The Grayling - A Biology

[Old Smoothound]

The European Grayling

BY OLD SMOOTHOUND

Distribution

Grayling are also found in lakes; particularly in northern parts, but in the United Kingdom it is usually where the still water is part of a river system.
In the extreme north of its range, the grayling is tolerant of salt water and occurs in the sea, although I believe the salt content of the Arctic is less than that in lower latitudes.
The Grayling - at least our grayling - are not found in the Southern Hemisphere although there is a fish called the grayling in Australia but it is no relation at all to Thymallus Thymallus.
The earliest record of grayling comes from the southeast of Europe in the Miocene era some 20 million years ago. Grayling fossils of similar antiquity have not been found elsewhere.

BIOLOGY

The grayling, whilst being members of the salmon family, spawn in the Spring - leading, of course, to the misconception that are one of the coarse fishes. Why do they call them 'coarse' fish anyway - I cannot imagine a carp or barbel or roach deserving the description 'coarse'. Spawning takes place on the clean gravel sections of the river in a manner not dissimilar to trout and salmon. The males are very territorial on the spawning grounds chasing away intruding small males. During spawning the male curves the extended dorsal fin over the female almost like a clasping organ, there is vigorous vibration, eggs and milt are discharged and partially covered by the material stirred up during this vibration
The female may spawn once only or several times in different areas - promiscuous little bats! There is no spawning at night and it is naturally more active during warmer water temperatures of midday.

COLOUR

The grayling is a most strikingly coloured fish and its beauty never fails to astonish the angler who catches one for the first time. The dorsal surface is dark purple, or blue-whilst the flanks are silver grey to dark blue with a pinkish iridescence and often a golden lateral line and are marked with a varying number of V-shaped or diamond-shaped spots. The ventral surfaces are light grey to white. The head is olive-green with a mauve iridescence, and the eye is dark green and gold with the pupil shaped like a teardrop on its side.
The dorsal fin is the singular most characteristic feature of the grayling and is huge! It is basically dark coloured with a narrow mauve edge often with a wider blue band below and vertical rows of orange-red or mauve to emerald green spots. The males have the larger dorsal fins and, as in the way of nature, are the most vividly coloured with females being similarly, but less brightly marked.
The young grayling are deeper in the body than most salmonids, greenish above with a large dorsal fin and 10-20 dark parr marks straddling the lateral line.

The EUROPEAN GRAYLING

It is a species of the central and northern countries of Europe found mainly in rivers and some alpine or alpine type lakes. The grayling is found in many rivers and some lakes in countries throughout Europe such as Italy, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Yugoslavia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Austria, Germany, Poland, the Baltic States, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Russia and, of course, Scotland, England and Wales. Curiously, it does not occur in Ireland!

The ARCTIC GRAYLING

This is a species closely similar to the European grayling and is found in North America and Asia. Arctic grayling occur mainly in rivers but many of the populations are associated with lakes, including the huge Great Bear and Great Slave Lakes. Isolated populations occurred in Michigan and, at high altitude, in Montana, but the Michigan population (where it was abundant last century) is extinct and the Montana population is now limited to a few lakes and streams. There are also grayling reputed to exist in lakes in the Rockies in Colorado and the Colorado Department of Game & Fish lists a grayling record.

DIET

Now that we know where they are to be found how can we catch them? Well let's first take a quick look at what they eat'. As you might expect feeding intensity is closely related to water temperature - and feeding is at its lowest in February and March when water temperatures are at their lowest, and at a peak in the late spring and early summer - but it is generally high throughout most of the year. Grayling consume both a large variety and a large quantity of food organisms - anorexia is unheard of in the world of the grayling!

GRAYLING RISE FORM

The grayling's area of vision, encompassing the surface, can trigger a response, in which they glide up from considerable depths to intercept a floating offering. Because they come from so deep and their mouth is much lower down the jaw than that of a trout, a surface fly is taken by the grayling in a near vertical position, quite unlike the trout, which generally just raises its position in the stream without changing its orientation.
In general their acceptance of imitations is very much quicker than that of the trout. They have, after all, less time to make a decision since their position near the bottom means they have further to travel than a trout if they are to intercept the fly.
While the grayling's rapid, angled rise often causes it to miss the artificial, it will rise again and again to a carefully re-cast fly. In my experience, a grayling will generally rise 3 times to the same fly before it becomes wary. Wait 5 minutes and it will rise again.
Grayling have softer mouths than trout and demand a gentler strike. They also fight in a more dogged manner than a trout. Unlike trout, they don't normally dash about like supercharged nuclear subs, but seem to have a greater understanding of hydrodynamics than the stupid trout and use the currents and downstream pressure of the water to help them fight the angler. The challenge posed by the European grayling has led to the proliferation of specific tactics and fly patterns.


This is a piece from my course work for the title of S.T.A.N.I.C. Instructor as given by the Salmon and Trout Association after many months of hard work. This material is copyright of Old Smoothound and may not be re-produced without express permission by the copyright holder.

[Norfolkboy]

Another great read

[Miles]

Another great post Smoothy, thanks, I know next to nothing about Grayling, other than it was the christian name of the female forensic officer in Inspector Morse !

Since they are a wild river fish, I'd guess that Grayling are usually caught and released, but are they ever eaten ? I've read (from someone elsewhere in europe I think) that Grayling are one of the best freshwater fish for the table.

Have you (or anyone else for that matter) ever eaten Grayling ?

[Old Smoothound]

Originally Posted by Miles

Another great post Smoothy, thanks, I know next to nothing about Grayling, other than it was the christian name of the female forensic officer in Inspector Morse !

Since they are a wild river fish, I'd guess that Grayling are usually caught and released, but are they ever eaten ? I've read (from someone elsewhere in europe I think) that Grayling are one of the best freshwater fish for the table.

Have you (or anyone else for that matter) ever eaten Grayling ?

Seems we have something in common Miles...Inspector Morse one of my all time favourite programmes.

When i first started fishing for Grayling someone told me to try them once. I did and they are good eating, they have a kind of herby taste and smell to them. Hence their latin name Thymallus Thymallus. The flesh is very sweet. So i did try it just the once, but thankfully all my fish are returned to fight another day.

I once read an article in one of the leading game fishing mags about Grayling fishing on the Welsh Dee, and to my horror, they had 5 or 6 beautiful Grayling, on sticks roasting over a fire. Needless to say I no longer subcribe to that mag as they did not have to kill 6 fish for a photo session.... YUK! Such bad taste.

[Miles]

Thanks for the reply - Morse was quite good, but I've always struggled a bit with these detectives and their classic cars; Bergerac and the Triumph, Morse's mk2 Jag - bit far fetched when the reliability of a modern Mondeo is more likely and affordable I should think ! I have to say that I've seen Inspector Linley's Bristol 403 (?) in the flesh and it is very nice though - maybe one day ! - or an Alvis TD21.

Don't get me wrong, I'm much in agreement. We'll eat maybe one trout every couple of weeks and sometimes friends will ask for one, but otherwise I'd always return if possible. Many stillwaters ('round here anyway) require you to take all that you catch (trout that is), but I'll c&r whenever possible.

I think its just curiosity with Grayling. Maybe one day I'll get a chance to fish for them in a suitably clean and clear river, but I agree with you, as a wild fish they should be returned. I think I've heard that some have tried stocking them in stillwaters, but I don't think it was too successful, have you heard of this ?

[coch a bonddu]

I must say that I count myself extremely lucky in so much as being within travelling distance of the Welsh Dee. This is indeed a magnificent river for Grayling fishing where I have accounted for several fish in the 3lb+ mark. I fished all methods including the Polish woven nymphs but have found that the dry fly out fishes all other methods even during the winter months.

[Portland Pirate]

Hi Old Smoothound.

I was brought up fishing the great river Clyde, probably one of the best wild Brown Trout and Grayling rivers in the country.
One of the most effective techniques when fishing the wet fly on the Clyde was to wade into the water then disturbe the gravel and create a good bit of muck in the water. Cast your fly after about 30 seconds and bingo 7 times out of 10 you would get a fish. Any theories on this?

[Old Smoothound]

Originally Posted by Portland Pirate

Hi Old Smoothound.

I was brought up fishing the great river Clyde, probably one of the best wild Brown Trout and Grayling rivers in the country.
One of the most effective techniques when fishing the wet fly on the Clyde was to wade into the water then disturbe the gravel and create a good bit of muck in the water. Cast your fly after about 30 seconds and bingo 7 times out of 10 you would get a fish. Any theories on this?

Yep its called the pre-baiting your swim and the "Clyde Shuffle", and fortunately I believe it is banned on the river now

Essentially the muck disturbed contains insect larvae, cased Cadddis and the like, that acts as if you are chucking casters or maggots in as free offerings. It gets the fish in a feeding mood.

Sorry but it is not quite "Cricket" in my books.

[Portland Pirate]

It just goes to show that even us more experianced anglers need to be educated.

[..::Pike Pirate::..]

yet another great post! and rather good for me as i intend to go for some grayling sometime soon