The Orava-river is situated in the north of the Slovakia near the Polish border. The Orava is called under Slovakian flyfishermen "the pearl of all waters". This designation earns it rightfully, because here you can catch with fly magnificent grayling, strong brown, rainbow trout and giant huchen in one of the most beautiful mountain landscapes of Central Europe. The river offers the optimal conditions to flyfischer to satisfy his needs fully. You find here all forms of water flows: fast streams with brown trout and grayling , alternates with slower, deep gutters. For me is dry flyfishing on Orava grayling one of the most exciting flyfishing adventures at all.

Equipment : fly rod: # 3-4, line: floating line # 3-4, leader: 0,12-0,14(fluorocarbon),because grayling is in this time very careful and selective -choosey.

Fly patterns: In autumn months Octobers and November, if the water is crystal clear and floats on the water surface tiny duns , I use exclusively the smallest barbless hook-large (18 to 22).I tend to the natural, rather darker colours: Green, brown and grey. I try to tie flies in a simply, the Mother Nature corresponding way. I tried diverse tying materials and kempt experimenting. I found out that the best materials to imitate such a small insects are CDC-quills. My most successful flies are the CDC -duns, which I tie as emerger, imagos and deltawings.

Weather and time conditions:
The autumn applies in the Slovakia as the most stable season for flyfishing. The water level remains unchanged during a longer period. For grayling a perfect opportunity to rice for duns. The most beautiful and most successful time for dry flyfishing is sunny and windless autumn midday. Under these conditions you are able to observe the elegant movements of rising grayling.

Cast and catch technique:
There are two most importing criteria for successful dry flyfishing on autumn grayling. On the one hand are suitable fly patterns very necessary, on the other hand is perfect casting determining factor.
Which of these two criteria is more crucial is the subject of an old and famous flyfishing controversy.
According to my opinion both aspects (fly patterns and presentation) play equal roles. Also constant observation of the water surface, fish behaviour and swimming flies are part of the successful grayling flyfishing. There are days with thousands and thousands of divers coloured and size duns swimming down the river. To choose the right one is not so easy.If you can master these factors I’m sure that there’s nothing that could stay on the way to an perfect fly-fishing adventure with Orava grayling.

Once you caught nice grayling with very fine equipment and small dun patterns then you will understand what I am writing about. I managed to land grayling even over the magic 50 cm-border and 1.5 kg with leader n.12 and hook n. 22.

Orava grayling is characterised by its wonderful dark, nearly black colouring and strong, torpedo-similar body form. From my experience of many years I would like to state that Orava grayling belongs to most beautiful grayling at all.

But "once seeing always better than a hundred times to hearing and/or to reading". Come to us and try Orava grayling flyfishing on your skin. In this sense tight lines and hopefully good-bye in Slovakia.

tight lines

Andrej Polcic