Grayling & How to Catch Them Float Fishing.

Grayling

Grayling are magical fish. In this article, we tell you all about Grayling and explain how to fish for them using a float.

Trotting for grayling is one of the most enjoyable ways to fish, and it allows you to explore large sections of rivers.

Grayling feed well, even in the lowest of temperatures, making them the perfect winter target. You can relish the frigid winter days when heading out in search of these wonderful river fish. Known for their corkscrewing fight and ability to shed the hook, they’ll get your heart racing and warm you up, even on the coldest days.

Grayling: The Species

The European grayling (Thymallus thymallus) is a beautiful river fish, also known as the ‘Lady of the Stream’. It offers wonderful sport, particularly when targeted on the float or the fly.

The name of the genus Thymallus first given to grayling (T. thymallus) described in the 1758 edition of Systema Naturae by Swedish zoologist Carl Linnaeus originates from the faint smell of the herb thyme, which emanates from the flesh of a grayling. Thymallus derives from the Greek θύμαλλος, “thyme smell”.

Distribution of European Grayling

The grayling (Thymallus thymallus) belongs to a cold-water fish family of six species distributed across parts of the Northern hemisphere (absent from Ireland).

It is the only species of the genus Thymallus native to Europe, where it is widespread from the United Kingdom and France to the Ural Mountains in Russia, and Balkans on the south-east, but does not occur in the southern parts of the continent.

Origins of UK Grayling

Grayling scales discovered at ancient sites in Yorkshire, Northamptonshire, and Herefordshire, as well as records in early written accounts, strongly suggest that European grayling is native to rivers flowing into the Humber Estuary, the Welsh Wye, and the Hampshire Avon.

See list of Grayling Rivers at the bottom of this article.

Grayling: Appearance

The grayling has a distinctive, sail-like dorsal fin and streamlined appearance with pewter coloured scales. A uniquely beautiful fish.

Adult grayling can be distinguished by the size and shape of their dorsal fin. Female grayling have a smaller, less colourful dorsal fin with a smoother edge, while male grayling have a larger, more colourful dorsal fin with a serrated top edge.

The presence of an adipose fin places them within the Salmonidae (salmonid) family – subfamily Thymallinae.

Lifespan

In some UK waters, grayling have a relatively limited lifespan of 4-5 years, whereas other populations can live up to 9 years.

British Record Grayling (at 2023)

4lb 8oz 0drms (2.041kg) March 2019, Simon Ellis, Wessex River

Fishing Season for Grayling in the UK

Grayling can be targeted from during the traditional coarse fishing season – from the 16th of June to the 14th of March.

History of Grayling Fishing in the UK

Grayling were once treated as vermin on the exclusive chalk streams of southern England. Each year, thousands of grayling were caught and killed and buried in fields close by the river, in the erroneous belief that their presence detrimentally affected the trout fishing on these waters.

Since the Grayling Society was founded in 1977, attitudes towards this species have evolved. They are now valued as a fishery resource, and fishermen appreciate the exceptional sporting qualities of the ‘Lady of the Stream’.

Grayling: Habitat

Ideal habitat for grayling: Found downstream than the highest, upland sections of rivers, in sections where the river is larger, and the water is cool and well oxygenated, with steep gradients. Gravel and sand riverbed. The river section includes pools and runs, which divide riffles and rapids.

Grayling are a pollutant-sensitive species that requires clean water to survive and grow.

The gradient of the “grayling zone” is approximately 5.7m/km, which is the most critical component influencing zones.

Grayling have certain requirements during each stage of their life, which can be divided into three categories.

1) The Dead zone: the locations with the slowest flow rate.
2) Transition zone: with an intermediate flow rate between the Dead zone and the Main channel.
3) Main channel: the middle of the river with the highest flow rate.

Grayling fry (especially post-emergent) develop in the Dead zone before moving to the Transition zone when their ability to resist higher velocity increases.

Grayling move to the Main channel when they reach a length of more than 6cm.

Adult grayling migrate to deeper, slower-flowing habitats in the winter and shallower, faster-flowing areas in the spring to spawn.

Adults favour substantially larger cobble, gravel, and boulder substrates than do fry and juveniles. Adults also prefer faster water velocities, typically in the 0.2-0.5m/s range.

All size classes of grayling can be seen in the shallower water of the Dead zone at night – a shift in depth at night from deep to shallow water.

Spawning

Grayling in the UK reach maturity after 2 to 4 years of life (usually measuring 25-30cm fork length) and spawn once sexually mature. This happens between March and mid-May (depending on geographical location, with more southern populations spawning sooner).

Spawning normally begins when river temperatures range from 3 to 11°C.

Grayling require good clean, well oxygenated, and silt-free gravel in the 2-8cm range, with a depth of at least 5cm for spawning and egg development.

Females in the United Kingdom lay between 3,500 and 8,700 eggs per kilogramme. During the winter, female grayling, especially larger females, are frequently heavier than males of the same length.

The eggs are smaller than those of salmon and trout, measuring 3 to 4mm in diameter and are yellow in colour.

Temperature affects egg development, with eggs growing more slowly at lower temperatures. After two to four weeks, they hatch, and young alevins emerge.

Feeding

Fry feed on drift in the top levels of the river, where larval, pupal, and adult chironomids account for approximately 80% of their diet. Grayling feed in the upper layers until they reach 15cm in length.

Larger juveniles migrate away from the river’s edges and into the main channel, where they set up benthic feeding stations (within 5cm of the riverbed) to feed on floating invertebrates.

Older grayling (aged >1+) consume larger prey such as Gammarus (freshwater shrimp). Adult grayling, in general, become predominantly benthic feeders as they grow older.

Feeding activity peaks around dawn and dusk, and they rarely feed at night.

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Float Fishing for Grayling

Trotting

Trotting is a river fishing technique that involves using a float to present a bait that moves downstream, with the current.

• It allows the angler to cover a lot of water and search for fish in different depths and features.
• It gives the fish less time to inspect the bait and makes them more likely to bite out of instinct or competition.

Fishing Depth

Although you can catch grayling ‘up in the water’, you are best presenting your bait close to, or tripping the bottom of the riverbed. This is where you will find the bigger grayling.

Where to Fish

Target sections of river just downstream of the fastest water, deep holes, and the bottom-end of pools, where the water quickens up and the depth starts to shallow up.

Float Rod for Grayling Fishing

For most types of trotting for grayling, a lightweight float rod of 10–12 feet is ideal. Use a longer rod when fishing larger rivers or if you are trotting a long way downstream (and you need to pick up lots of line on the strike).

Choose a rod that you will be able to comfortably hold for extended periods and that can handle fine hook links without cracking off on the strike.

Rods must be able to pick up line quickly and absorb the lunges of fish (rods that are too stiff tend to bounce off grayling during their corkscrew fights).

A two-piece rod enables you to transport you rod, set up and ready to fish.

Reels for Grayling Fishing

One of the most enjoyable ways to trot a float downstream is by using a centrepin reel. It’s a traditional and highly effective way to control your float and gently ease it down with the current.

Alternatively, any light-weight fixed spool will do the trick.

Line for Grayling Fishing

Lines specifically designed for float fishing are ideal, although, any line will work. Use lines with breaking strains in the 2-4lb range.

Floats for Grayling Fishing

Use floats designed to be fished ‘top and bottom’, rather than waggler floats for trotting. Small ‘loafer’ floats, small balsa floats and stick floats are ideal.

Loafer and balsa floats carry a lot of weight for their size and allow you to quickly present your bait close to the bottom of the river, where the biggest grayling tend to be.

Rigs for Grayling Fishing

Use bulk shot around 12 ins form your hook.

Hooks

size 14 hooks for worms

size 16 hooks for double maggot

size 18 hooks for single maggot

Swivel

Placing a mini swivel between your mainline and your hook link is a really useful tip. Grayling corkscrew when the fight and this leads to them easily losing the hook and creating line twist. A mini swivel helps to prevent this.

Best Baits for Grayling Fishing

Maggots are the ideal bait when trotting for grayling. Red maggots seem to be favourite. start with double red maggot and change to single maggots if the fishing is hard.

A dendrobena worm is an excellent bait for grayling, used whole or as half a worm. Small red worms are also excellent (although you’ll need to find these yourself as they don’t tend to be available in tackle shops).

Some anglers also use sweetcorn. However, some people say that it shouldn’t be used as grayling cannot digest it.

Feeding when Grayling Fishing

When fishing with maggots, start off by trickling maggots into the swim. Don’t overdo it, especially when fishing in winter. The often-used term – ‘little and often’ is often the most effective approach.

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Caring for Grayling

Here are the Grayling Society’s recommendations for caring for grayling:

Catch & Release

Grayling are an important natural resource, and the Grayling Society advocates catch and release. The following hints and tips will help keep Grayling fit and healthy.

https://www.graylingsociety.net/grayling-angling-code

• Use barbless hooks or hooks with the barb flattened.
• Nets with knotted mesh are illegal, please use fish-friendly nets. Never keep grayling in keep nets, as they quickly become stressed.
• Play your grayling firmly and bring it to hand quickly – never over play grayling.
• Keep the fish in the water as much as possible. Unhook and release the fish as quickly as you can and with the minimum of handling.
• If you want to photograph your fish, keep the stress to a minimum. Photograph fish in the water; never place them on the bank. Keep the fish as close to the water as possible and fully submerge it between pictures to give the fish a quick breather.
• Ideally, let the photographer call the shots – 1, 2, 3… raise the fish… and click.
• Help grayling, especially large grayling, to recover before releasing them. Hold the fish, in the net, facing upstream in a reasonable flow until it is capable of swimming on balance and under its own power. Never move any fish back and forth in the water – it can cause serious damage.

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Grayling Conservation

The Grayling Society’s promotion of good angling practises and anglers practising ‘catch-and-release’ have resulted in the majority of UK grayling being returned alive to the water to contribute to future stocks and for anglers to catch another day. See http://www.graylingsociety.net/angling

The Grayling Society was formed in 1977 by a small group of enthusiastic game fishermen who wished to conserve and establish the Grayling as a true, wild, game fish.

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Grayling Rivers in the UK

Grayling Rivers in England

Thames – Evenlode, Windrush, Coln (Glos), Churn (Glos), Darent, Blackwater, Brain, Kennet,
Kennet & Avon Canal, Lambourn (Berks), Dun (Berks), Aldbourne, Enbourne (Berks), Wet
(Surrey/Hants), Tillingbourne (Surrey), Wandle, Lee, Charwell, Colne, Wey, Windrush
Itchen
Meon
Test – Wallop Brook, Anton, Pill Hill Brook, Golden Brook, Dever, Bourne, Blackwater, Dun.
King’s Somborne Brook
Medway – Teise
Rother (Sussex)
Welland – Gwash
Witham
Great Eau (Withern) – Ludd
Yare – Wensum
Lark (tributary of Great Ouse) – Isle, Chater
Bristol Avon – Chew, Marden, Midford Brook
Hampshire Avon – Bourne, Wylye, Nadder, Ebble, Till
Dorset Frome – Piddle, Brue, Tone
Stour – Allen, Shreen
Exe – Batherm, Culm, Barle, Lowman, Brockey, Creedy, Haddeo
Tamar – Carey, Lyd, Inny, Kensey, Otter, Thrushel, Lew, Bolesbridge, Deer, Claw
Parrett – Hillfarance Brook, Tone
Tyne – Derwent
Pont – Blyth
Wear
Tees
Severn (some tributaries are in Wales) – Onny, Tannat, Banwy, Vyrnwy, Teme, Clun, Corve, Rea
Trent – Soar, Erewash, Derwent, Wye (Derbyshire), Lathkill, Dove, Bentley Brook, Churnet,
Amber, Manifold, Anker, Blythe, Sence, Henmoor Brook, Noe, Tean, Sutton Brook
Eden – Eamont, Lowther, Crowdundale Beck, Bleah, Helm Beck, Hilton Beck, Hoff Beck, Irthing,
Lyvennet, Leith, Scandal Beck, Trout Beck
Ribble – Calder, Hodder
Dean – Bollin
Mersey – Gowy, Goyt
Weaver – Dane, Peover Eye
Esk (Yorkshire)
Ure – Cover, Skell, Laver
Ouse – Wharfe, Skirfaire
Nidd
Swale – Bedale Beck, Cod Beck, Isle Beck, Wiske
Aire – Calder, Colne, Holme, Ryburn
Derwent – Rye, Thornton Beck, Seven, Dove, Riccall, Pickering Beck, Costa / Oxfolds Beck
Hull – Driffield Beck, Driffield Canal, West Beck
Don – Dearne

Grayling Rivers in Scotland

Tay – Tummel, Earn, Ruchill, Isla, Ericht, Dean, Kerbert, Alyth, Braan, Machany, Pow, Ruthven,
Keithick Burn, Ericht, Lyon, Shochie, lower Garry
Almond
Midlothian Esk
Water of Leith
Clyde – Avon, Douglas Water, Mouse, Medwin N&S, Duneaton Water, Gryffe, Green Water,
Lochar Burn, Culter Burn, South Calder
Ayr – Lugar, Coyle, Greenock Water
Tweed – Kale, Jed, Till, Glen, Leet, Teviot, Breamish, Beaumont, Rule, Eden, Leader, Oxnam,
Whiteadder
Annan – Kinnel
Nith – Cairn
Forth – Allan Water, Eas Gobhain, Leny, Teith, Venachar

Grayling Rivers in Wales

Dee – Alwen, Alyn, Ceiriog, Dyfrdwy, Lliw, Tryweryn, Twrch
Teifi
Ewenny
Wye – Arrow, Dore, Elan, Irfon, Ithon, Lugg, Llynfi, Marteg, Monnow,
Rhymney – Ely
Taff – Rhondda

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Acknowledgements

References: The Grayling Research Trust published ‘European Grayling Conservation, Ecology & Management – A Practical Conservation Guide for the United Kingdom.

View and download this document here:

https://irp-cdn.multiscreensite.com/e233e288/files/uploaded/Grayling-Conservation-Guide_2018_v2.pdf

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