Mike finds that the famous Soča valley really does live up to expectations.

“Mike, why would you possibly want to go to Slovenia?” That’s the question I was asked a few times in Australia, and when visiting family and friends in The Netherlands.

My answer? I had seen photos of impossibly clear streams running through stunningly beautiful alpine valleys, lined with waterfalls. I had also heard of the Alpe-Adria walking trail that hugs those rivers, connecting historic alpine towns from the mountains to the Adriatic Sea. Also, Slovenia is not a place well-trodden, and that was the final tick-in-the-box for Slovenia: in an era of over-tourism, the last thing this tourist wants to see is other tourists! It was time to pack my 4 weight bamboo rod and some CDC dry flies, and with our hiking gear, my non-fishing wife and I set off for Slovenia’s capital Ljubljana, to check out this country for ourselves.

Getting started

To scout the river situation first, I had booked two days with local guide Uroš Kristan (Urkofishingadventures) on arrival. When we walked through customs, it was hard to miss the Sage cap and the rather large trout splashed over his t-shirt. We’d been in contact via Insta and emails for months, so it was nice to finally meet in person. It was only 8.30am at Ljubljana airport, it was still early in June. The sky was blue, there was heat in the air. The mountains towering over the airport to the west had snow on them. That’s where Uroš pointed to, and so that’s where we went. Recent heavy rainfall had dirtied the rivers close by, so it was straight to the main attraction – the upper Soča (pronounced “so-cha”) river.

Slovenia is not a big place – Victoria is 11 times larger. With its 2 million residents, it has a low population density compared to other countries. It has lots of farm and wilderness areas, and even a sizeable population of wild brown bears. Within about an hour’s drive you can be in Italy, Austria, Hungary or Croatia. This makes for interesting travel planning.

Getting fishing licences, well that is really quite expensive! The online websites to book tickets are easy enough to navigate, however you must check the locations closely to make sure you stay within your beat. I assumed mobile coverage would be poor (in fact it was excellent) and therefore I had bought licenses months before my trip. As the weather turned nasty later on, I could only fish half the days I had bought tickets for. So, a money saving tip is to buy a licence on site, on the day, so you only spend money to fish when weather and river conditions are right. This tip just saved you 70 euros for each day’s ticket, or about 100 Aussie. You’re welcome!

The Soča River runs close to (and during World War I it actually was) the border between Slovenia and Italy. It’s a place rich with WWI history. The river flows through the town of Kobarid, where Hemingway (him again!) got injured and where he wrote ‘A Farewell to Arms’. Nearby too is the Kolovrat site. Here, millions of young men fought each other, and many lost their lives. When fishing, the immense WWI stone walled fortifications, which still have the old gun ports in them, are dotted everywhere along the lush riverbanks. Although now standing silent and overgrown with moss, their historic purpose can be easily grasped. How lucky are we to live, travel and fish in a time of (relative!) peace. Lest we forget.

Meeting marble trout

The main species I was keen to catch was the marble trout (Salmo marmoratus). This fish is endemic to the Adriatic basin, and they look stunning. The ribbed pattern of green and gold appears, when seen in black and white, a bit like the imprint of a rugged mountain boot. They are also one of the larger trout species.

How to fish for them? Well, they hold in similar places to brown trout, and they feed like browns; perhaps a bit more freely – but only when they are ‘on’. When you hook them, they fight a little less doggedly, pound for pound, compared to browns.

All this meant that catching marble trout basically relied on tactics I knew from home for brown trout. But casting versatility is certainly required in the super clear water. I had cracker first day, but it required me to swap within each beat between Euro nymphing for fish sighted deep, then followed by long drag free drifts on the dry, then bow-and-arrow casts while crawling over rocks; and even dipping flies under a tree when we saw just the tip of a fin or a head poking out.

Seems the story is the same as everywhere: stick to the dry only, and there will be times and days where you could easily get skunked. Choosing to visit during the warmer months means there should be enough fish looking up to catch some on the dry, but you would still struggle at times without nymphs.

Despite the relatively large size of marble trout, there is a strong preference to fish light tippet. Now, I’m not known to shy away from using 0.12mm (7X) on our local streams. But when it was put on for a large marble that we just sighted, I was curious to say the least. I delivered a long cast with the dry fly, had a perfect, long drift, and then a log of a marble appeared behind my fly. It’s head, shoulders and dorsal fin fully emerged as it took the dry. As I lifted the rod, it was like lifting into a brick wall. The 0.12mm snapped like fairy floss! Ho hum… I later fished with 5X when I hiked the same area by myself, and caught fish both nymphing and on dries. So, whilst I have heard the local advice that this very clear water demands very fine tippet, like here in Australia, I suspect that long drag free-drifts (aka presentation) might have a big role to play. Something to be tested, but make sure you at least carry fine tippet and be prepared to go down in size.

The F-Fly source

Being a fly-tier, I find joy in tying flies for a new place to get in the zone. On the middle reaches of the Soča, around a place called Most na Soči, is home the of the father of CDC’s famous F-Fly. Here, Marjan Fratnik designed this simple, sparse little fly. (Separately, this town is also an example of Slovenia’s long and rich culture.) Thus, I had tied heaps of F-Flies in various colours. But then of course, the weather changed. The heavens opened and heavy rains raised the rivers levels just as we visited that area. It was back to indicator or Euro nymphing, or casting bigger stonefly dries to tempt a fish to come up. In the end, the small sparse flies stayed in the box. It was the brown and black deer hair size 12 for the dry, and a grey cased caddis with a 4mm tungsten bead which took the most fish.

Have your licence handy

Regulations are extensive! Many parts of the Soča and its tributaries are strictly fly only. This is further restricted by only being allowed to use a single fly, which has to be barbless. Some sections are even designated as dry fly only! Catch-and-release is mandatory, as the Slovenians have in recent years successfully regenerated the marble trout population. And you need to have pliers and a net with you. Enforcement is common. I met one of the river watchers – a guy who looked much like the bulldog he had at his feet. He was all neck and arms. After checking my ticket, he asked where I was from. “Australia? Aaah, kangaroos!” And with a big smile that was all teeth, he moved on. I was very glad I had the right ticket!

On the brightest day, before the storms arrived, we were walking and spotting fish. They were often the smudges you look for in slowish water. Blind fishing was not recommended on the Soča, as the fish are large, but numbers are relatively low. When the rains did close in, we resorted to smaller creeks and tributaries. There were plenty to choose from. Uroš was super company and worked hard for each fish. They were two great days of fishing, and a chance to get to know other streams besides the Soča.

Hiking and flyfishing

Next up, my wife and I started our hike along the Alpe-Adria from Kranjska Gora (a place well north of the source of the Soča near the Austrian border) and headed south.

Flyfishing whilst hiking big days with long, steep climbs, requires efficient packing. I took some light wading shoes and socks, and chose to brave the cold water to target sighted fish for brief periods. I only had one short rod, set up mainly for dry fly, as I intended to spot fish while walking long days. Fortunately, I also had nymphs and indicator material with me. This proved handy, as the clear Soča waters turned grey and “limey” after an unseasonal few days of heavy rain. A small, well-stocked box of flies, some tippet and tools were all I had the courage to carry over those intimidating mountain peaks. My limited gear proved light enough to hike with, while being sufficient to fish successfully.

Halfway into our hike along the Soča valley, we stayed at hotel Zlata Ribica, near the aforementioned Most na Soči. Being run by a fourth generation of flyfishers, it’s a place as popular with flyfishers as Taytay is with teenage girls. I mean, there was a significant level of camo dress-up, and the fishing excitement around the bar area and little fly shop bordered on giddy.

Youth and experience

Here, we paused our hike for a day, so I could fish with the owner’s son, Vitan. My wife paid me the big compliment of estimating Vitan to be half my age. I did wonder if he was old enough to drive! Vitan turned out to have been Slovenia’s junior flyfishing champion, and he was due to fish a national competition a few days after our visit.

Vitan proved to be a kind and highly knowledgeable guide, who took me to some wonderful small creeks to start the day catching browns, rainbows and marbles – all in the same stretch of water.

Then we moved to a tributary where the trout on the left bank spoke Italian! Did I imagine it, or were these fish just a bit flashier and more theatrical when I hooked them – just like the Italian soccer team perhaps? It was fun fishing a river that separates two countries.

Vitan taught me that their equivalent to ‘tight lines’ is ‘dober prijem’, which translates to ‘good biting’. The Slovenian language is difficult, but everyone there spoke English very well. And with just a few phrases like Dober dan (good day), Hvala (thank you) and Prosim (please) you can create a lot of goodwill. At least you are seen to be trying!

Flyfishers march on their stomachs, and Slovenian produce is excellent. Plus, the local wines are very good – a try the Refusco. Each guided day started with a shot of local Schnapps to fire up the engine. Wow! Our hiking packs usually contained local Bovec cheese, salami, and a block of fine alpine Milka chocolate. And each dinner finished with apple strudel. Heck, Austria is only a long cast away, so that fusion of foods makes total sense.

After fishing with Vitan, we left the rivers and continued into the mountains to walk some more of the Alpe-Adria trail into Italy. We picked up the trail at a place called Tolmin and made our way into Italy. We skipped the final part of the walk and took a taxi to Trieste on the Adriatic. It was time to rest and put our feet up. After a few days, we did circle back by local train to Ljubljana – what a fun town that is! On the train back I got a message from Vitan. He had come third in the nationals that weekend. (I was glad to have taught him some Australian tips during our day of fishing…)

To return to the question at the start of this story? The answer now is: go back there! Slovenians are great people, their food is lovely, and the landscapes, rivers and fish are just stunning in equal measure. Slovenia is a place that’s looking back and looking forward. Whether it is the fishing or visiting the capital Ljubljana, you have this constant feeling of being part of a little secret. So yes please, take me back there. But we Aussies know this line too: there’s always another river, in another valley, somewhere…

Dober prijem!