Slovenia trout fishing — experience the paradise in the Alps
If you are a fan of trout fishing and want to experience a new place, Slovenia is the perfect location. This small country has many rivers and lakes that provide an excellent backdrop for catching trout. Trout fishing in Slovenia is most prevalent in spring, summer and autumn when the weather is warmest.
Trout species in Slovenia
There are many different species of trout living in Slovenian waters, but they all have one thing in common: they’re beautiful and always an exciting catch!
Marble Trout
The Marble Trout is probably the most famous species among Slovenian anglers. It lives in the Soča River and its tributaries, which flow through western Slovenia into Italy. It was almost extinct due to overfishing, but now there are many efforts to protect this beautiful fish and make sure that it will live long enough to be caught by fishermen again.
The marble trout has a beautiful color, which makes it one of the most attractive freshwater fish in Slovenia. For example, its back is dark brown or olive green with lighter sides and belly, while its head has yellowish spots and stripes that run from eye to tail on both sides.
You can enjoy Marble Trout fishing from April 1st to the 30th of September.
Brown Trout
Brown trout are native to Slovenia and can be found in most of our rivers and lakes. This classic fly-fishing species is also an excellent table fish that has been introduced to many areas around the world where it did not originate.
It has a yellow-brown, dark grey, olive green or copper red body, which is sprinkled with spots of red, or sometimes black or white colour. It can be found mostly in the upper or middle reaches of streams, with the largest found in Karst waters.
The fishing season runs from March to September.
Rainbow Trout
The rainbow trout is a beautiful fish. Their rainbow flank makes it easily distinguishable from other species. It is also very adaptable and can be found in many different kinds of water. The largest ones can reach a size of 90 cm and weigh up to 10 kg.
While it isn’t very picky and catches onto a bait quite a lot, it is also very brave and doesn’t give up so easily after. This makes it a popular species for anglers looking for an exciting fight.
The fishing season starts in March (in April for Soča) and lasts until the end of November.
Best rivers for trout fishing in Slovenia
Trouts are one of the most widespread species of fish in Slovenian rivers. Especially the Brown Trout, which you can find in almost any moving body of water here.
While the same cannot be said for the Marble Trout, it’s still hard to pick the wrong river if you just want to go trout fishing in Slovenia.
Soča River
Soča is not just the best river for trout fishing in Slovenia — it’s also the most iconic Slovenian river in general. With its emerald colour of the water and amazing alpine surroundings, it is a top destination both for fishers and other explorers of Slovenia.
And it is also the only river in Slovenia (along with its tributaries) where you can catch the elusive Marble Trout. Every aspiring angler can go Marble Trout fly fishing on the Soča River and catch some of the most magnificent fish in Slovenia waters.
The season opens in April and can be enjoyed along the 50 kilometres of cascades and pools, excluding the hardly accessible but beautiful gorges.
Sava Bohinjka
Flowing from Lake Bohinj, the biggest lake in Slovenia, is Sava Bohinjka. This river later converges with Sava Dolinka to make the longest Slovenian river, Sava.
But before that happens, Sava Bohinjka is a paradise for fly fishers as one of the most stocked rivers in Slovenia. Besides the Grayling, the Brown and Rainbow Trout are the most common fish species in the river. Just set yourself on one of the easily reachable sandbanks and enjoy your day of fly-fishing on Sava Bohinjka.
Idrijca River
If you want to get away from the summer crowds of Soča River but still try catching the iconic Marble Trout, Idrijca River is the best choice. As a tributary of Soča, it is just as good or even better destination for Marble Trout fishing in Slovenia than the former.
Its green pools are rich with food, making the Marble Trouts here grow to record sizes. Still, they are less prevalent than their cousins, the Brown and Rainbow Trout.
It is also possible to go fly fishing on Idrijca in early spring when Soča is still too cold from all the snowmelt of the surrounding Julian Alps.
Savinja River
Hiding in the northeast of the country is the Savinja River. A largely undiscovered but extremely rich in fish, it flows from its source at the 90-metre Rinka waterfall in the panoramic Logar Valley to the confluence into the Sava River.
Because of its abundance of oxygen and food, various fish species have found their home here. The most common here are the Brown Trout and Grayling, joined downstream by the Rainbow Trout and some giant Huchen.
Some of the most popular spots to enjoy fly fishing on Savinja are near the town of Ljubno ob Savinji, where every fisher can find a peaceful spot for themself.
Best fishing flies to use for trout fishing in Slovenia
There are four main fishing techniques to trick the Trout into biting. They depend on what kind of fishing fly you are using. Although they differ, you can opt for either of them and still enjoy a decent chance of catching a trout!
The choice of technique mainly hinges on your preference and experience in fly fishing. Our guide will advise you on the matter and ensure that your angling trip will be successful.
Dry fly fishing
Dry fly fishing is a technique where an angler uses a bait that rests on the river’s water surface and does not submerge. Dry flies represent small aquatic insects like sedge flies or insects that fall in the river or get carried there by the wind, such as grasshoppers or caterpillars.
They have to be maneuvered by the angler so that the bait mimics how real flies would flow in the current. It is the only way to convince the Trout to break the water surface and bite on your hook.
Wet fly fishing
Wet fly fishing uses flies floating just below the water surface as bait. They are equipped with a weighted component so that they submerge. Wet flies imitate various aquatic insects when they are swimming to the surface.
Albeit less thrilling to watch, it is less complicated to get the knack off for beginners, and even experienced anglers are not against using this technique to guarantee a rich payoff.
Nymphing
Nymphing is the most recent fly fishing technique. In this approach, artificial flies resemble aquatic larvae. They work when submerged to the or near the bottom of the river to hook a trout.
The angler has to know the fishing spot well, as the nature of the river in that section determines how far below the surface the nymph must go.
Stream fishing
Streamers are the most sizable flies used in fly fishing. They resemble baitfish and leeches, food for predatory fish. Depending on their weight, they can either sink deep under the river surface or naturally drift with the current.
The anglers use the tactic in which they steer the fly to make it seem like it is fleeing to trigger the larger fish into pursuing it.
Trout fishing gear
Watching experienced anglers with all their fishing equipment can be overwhelming if you are still at the beginning of your fishing career, but in reality, you only need the essentials. These include a fishing rod, waders and boots to stay dry, a landing net, and a package of flies to lure the fish.
Having these crucial pieces of gear means you will not be hindered in any way while trout fishing in Slovenia.
To make things easier, we rent out all the abovementioned articles, which you can check out here.
Trout fishing season
The Trout fishing season lasts from the beginning of April to the end of September in Slovenia, with each of the two months presenting one of the two peaks of the season. The summer months in between are appropriate too, but the waterfronts get busier with tourists and the temperatures tend to rise.
We wrote about it more extensively in our fly fishing season section.
Join us on a fly fishing trip!
Of course, Trouts and especially Marble Trouts are some of the most popular fly fishing species. Along with other fly fishing species (like the Grayling or Huchen), they can be also found in other Slovenian rivers.
Find out all about them by checking out other equally interesting fly fishing trips in Slovenia. Don’t hesitate, fly fishing guides are fully booked quite early into the season.
