, browse the interactive map. Filter by location or fishing type to find the access points and associations closest to your base, and link directly to permit providers. Whether you are tracing the Á við Ána on the Faroe Islands on the map or scouting halibut depths off Suðuroy, the map brings together the full picture of North Atlantic sport fishing in one place.