A walk around Lake Bled in north-west Slovenia, offers breathtaking scenery of Mount Triglav and Bled Island with it’s romantic church of the Assumption of Mary. We both like exploring on foot and with a couple of hours up our sleeve, the 6.7km easy track made an offer too good to refuse.
[pinit]
Here is an unnecessary (I’m sure) reminder of stunning Lake Bled, Slovenia’s go to tourist destination.
With parking at 2 Euro/hour we were keen to get underway, but within minutes of starting we came across two fishermen on the shore. It looked like one had a fish on, so we settled in to see what eventuated.
I hadn’t given any thought to the possibility that Lake Bled might contain fish and if I had, whether indeed fishing would be allowed. I knew Lake Bohinj, 30km to the south-west had fish – we’d watched peaceful trout in the shallows. But Bohinj is large (20 km x 5 km) and surrounded by pristine forests that provide a natural filter to ensure good water quality. Surely the much smaller Lake Bled (2.120 x 1.380 km) with it’s encroaching hotels, cafes and bars, wouldn’t have good enough water quality to support fish! Well yes actually…
It turns out there are 19 species including catfish, pike, trout, perch and the most sought after of all – Carp. Fisherfolk come from all over Europe for the opportunity to land a big fat carp – and they pay a whopping 57 Euro a day for the privilege of trying.
The super hi-tech fishing style on display bore no resemblance to our more casual efforts in tropical North Queensland. Here there was no chucking a lazily baited hook overboard whilst clad in your favourite stained fishing shirt and hat that’s seen better days. No Siree! Fishing gear Lake Bled style includes rods, reels, alarms, bite indicators, unhooking matts, huge landing nets and some stylish outdoor wear.
If carp fishing in a beautiful yet semi urban landscape appeals, there’s no need to stress about bringing all this gear with you because the whole lot can be hired (apart from the outdoor wear). Surely having this sought-after angling opportunity in such a beautiful touristic area is unusual!
The Lake Bled Carp record catch is 30.7 kg.
Fishing tackle.
One Carp per day up to 7kg can be kept. This 23 kg specimen was of course released.
It took half an hour to land the fish, by which time quite a crowd had gathered. Fishing with an audience adds another element to the experience. It would be beneficial to be experienced and prepared to field questions from onlookers. You’ll be the centre of attention, especially if you land a big one like these guys did.
Have you fished with an audience before?
Things to Know before you go.
The carp fishing season begins on April 1st and ends on December 31st.
Purchase fishing licences at Kompass Bled Tourist Agency Mon-Fri. Multi-day passes are available. Reduced fees for children.
Thanks for reading and commenting – we really appreciate it. If you have a blog, please add a travel post to the link below for Nancie’s Travel Photo Thursday which we co-host with Ruth from Tanama Tales and Rachel from Rachel’s Ruminations.
Charming Ljubljana with her River and Bridges
Holy moly! That is a huge fish! I agree it may be difficult to pull that out of the water while tons of people taking a look. I am on the same page. I have never thought of Lake Bled as a place for fishing. #TPThursday
WHOA! That is one huge fish! 🙂
What a stunning locale! The carp, not so much. I always enjoy finding out where your travels will land next.
Wow! That’s a whopper! Carp are renowned for not being the most palatable fish so I doubt whether you want to eat it! Lovely photos o Lake Bled. We’re stopping at Slovenia on our cruise but won’t be able to travel to Lake Bled in the time frame.
I have actually never gone fishing before. It doesn’t interest me much, but I think that I could sit there with a rod for a while if it was an excuse to look at that beautiful Lake Bled scenery. That fish looks huge! I’m now going to search up “bite indicator” because I’m intrigued about what that is.
I always think of Carp as those brilliantly colored fish that swim endlessly around small ponds. I’d not thought about anything carrying that name actually being caught and eaten! A most interesting read!
I used to fish with my dad when I was little, but not anymore. I bet it’d be really peaceful to fish there though! The scenery is so beautiful!
I don’t think I saw any fisherman around Lake Bled the day I walked around it. I definitely didn’t see a huge fish like that one- awesome!
That’s an interesting take on Lake Bled. I’m used to seeing the dreamy landscape photos but not fishermen catching ginormous fish! Love that the dreamy landscape is still in the background though 🙂
I was happy to be able to share a different side to this gorgeous lake.
Hey Jan,
I was led to this blog after a post in Budget Travel Talk. Lake Bled seems like the perfect place for a date with the lady. The carp photos look great. I’d love to experience this on my own as well as have my wife experience. Also the castle in the middle looks great! Can’t wait to visit. Thanks again Jan.
Cheers,
This was so interesting! A great way to show another side of Lake Bled. That fish is so huge and would have been so great to see in person. I’ve never fished before but this scenery sure is enticing.
Lake Bled is so well visited and talked about but I didn’t realize you could fish there either Mary!
lovely photographs, i like trout fishing here, we do have rainbow and brown trouts in kashmir
Hi Jan, it looks so beautiful there. Lake Bled is really an ideal place for fishing. You know I go there in my leisure time and enjoy my fishing. Though I live in Slovenia too. BTW thanks for sharing. Photos are amazing.
I like Slovenia as well. But now my attraction to Slovenia growing up swiftly to knowing about the critical fishing lake . Because I am a fishing lover and always searching for the best and suitable fishing place. From your post I have learned about the famous fishing lake of Slovenia.Besides, get extensive knowledge about fishing planning and accessories. Really, I get much experience from your post.
Thanks for sharing …