Fly Fishing Stories from Serbia and the Balkans
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Fly Fishing the Gradac River: A Tough Day, but We Still Found Trout
The Gradac River is rightly considered one of Serbia’s finest fly-fishing rivers. Its crystal-clear water, beautiful canyons and healthy population of wild brown trout attract anglers from all over Europe every year. Conditions were challenging this time. The fish were not very active: they occasionally showed on the surface and took cautiously, but converting those…
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Our Days on the Water: Fly Fishing in Serbia
Looking through the photos after the season, you realize one simple thing: the best days are never the ones planned in advance. These photos are not from a single trip. They come from several days on different Serbian rivers—the Djetinja and the Gradac. Different weeks, different people, different weather and a different mood on the…
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Spring Trout Fishing in Serbia
Spring is now in full swing on Serbia’s rivers. The water is clean and clear, nature is waking up and the trout are becoming noticeably more active. In recent days, fish have responded well to almost every major fly-fishing method. Trout are taking dry flies, nymphs and small streamers. During the warmer hours of the…
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Winter Fly Fishing in Montenegro: The Lim and Ljuča Rivers
Winter fishing in northern Montenegro is always a compromise between ambition and what the conditions allow. Weather, temperature and above all the water level decide everything. For much of the winter, the rivers are either too high, too cloudy or simply lifeless. Every successful outing is therefore less a plan than an opportunity. This New…
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Autumn Fly Fishing in Montenegro
September fly fishing on the Ljuča and Lim was exactly as it should be: beautiful views, active grayling and moments that stay with you. We began at Lake Plav, where the calm surface reflected the mountains as if a mirror had been stretched across the whole valley. We could have sat on the pier for…
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September 30: The End of the Gradac Season
With a little sadness but plenty of optimism, here is a report from today’s trip to the Gradac River with a friend from my Telegram channel. @nenevreme. We set out hoping for trophy trout and grayling. Nature itself seemed inviting: clear water, the whisper of the canyon and a light breeze. The fish, however, apparently…
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Closing the Season on the Djetinja River
We closed the season on the Djetinja River with plenty of fun and good food. Andrey and his wife, anglers originally from Novosibirsk, came to visit me. They now live in Belgrade, but they still missed the grayling of their home rivers. We decided to combine pleasure with research: go fishing and find out whether…
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The Djetinja River Reopens: Camping for Grayling and Trout
The Djetinja River in Serbia is open for fishing again! After almost nine months of “rest” — from October 2024 until July 8, 2025 — my friends and I headed out for the trip we had been waiting for. The plan was simple: tents, a campfire, a barbecue and, of course, a search for grayling…
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Fly Fishing the Drina: In Search of Balkan Grayling
The Drina is more than turquoise water and a powerful current. It is a challenge — especially when you are hunting its trophy grayling on a dry fly. My friend Oleg and I recently set out for this demanding trip. Oleg is an experienced angler with a confident cast and a good feel for the…