Grayling Fishing
While Grayling don't receive the same notoriety as their trout, char, and salmon cousins, they are a fantastic target for anglers. The grayling species prefer the coldest freshwater habitats on the planet. Much like many of the char species, they prefer waters in the 45-60 degree range. While they are limited to the Northern Hemisphere, they can be found on the European, Asian, and North American continent. Grayling are well known for their affinity for dry flies in many of their native streams. This is partially due to the high abundance of insects in the pristine waters they inhabit, as well as the limited angling pressure in these areas due to their remoteness. In parts of Europe, the grayling are seen as a more cunning adversary for fly anglers as they can become incredibly selective feeders at times. These fish require anglers to utilize the most modern nymphing tactics to find success. As a smaller fish, size is not as important to anglers looking for a trophy as the spectacular array of colors found on their elongated dorsal fins.
Grayling Species
There are 6 Grayling species that are all native to the Northern Hemisphere. These are the European Grayling, Arctic Grayling, Siberian Grayling, Amur Grayling, Mongolian Grayling, and Baikal Grayling. There are another half dozen or so grayling that are awaiting further studies that could be classified as either subspecies or new species. These include the Yalu Grayling, Yenisei Grayling, Kamchatka Grayling, Bureya Grayling, and Yellow Spotted Grayling. Many of these individuals are found throughout Eastern Siberia in various river systems.
European Grayling
The European Grayling, Thymallus thymallus, is found throughout continental Europe as well as a handful of rivers and streams in the UK. The inland rivers of Scandinavia, alpine lakes and streams of the Alps, and the cold water trout streams of the Balkans in Southern Europe are strongholds for the European Grayling. While once seen as a nuisance species to anglers, they are now help in high regard by devoted fly anglers looking for a challenge. They are known to be picky eaters when times are tough, requiring anglers to hone in their skills to find success.
Arctic Grayling
The Arctic Grayling, Thymallus arcticus, has the largest range of any member of the grayling family. They can be found from Eastern Siberia and Northern Mongolia eastward through the North American Continent to the Great Lakes Region. The Southernmost populations of the Arctic Grayling are currently being reestablished in several Michigan trout streams. Introduced populations have been stocked in alpine lake in Colorado and Arizona. They are known for their extravagantly colored dorsal fins during the months prior to and following their spawn. During the summer months they are often eager to rise to a dry fly throughout their native range.
Siberian Grayling
The Siberian Grayling, Thymallus pallasii, can be found throughout Eastern Russia and a handful of trout streams in Northern Mongolia such as the Shishged River. Nymphs and dry flies will satisfy the appetite of these voracious eaters. Aggressive grayling have even been known to slap at smaller mice patterns. The Siberian Grayling are known for their larger than average fins that dawn vibrant colors during their spawning period in late Spring and early Summer. The streams these grayling dwell in often see little angling pressure throughout the year.
Mongolian Grayling
The Mongolian Grayling, Thymallus brevirostris, is the largest species of Grayling in the world. They are the only known grayling species to be primarily piscivorous (diet comprising mostly of other fishes). They are only found in a pair of inland lakes of far western Mongolia, as well as their conjoining river drainages. They have also been introduced in nearby drainages of the Altai Mountains. These grayling are known to exceed 24" in length with regularity.
Baikal Grayling
The Baikal Grayling, Thymallus baicalensis, can be found throughout lake Baikal of Southern Siberia, as well as the many tributaries that lead into the lake. Two subspecies of the Baikal Grayling, Black and White, are thought to be distinct from one another and occupy different regions or the lakes drainages. Like many of the other Grayling, they are avid insectivores, but also take advantage of the abundant zooplankton found withing the lake.
Amur Grayling
The Amur Grayling, Thymallus tugarinae, is the smallest known species of Grayling. This Grayling can only be found in the headwaters of the Amur River in Eastern Mongolia, and Southeastern Russia. These fish rarely exceed 10" in length. Though they are small, they still feed heavily on the insects found in the shallow headwater streams and backwaters they inhabit. Feeding occurs primarily in shallow shoals and riffles where they are safe from hungry lenok and taimen looking for a quick meal.
Learn more about the the other members of the salmonid family in our articles on Trout Species of the World, Char Species of the World, Salmon Species of the World, and Fly Fishing for Taimen.