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Arctic grayling
Sail-like fin identifies easy-to-catch fish
Alaska.com
The arctic grayling, with its spots and sail-like dorsal fin, is instantly recognized. The grayling lives in many streams and lakes. It's fun to catch, and its light flesh is tasty.
Description
The arctic grayling (Thymallus arcticus Pallus) is one of the state's most beautiful fish. Its dorsal fin is dotted with large iridescent red or purple spots, and the fish are dark on the back and have iridescent gray sides. They have black spots scattered along the forward portion of both sides. The adipose, caudal (tail), pectoral and anal fins are dusky brown, and the pelvic fins are often marked with pink to orange stripes.
Grayling often migrate, using different streams for spawning, juvenile rearing, summer feeding and overwintering. Winter generally finds grayling in lakes or the lower reaches and deeper pools of medium-sized rivers such as the Chena and Gulkana, or in large glacial rivers like the Tanana, Susitna and Yukon.
In the spring, grayling migrate as much as 100 miles upstream to spawn.
Grayling have spread throughout Alaska, except Kodiak, Southeast Alaska and the Aleutians. Grayling have since been stocked into a few lakes in southeastern Alaska and on Kodiak Island.
Alaska record
4 pounds, 13 ounces, caught in 1981 in Ugashik Narrows (Alaska Peninsula) by Paul Kanitz. It was 23 inches long.
Tips for fishing
The tendency of grayling to eat almost anything endears them to the angling public. Any fishing technique, including bait, lures and flies, will work at one time or another. Grayling are willing to rise to a dry fly.
Flyfishing techniques for grayling are similar to those used for any trout species. Generalized insect imitations such as the dry fly Adams and the hare's ear nymph are usually effective patterns for grayling. However, when feeding on a specific insect, grayling can be finicky.
The largest grayling fisheries occur along the road system in Interior Alaska. However, larger-size fish are generally caught in less heavily fished areas. Over 70 percent of the trophy grayling (greater than 3 pounds) registered by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game come from the famous Ugashik Lake and river system of Bristol Bay.
Best time to fish
Southcentral Alaska
- Anchorage, Palmer and Wasilla areas -- April, May, June, August, September, October
- Susitna, Talkeetna and rivers flowing into western Cook Inlet -- April, May, August, September, October
- Kenai Peninsula streams and lakes -- April, May, June, August, September, October
- Prince William Sound streams and lakes/ Copper River basin / Upper Susitna basin -- May, June, July, August, September
Inside Passage
- Inside Passage streams, north of Stikine River -- July
- Inside Passage streams, south of Stikine River -- July, August
Western, Interior and Northern Alaska
- Bristol Bay streams and Kodiak -- September, October
- Fairbanks and Tanana River drainage -- June, July, August, September
- Arctic Alaska and Yukon-Kuskokwim drainage-- May, June, July, August, September
Sources of information include the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
More on this topic
 Red salmon (sockeye)
Silver salmon (coho)
Pink salmon (humpback)
Chum salmon (dog)
Rainbow trout
Steelhead trout
Cutthroat trout
Brook trout
Dolly Varden
Arctic char
Northern pike
Lake trout
Sheefish
Whitefish
Burbot
Halibut
Lingcod
Salmon sharks
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