Tips to Grayling Fishing

An enchanting fish that is hard to fight and catch, an unrestrained challenger yet delicious to eat, sometimes more than the very popular trout, that being must be a dream for any angler to prey upon. One such fish is the grayling fish from the Thymallus genus and Salmonidae family. Though they are very challenging to angle, Grayling fishes somewhat ensure an amicable atmosphere for the anglers by not panicking around and going into hiding. Thus, grayling fishing is great fun for anglers, especially beginners.

When To Angle Grayling Fishes

This fearless game fish is best angled all year round. However, they are the most active from the month of September to December. They are so much in availability in freshwater sources that you can enjoy angling them anytime from June to March. After all, they fall into the category of coarse fishes. And like most of the coarse fishes, they spawn in the Spring. And the mention of Spring compels us to mention both the Autumn and Winter season are great for Grayling angling.

Grayling Fishes Love Clean Water

Grayling fishes, as if, love clean water. Being a freshwater source is not enough for a grayling to abode and abide by. If the water is polluted, has a slight presence of acid in it, or is degraded, Grayling fishes will just vanish from there and find a new place to live. So, if the water is fast flowing, is well oxygenated, free of pollution and dirt, and filled with gravel, limestone, or chalk, mark it as a legit abode for grayling fishes.

Shoaling

They are hard to find, but when you find one in a water body, please know there are a few more because Grayling fishes have a habit of shoaling. Shoaling implies when a species stays in a group, and Grayling fishes always remain in a group, together. So, chances are way too high for anglers to catch multiple Grayling fishes from the same spot without even moving a few steps.

Where To Find The Grayling Fishes

Search for Graylings, mostly in heads or tails of the freshwater bodies. If you notice a circular current in the water body, consider that to be one of the prominent hotspots for angling Grayling fishes. A rocky or shallow section of a freshwater body, the slicks of the rivers, lakes, and ponds, all are excellent sources for catching Grayling fishes.

What Happens To The Shoal When You Catch A Grayling Fish

We were talking about shoaling and Grayling fish’s habit of staying together. So when you catch a Grayling, quite naturally, it comes to the mind that the other in the shoal will escape. But no, Grayling fishes are pretty fearless in this case. When you successfully angle a Grayling fish from the group and end up landing it in the water, the other from the shoal stays around, and once they see their mate returning, they once again start feeding themselves. That is why we emphasized, when you catch one Grayling, you will angle multiple while standing on the same spot.

What the Grayling Fishes Eat

Grayling fishes are bottom feeders. The clear sign of them being the bottom feeders is their down-turned mouth. They will mostly survive eating from the very bottom of the water body. So, it might seem to be hard to attract them with baits and lures hanging from the fishing rod and hook. However, with the right kind of bait and lure and setting it deeper, no fishes are impossible to catch. And when it’s Grayling, it turns easier because they feed themselves from the water surface as well.

Gear For Grayling Fishing

A longer but a light rod, preferably 10-13 feet float fishing rod
Size 16 hook, not barbed
Center pin fishing reel
4lb monofilament mainline
4lb Hooklink, fluorocarbon fishing line well-preferred
Stick float
Split shot

Best Technique For Grayling Fishing

Stick float is the highlight of Grayling fishing. Trotting with the stick float is the most uncomplicated technique and the best as well for angling multiple grayling fishes. Depending on the water body, you will have to choose your stick float. Stick floats are best used in high current water bodies, which is the prevalent hub of Graylings. The bigger the water body, the longer the stick floats for better judgment. Moreover, to keep it stable and have an accurate cast of the rod, you will need to experiment with the split shots because the number written on the float will, in most cases, not work.

Chumming

Before you start preparing yourself for casting the fishing rod, it is necessary for you not to skip the process of chumming in the water body. After you mark a water body to be an excellent habitat for the Graylings, make sure to lure them with their favorite baits. In the case of Grayling fishes, that bait has to be the maggots. The maggots are easy to throw in the water, and the Grayling fish love maggots to the extent that they will certainly come from a far distance. You perhaps do not need to chum the fishes continuously for a few days prior to the D- day, but chumming the Graylings right before angling, just for a few minutes, will cut short your rod holding period.

Best Bait For Grayling Fishing

If not maggots, you can also use small fishes, shrimps, worms, insects, even corn to chum or lure the grayling fishes.

Bony, Delicate Mouth

To safely catch a Grayling, you need to be extra cautious because this specimen has a very delicate boney lip and mouth. A little bit of strength will end you up with a lost fish and an empty hook with a portion of flesh on it. So, you not only lost the fish but also injured it and imperiled the entire shoal. When you cast in, make sure to cast in as close as possible to the fish. That is why chumming is so crucial because you know the Grayling is right there where you have cast in. When the bait is right in front of the fish’s mouth, it will take the bait, and your indicator or movement of the line will say it all, and right from that moment, you will have to handle the rod gently to hold the fish delicately but firmly. It doesn’t matter whether you aim to turn the fish into a dish or land it back in the water body.