There is a country with beautiful nature, wonderful and hospitable people, a lot of rivers, lakes, and fish, located fairly close to the Adriatic coast.
adriaticnature decided to ask the amazing angler, the official DUO pro staff and founder of the official distributor “DUO International” in Serbia “Maelstrom Fishing”Darko Pešić some questions about fishing with a spinning rod in Serbia.
(Darko Pešić. Photo © Maelstrom Fishing)
Hello Darko! Thanks for taking the time to talk. I have a lot of questions. And this article will hardly cover all the points. So, let’s try to start from the very beginning. Do rivers and lakes of Serbia have a high potential for spin fishing fans?
Thank you, adriaticnature. It’s a great pleasure for me to have this conversation with you. Of course, the rivers and lakes of Serbia have a high potential for sport fishing for various fish species. At the same time, having high potential doesn’t mean achieving it easily.
(Brown trout. Photo © Maelstrom Fishing)
A fisherman needs a license to catch fish in Serbian water bodies. Tell us, please, how much it costs, and where it can be obtained. What fishing rules do fishermen with spinning rods need to know when they come with their tackle to Serbia in order not to get into an embarrassing situation?
An annual fishing license costs 7,000 Serbian dinars (about 60 euros), a weekly license – 2,000 dinars (about 17 euros), and a daily license – 1,000 dinars (about 8.5 euros). These licenses can be obtained by fishermen that are citizens of the country or have temporary registration (a work visa and so on). As for fishermen from other countries, guests, can obtain only a daily or a weekly license at the same price in any fishing club or get it from a fishing surveyor right by the water body. Foreigners who don’t reside in Serbia won’t be able to obtain an annual license. These licenses enable anglers to fish in all water bodies of the country, except those that have specific regulations for sport fishing. Additional licenses are obtained and purchased for fishing in them or in certain areas.
(Northern pike. Photo © Maelstrom Fishing)
Mountains occupy two-thirds of the Serbian territory. And plains prevail in the north. The nature of the country is very diverse. It’s hardly possible to imagine that spin fishing in Vojvodina, Southern and Eastern Serbia is the same as, for example, in Western Serbia. Tell us, please, about the “geographical” specific features of Serbian fishing.
You are absolutely right. Serbia is diverse as regards its “geography”. The diversity provides a lot of different opportunities for catching many fish species using various fishing techniques. One can catch trout and chub in mountainous regions, as well as pike, pikeperch, asp, catfish, and even exotic largemouth black bass in plain waters.
(Asp. Photo © Maelstrom Fishing)
Almost all the rivers of Serbia belong to the Black Sea basin, and, of course, the Danube is the most important one. In the “Serbian” upstream in Vojvodina and in the Belgrade region, it flows along the fairly flat terrain. In the downstream, in the Đerdap National Park, it breaks through the Đerdap Gorge, resembling a mighty mountain river. Tell us, please, about shore spin fishing on the Danube, its peculiarities, the trophies that fishermen can catch, and which lures it makes sense to use.
The Danube is one of the largest rivers in Europe, and we are lucky that on its way to the Black Sea it flows 588.5 kilometers through the territory of Serbia. And if you fish with a spinning rod on the Danube, you can catch with artificial lures almost all the predators inhabiting the river, namely pike-perch, Volga zander, asp, pike, and catfish. And considering the fact that you fish on a large river, you can always count on catching a large fish.
(Pikeperch or zander. Photo © Maelstrom Fishing)
Should fishermen with spinning rods count on succeeding shore fishing on the Danube? Or should they join Serbian anglers fishing from boats?
Fishing is an unpredictable process. Every time you go fishing with a spinning rod on the water body, it’s a different vibe. It doesn’t matter if it’s the Danube or any other rivers or lakes. Therefore, sometimes the result of fishing can leave much to be desired because of certain conditions, and sometimes it may be awesome. As for fishing from boats or motorboats, in most cases, this is a great advantage for successful fishing on the Danube.
(Perch. Photo © Maelstrom Fishing)
Most of the Danube flows along the border between Serbia and Romania. Can foreign anglers that are going to fish in this huge part of the river have any problems?
The Danube is a border zone not only with Romania but also with Hungary, Croatia, and Bulgaria. There are buoy markers on the surface of the river that clearly specify boundaries. And if you don’t violate these boundaries, you won’t have any problems.
(Pikeperch or zander. Photo © Maelstrom Fishing)
Can the Danube-style spin fishing be implemented on such large rivers as the Sava, Morava, Ibar, Lim, Drina? Or does each of these rivers require a special approach?
All the mentioned rivers are very different from the Danube. However, they differ from each other as well. There are certain fishing techniques that are applicable to all the mentioned rivers, but each water body has its own specific features, even when it comes to the same fish species. The habits of fish are different in each water body. That’s why the approach to fishing must be adjusted.
(Northern pike. Photo © Maelstrom Fishing)
Tell us, please, about spin fishing on small rivers of Serbia. What kind of catches can fishermen count on? What types of lures does it make sense to use?
On small rivers, it’s better to use an ultra-light fishing gear for catching brook trout, chub, and perch. These fish species respond well to plugs, spinning and spoon lures, as well as soft plastic lures.
(European chub. Photo © Maelstrom Fishing)
Catching fish of the Salmonidae family is rather popular with anglers. What about trout and grayling fishing in Serbia? Are there any prohibitions on catching them? In general, how do you deal with representatives of this family?
You were right to point out that Salmonidae has always been popular with sport fishermen in our area, especially for the last couple of years since the national “trout league” occurred. It has been participating in competitions of trout fishing with artificial lures both locally and internationally.
There are large populations of grayling in certain rivers, such as the Drina, Lim, Detina, and so on. A large number of trout inhabits some rivers and lakes. But in some water bodies, it is on the verge of extinction. Such a sharp contrast is directly related to the management of certain water resources, concern for them, or its complete absence.
(Brown trout. Photo © Maelstrom Fishing)
Catching huchen or Danube salmon in Serbia. What is happening now with this fish in the country?
There is Danube salmon in the waters of Serbia. But its population is not as numerous as it used to be. The reason for this is exclusively negligence of saving its habitat. There are enthusiasts who are trying to keep the taimen population at a high level, but it’s not that easy.
(Brown trout. Photo © Maelstrom Fishing)
Tell us, please, how, in your opinion, state services in charge of poaching control cope with the assigned task nowadays. Is poaching a huge problem in Serbia on the whole?
There is a problem with poaching for sure. Some fishing associations and organizations succeed in fighting theft of fish from our water bodies, while some others cooperate with thieves. In general, there are many opportunities for improving the process of saving the fish stock, so currently I’m not satisfied with the things happening on our waters.
(Brown trout. Photo © Maelstrom Fishing)
Large lakes of Serbia are mostly of artificial origin. Vlasinskoye, Peruchatskoye, Gazivode, Gruzhanskoye, Zvornitskoye, Zlatarskoye are the largest ones. Many of them are located in the border areas with Bosnia and Herzegovina as well. Are they of any interest to spinners?
In most cases, water reservoirs offer good chances for anglers using spinning rods. Various predators, such as trout, pikeperch, catfish, perch, and pike, can be caught there both from the shore and from the boat.
(Asp. Photo © Maelstrom Fishing)
Are you keen on catching bass that acclimatized well in the water bodies of Vojvodina? Should fishermen count on succeeding fishing from ashore for it?
As for me, fishing for largemouth bass is exotic. Quite often I had the opportunity to successfully catch it from the shore and from the boat in very attractive water bodies of Vojvodina. Bass fishing became popular in the second half of the 90s and every year it becomes more popular along with the competition under the auspices of the Bass League of Serbia.
(Largemouth bass. Photo © Maelstrom Fishing)
What freshwater fish do you like to catch most of all? And what type of lure do you use?
My favorite freshwater predator is perch. This fish is very interesting to me due to the fact that its mood changes very often. It makes me think, select lures, and animation techniques in the course of one fishing. I use almost all types of perch fishing lures, including surface ones, plugs for twitching, light jigs for fishing on the sea, and soft plastic lures with various gear – mounting.
(Perch. Photo © Maelstrom Fishing)
What fish species should a fisherman with a spinning rod, who came to Serbia for the first time, try to catch in order not to experience the frustration of the “newcomer” on the water bodies?
It depends on the water body chosen by the fisherman. If we’re talking about small rivers, then chub fishing will be a good choice, in case it’s present in the water body in sufficient quantity. In this case, fishing will be interesting, very exciting and can bring good catches. On large rivers, such as the Danube, asp fishing can be an excellent and successful fishing goal.
(European chub. Photo © Maelstrom Fishing)
What would you wish adriaticnature readers who are going to visit beautiful Serbia?
I want to wish adriaticnature readers to get to Serbia by any means, enjoy fishing on our rivers and lakes, meet interesting people, taste homemade delicacies, sip various drinks, and always respect nature and fish, wherever you are.
(Perch. Photo © Maelstrom Fishing)