Ćehotina
The river of Pljevlja: 125 km from the north of Montenegro to the Drina at Foča, 106 km of them in the country, with a catch-and-release fly-fishing zone for grayling, huchen and brown trout.
105.7 km · Northern Montenegro · Mountain river
Photo: Bogdan Lažetić · CC BY-SA 4.0
- In Montenegro
- 105.7 km
- Basin
- 1,501 km²
The Ćehotina is the river of Pljevlja. It runs 125 km, 105.7 km of them in Montenegro by the Water Administration's register (MONSTAT says 100 km), and joins the Drina at Foča in Bosnia and Herzegovina as a right tributary, so its water goes to the Black Sea. For visitors it is a fishing river: the tourism board's Pljevlja zone is catch-and-release water for grayling, huchen and brown trout.
Course
MONSTAT records the start of the river at 1,020 m and the point where it leaves Montenegro at 380 m. The catchment is 1,501 km², 1,109 km² of them in Montenegro. The upper course lies in Bijelo Polje municipality, the middle and lower course in Pljevlja. About 25 km of the river are in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In Pljevlja municipality the river passes the village of Rabitlje and the Otilovići dam, both named as boundaries in the fishing rules.
Fishing
The National Tourism Organisation's Pljevlja fly-fishing zone on the Ćehotina lists grayling, Danube salmon (huchen) and brown trout, with a season from June to November and catch-and-release only. Daily permits come from the local sport-fishing club.
Closed seasons in the national order of 2026 (Sl. list CG 75/2026, in force 11 June 2026): in Bijelo Polje municipality the Ćehotina is closed from 1 October to 1 May. In Pljevlja it is closed from 1 January to 1 March, except on the Otilovići and Borovičko lakes and on the fly-fishing stretches from the Otilovići dam down to the bridge in Rabitlje and from the Orljanski bridge down to Krivi vir; from the mouth of the Kozička to Zemunac, and on the tributaries there, it is closed from 1 October to 1 May; and until 1 April 2029 fishing is banned from the tunnel exit at Pliješ to the Breznica confluence, on the Breznica, and from the mouth of the Vodnjanska to the mouth of the Kozička. In both municipalities all trout are closed from 1 November to 15 March and grayling from 1 March to 1 June, and huchen must be released until 1 April 2029. Other zones are on the fly-fishing hub.
Getting there
- Pljevlja: the town on the river; the Husein-pasha mosque is the main sight in town.
- Rabitlje: village on the river in Pljevlja municipality, the lower end of the fly-fishing stretch below the Otilovići dam.
The other major river of the north is the Tara, whose Đurđevića Tara bridge stands at the crossroads between Mojkovac, Žabljak and Pljevlja.
Questions
How long is the Ćehotina?
125 km in total (MONSTAT); 105.7 km in Montenegro by the Water Administration's register, 100 km by MONSTAT.
When can you fish it?
The tourism board's zone runs June to November, catch-and-release. The closed seasons of the 2026 order are listed above.
Route
- 1
Pljevlja
The town on the river.
- 2
Foča
Confluence with the Drina in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Activities
- FishingPljevlja zone June-November, catch-and-release only (NTO); closed seasons per the 2026 order; huchen released until 1 April 2029 · permit required
Things to do
Fly fishing
Pljevlja zone, June-November, catch-and-release: grayling, huchen, brown trout.
Fish species
- Grayling
- Huchen (Danube salmon)
- Brown trout
Sources
Water Administration of Montenegro, Registar voda od značaja za Crnu Goru, 2nd ed. (July 2024) · MONSTAT, Statistical Yearbook 2025, table 1-9 Major rivers · National Tourism Organisation of Montenegro, Fly fishing · Wikipedia, Ćehotina · Ministarstvo poljoprivrede, šumarstva i vodoprivrede, Naredba o ribolovnim zabranima, lovostaju i minimalnim veličinama riba (Sl. list CG 75/2026), Art. 2-3
