Slovenia is a country with many lakes and rivers, with versatile fish species and therefore many opportunities for fishing. However, for generations, it’s biggest pride has been trout and consequently fly fishing.
Fly fishing is to be blamed that in the last couple of decades, especially the last two, with the rise of internet and social networks, Slovenia has become one of the most popular fly fishing destinations in Europe if not worldwide. During the fishing season, rivers are full of anglers, trying to catch Marble, Brown, Rainbow trout or even a Grayling.
For it’s diverse nature, fly fishing in different regions of the country can be a completely new experience every time; you can find streams that run through the woods, yet an hour’s drive away there are fast flowing rivers that wind through the rocky landscape.
Although there are so many nice rivers, the most popular fishing destination is definitely River Soča with it’s famous Marble trout. The endemic species that resides only in Slovenia and in a part of Italy near the border has been the prize for every fly fishermen that ever layed their eyes on Slovenia.
Fishing for Marble trout can be a hard mission and not everyone succeeds. The fast flowing water and the harsh terrain make fishing hard and interesting at the same time.
Marble trout can also be found in Idrijca and some other rivers in Slovenia, however, Soča holds the record that was caught a few years ago by Italian angler; the fish was 120cm long and weighed 22,5kg.
Another river worth mentioning is Unica, since it’s the home of Graylings. This type of fish is not as common as trouts, but in this river there are plenty, that’s why it’s so popular in the fly fishing world.
being only 10km long and packed with fish it’s perfect for beginners and experienced anglers who want to do a few pictures of Graylings for their album.
All that and more information can be found at the https://slovenia-fly-fishing.com/, where you can book a guide for fishing in Slovenia.
Top 3 Rivers for Fly fishing in Slovenia:
1. Unica River
The Unica River originates at the confluence of two karst rivers, the Pivka, which flows from Planinska jama, and the Malenščica, a calmer and slower river that also flows through karst fields. Unica then winds along Planinsko polje, where it makes most of its way, until it finally disappears in the gullets below Grčarevec.
It is the most famous karst river, which is also known across the Slovenian borders due to its beautiful surroundings and the riverbed full of life. Due to the karst soils, which are rich in nutrients, the fish in the river are healthy and strong, they reach above-average lengths and are therefore a real challenge for fishermen.
Fish:
The river is home to several species of fish, from pike, carp and chub, and the most interesting and desirable fish species for fishermen are grayling and brown trout.
Fishing periods and dimensions:
Fishing on the Unica River officially starts on 1.5 and lasts until 30.11. The different fish that live in this karst river have different lengths of hunting seasons, and they also differ in their hunting sizes. As far as fly fishing is concerned, the hunting season for grayling is from 16.5 to 30.11 and its hunting rate is 40 cm, and the hunting season for brown trout is from 1.5 to 30.9 and the hunting rate is 50 cm. The catch limit is 1 grayling or 1 brown trout per day.
2. River Soča
Fly fishing on the Soča is definitely the most popular among fishermen who come here from all over the world. The start of the season at 1.4 each year attracts both local and foreign fishing enthusiasts, who cross the river long and hard until the end of October, when the Soča closes for fishing and the fish begin to spawn.
The river is divided into 2 districts, which are managed by the Soča fishing family and the Tolmin fishing family, so when fishing you should be careful about the area for which you bought the ticket. The Tolmin fishing family manages the upper part of the Soča in the vicinity of Bovec and Tolmin, while the Soča fishing family manages the lower part, which also runs past the town of Kanal ob Soči.
The Soča River is home to many species of fish, some better known, others less so. The main fish species are trout and grayling, which occupy the aquatic kingdom on the Slovenian side of the river from its source to the border with Italy. Of the trout in the Soča, we can find the Soča trout, the brown trout and the rainbow trout.
Check out our Fly Fishing Soča website for a day or holiday of serene fishing on Slovenia’s most famous river.
3. River Savinja
Types of fish in the Savinja
Fishermen can catch the right range of fish in the river that smell of artificial flies. Undoubtedly, the most widespread is Šarenka, which fishing families also invest in the river every year, thus taking care of population growth. This species of trout can grow over 80cm in length and weigh up to a few kilograms; such specimens certainly swim in the Savinja and encourage trophy-hungry fishermen to try to catch them on a hook.
Another type of trout is the brown trout, which is an indigenous species of fish and is found in smaller numbers in the river than rainbow trout, so it is also a more desirable and appreciated fish. Brook trout can also reach a size of over 80 cm and a weight of over 5 kilograms.
Grayling is another species of salmonid fish that swims in the Savinja. The rainbow-colored fish is one of the rare inhabitants of the river, but every now and then they can surprise and find themselves on the hook of the most persistent fishermen.
Fishing season
The Savinja River is divided into several sections managed by different Fishing Families, so the fishing season also differs from section to section, primarily to ensure the smoothest possible reproduction of fish and thus the continuation of the fish population.
The upper part of the Savinja, which flows through the Logar Valley, is open for fishing from 10-6 to 30.9. The lower downstream we go, the longer the fishing season; from Luče onwards all the way to the village of Nazarje lasts from 1.4 to 31.10, and in the vicinity of Mozirje from 1.3 to 30.11.
Marble trout- the Queen fish in Slovenian rivers
The Marble trout is considered to be the queen of the Soča river and the reason why the Soča and everything related to it has become one of the main topics in the fishing world when it comes to talking about large trout. The fish is most easily recognized because of its olive green color, which turns black towards the belly. It is sown with too many dots, which, in harmony with its colors, form a characteristic, marble-like pattern; hence its Latin name, Salmo marmoratus. Its head is very large compared to the whole body, as it represents almost ¼ the length of the whole fish. It has a bunch of sharp teeth in its mouth, which it uses to catch prey.
Young marble trout feed on river moss and small larvae, while larger ones start eating other, smaller fish.
The Soča trout is an endemic species that can only be found in the Soča and some rivers in its vicinity. A few decades ago, it was already on the verge of extinction, as it began to cross with brook trout during spawning, which was deliberately brought to the Soča River. Through the efforts of fishermen and through artistic education, the population of purebred marble trout has recovered and now represents a stable fish species. The largest marble trout was caught with a length of 120 cm and weighed 22.5 kg.
