Fly fishing in Slovenia

Slovenian rivers are considered some of the most spectacular in the world. The incredible management of its different fishing clubs coupled with the beauty of its waters and landscape have turned this country of the Former Yugoslavia into a real paradise for lovers of fly fishing.

To fish in Slovenian rivers a fishing license – permit is required, which is often more than 100€ and provides access to a single stretch of river and day. These fishing permits can be obtained at various hotels, gas stations, fishing shops …
Slovenian rivers possess diverse species for fishing such as Marble Trout, Brown Trout, Adriatic Grayling, Rainbow trout, Danube Salmon among others.

Our company works from a strategic point of the country from which we have access to almost all Slovenian River within a maximum radius of 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Slovenian rivers:

• Soca: The Soca River and its tributaries are one of the most spectacular rivers in the world. We can fish Marble Trout, Adriatic Grayling and Rainbow trout from its emerald waters.
  The fishing season starts in April and ends in October.
• Sava Bohinja: a spectacular river that alternates crystalline bottom currents and houses large rainbow trout, brown trout and even large Danube salmon. The fishing season starts in March and ends in November.
• Idrija: The river Idrija and its tributaries are characterised by alternating currents with beautiful pools and in some of them live huge Marble Trout. The fishing season starts in April and ends in October.
• Radovna: Located near Bled this is one of the most beautiful and fun rivers for fishing in Slovenia. Their fish are small, but the environment is unique. The fishing season starts in March and ends in November.
• Kokra: is a small alpine mountain river, which is fun for fishing with dry fly. Adventurous anglers will be able to enjoy catching brown trout, rainbow trout and some Adriatic grayling in a tributary of the Sava located very close to the city of Bled. The fishing season runs from April to October.
• Unec: it is one of the best Chalk Streams in the world for fishing Adriatic Grayling. The fishing season goes from May to November but due to the dry season, certain months of the summer are not ideal for fishing.
• Krka: it’s a river of dark water which houses large brown trout, rainbow trout and Danube salmon. The fishing season runs from March to November.
• Vipava: is one of the best rivers for trophy marble trout fishing, it has tributaries of great interest.
• Savinja: this is another tributary of the river Sava, which is near the Bled and of ideal for fishing small marble trout.
• Lepena: is a magical river tributary to the Soca. It is ideal for fishing in incredible landscape surroundings.

In Slovenia fishermen can enjoy fishing for five different species of salmonids, some of which can be found in the same river. These species are:

• Marble trout: this mysterious variety of brown trout is the treasure of Slovenia. It is an aggressive salmonid native to the tributaries of the Adriatic Sea.
• Adriatic Grayling: this variety of grayling, like marble trout, is considered a unique subspecies that live in estuaries that lead to the Adriatic Sea. It is characterized by its colorful and large dorsal fin.
• Brown Trout: the brown trout was introduced into many rivers by the Slovenian officials and fishing clubs. Its population has now settled naturally.
• Rainbow Trout: the rainbow trout is a no-native species that stands out for its large size and combative vigor. Currently, it can be found in the vast majority of rivers in Slovenia.
• Hucho-hucho or Danube Salmon: the wolf of the Slovenian rivers, this salmonid lives in the rivers of the Danube basin. It is characterized by its large size and voracity. The best months to fish are November, December, January and February.

Marble trout are considered by many fishermen to be one of the most mysterious fish in the world due to its curious behavior.
Marble trout are a special form of brown trout that live in the South side of the Alps in the tributaries of the Adriatic Sea. Apart from Slovenia, it can also be found in Northern Italy and Croatia.
Marble trout position themselves near riverbanks, especially those with big stones and submerged trees, in order to blend in with the riverbed. There they stay and wait patiently to catch fish. They are very territorial and aggressive fish.
Bigger marble trout remain hidden during the day and go out to hunt in deep pools at night or on days when the river waters are high and murky.
Marble trout are known for:

• Their strong territorial nature
• Marbled scale pattern.
• The big size of their heads.
• Being large, sometimes even reaching lengths of 50 inches, or weighing more than 20 pounds.

Two decades ago marble trout were cataloged as an endangered species. The main problems its population face are:

• Crossbreeding with brown trout.
• Deterioration of the water quality.
• Catch and keep.
• Habitat reduction.

The problem with marble trout and brown trout crossbreeding
Several decades ago many of the rivers inhabited by trout in Slovenia were repopulated with brown trout, this began the hybridization of the native marble trout populations. Thus, in Slovenian rivers like Idrijca, Bača, Vipava, Reka and Rižana it is easy to find areas in rivers where both species coexist and crossbreed.
The hybrid trout has characteristics of both species such as the distinctive irregular scale pattern of the marble trout mixed with the red spots with white edges typical of the brown trout.
It should be noted that the marble trout cannot breed with the rainbow trout.

Salmo marmoratus, Slovenia’s greatest tourist attraction
Although the marble trout can be found in a variety of different countries, such as Italy and Croatia, it was never very popular until the Slovenian fishermen clubs expressed their concerns for this beloved fish. Nowadays, Slovenia is known all over the world for its marble trout.
The average size of the marble trout in Soča river is about 11.8 inches in the upper course and 15 inches in the middle course of the river. Every year fishermen register some Soča trout weighing 11 to 33 pounds. The largest specimen registered to date was in 1997, when fishermen caught a marble trout that measured 121 inches and weighed 55 pounds.
In 1982, a campaign to save this species was started in the Soča River and today the source of this river has a large population that continues to increase year after year.
Nowadays, local fishing clubs continue to fight to recover the salmo marmoratus population, which was facing a near extinction due to the release of brown trout into their habitat, resulting in crossbreeding. Thanks to them, people are now realizing the marble trout’s uniqueness and importance, and they have easily become the symbol for fishing in Slovenia.

Slovenia is a country filled with rivers. Few places on earth have as many rivers in such a small territory.
Slovenian rivers are located on the South side of the Julian Alps. In a country where within a 60-mile radius it is possible to go from the summit of the Triglav Mountain (‎9395 ft) to the shores of the Adriatic Sea, rivers flow fast in the mountainous landscape and slow in the plains.
Each river has a season when conditions are best for fishing. Due to the variety of Slovenian rivers and the exceptional location of our operations center, located in Tomin, we can guarantee success throughout the year, regardless of weather conditions, current and temperatures. In general, it could be said that:

• March, April and from mid-June is usually the best time to fish in mountain rivers.
• Chalk streams and plain rivers guarantee good fishing from March until the end of June.
• The tributary rivers of the foothills of the Julian Alps offer excellent conditions for fishing from March to mid-July.
• Lakes offer good fishing conditions all year-round.

Most flies hatch during April, May and June. Although in summer mayflies and caddisflies can be prominent at night.
We believe that overall April, May and beginning of June are the best months for marble trout fishing. During these months, streams flow at greater speeds making larger trout more active and easier to catch.

In Slovenia, agriculture is done without insecticides or herbicides. These volatile compounds negatively affect insects. The lack of pesticides allows for a higher population of insects and intense hatching seasons which increases your chances of catching a fish.
Many different kinds of flies can be used in Slovenia. The choice will depend on the fish we want to catch, the time of the year and the type of the river. It should be noted that both American and European fly patterns work well.
In broad strokes, we recommend the following:

• From March to April: large hatches of mayflies such as the Baetis Rhodani occur in the first months of the season. If the water level is rising due to rain it is the best moment to dry fly fish trout. It should be noted that big marble trout usually stay in slow-water pools and catch flies on the surface at the central hours of the day. A challenge for the angler and the guide!
• May: chalk streams are spectacular during the month of May. There are large mayfly hatches and trout and grayling have great activity.
• June, July and August: during these months, large hatches happen in the afternoons. It is easy to find dark caddisfly in leafy areas with trees.
• September and October: the climate of the Slovenian Alps is softening due to climate change therefore September and October have become great moths for fishing. Hatches happen all throughout the day, although it is worth noting the large hatches of small dark stonefly in the month of October.

In Alps Fly Fish we provide you with the best fishing equipment (rods, reels, flies, waders…).
If you are bringing your own equipment these are some recommendations:

• Rods: an «all-terrain» 5 to 9 ft. line rod is suitable for fishing in Slovenia. Nymph fishing lovers will enjoy a #4 10 to 11 ft. rod. Finally, #4 line 8.6 ft. rods may be best for fishing in small mountain tributary rivers.
• Lines: 90% of the time we fish with #4 floating line. When the rivers are rising, we fish streamer with #5 line with sinking tip.
• Reels: we recommend automatic reels for small rivers. However, in those rivers where there is a possibility to fish large marble trout we recommend manual reels because they have better brakes.

In order to fish in Slovenia it is necessary to have a fishing license. You can choose out of a variety of licenses based on your timetable; one day, three days, one week, or a year. Daily licenses are issued by fishing clubs, or the administration.
In order to buy fishing licenses, it is necessary to provide the passport number and some other personal information. The cost ranges between 15 and 100 euros depending on the river you want to fish.
Each fishing permit allows you to fish in certain sections of the river, also the fishing season, fishing gear and fishing species among others are specified.
Slovenia fishing permits are obtained in some hotels, shops, gas stations and websites. Permits can be issued for one day, three days, a week or a year.

In Slovenia, the waters are managed by two types of entities.

1. Fisheries Research Institute of Slovenia. To access the web page CLICK HERE.
2. Local fishing clubs.

1- FISHERIES RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF SLOVENIA.
The rivers managed by the Institute are grouped into districts.
In the following list, we name the districts. Click on the district name to follow a link to find out more information on the best fishing season, limits of the fishing district, fishing methods allowed, types of fishing licenses and fishing species.
You can also download a PDF with the map of the district:

Kolpa.
Koritnica.
Krka.
Lepena.
Mrtvica – Ribce.
Obrh
Radovna
Sava
Sava Bohinja.
Soča
Unica.

2- SLOVENIAN FISHING CLUBS OR ANGLER FAMILIES.
In Slovenia, local fishermen’s clubs manage particular sections of the river. These clubs have their fishing guards, fish farms, administrative staff and collaborate with local fishermen and fishing guide companies.
If you want to access the websites of the main fishing clubs of Slovenia just click on any of them:
Fly Fishing Club of Tolmin.
Dolomiti Fishing Club.
Fishing Club of Vrhnika.
Fishing Club of Idrija
Fishing club of Ljubno ob Savinji.
Fishing Club of Bohinj.
Fishing club of Bled.
Fishing Club of Kranj.
Fishing club of Slovenska Bistrica.
Fishing clob of Metlika.
Fishing club of Rence
Fishing club of Kocevje.
Fishing Club of Ajdovscina.
Fishing club of Trzic.
Fishing Club of Ziri.
Finally, in the list below you will find a summary of the different preserves sorted by river name. Click on them to access the corresponding information:
Soča – Lepena.
Tolminka.
Baca.
Idrija.
Trebussica.
Nadiza.
Sava Bohinjka
Sava Dolinka
Sava
Radovna
Krka
Unica
Savinja
Dreta
Kolpa
Kamniska bistrica
Iscica
Iska
Trziska bistrica
Sora
Kneza
Radescica
Block Lake
Rizana
Cerkniscica
Reka
Meza

How to buy fishing permits for Slovenia online
If you are interested in buying online fishing permits in Slovenia you can do it by going to the website of any of the previous fishing club mentioned. Many of them offer the possibility to buy the permits online.

Can a fishing guide issue fishing permits for me?
Alps Fly Fish is a travel agency which sells all-inclusive packages (hotel, fishing permits, accommodation, transfers from airports…). Unlike other companies, we take care of supplying daily permits for the best fishing areas without an added price.

In Slovenia we have selected one lodge strategically located for offer the best fishing guarantees depending of the time of year.
This operation center be found located in  Tolmin. In them you will find a familiar treatment and an excellent service.