The river Gacka is tranquil and silent river, unusual for Croatian mountain flows. It springs quitly from the Tonković Vrilo and a bit smaller Klanac vrilo. From the Majerovo Vrilo comes Sinačka pučina creek, while the Pećina spring brings Kostelka creek. Gacka springs are like small lakes, with gorgeous blue colours. These springs are an unique combination of unspoiled nature and human coexistence.
Locals have built small stone walls, taming the flow and making small waterfalls, on which they have established several wooden mills, out of which two still work, the Majer and the Kolaković mill.
From Sinac, Gacka meanders through the field, peacefully and calmly, and yet rich with oxygen and with same temperature in winter and in summer, a perfect inhabitant for trout. That is why trout is famous dish in Gacka, and we tried it in spectacular way at the restaurant Vrilo Gacke.
Gacka is superbly clean river, one of the few in Europe from which you can drink water without any fear of bacteria or pollution. In the past, inhabitants from the entire region were bringing their water from Gacka. It was forbidden for horses to bath in the river. The locals were using plav, a narrow and long wooden boat, to carry corn from the mills and river plants for animals. Every household had their own plav, and even today you can take a ride with it down the river.
The river is especially famous for flyfishing, as it is one of the few in the entire world for capital trout. From the fish species, the Gacka is renowned for its brown trout (Salmo trutta), truly a mecca for passionate anglers. Because of the abundance of food, the Gacka brown trout grows 5-7 times faster than in any other trout water in the world. Capital specimens of the Gacka’s trout have been known to grow up to 5 kg. The angling season on the Gacka River opens 1 March and closes 31 October.
The main stream of the Gacka River is divided into A, B and C angling zones. The A Zone encompasses the Gacka stream from the source at Tonković vrilo to the Stanišić (Rogić) Bridge, including the Sinačka pučina from the pond dam to the confluence into the River Gacka. Only fly angling is allowed. This zone is a catch-and-release-area, particularly in the area of the Podgora Bridge (the first bridge) upstream from the confluence of the Sinačka pučina into the Gacka.
The area from the Knjapovac Brook to Tonković vrilo is a natural reserve where angling is prohibited. The B Zone encompasses the Gacka stream from the Stanišić Bridge to the confluence of the Gacka in the Poljica Tunnel. Fly angling and any type of artificial fly is allowed. Zone C encompasses Švica Lake and Gusić Polje Lake. Artificial lures are allowed. Weights and floats are not allowed with artificial flies.