Leonard Schoenberger, publisher of The Wading List, reveals how a background in journalism and a sudden turn of events led him from writing about fly-fishing to running Heidarvatn in the wild south of Iceland
I HAD never set foot in Iceland until a few years ago. Nor did I ever envision myself running a fly-fishing lodge.
Having spent a decade working as a journalist, I launched the online magazine The Wading List in 2018 to dive deeper into the stories, gear, and remote destinations that define modern fly-fishing. During the height of the pandemic, photographer Christian Anwander reached out to me out of the blue. He had come across an article I’d written about how to build your own fly-rod and wanted to connect. What started as a simple conversation about rod blanks and epoxy quickly grew into a close friendship and a shared creative drive.
Shortly after connecting with Christian, I met Magdalena Wallhoff-Lamprecht through our common love for the Engadine, a Swiss mountain region she calls home. She told me about a 5,000-hectare property in the south of Iceland that had been in her family for nearly two decades. Throughout this time the valley had remained a closely guarded secret — a quiet family retreat fished almost exclusively by themselves and a small circle of close friends.
A delighted Leonard Schoenberger with one of Heidarvatn’s famous sea-trout.
In 2023, on Magdalena’s invitation, I traveled to Iceland to visit the property for the very first time. Standing on the banks and taking in the sheer scale and raw, untamed character of the landscape, I was completely captivated. During that trip, Magdalena sat down with me and asked a question that caught me entirely off guard: could I see myself running the property as a fly-fishing lodge with a strong focus on conservation? While I certainly knew my way around fly-fishing and media, managing an operational lodge in the Icelandic wilderness was an entirely different beast. I politely declined.
A few months passed, and she brought the idea up again. I was hesitant, but during a conversation with my mother, she brought up a memory I had long forgotten. She reminded me that right after my high school graduation, I had mentioned offhandedly that running a wilderness fishing lodge in Canada would be a dream life.
During that trip, Magdalena sat down with me and asked a question that caught me entirely off guard
That realization hit home. Having spent years running The Wading List as a solitary pursuit, the prospect of building something real on the ground alongside a close-knit team felt like the right move. Magdalena, Christian, and I decided to take the plunge and give it a try together.
Our inaugural season was a baptism of fire, packed with steep learning curves for all of us. It didn’t take long to realize that, if we were going to extract the full potential of this exceptional piece of water, we needed a truly world-class guide who understood every ripple of the river. That search brought us to Maros Zatko, a Slovakian guide who had called Iceland home for well over a decade. Maros had built a legendary reputation across the island for tracking down massive fish, regardless of the species or conditions. The first time he walked the banks with us at Heidarvatn, he confirmed what we had only dared to hope: this water held some of the largest sea-run brown trout in the world.
Bringing Maros on board as our full-time head guide was the ultimate turning point for our operation. Together with our second guide, Kail, he makes sure the day-to-day operations work smoothly. Christian (bottom middle), Magdalena (below left) and my primary focus has been on telling the story of this water and putting Heidarvatn firmly on the radar of dedicated sea-trout anglers on both sides of the Atlantic.
In Iceland, things operate entirely on their own schedule and rhythm; you quickly learn that you cannot rush or force a single thing
Running a lodge in a foreign country from afar has been a masterclass in patience. In Iceland, things operate entirely on their own schedule and rhythm; you quickly learn that you cannot rush or force a single thing. Adapting to that mindset was tough for us in the beginning, but over time I came to realize it was no different from fly-fishing itself. You cannot force success on the water. You can only observe, adapt, stay patient, and learn.
What makes Heidarvatn such an extraordinary place to host anglers is its unique, connected hydrology. The estate features its own pristine lake, Lake Heidarvatn, which flows directly into the compact, crystal-clear River Vatnsa. Just a short distance downstream, the Vatnsa merges into the larger, sweeping glacial waters of the Kerlingardalsa before draining into the North Atlantic Ocean just a few miles down from Riverside Lodge. It gives us the rare privilege of offering three distinct, world-class fisheries within a single ecosystem, giving guests the opportunity to target massive fish in surprisingly intimate water.
Aside from our two traditional lodges and a network of quiet gravel tracks, there are no man-made structures across the entire 5,000 hectares. The surrounding landscape is stark, dramatic, and intensely wild. Located near Vík — the wettest town in Iceland — the weather is famously unpredictable, capable of shifting within minutes from bright, golden sunshine to driving horizontal rain, hail, or late-spring snow. Being completely exposed to those elements, layered up in proper wading gear, is a massive part of what makes the experience so raw and authentic for me.
Whether I’m standing on the black volcanic beach where the glacial river empties into the sea, walking the lush, green canyon paths along the Vatnsa, or looking across the still waters of the lake shadowed by dark mountains, I am constantly reminded of how rare places like this are. It took a few unexpected turns and a lot of learning to get here, but looking out over the river today, I couldn't imagine being anywhere else.
PHOTOGRAPHY: CHRISTIAN ANWANDER ILLUSTRATION: SARAH PHILLIPS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Leonard Schoenberger
Leonard Schoenberger is the founder and publisher of The Wading List magazine and co-runs Heidarvatn fly fishing lodge in southern Iceland. When he isn't on the water in Iceland, he works as a freelance journalist.
