Halfway Around the World, but completely recognizable

It's the detpths of winter here.  January 3rd.  3 more months until "spring" starts. Sure, I'll certainly get out once or twice onto the Bow River, or the Crow if I'm lucky, but real fishing is far away yet.

So I've been day dreaming, thinking about the fishing I did last year.  May and June were largely write-offs, as I was living and studying in L'viv, Ukraine for most of those months.  Eventually though, I finished the course, Kristy flew out, and we found ourselves in Croatia.

Well, we'd actually planned to go, but nevertheless...

Otocac.  (Pronounced like O-toe-chats).  Big spring creek named the Gacka. Native brown trout.  Introduced rainbows. Some grayling.  Trout to 10lb+.  Sight Fishing.  Sold.

We had planned to do some fishing.  (I was carrying a 5wt rod, reel, some necessities, and 3 condenced boxes of flies for the last two months).  One other spot wouldn't work for us.  We found Otocac.  A quick email to Denis at Gacka River Apartments. Luckily, the nights we needed, he had no other guests.  Perfect.  Good fortune.

Playing a trout on the Gacka River, Croatia

So we bus (In Croatia, you bus, not train) to Otocac, and our host meets us at the bus station, and he drives us to the apartment.  Thankfully for us, our young (in his 30s) host is very helpful. Most people who come to Croatia to fish are German, Austrian or Italian.  Or, in other words, from countries close enough to drive.  Or people rent a car.  We didn't have the luxury.  He did, however, offer to drive us to the C&R section of the Gacka a few miles away on his way to work (At the government trout hatchery, actually) the next morning, and pick us up in the afternoon. 

My first Gacka rainbow in hand

Clear water. Huge trout.  Swirling current.  Deep spring creek.  Single fly only.  No external weight permitted. 

Yes, it was tough.  But what do you do on a river that you don't have a clue how to fish?  You fish like you do at home, and hope to at least get a few so you don't go home busted. 

5wt rod.  14-foot leader.  Single foam and rubber terrestrial.  Favourite terrestrial in Alberta, too.  Result?  3 rainbows from 14-17 or so inches.  Thanks for loaning us the net, Denis.  Missed a lot of takes too, because of cross-stream casts.

Another Gacka trout could't resist the foam and rubber

A healthy male trout

In the evening.  A bike ride to a nearby section of river (about 1 mile).  Kristy -a 9" native brown trout on a #20 CDC caddis.  Nick -a small 6" native brown on a #16 CDC mayfly emerger.  A bottle of Croatian red.

The beautiful Gacka River Apartment can comfortably house a few anglers, and is located only a minute's walk from the Gacka River.

If you ever want to experience a unique vacation, with some fly fishing thrown in, I'd seriously recomend Croatia to anyone.  Family, single, old young, whatever. The people are friendly (they make Canadians look seriously rude).  Most people speak English in major areas (I think all University students study it as a requirement) with high numbers of other people speaking German and Italian as well as Croatian.  And the Gacka River.  Wow.  Give Denis an email, and go have an enjoyable couple days in the heart of the Croatian countryside, hunting sipping trout from a large, smooth flowing spring creek.

Nick Sliwkanich