Fly fishing the Tara River

Fly fishing the Tara River: what to expect

The Tara at Kolašin and Mojkovac is grayling water first. Brown trout hold in the same runs and pools, and huchen live in the river too; if huchen is what you want, say so when you write, and I will tell you what I think of your dates. How it compares with the other rivers for grayling, nymph or dry fly: grayling fishing in Montenegro.

We fish it wading. The water is clear and mostly fast, with pools and riffles over a bed of large rocks and stones, which is how a 2024 state survey of the upper river describes it. That is euro nymphing water, and most of a day here is fished with a nymph rig, close and under control. When the grayling are on the surface we change to a dry fly. If you have never fished a euro nymphing rig, I teach it on your day if you want it.

Every fish goes back. Catch and release only, barbless hooks, and a landing net in the water before the fish comes out of it. That is how the fly fishing zones here are fished, and it is how I fish everywhere.

The river has easy access from the road. If you want a wilder stretch, with more walking and fewer people, ask me and I will plan the day around it.

Where the Tara is fished: Kolašin and Mojkovac

Kolašin is the upstream section. The town stands on the right bank of the river, and the fishing starts close to it. From here the Tara runs north toward Mojkovac.

The national park stretch. Part of the river between the two towns lies inside Biogradska Gora National Park. That stretch needs the park’s own permit on top of the usual one. I get both; you carry nothing but your rod.

Mojkovac is the downstream section. The river here is bigger, with more water in it from the tributaries that join between the towns. Below Mojkovac the Tara turns north-west and enters its canyon, which belongs to rafting, not to us.

Between Kolašin and Mojkovac the valley opens and narrows: four wider parts, three gorges, by the World Bank’s 2016 study of the Drina basin. The whole course, source to mouth, is in the Journal: the Tara from the Komovi to the canyon. The three stretches as I fish them, with the park permit and a day paired with the lake: the Tara guide in the Journal.

When to come

In the fly fishing zones you can fish the Tara all year, when the water level allows. The best months are June to October: the water is down from the spring melt, the fish are feeding, and you can wade where you want. The river runs highest in April and May and lowest in August and September, by the same World Bank study; month by month figures from the gauge in the canyon are in Snowmelt to summer low: the Tara and the Lim through the year. Outside the best months, write to me with your dates and I will tell you honestly what the river is doing.

Which fish to expect in which month on every water I guide: Fish and seasons.

Visiting Kolašin

Kolašin sits at 954 m on the right bank of the Tara, a small mountain town. It is the natural place to stay for the Tara and for Biogradsko Lake.

Half a day off the water goes easily here:

• Biogradska Gora National Park. One of the oldest protected forests in Europe: its woods were set aside as a reserve in 1885 and the park was founded in 1952. An easy 3.3 km path circles Biogradsko Lake, at 1,094 m in the middle of the old forest, in less than an hour. Six marked trails climb to the glacial lakes and the peaks above, the highest Crna Glava at 2,139 m.
• The katuns of Bjelasica and Sinjajevina. The summer pastures above the town, with their shepherds’ huts, are a half-day walk or drive. Ask for the local lisnati cheese, the layered one, which the national tourist board lists as a protected product.
• For a partner who does not fish: marked hiking and cycling trails from the town, rafting and kayaking on the Tara, and two ski centres 9 km from the town.

Visiting Mojkovac

Mojkovac is the smaller town, downstream, on the right bank of the Tara between Bjelasica, Sinjajevina and the Prošćenske mountains, with Biogradska Gora National Park on one side and Durmitor on the other. Its tourist organisation points visitors to the archaeological site of medieval Brskovo, one of the oldest mines in the region, and the stone bridge over the Tara, where a diving competition is held. Paragliding and horse riding are offered above the town. From Mojkovac the road follows the river north into the canyon.

Getting there

If you stay in Kolašin or Mojkovac, I collect you there and drive you to the water and back on your fishing day; that is in the price. If you are staying further away, on the coast or in Podgorica, or arriving at an airport, tell me when you write and we arrange the pickup.

The two towns, and the drive to each: Kolašin and Mojkovac.

Permits

You do not need to think about permits. The Tara is fished on a fishing permit, and the stretch inside Biogradska Gora National Park on the park’s permit as well; both are in my price, and I have them before we meet. Flies: I sell the patterns for this river; ask when you write. More on how a day works: Plan your trip.

Questions anglers ask about the Tara

Can I fish the Tara and Biogradsko Lake on the same day? Yes. The lake is near Kolašin, and a day that starts on the river and ends on the lake, or the other way round, works well from 1 May to 1 October, when the lake is fished.

Is the Tara right for my first day in Montenegro? It can be. For a single first day I usually suggest the Lim and the Ljuča, and the Tara is the other choice. Tell me what you want from the day and I will say which.

Do I need to bring my own gear? Bring your essential fly fishing gear. If something is missing, I can lend rods, a euro nymph kit, waders and boots on request, for a small charge.

How many anglers can come? Up to four. The price is for one angler, with a second at a lower rate; for three or four, ask me for the group price. A day here is single-day guiding; for several days on the Tara and the other waters, see multi-day trips.

Sources

• World Bank / COWI (2016). Support to Water Resources Management in the Drina River Basin: Montenegro, IWRM Study and Plan, Background Paper, Volume 1. The river’s course, its widenings and gorges, and its high and low water.
• Mrdak, D., Milošević Malidžan, D., Despotović, V. (2024). Istraživanje riblje faune u Crnoj Gori. The character of the upper river.
• National Parks of Montenegro, Durmitor education page: the three parks founded in 1952.
• National Parks of Montenegro, Biogradska Gora: active holidays and the park’s education page. The lake path, the trails, the peaks, the 1885 reserve.
• National Tourist Organisation of Montenegro, Charming mountain towns. Kolašin’s height, the ski centres, the cheese, Mojkovac’s bridge and Brskovo.
• Tourist Organisation of Kolašin, its website, and Tourist Organisation of Mojkovac, mojkovac.travel. Trails and activities.