MY FLY FISHING ADVENTURE IN SLOVENIA
INDEX:
Idrijca River in the lower part (Tolmin)
1. FIRST PART OF THIS FLY FISHING JOURNEY WITH ESTEBAN
In May 2024, due to the rain and the thaw in Trentino Alto Adige and the surrounding area, I decided to improvise a fishing trip by car to Austria and Slovenia, passing through some streams in South Tyrol and Veneto.
In the first few days of the trip we managed to fish some small streams in Italy and Austria with moderate success, so we decided to continue with the search for new places to fish and get to know.
The first choice was the Savinja river, but due to last year's floods it is temporarily closed to fishing. We therefore decided to go to the Tolmin and Idrija region in the Slovenian mountains, and here I will tell you about our great experience in this beautiful valley full of rivers and streams ideal for fly fishing.
Photo1. Soca river from the suspension bridge at the campsite (Kobarid). Photo2. Two Argentines in Slovenia
In the first part of the trip and together with my great companion, Argentinian fly fishing rod manufacturer and salesman Esteban Sigal (Esigalflyrods) who was visiting here, after 2 days in Italy and 2 days in Austria we headed for the upper Idrijca river area.
Travelling in the pouring rain at dusk we arrived at our base (a nice guesthouse on a mountain road 10 minutes from the river) but passing over the bridge we saw the river very dirty because of how much it had rained in such a short time!
Praying that the situation would improve the next day, we went to enjoy a delicious typical Slovenian dinner and rest.
The place we chose to make base was a small mountain guesthouse near the Idrijca River, the owners are very nice, they offer nice rooms with breakfast and if we arrive on time at night after fishing, they prepare us a typical and tasty dinner typical of the place! All for a very honest and fair price! Here is the contact…
https://maps.app.goo.gl/kgvCKgvAJokWFakV8
1.1. THE IDRIJCA RIVER IN THE UPPER PART
After a hearty breakfast, we headed for the river, which to our surprise was high but again clean and beautiful for fishing; so we got our permits, set up our gear and began to explore this Slovenian paradise that makes more than one fly fisherman's dream come true.
If you want to do the fishing licenses and at the same time get advice about the fishing areas with the help of a person with a lot of fishing experience in the area you can go here, the owner of this pension is very friendly and offers the permits to most of the fishermen who come to visit these areas from all over the world!
https://maps.app.goo.gl/v7PoM1VanDKSpBe69
The highest part of the reserve was the first destination, and fishing with a tungsten nymph and euronymph lines we caught our first Slovenian trout.
Idrjca River in the upper part of the reserve (Idrija)
Amidst marble, brown and hybrids, we ascended the river in awe of the beauty of the place. Every bend, every pool and every stream promised to be a good hiding place for our trout, but it was not easy to fool them and every catch had to be earned.
The further up the river we went, the smaller it became, until we reached a very promising hole where we caught 3 or 4 good-sized trout, all brown and marble trout ranging in size from about 30 to 50 cm.
At one point, as I was leaving the place, my companion, who kept insisting, caught a good brown trout and shouted 'come here, there is a beast after my catch'. I went down to the area and it was already gone, but we estimated that it was twice the size! We tried for a while with dries and nymphs, but there was no chance of tricking it or enticing it to come out of its hiding place again.
At that moment we realised that this river can give you the fish of a lifetime if you have a bit of luck and are at the right time with the right gear.
Release of an Idrijca Marble trout
1.2. THE IDRIJCA RIVER IN THE MIDDLE PART
After a good lunch break to recharge our batteries we went back to the car to change the area, as it was already 4pm and the insect activity was increasing, we decided to go to the middle lower part of the reserve to do some fishing with the dry flies that had worked at times in the morning!
Once we arrived at our chosen fishing spot, we started fishing with nymphs upstream with little success (the rod I chose was an 11ft for 3-4 line which allowed me to fish with nymphs and by changing the reel, within minutes I was ready to fish with dry flies), shortly afterwards we started to see a great hatching of all kinds of insects on the water, but the ones that caught my attention the most were the large flies also known as Mayflies (a unique spectacle of nature).
The fish started eating like crazy and our nymphs weren't even looking at them, so we switched and started fishing with dry flies right where the fish were coming up.
It was not easy to cast, but after a couple of attempts, I managed to fool a nice rainbow trout, which came violently for my CDC dry fly, and after a good fight was photographed for the memory.
Photo 1. Rainbow trout. Photo 2. Brown trout. Photo 3. Marmorata (Idrijca Grand Slam).
Of the 10 fish I saw, more or less from my vantage point, I managed to catch 3, all very combative rainbows fishing dry on the boil. My friend on the other side of the river told me they were not trout, but chubs. As far as I was concerned and based on the ones I had caught, the only fish I saw that afternoon were trout in my net!
The others ate desperately, but I could never find the right fly to fool them (I tried for 1 hour and with more than 10 different flies between dry and emerging), and sometimes you have to be content.
At dusk, we headed back to the car, dismantled our equipment and returned to our guesthouse, where after a delicious dinner typical of the area, we rested up for the next day of fishing in these spectacular places.
1.3. THE SOCA RIVER IN THE MIDDLE PART
The emerald river is a Slovenian fly-fishing paradise. I had got to know it and fish it years ago, catching beautiful, large rainbow trout in the Tolmin area.
This time we went to Kobarid, parked in the campsite area and went to see the river in the area of the suspension bridge. It was very high and almost impossible for fly fishing, but since we were there, we went down and fished with big nymphs and managed to catch a few medium-sized rainbow trout.
A heavy thunderstorm in the early afternoon forced us to end the day's fishing earlier than planned and we decided to return to Italy, as my fishing partner had a return flight the next day from Venice.
But my trip would not end there, because taking advantage of a visit from two friends from Salerno, we returned to the Tolmin and Idrija area for two more days of fishing, camping and exploring.
Photo 1. Soca River and its emerald color. Photo 2. Happiness and dry flies in the Idrijca.
2. THE JOURNEY CONTINUES WITH PASQUALE AND TIZIANO
My travelling partners, Pasquale and Tiziano, from the province of Salerno, arrived with their caravan ready to spend a few days fishing in the area of Tolmin and Idrija. The meeting point was the city of Gorizia, and our first destination was a campsite located on the Soca river, which unfortunately for us was decidedly full of water and almost impossible to fly-fish.
We arrived at the campsite in the afternoon, and after a check in with an aperitif included by the tourists and the campsite manager (a very nice person) on the banks of the river in a spectacular natural setting, we settled in to spend the first night outdoors.
After a hearty dinner from Salerno, and Pasquale's home-made wine, we went to rest, thinking about what would be the next day's fishing trip to this wonderful country.
Photo 1. Road trip Photo 2. Narrow bridges over the Soca River
2.1. FLY FISHING THE IDRIJCA AND THE TREBUSICA IN THE LOWER PART
The day started early, at 7am, and after a good coffee and local sweets we chose to fish in the Tolmin area, where with the same C&R fishing permit, it is possible to change areas and fish several rivers in the same day.
As our first destination we chose the largest tributary of the Soca, which was a little high but with a beautiful water colour, the Idrijca River in its final part.
We parked near the bridge in the middle part of the stretch we had available, changed our clothes, set up our equipment and headed down to the river. In this area there was a small, crystal clear stream known as Trebusica.
Marble trout caught with nymph in the upper Idrijca river
Nymph fishing, my friends managed to catch two nice rainbow trout in the area of the confluence with the stream, I decided to go up the small stream to see what was going on. After a couple of kilometres without seeing or hearing a fish, I spotted a good-sized trout in a large hole, tried dries and nymphs, but had no positive results. I continued a little further upstream (this part of the stream was really a natural paradise) and in another hole of crystal-clear water, fishing with nymphs on sight, I had my first bite of a nice marble trout, but after a few moments it slipped away, leaving me empty-handed.
3 Fishermen on the Idrijca River, Tolmin, Slovenia
I meet up with my friends and we organise lunch on the banks of the river. In the meantime, I see at least 10 fish between chub and barbel at the confluence, I cast a couple of times with nymphing but I can't catch any. This is fishing!
After a hearty lunch on the banks of the river, we decided to go downriver a bit, fishing with streamers, as it had started to rain and we saw no activity on the surface. After a few casts downstream, crossing the current and letting it drift, I got the first touch on my fly. I pressed on again and after the second cast and boom.... great catch and a beautiful rainbow trout after a good fight was immortalised!
As the rain showed no sign of stopping, we decided to take a coffee break and look for the area where we would be spending the night, having the camper van with kitchen and beds available for support makes everything easier and the experience in the river always in contact with nature, is something we adventurous anglers really enjoy.
Two casts with streamers and a nice rainbow!
2.2. FISHING THE BACA RIVER IN THE LOWER PART
We found a parking area for caravans below the railway bridge at the mouth of the Baca river (big tributary of the Idrijca at the end), we prepared the equipment and as there were many fishermen in the area where the rivers meet, we decided to take the car to move more comfortably and fish the Baca river upwards. Much smaller, with icy and transparent waters, we immediately fell in love with its natural beauty.
We fished all afternoon with nymphs, under the drizzle, catching many rainbow trouts, marmoratas and hybrids between 20 and 40 cm in size, many times on sight fish.
Some of the fish caught by the team
Late in the afternoon in a big pool where I had already caught some trout I decided to make my last casts. I crossed the river to be able to fish well in a place that promised to hide some treasure, and so it was.... After the first cast, my nymph was able to sink better and I immediately felt a big bite! I raised my rod to quickly hook the fish and the fight began... A big rainbow trout of more than 60cm started to jump and fight as only they know how, after a couple of minutes and fighting it carefully so as not to lose it (I had already lost a couple of good fish in the fight that afternoon) I tried to get it into the landing net. Unfortunately for me, when she saw me, she headbutted twice and took the fly out of my mouth, leaving me with that emptiness and anger that only anglers know after losing a big fish! This time she won…
Fishing in paradise
2.3. THE IDRJCA RIVER AND THE CERKNICA CREEK
We spent the night on the banks of the beautiful Idrijca River and the next morning we had coffee and watched the spectacle of dozens of chub and barbels that inhabit the area in the lower part of the river.
This day we had chosen to fish and get to know the middle part of the river Idrijca from the mouth of the creek Cerknica to the area of Spodnja Idrija.
After about twenty kilometres upstream we got the permits, changed, prepared the equipment and went down to the river, which in this part of the river was much lower and clearer.
That morning I decided to start fishing with dry flies because when I got to the river I saw some taken on the surface, after an hour I only got one bite and one cut and I couldn't catch any fish. Pasquale fished with nymphs downstream and caught several good sized marbled and rainbow trout. I went back to rig my nymph rig and downstream I caught several medium sized and hard fighting rainbow trout.
Photo 1. Breakfast at the campsite. Photo 2. Slowworm. Photo 3. Soca river. Photo 4. Parking at the river
Back to the cars and after a good lunch on the banks of the river, we headed downstream to the junction with the Cerknica. We parked near the bridge and from up there, we managed to see in a calm area of the river, a beautiful marmorata trout of more than 60 cm swimming and hiding under our watchful eyes!
Tiziano decided to stay and fish in that area of the river and to go up the Cerknica stream a little bit looking for some trout. Pasquale and I went upstream, looking for areas further away from civilization, in the middle of the Slovenian forest and with access to the river after a few minutes walk.
We found a dream place to fish, a part of the river with many bends, pools and slides in the middle of a breathtaking natural landscape. Fishing with nymphs I was able to get several catches of marbled and rainbow trout between 20 and 40 cm downstream.
Nice afternoon in the lower Idrijca fishing with nymphs
Pasquale was less lucky upstream, with few fish but he was able to see the biggest fish of the trip! A Big Marble Trout of more than 80 cm that after a few seconds of watching and photographing it, disappeared completely at the bottom of the river.
Happy but not so happy, we met up again with Tiziano who had also had little luck trying dries and nymphs, we returned to the vehicles and headed off in search of a place downriver where we could spend the night and fish the last two hours of the afternoon.
Breakfasts, lunches and dinners
3. LAST CASTS AND THE END OF THE FLY FISHING TRIP
In a free parking area on the river bank we decided to try dry flies in a big slow water pool until the sun went down.
After a few more catches fishing on topwater fish, including some small graylings, the last day of fishing in this Slovenian paradise was coming to an end. The three of us together in the big pool, almost without light and with the last light, we made our last casts, until at one point I saw a good fish coming up the river, desperately eating all the insects that came in its way. I cast a little short at about 50 cm from the fish, and without thinking so much I attack my dry fly with violence... an unforgettable moment and a spectacular fight that only good sized rainbow trout know how to give.
Sunset dry fly fishing
As it was the last night in Slovenia and since the fishing area allowed it, we decided to sacrifice the last catch (from time to time we make an exception) and we grilled it on the river bank in the last Slovenian sunset with a good glass of red wine and a good risotto!
Thus we said goodbye to this beloved land, and we hope to be able to come back one day to enjoy, to know and to fish those special rivers that all fly fishermen dream to see sometime in their life.
The impressive Soca River and its unreal color
4. CONCLUSION AND USEFUL INFORMATION
From my humble point of view and with the little experience I have in Slovenia (this was my second visit after almost 10 years) I think it is really a paradise of rivers and streams for fly fishing.
In the rivers we can find many species of fish such as trouts, trout, hucho, chub and barbel, being the first ones the most sought after.
If you don't want to risk and waste time looking for good fishing areas, it is always a good idea to contact one of the many local fly fishing guides available in the area.
Fishing permits for the different areas are available online or at various outlets such as hotels and tourist offices with their respective regulations. The prices of the licenses seemed to me a little high (from 50 euros per day with the possibility of making 3 days packs with discount) but with what we save on accommodation and food, which are not so high, in the end it will not be so great the expense for a few days of fishing in this beautiful place.
4.1. USEFUL LINKS
Fishing license in the Tolmin area
Fishing license in the area of Idrijca
Maps of fishing areas
The season runs from April to November in most of the rivers and you can fish with a nymph, a dry or a streamer, you can't use two flies, nor add weights or a bite indicator in many of the reserve and in some sections you can fish only with a dry fly.
Fishing is not easy due to the amount of insects and food that the trout have at their disposal, each catch has to be earned with a lot of hard work, but in the end if we do things right we will always have our reward.
Adventure written and lived by Ramón Carlos Herrero, fly fisherman.
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