Thirteen best fly fishing locations in Slovenia recommended by local fly fishing guide Rok Lustrik.
Slovenia is a very small but very diverse country, which offers an incredible variety of rivers, from gin-clear alpine and freestone rivers to mysterious natural chalk streams. It is hard to pick a favourite type of river, since they are all so different. Each has its own characteristics and fish species, making you constantly adjust your fly fishing techniques - and perfecting all the aspects of fishing from casting to fly selection and presentation.
1. Soca with tributaries
The Soca is probably the most famous alpine river in Slovenia, and rightly so, with its very different tributaries. Set in breathtaking scenery overlooking the Julian Alps, it is home to the most fascinating and elusive fish species in the world - the marble trout - as well as Adriatic grayling and rainbow trout.
Fishing season: April - October
2. Idrijca
Without doubt, the Idrijca is one of the most challenging of our rivers to fish. A mixture between freestone and chalk stream provides the complex environment for wide ranging and unique aquatic life. This makes the fish very selective in their feeding: every day is a lesson in entomology as well as the chance to stalk the queen of our Salmonids - the marble trout.
Fishing season: April - October
3. Sava
The river Sava is the longest alpine river in Slovenia. It starts divided into two forks, the Sava Bohinjka and Sava Dolinjka rivers. The upper part is world-famous for its grayling as well as for large rainbows and good-sized browns. In the winter time, it is ideal for fly fishing for our land-locked Danube salmon.
Fishing season: April - November for trout and grayling and December - February for Danube salmon
4. Radovna
The Radovna is a tributary to the Sava Dolinjka near lake Bled. Abundant caddis life feeds the many small wild browns, which are the main species here. Wild brook trout and rainbows can also be found. On a lucky day, you might get into a hard-fighting tiger trout, which is a hybrid between brown and brook trout.
Fishing season: March - November
5. Kokra
The Kokra river is an Alpine freestone tributary, which joins the river Sava near Kranj. This provides near-perfect fishing for wild browns and rainbows, as well as good-sized graylings.
Fishing season: April - October
6. Sora
Another tributary to Sava, the Sora divides at its source into two forks, both offering excellent fishing for big browns as the principal species, with a good representation of grayling. In the winter time, this river is perfect for catching Danube salmon.
Fishing season: April - October for trout and grayling and November - February for Danube salmon
7. Unec
This is Slovenias most celebrated chalk stream, and like all Slovenian chalk streams, entirely natural, not the result of agricultural techniques. Very rich in insect life, with prolific hatches of sedges in the evenings. Ideal location for the dry fly fisherman. The Unec is famous also for its huge grayling, as well as very good size native browns.
Fishing season: May - November
8. Krka
A very interesting and magical chalk stream, the Krka is well known for its big browns, medium-sized rainbows, as well as - in the lower section - Danube salmon.
Fishing season: March - November
9. Iscica
Another Slovenian hidden and enchanting chalk streams, the Iscica will give you very testing and challenging fishing. Brown trout are predominant here, with decent numbers of grayling in amongst them. Tantalisingly, Danube salmon can also be present.
Fishing season: March - November
10. Kolpa
Our most southern tributary to Sava river, also unique, since it runs threw the remote Karst area, that gives it special green - yellow color, and is inhabited with native brow trout, rainbow trout, grayling and hucho.
Fishing season: April - November for trout and grayling and December - February for Danube salmon
11. Trziska Bistrica
Left tributary to Sava river, that comes from Karavanke mountain range near the town of Trzic. It is small, but charming, full of native browns.
Fishing season: April - November
12. Savinja
One of bigger tributaries from Sava river, jet another river that joins to Sava river from a different mountain range, this time from Kamnik – Savinja Alps, that are located in the Eastern part of Slovena. Clean clear water offers unforgettable fly fishing moments for brown trout, grayling and rainbow trout.
Fishing season: April - November
13. Kamniska Bistrica
Kamniska bistrica is a small freestone alpine river, with its spring in Kamnik – Savinja Alps, not far from the town of Kamnik, near the source it is populated with native browns that are beautifully coloured but spooky, further downstream not so shy graylings become a part of the fauna as well.
Fishing season: April - November
