Berane: the town, how to get there, and the fishing

Fishing in Berane is the Lim, and the Lim runs through the middle of the town. Of the three stretches I guide on the river this is the lowest, in the wide Berane basin, and it is the stretch where the national tourist board itself says the fly fishing is among the best things the town has. Grayling mainly, brown trout, and huchen: the Lim at Berane is the second of my huchen waters, after the Lim at Plav. This page is the town, the drive from the airports and Podgorica, and the fishing from here.

About Berane

Berane is the largest town on the upper Lim and the biggest of the six on this site: 24,645 people in the municipality at the 2023 census. It lies in the broad Berane basin, with Bjelasica rising on its western side; the tourist board calls Bjelasica the only volcanic mountain in Montenegro. The river comes through the town itself, and the banks are easy to reach.

The oldest monument is the medieval monastery of Đurđevi Stupovi, which the tourist board dates to the middle of the thirteenth century and Wikipedia to the end of the twelfth; it was a centre of writing and painting in its day. The Polimski Museum in the town centre is the regional museum of the upper Lim, with finds from the Radman gorge nearby. Berane is a working town, not a resort, and it is the practical base for the lower river. The town has the everyday services a visitor needs.

In winter the Lokve ski centre on Cmiljevica is a short drive from the town; in summer the tourist board points to the Jelovica resort about 20 km out, with walking tours and the Župan cave.

Getting to Berane

From Podgorica the road is the motorway to Mateševo and then the main road east over the hills to the Lim; it is the quickest drive of the three Lim towns.

Figures from the OSRM route planner on OpenStreetMap data, read on 13 October 2026, rounded. Mountain roads, roadworks and summer traffic between the coast and Podgorica change them. From Tivat the drive runs through Podgorica and then the same way. There is no railway to Berane; the nearest station on the Belgrade–Bar line is at Mojkovac.

Fishing from Berane

The Lim at Berane

The three sections of the Lim I guide are Plav at the top, Andrijevica in the middle and Berane at the bottom; the river as a whole, its gorges and basins, its flow through the year, is on the Lim page, and I leave it there. At Berane the river is in a basin, and the banks are easy to reach.

Grayling first, brown trout second. We wade. In the runs it is a euro nymphing rig, in the glides a dry fly or dry-dropper when fish are up; I carry both rigs and switch you as the water changes. If you want to learn euro nymphing, the Lim is a good river to learn it on, and I teach it on your day. Access is easy from the road, and quieter water is there on request.

Huchen at Berane

If you are coming for huchen, Berane matters. I fish for huchen mostly on the Lim at Plav, then here at Berane, then on the Tara. The method is the same everywhere: big streamers, a #8 rod, barbless hooks, and the morning hours. In the fly fishing zones huchen are fished catch and release all year, and every one goes back. I do not promise a huchen; nobody honest does. Write to me with your dates and I will tell you what I think of them. The fish, and how I fish for it, are in huchen in Montenegro and in the rod, line and flies article.

When

In the fly fishing zones the Lim is fished all year, when the water level allows. The best months for grayling and brown trout are June to October. The river is highest in April and May with the melt and lowest in August and September; the river levels article has the monthly figures, and Fish and seasons has every water by month.

The rest of the Lim from here

Andrijevica is a short drive up the valley and Plav, with the lake and the Ljuča, beyond it. The rivers of the north are about an hour’s drive from each other, so from Berane a few days can take in all three Lim sections, Plav Lake from the boat between 1 May and 1 October, and the Tara over the hills at Kolašin.

Permits, price, what is in a day

The Lim at Berane is fished on the local club’s permit. I buy it; permits and lunch are in the price. A guided day is 190 EUR for one angler and 60 EUR more for a second, up to four anglers, with a group price for three or four when you ask. If you stay in Berane, I drive you to the water on the fishing day and that is in the price; pickup from Podgorica, an airport or the coast is arranged with me when you write. Catch and release only, barbless, landing net. I reply within one day; there is no deposit, and cancelling costs nothing. How permits work in Montenegro is in the Journal.

A day off the water

Berane has more under a roof than the other towns, which matters on a wet day.

• Đurđevi Stupovi. The medieval monastery just outside the town, Berane’s oldest monument.
• The Polimski Museum. The regional museum of the upper Lim, in the centre, with the finds from the Radman gorge.
• Bjelasica and Jelovica. Walking tours from the Jelovica resort about 20 km out, and the Župan cave, by the tourist board’s list; the Lokve ski centre in winter.
• Two towns up the valley. Andrijevica under the Komovi and Plav with its lake are each a short drive for a day out.

Questions

Is there fishing in Berane?

Yes. The Lim runs through the town, and I guide the stretch here for grayling and brown trout; it is also one of the waters where I fish for huchen.

Can you fish for huchen at Berane?

Yes. The Lim at Berane is the second of my huchen waters after the Lim at Plav. Big streamers, a #8 rod, mornings, catch and release all year in the fly fishing zones. No promises on the fish.

How far is Berane from Podgorica Airport?

About 105 km and 1 hour 55 minutes by the OSRM planner, read in October 2026. From Tivat Airport about 170 km and 3 hours 20 minutes.

Do I need a permit to fish the Lim at Berane?

Yes, the local club’s permit. I arrange it, and it is in the price of the day.

Is Berane a good base for a non-angler?

It is the most practical of the six towns: shops, a museum, a monastery, a ski centre near the town, and Plav and Andrijevica within a short drive.

Plan from here

The water: the Lim. When to come: Fish and seasons. How a day works: Plan your trip. A day here is single-day guiding; several days on the Lim and the Tara are a multi-day trip. Up the valley are Andrijevica and Plav; over the hills is Kolašin.

Tell me your dates and whether huchen is on your list. Request your dates.