March 1st is the New Year to all the fishermen in this part of Croatia since it's the date of the trout fishing season opening. The fisherman's year here lasts until September 30th, when fishermen all across Dalmatia pack up their fishing poles and go hibernating as they were bears during the winter.
Cetina river is the queen of Dalmatia. It is long 101 kilometres and it flows from 3 strong mountain wells. First 70 kilometres are a highly appreciated fishing area. It's home to the brown trout, grayling and numerous endemic species, such as “zebra” trout – endemic wild trout that lives only in 2 rivers in the entire world – Cetina and one more european river!
One part of Cetina is strongly protected flyfishing area, not only because of the endemic species of fish, but also because of more that 200 endemic species of flying bugs and insects! The protected flyfishing area lies at the beginning of the canyon; Cetina then flows to the south, to meet Adriatic Sea.
No wonder why Cetina is so rich: it has 8 wild contributary rivers, 2 big lakes and the water is so pure and clear that it’s home to the first coralline alga that transferred from the sea into the river (Pneophyllum cetinaensis). In addition, one of the contributaries – Grab river – is home to the olm, endemic and rare blind lizard (Proteus anguinus).
Apart from Cetina and its cotributaries, 2 more rivers enrich this part of Dalmatia – Žrnovnica and Jadro, both 30 minutes of car ride from the protected flyfishing area on Cetina. Jadro is home to the endemic soft mouthed trout, a living relic!
While living this adventure, the fishermen are accomodated in private accomodation (breakfast included) in the Sinj town centre. A small town Sinj is located in the heart of Dalmatian inland, near Cetina, with its rich historical and cultural heritage protected by UNESCO. Furthermore, Sinj has rich gastronomic history thanks to a clash between Oriental and Mediterranean cuisine. Speaking about that, fishermen will have a daily meal scheduled in a traditional tavern that offers delicious local specialties.
The tavern is held by the host and organizer of this whole flyfishing adventure – a fisherman himself – and the organizer can be contacted via e-mail konobarerasinj@gmail.com for all additional information. If you are a group of 2 to 6 people, you might have a wonderful time experiencing this flyfishing fairytale!
