I'm Robert Swift, a Scottish Loch (Lake) Fly Fisherman now living in Slovakia, and I am almost dedicated to Dry Fly fishing Rivers in Slovakia and Slovenia. I like to fish for all types of Salmoniod, in big and small rivers, Variety keeps me interested
I had to stop by this lovely stream when I was in Slovakia last year. Even though I am Slovak, I have never been there before. But we had a wedding venue for our family in Zazriva, so I had the opportunity to see Zazrivka and stop by for a while. I didn't fish, but it's a fabulous piece of country, so I enjoyed it anyway. Thanks for sharing.
It’s a beautiful valley, always love going there, very peaceful, when we arrived and went to look at the river, a deer was crossing the river and stopped to look at us, cheers, Robert
@@flyfishingslovakia7872 I think "hard but fair" (though I'd add "hard but brilliant") is a great way to describe Slovakian fishing. I honestly believe, after having fished around the globe, that fishing in Slovakia is really a cut above and makes one a better fisherman/woman.
Hi Fero, the guys with me got their permits in the Dolny Kubin fishing shop, but I believe you can also get a permit in Parnica, at Fishing on Haku - 0907 816 695, if your going some time, drop me a message on Facebook or LinkedIn, and I'll get back to you with some spots and parking spaces etc, cheers, Robert
Thanks, each year Revuca gets bigger grayling and browns, the tricky thing is tempting them and then keeping them on, but I don’t target them a lot, I just love getting out in nature and fishing small rivers, much like yourself, cheers, Robert
I don´t think, that it is a good idea fishing through hot summer days. Bela, Revuca are diamonds in this region, we must first protect them, not fishing when fish got tired from warm water
I like the comment and would totally agree if I had been fishing when the water was high temp towards 20 Degrees, as this is the scientific point where fish have less chance of recovery. On Bela at the time I fished it was between 9 to 11 degrees, and when I fished Revuca it was between 11 and 14 degrees over the whole day, I always check, so I don’t think it was detrimental to the fish. The air temperature was high, but the good thing was that this was not refected in the water temps and allowed me to fish with confidence. Also, I have in the past respected when a club asked people not to fish because of high temp or low water, Fortunately, the clubs are very responsible and give notice to fishermen when conditions are not good for fish health.
Yes, they have Huchen, which is Danube Salmon, which get very big. Your only allowed to fish for them after the Trout seasons is closed, Nov to March, and you have to get a special permit for them. They grow huge I've seen 20+ kilos swimming around and chasing 1kg trout, you need big lures for them, very aggressive
Such a pleasure to watch...thanks for sharing your trip to a healthy stream with plenty of grayling ...and only a short wade to the steak and potatoes dinner spot, with maybe the odd local beer or two? ...and the Klinkhammer works well again ....all the best
Hi, there is a fishing shop in Ruzomberok, called Thymallus, you should be able to Google it or use Google maps etc, they will supply the permits. You need a Slovak state license, then an Individual license for the stretch you want to fish, in this case Grayling C&R, cheers, Robert
Wow that section looks a bit like Slovenian water - I'll have to keep an eye out. Fished the Bela a few days ago; it fished well, but not great (a lot of swimmers in the water up and down the river). Vah fished super today!
Lovely fish and lovely setting. So much of the Revuca is quite developed, but looks like you found some good spots. What time of year was this? Asking because water levels in the area have drawn down so much from a month ago it nuts.
Hi, it was 2 weeks ago, it doesn't get much lower than that, probably due to Donavaly gets the odd thunder storm. I fished it last Thursday for a few hours, was about the same height, cheers, Robert
Totally agree, wonderful fish especially on the Dry Fly, they really teach you to fish, if you are catching Grayling you'll easily catch trout. They thrive in some Slovak rivers, long may it continue as it is an indication of the health of those rivers. Going to watch your France episode to check out the fishing there, cheers, Robert
Thanks for the nice comments, the fish are a mix of wild and stocked browns, either way, it's nice to have them in the rivers. Cheers and tight lines, Robert
Jambor is great dry fly place. My biggest was on #18 emerger, i even can't see such fly on the water, but then it was such hit like someone trying to pull rod out of my hands
Love the opening as was just telling my wife that fishing rivers in Austria and Slovakia is like fishing in a jungle where getting bit and cut is part of the game. Good fun!
Hi, there is a fishing shop in Ruzomberok, Thymallus, and it issues permits. There are another 2 locations, but this one is probably the easiest to find, it opens at 8.30am, and closes between 17.00 to 18.00pm. Also it is a very good tackle shop and worth a look, cheers, Robert
@@julius_hec No, only the local Ruzomberok club and its outlets sell permits, Zilina shops would only sell for those local waters that allow visitors, regards, Robert
Robert, thank you very much for the very useful information. I mainly fish dry fly and I also like the more natural and wild parts. Anyway i will probably be there in mid august for several days so may be it will worth a visit also to other areas of the Bohinjka.. what do you think ?
@gerardosantucci7865 Yes, all 3 areas are all worth fishing, also Radovna is close to Bled, and is a small beautiful river in the Natonal park, Trout only but well worth a visit
Hello, can I ask you which part of the Sava Bohinjka you have fished? I would like to give there in August but I’ve never been there… any help would be Appreciated. Thanks
Hi, I have fished all 3 parts, Bohinjka Bistrica Club, Institute stretch and Bled Club. I would say each is different but all fish well. The part in this Video is the Institute Stretch, it belongs to the Government and not a club, as you can see the pools are wide and fairly easy access, there are wild fish and stocked fish, very good Grayling and Rainbows, there are browns but not too easy to catch. For your 1st time I would recommend this stretch. This year I already have 6 permits for the Bohinjka Bistrica club water and will fish there. It’s much smaller and fast pools, still easy access but sometimes it’s technically challenging to catch fish as it’s a bit more wild with trees lining the banks and I want to learn all the pools and areas to fish there. The Bled club water is also very good, some areas and pools are easy access, but it also has many areas that are Canyon pools, very fast and tricky, to fish these requires a bit of fitness and tough walking. It does have good pools but you will find a lot of anglers on these stretches as it’s probably the most popular and closest to Bled. It also has a 1km Trophy beat which you buy a special permit to fish, but personally I didn’t fish it as it can take up to 10 anglers, and the normal bled water has enough trophy fish if you can catch them, I hope this helps you, regards, Robert
Love the videos, just back from 2 weeks there, always been curious about what's in the Hron, my wife grew up beside it. Im a sea angler, but recently started a bit of fly fishing on a local stillwater, maybe I'll bring the fly rod next year.
Definitely, but Svit club do well to buy such good condition fish, and at least they now stock Brown trout, I was always disappointed to catch big Rainbows on such a small river
I have fished this section of the Bela as well as some of the smaller feeder streams (with a 2wt it's a lot of fun). Really good footage of this lovely, every changing river (no day is ever the same is it?). Tight lines!
Funny, but the first time I fished Bela, I drove there and came to the Bridge over the Pribylina, and thought it the Bela is very small and fast, I fished up, then down, caught lots of beautiful wild brown trout, and then to my surprise, came to the actual Bela, what a pleasant surprise
Jambor is THE place to catch big rainbow on tiny dry fly. I remember a day in October, when there was a spectacular action on dry fly. My hand was enjoyably tired :-))
Agree this river can be dangerous - even knee high water can sweep you off your feet. That said, it is a gorgeous river and it'll make you a better fly fisherman/woman if you are willing to put the time in.
I fished in upper Revuca once and it was one of the best fly fishing experience in my life. Fish is not big, but many graylings (I had even doubles on two-fly rig), fewer trout, and the area is very wild, surrounded by forest, not crowded. Locals said there's chance to meet bear in that area
Cheers, it's definitely worth fishing, always something happening, and nearly always fishable apart from the odd flash flood from Summer thunder storms, hope to see you there
Hi Samuel, I use my 3 weight Orvis Superfine line, which is very light and easy to keep off the water, it also allows me to switch between Nymph and Dry Fly. When Nymphing, I use a long leader, with a 5ft light line Polyleader which attaches to the fly line. I did use a Nymph line but I lost a few big fish on it, there is almost no stretch on this type of line so in my case the fish could easily snap the leader. I will use it when fishing smaller rivers, but will use the normal fly line when I fish for bigger fish, cheers, Robert
Hi, Sorry,just noticed the comment and never got back to you. In Slovenia, some rivers do stock Rainbows, and have done so for the last 100 years. You also catch lots of small fingerling Rainbows, perfectly finned, so they breed in a lot of the rivers. In Slovdnia its not common to stock Brown trout, as they breed with the Native Marble trout and pollute the Marble trout stock, so the clubs can't or wont stock brown trout, they stock with Rainbows to prevent creating Hybrid trout. So I think it became common practise to only stock with Rainbows, even in those rivers that don't have Marble trout, cheers, Robert
In some cases yes, but they have been stocking for a long time and you still get rivers full of Rainbows and Brown's, so it seems to be balanced. There are rivers with no stocking at all, there are a lot of Brown trout only waters, and also some where there is mixed stock but above a certain height you only get Brown's. Those rivers have permit splits, and those that want only Brown's can buy a permit to fish there. They limit the amount of permits per day,maybe only 4, and this maintains the stock. Also, in a lot of the rivers there is a major predator, Huchen (Taimen), and they do eat a lot of Rainbows, I have watched them chasing and catching the Rainbows. The Government authorities monitor and approve stocking and any impact to local native species, and they would definitely intervene if they thought it had an impact to the native species. Cheers, Robert
@@flyfishingslovakia7872 In Canada we have stocking of browns and rainbows in waters that have native brook trout. Makes me sad to see European and western species forcing out the truly native fish. I do not release browns or rainbows.
Just watched this, been going up to Caithness for years, love it! Brought lots of memories back. Fished it June 23, but the lowest Ive known it. Very hot and dry, still produced fish, although the were becoming stressed with the conditions.
Hi, I was using 5x, 2.5kg Flourocarbon for most of the fish, I usually use 5x Mono, but I wanted something stronger, of course it has to fit the eyes of my flies, cheers, Robert
