Fishing in the Ljubljana region

Slovenia is a small country, but it is well known for its huge natural diversity and rich abundance of water. It has countless springs, rivers, waterfalls, and gorges; it abounds in high mountain and lowland lakes, both natural and artificial; it has over 20 freshwater fish species of interest to anglers. One of the most popular fishing techniques is fly fishing, which has a long tradition in Slovenia, but the central part of the country also offers good opportunities for float fishing and spinning.

On the rivers and streams of Ljubljana region, you can fish for huchen, chub, brown trout, and grayling, and on lakes and ponds in the region for sheatfish, common carp, and pike.

One of the best destinations for angling is the river Ljubljanica, which flows right through the capital. In its upper reaches, this unique 'River of Seven Names' disappears into the karst underground several times. Before disappearing for the last time and reappearing on the surface as the Ljubljanica, it is called the Unica and is one of the best Slovenian rivers for fly fishing.

The Unica disappears underground at the end of the Planina Polje and reappears on the surface as Ljubljanica on the edge of the Ljubljana Marshes, in the vicinity of the town of Vrhnika. Being a slow river, the Ljubljanica is enclosed by lush vegetation and is, therefore, the most suitable for boat fishing. Its hidden depths are home to trout, grayling, huchen, Danube roach, chub, and pike.

Fishing permit purchase

Slovenia has a centuries-old tradition of recreational fishing on rivers and lakes. Being one of the country's natural resources, the fish living in Slovenia's continental waters are protected by the state. Fishing is regulated by the Act on Freshwater Fishing.

To be able to angle in Central Slovenia, you need to obtain a fishing permit from the organization authorized to sell permits for your chosen resort. Fishing permits are available from angling societies, non-governmental organizations, which manage most of Slovenia's water resources on behalf of the state, the Fisheries Research Institute of Slovenia, which manages a smaller portion of the country's water resources, and online from the Ribiške karte portal. 

In Slovenia, a lot of fishing is done on a catch-and-release basis, but the classical catch-and-keep fishing is also possible. In order to protect the population of fish and their natural habitat, each fishing resort has a precise set of rules determining which fishing techniques are permitted and, depending on the amount of a certain species, how much fish it is permitted to catch.

Other fishing regions in Slovenia

Thanks to its position in the centre of the country and good road connections, Ljubljana is just a short way from Slovenia's most interesting fishing regions.

Flowing waters in Slovenia are divided into the Adriatic and Danube basins. The species peculiar to the Adriatic basin are the Soča trout and the Soča grayling, while the species living in the Danube basin typically include the huchen, the brown trout, and the grayling, among others.

The following are Slovenia's best-known fishing regions:

• The river Soča, well known for its unique emerald green colour and the indigenous Soča trout, which can grow to a tremendous size (25 kilos);
• The river Kolpa, remarkable for its unspoilt natural environment, which can hardly be matched by any other in Europe;
• Lake Cerknica, an intermittent lake unique in the world;
• Alpine rivers, streams, and glacial lakes such as Lake Bled and Lake Bohinj.