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The Balkans: Discovering Bosnia & Herzegovina
The Balkans:
Discovering Bosnia
There are two jewels within the Balkan region. Hidden between the mountains and the leafy green forests, two magical rivers meander quietly with a subdued and understated sense of drama – as if created by the most fanciful of novelists.
By ALVARO G. SANTILLIAN
Pristine cold waters, white sandy riverbeds, and the ever-looming green of the underwater plants make for a picturesque experience. The enchanting ecosystems in Bosnia and Herzegovina provide the abundant populations of local brown trout and grayling with prime habitat and, of course, an incredible variety and number of insects and hatches. Among the crown jewels are the Pliva and Ribnik rivers, which are located in the western part of the country.
The two rivers are close to each other, but, although the rivers may seem quite similar in appearance - and the fish populations are thriving in both places, the fishing is completely different. The fish, quite simply, behave differently on the Pliva compared to the Ribnik and vice versa.
The Ribnik River
The shallow and clear Ribnik River is like a paradise for those who like sight-fishing with dry flies and tiny nymphs. The trout and grayling that live in this river tend to be surprisingly active most of the time, feeding on a varied plethora of different aquatic insects. But… they are very selective and can be rather demanding with regards to your presentation.
As always, following the tips and instructions of your guide is key. Our guide was the extremely knowledgeable Zeljko Prpic. And downstream tactics with extra-long leaders - longer than 18´- was the name of the game.
Since Ribnik is not a very wide or deep river and it is easily wadeable, you don´t really need to cast far to reach the fish. So we opted for short belly fly lines with 8,5m heads and 4-weight rods, which helped massively when it came to controlling the long leaders – which at times go to 27´, in order to achieve the longest and most delicate drifts possible.
The Pliva River
Pliva is, possibly, the most beautiful river I’ve ever seen. But! Pliva is also the most challenging river I have ever fished. It’s the perfect combination if – like me - you are addicted to sight-fishing with nymphs and you don’t care too much about the numbers.
Pliva is a gem, which – intrinsically - is about succeeding despite the odds being stacked against you; about the rewarding feeling that you get when – finally - you hook one of its big, looming grayling that feed voraciously on small nymphs and gammarus… but seem to reject your fly 99 out of a hundred times.
The first time you look at the Pliva river, you’re puzzled and bewildered. From a distance, it’s difficult to judge whether there’s any water in the river. And once you spot a fish, it may look as if it’s suspended in the air. The river’s pristinely clear water is drinkable, if you are thirsty, but it makes for challenging fishing. Estimating exactly where the fish are in the water column takes both time and practice. Due to water diffraction, a 3-metre-deep pool looks like it might be only 50 centimetres deep. It’s truly astonishing!
Sight-fishing at a distance
You need to have quick eyes and be fast on the trigger when fishing the Pliva. It’s all about spotting the take and setting the hook instantly. The fish will spit the fly in a split second if they feel something isn’t quite right, so the challenge is to be able to read the fish’ body language, to see when they move react (oftentimes ever so slightly), and to spot when they open their jaws and inhale the fly. When fishing at a distance, using extra-long leaders, that challenge will add some additional grey hairs to even the most refined and experienced angler.
Pliva is a wide river, and the fish are spooky. As a result, being able to cast more than 20 meters and control drifts at a distance is crucial to catching fish. Following Zeliko’s advice, I fished a 10’ 4-weight Fario rod in combination with an Experience fly line – with a 13,1-meter head, which helped considerably in mending and controlling my drifts.
You should go
Bosnia and Herzegovina is a country full of friendly people and passionate fishermen, who have learned to fish
gin-clear rivers full of finicky fish. As a result, there’s lots to learn from the local fly fishermen, and there’s plenty of good times to be had in their company – and that of the locals along the rivers.
There are beautiful sights to behold, lots of cultural and historical sites and stories to delve into, and great culinary experiences to be had. It’s all about the experience, and the experience I had went beyond the fishing. I returned, not only a better fly fisherman but a better human being.
