Fly fishing Slovenia/Croatia

[Dunkield]

A very long story but the short version is I have been 'courted' by a friend to go to Croatia/Slovenia for some Grayling and Trout fishing for a couple of years now.

For various and uninteresting reasons we haven't been able to make it until last week.

 

It was the fist time we had gone abroad for a dedicated fishing trip even though we had all done a bit while on holidays, so deciding what to take and what not to take was the first hurdle. Once we had bought decent waders and scoop nets plus a few flies we thought might work we were all set.

Because time was tight, the plan was fly out of Stansted on Friday, fish Saturday/Sunday and then Monday morning as as option before legging it to the airport about lunchtime to get home.

All I can say was I wish I had done it when I was first asked but you can't turn the clock back and all that.

I don't do much, if any river fishing and despite trying a few times, have never caught on a dry fly - so I was slightly apprehensive about techniques, but need have worried.

The trout feed well fist thing (6am'ish) until about 8am and then the Grayling take over at about 10am - so they work nicely round meal times, which was handy.

As was hot, it all went quiet around lunchtime and then switched back on at about 3pm, with a decent hatch that almost chokes you at about 7:30pm

So, predictably lunchtime food and drinks ran on a bit, which didn't seem to bother anyone, one stretch of water was walking distance from the hotel which was also handy.

 

This is what the river looked like at about 7am, not too shabby eh?

 

 

We fished that unguided for about a couple of hours without success, and it dawn on us that my not be as easy as we thought.

Back for a decent breakfast and we met up with our guide, he provided flies and advice by the bucket load.

He then took us way upstream so we could fish back to the hotel in time for lunch.

The nymphs they use are ridiculously small, and if you are clocking on a bit in years almost impossible to get onto your line without turning the air blue.

 

This small (that's a pound coin)

 

 

During the early morning session you fish streamers and dries and then use these tiny nymphs during the main part of the day in the deeper pools, they even add shot to the line to get down if the river is pushing through quickly. So no real casting just polop it into the pool and keep up the flow – and it works. That then presents you with next problem of setting such a small hook and landing the fish against the flow with a very fine tippet. Let’s just say more get hooked than landed, probably 50% don’t make it to the net.

 

Here is one that stayed on.

 

 

After a sensible amount of drink (honest) we were back on the water at 7pm for evening rise. Neither of us have seen anything like it before, all you need to be is in the right place at the right time, with the right fly, and be able to place it accurately and quietly, and you should hook a trout or grayling with almost every cast – oh yes you need lightning quick striking as well, fishing upstream there is no time to hang about. I did this, stood on a rock in the middle of the river, with my friend and host stood next to me. I was massively relieved (and shocked if I am honest) to be able to repeat that 6 times while he stood next to me, something I will never forget. In fact almost as much as him falling in on the way back to the bank

 

So that was day one.

 

Day two was in the wagon and up into the mountains to the national park, about an hours drive crossing the border twice on the way. Again the scenery was nothing short of spectacular.

 

 

We walked about a mile upstream, thanking the lords for the decision not to buy neoprene waders, I was sweating my parts off in breathables, and the forecast was for it to hit 30 degrees at lunchtime. As we got to the entry point I had to sit down in the river to cool down, before we waded our way slowly down stream, fishing each pool as we went. That got us back to the hut in time for lunch (good the way that happens) and the heavens opened for about 20 mins or so to cool everything down a bit. While we eat and drank and generally compared stories and lies, our guide tied us flies to match what he had just scooped out of the river – these boys are just talented, they are gifted

 

We set off in different directions for the afternoon session, each heading for an area that had caught our eyes earlier.

I had yet another mad session as I got a spot where small grayling were hammering dry flies; I landed 9 in about an hour or so and probably missed double that.

As the sun came out again we had the mist rolling across the water.

The water in this picture is at least 3' deep, that gives you an idea of how clear it is.

 

 

That was us done for the day, we stopped off for a beer on the way back at a hotel on the mountain side admiring the views and wondering whey the hell we haven’t done this before.

 

Those that wanted it fished again on the last morning, I was happy walking the banks spotting fish and pointing them out to the guys fishing, it took a while but once you tune your eyes to them you can pick them up quite easily. There are 3 grayling in that picture, I am not sure how well it will come out on here, I could do with a polarised lens for my camera.

 

 

After that it was back to airport and home to Stansted in the pouring rain and the prospect of work the next day.

 

Great trip, we will be going back next year, as this year is max'd out with trips and I would like to stay married, for the meantime at least

 

If you are genuinely interested (he is very busy and gets a lot of 'tyre kickers') in going, drop me a PM and I will forward the trip organisers details on to you.

[jimdfish]

Big up big man.

Lovely write up. What size did you have trout wise?

Jim

[Dunkield]

Not the best picture, but I guess about a pound?

They have a very strict catch and release policy, so it was very quick one handed snap and straight back into the water (while not giving your mates the satisfaction of seeing you slip on the slimy rocks for a ducking) And as you can see it bent just as I pressed the button on my camera

 

 

They do go bigger, much bigger, but fishing so light it is hard to get them landed - you can kill 2 fish over 30cm a day and they go 40cm+

[Cranfield]

Nice report and good pictures of some beautiful trout and grayling water. :blink:

[grasshopper]

Cracking write-up about a cracking trip Stuart :blink: thanks for sharing

[tabs]

Great write up, you have whet my appetite in a big way. Could you pass on the details of guides and or agents you arranged the trip with.

 

Jonathan

[Dunkield]

Tabs YHPM.