Fishing in Slovenia is a great adventure

Fishing in Slovenia offers you very diverse fishing adventures We can arrange you fishing for a target fish with a different fishing technique. The most exciting is of course fly fishing for trouts and graylings, but also spinning for big predators(like pike, zander, catfish…) is a great adventure too.

In the late autumn and winter time we have season here in Slovenia, for a very special fish – the danube salmon. Fishing for danube salmon is most challenging that you can experience in Slovenia. Besides marble trout the danube salmon is also one of the rarest fish in the world. In Slovenia we are very proud on ability for a successful fishing on both species. Of course you need good conditions for success. For many people those two species are fish of the lifetime.

Spinn fishing and flyfishing on the lakes and rivers in Slovenia

In Slovenia we have many lakes just perfect for fishing on predators like pike, zander, catfish and trout. Besides well known lakes like lake Bled and lake Bohinj, we would like to introduce you also other lakes wich are majestic and quite unknown or hidden. Hidden paths would take you there to fish and relax the unspoiled nature and the beautiful landscape that surrounds the lake in Slovenia. Besides lakes, there are also some rivers (like Vipava river, Ljubljanica river…) where spinning is allowed as well.  

When the hucho hunts

Hucho hucho – the danube salmon is a very special fish of Slovenia. Many people simple do not understand that this fish is predator which does not realy behave like other trout species, which are active almost every day during the fishing season.  So when does the hucho hunt?

Hucho hunts almost the whole year, but you should accept the fact, that is more or less active when the weather is changing.  With the hucho fishing, you should know the facts which are decisive for successful fishing on hucho hucho. Those are:

Air preasure;  the best is when air preasure is low or getting lower (for example: when air preasure is 1010Mba and it is falling down to 1000 or less Mba At my expirience the best is under 1000 MBa…). In that time fish would intinctively hunt for bigger prey like nose fish, graylings, trouts and also bullheads, mice etc.

High water level;  the best time is when from low water level gets ti high water level and water is getting milky. Hucho would move (hidden under the rocks) and hunt.

Clouds, rain or snow ; i always bet on snow, but also the rain is good

The worst conditions for fishing on hucho are; low water level and sunny day, change from cloudy weather to sunny, high air preasure…

When you do not have good conditions you better fish early in the morning or lately in the evening, it is not immposible to catch it, even when you have a bad conditions.

Marble trout behavior

Marble trout is endemic  specie in Slovenia and also in the whole world. When you want to catch this predatory trout, you must be completely familiar with its behavior. Many fishermen are comming to Slovenia with one single purpose – to catch a marmorata, but sometimes they leave Slovenia without catching a marble trout. So lets make it clear…marble trout is a predator. Marble trout feed mostly on a bigger prey like fish, bullheads, frogs, snakes…Smaller marble trout feed also on insects, so you can catch it also on a dry fly or a nimph, but when marble trout reach size of 50cm or more they take dry fly or nimph very rearly. Instead of feeding on insects they rather take bigger prey. So when does the marmorata hunt?

Marble trout mostly hunt when raining, when water level is high or gettin higher because of the rain. In that time catching a big marble trout is very easy, because they go completely crazy. In the rising water level they would take anything. They also hunt for adult fish (they can easily take for example 35cm long rainbow trout or grayling…). But when a water level is low catching a big marble trout is almost immposible because they are most of the time hidden under a rock or fallen trees. When the water level is low you can still catch some smaller marble trout with a dry fly (like caddis) or a nimph, but you must be very carefull when wadding in the river. It is better if not wade in the river at all. You must always stay hidden in the shadow and if possible on your knees when casting.

4 hours of flyfishing at Tržiška Bistrica river

As you can see from my previos article about Tržiška Bistrica river, i prefer flyfishing for a wild fish. Tržiška Bistrica river inhibates both (wild and stock fish), but there you can find a lot of wild fish, beautyful rainbow trouts and gorgeus »brownies«. So i was fishing with 3 friends from Austria on a sunny day and low water level. Those conditions are ussually not a promising conditions. But we still managed to catch 12 brown trouts from 30-50cm and one rainbow trout. Also we lost one brownie app. 60 cm,hooked on a small nimph but the line broke… That was a fantastic flyfishing.

Fly fishing school for Beginners!!

We can help you to catch a big fish!! www.hidden-paths.com/

Fly fishing for big trout in Slovenia

I write this article to help people who still do not know very basic about common behavior of big brown trout and marble trout in Slovenia. There is a fact that big marble and big brownie gets more predator instinct, when reaching 50cm+ in lenght. So from that size they feed more on bigger prey, like bullheads, small fish. They can still take some insects, but it is rare. Espacialy the marble trout stay at one place, not moving at all. When it is feeding time they go searcing for prey. In that time they are pretty agressive. They take almost everythink (frogs, bullheads, fish…).

So when you flyfish for a big ones, you must adjust your tackle and technique for more likely predator fishing.  Very important is that you place a streamer on the river bottom as soon as possible( it is like: 1, 2, 3 and boom …streamer is on the bottom). I do it with heavy jig stremaers(7cm , 10g) and this is far best technique for catching big ones. If you do not like this technique, you can do it your own way, but always remember: the whole thing is to reach the river bottom fast.

Tržiška Bistrica river

This river has its name because of the clear water. The water is so clear that you can see to the river bottom . Sometimes you can have feeling that you are fishing salt water.   Tržiška Bistrica river flows through the Dovžan gorge where you can find big boulders along the river. In the canyon the river is fast but relatively narrow. In the city Tržič it gets a little more calmy. There are many dams along the river downstream where Tržiška Bistrica river joins into big Sava river. Tržiška Bistrica river is very playful river. There are mostly a rainbow  trout and a brown trout. Brown trouts are in average 30 cm in lenght, but with some perseverance, you can catch also 50-60cm in lenght.

Tight lines,

Gašper Konkolič

http://www.hidden-paths.com/

Difference between marble trout and a crossbreed

Marble trout has nativ range within the Adriatic basin. It is caracteriezed by particular marbled patters and colour. Originaly  the marble trout is result of destinct evolutionary lineage of brown trout. In that time, marble trouts were befaving as true species. Nowadays there is the same, there where fish are still wild. 

Crossbreed is result of mating brown trout and marble trout. Its color and pattern can be pretty much varied. Hybridization betweenn marble trout and brown trout has expend so far that typical marmoratus form is consider to be very rare and one of the endangered freshwater fish in Adriatic basin. How ever crossbreed can look sometimes similar to marble trout, but not to nativ marble trout.

In Slovenia we are very proud that we still have rivers where you can find nativ marble trout. For skilled flyfisherman the nativ fish ( the fish which was produced by mating native fish) is absolutely one of the top peek of flyfishing.