As you know, Fin and Fly is essentially a destination magazine designed to help our customers and friends when planning those very special fishing excursions. We totally realise time spent away with a fishing rod costs effort and money and must be used to its fullest possible limits. That’s why, in the pages of Fin and Fly, we often recommend experiences that we ourselves have sampled and enjoyed and are fully satisfied with. Of course, times do change and if any of our recommendations in Fin and Fly are out of date, even in the slightest, please, please do not hesitate to contact us. This way, we can amend material in our archives for the good of all. But now to Slovenia...
I’m fortunate that I’ve made half a dozen trips to Slovenia in the last three or four years. I find it an enchanting country, a hidden gem, tucked in at the north of the Adriatic Sea, just to the south of Austria and west of Hungary. Slovenia seems to me a small but contented nation and one that is stunningly pastoral and beautiful. If you are looking for alpine scenery, wildflower filled meadows and miles of gushing, pellucid trout and grayling river, then here you have found it.
My journeys have tended to be based close to the enchanting town of Bled, very close to the beautiful National Park of Triglav. The rivers are magical and they have magical names...the Sava, the Soca, the Idrijca, the Radovna and more. What you will find will all of them is extraordinary clarity, beautiful scenery and fish stocks to die for.
My own favourite fishing? I love the late spring and early summer when the valleys burst with colour. The brown trout fishing, at this time of the year, can be magnificent. In many of the rivers, though, there are stocks of extraordinary, wild rainbow trout. These aren’t remotely like the stockies of the UK and grow to seriously large sizes. It’s possible to sight-fish for rainbows well in excess of eight or even ten pounds and once hooked, they go like rockets in water of such clarity. These fish are exotic but there’s a lot more...one of the fabled fishes of Slovenian rivers is the marble trout, found in the Adriatic part of the country’s river system. The Soca watershed is the place to find these glorious fish that can grow to immense sizes.
And so can the Danubian salmon – hucho hucho, often called the huchen. This species is found in the Sava River and its tributaries and is a close relative of the Mongolian taimen. They are similar in both looks and size but Slovenia, of course, is at least two days travel closer. The huchen is a fish of the wintertime and the season extends from November to February.
Also in November, it’s possible to fish for Slovenian grayling and what wonderful fish are these! There’s something about the clarity of water that enhances the natural colourings of these fish to a point where they sparkle with beauty and vitality. Never have I found fish of such consistent quality, size and fighting abilities.
Perfect days in Slovenia have been many. Stalking the Danubian salmon in a small, crystal-clear tributary where you can see ten massive fish patrolling the pool. A Bullhead pattern fly is seized. The reel screams. The crisp, winter air clouds your breath as you pursue a fleeing monster. Perhaps it’s November and you’re nymphing a steady, five foot glide over unbroken gravel. You can see the grayling lining the stream and when you hook one, it puts its massive dorsal against the current and on five weight, the battle seems interminable.
Or perhaps it’s summer and you’re pursuing big browns and rainbows down a valley that twists and turns alongside delightful villages and passes under antiquated bridges. There are churches everywhere, men working in the fields and a sense, somehow, of wandering back in time. Then you see a wild rainbow of proportions you can barely believe. Again, this could be New Zealand but for the fact that you’re thousands of miles closer to home.
I find everything about Slovenia welcoming and easy. You’re looking at just a couple of hours from any London airport. Traffic is quiet and undemanding. The people bend over backwards to speak English and show every ounce of hospitality. You don’t need any fly tackle that you don’t already possess, though if you go into the older-style fishing shops, you will come across home-tied flies that are too magnificent to ignore.
FACTS
Travel – easyJet fly direct to Ljubljana, the capital. However, Slovenia is so centrally situated flights into Trieste (Italy), Venice, or even Klagenfurt (Austria) are almost equally convenient.
Seasons – Trout and grayling fishing runs from March to November. Danubian salmon (huchen) are fished for from November until February. There is fly fishing, therefore, all the year round.
Guiding – My advice is to check out Rok Lustrik. Rok speaks excellent English, is a natural teacher and has encyclopaedic knowledge of the rivers, the fish species and how best to catch them. He is the most entertaining companion and makes the Slovenian experience complete. Check him out.
Accommodation – Around Bled, there are a number of hotels but I generally stay with Clive and Myrna Judge at Reka Hisa, a lodge on the river some four or five miles outside Bled itself. The rooms are extremely comfortable, the views of the river superb, food is fantastic and Clive and Myrna just can’t do enough for their guests. All rooms are en suite with splendid views down the river and have balcony and patio areas.
FINAL TIPS
As the rivers are generally small, four to six weight gear is usually sufficient for the trout. Bigger rainbows and marble trout might be better tackled on seven or even eight weight gear. For grayling fishing, my own preference is for a three / four weight outfit. A ten foot rod obviously gives you that little bit more control when bugging. For the Danubian salmon or huchen, an eight or nine weight outfit is generally sufficient. Most of the time floating lines are more than adequate but occasionally, for the huchen particularly, it pays to get down deeper and a selection of sinkers could prove useful.
Polaroid glasses are essential as are breathable chestwaders. Remember that end of season trout and grayling fishing and huchen fishing both are done in temperatures that can fall way below freezing. Only tackle Slovenia in the winter with the best of layering systems.
