Slovenia will play host to the 2012 World Fly-Fishing Championships. With these packages, you can nip in ahead of the pros and strip the chosen stretches of rivers bare.
By Robert Carry
Slovenia is something of an untapped resource for fly-fishermen from this part of the world, but the tournament is set to shine a light on the Eastern European nation.
The fish
Rainbow trout fishing runs from 1 April while grayling are up for grabs from 1 May through until middle of November. This notably active fish loves to take the fly and is considered a top class fighter. They are known to grow up to 80cm in length and can weigh up to 7kg.
Grayling, an ideal target for fly-fishermen, averages 40cm in the better stretches of water. However, they have been known to be pulled in at 50cm and more.
Huchen Danube Salmon season kicks off on 1 December and finishes up at the end of February. This species is undoubtedly Slovenia’s number one trout variety in terms of its size. In 2005, a 27kg example was recorded.
The locations
Slovenia boasts some of the continent’s best fishing spots, primarily along the Sava Bohinjska, Sava and Radovna rivers. Collectively, Slovenia’s rivers and lakes are habitat to 93 species of fish, 33 of which are protected and many can be found nowhere else.
Fly-fishing is among the most popular angling method in Slovenia as it is known to do the least damage to the fish that are caught. If you go for the fly-fishing option, your main targets will be the likes of rainbow trout, grayling and Danube salmon – season-dependent.
Packages
Tour operator ActivityBreaks.com have put together a range of fly-fishing packages for between three and seven nights. The starter package comes in at €424 per person with accommodation in three-star Lodge Reka Hisa Riverside on a half-board basis.
The three- to seven-day trips come with either two, three or five days of fly fishing with licence fees included . Also thrown in are free transfers from Ljubljana Airport (Slovenia) or Klagenfurt Airport (Austria).
A daily supplement of €30 is payable during the Huchen Salmon Season which is charged locally. Fishing guides, meanwhile, can be arranged for €120 per day and they may well be worth the investment – they will be able to take you to the exact locations to be used during the tournament. Fishing equipment is also available for hire – a rod will set you back €8 per day, waders are €10 per day and jackets come in at €4 per day.
Flights
The ActivityBreaks.com site uses widgets from flight price comparison site skyscanner.com, but the cheapest option tends to be booking seats on Ryanair’s recession-buster planes to either Ljubljana or Klagenfurt.
However, it is also possible to fly into Trieste (Italy), Salzburg (Austria) and even Venice (Italy) at a push, although you’ll be looking at an additional change for the transfer due to distance.
Click here for more information.
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