GRAYLING, ARCTIC
Arctic Grayling is a species of freshwater fish in the salmon family (family Salmonidae) of order Salmoniformes. It comprises five subspecies native to the Nearctic and Palearctic ecozones. Individual fish can range widely, moving tens of miles on a seasonal or annual basis between spawning, rearing, and sheltering habitats.
The Arctic Grayling comes in a wide array of colors. Coloration can vary from stream to stream. Their dorsal fins are typically fringed in red and dotted with large iridescent red, aqua, or purple spots and markings. These colorful markings are most dramatic on large Arctic Grayling. Arctic Graylings’ backs are usually dark. Their sides can be black, silver, gold, or blue. A band of gold forms a border between their sides and white bellies, which are in sharp contrast to their pelvic fins striated with iridescent orange, red, or pink. The sides of the body and head can be freckled with black spots. A black slash lies on each side of the lower jaw. The iris of their eyes is often gold in color. Only their adipose, caudal, pectoral, and anal fins are without much color; typically dull and gray. Arctic grayling are larger and thicker than that of its cousins (Salmon, Trout, and Char) and they sport a unique scalloped edge.
For bait you can use Mepp’s spinners, Panther Martin, etc. Sizes #0 to #3. Red and Gold is a favourite, non-dressed, but with different surface and daylight conditions they may hit other colours like blue, watermelon, orange, etc.
Jigs, small, 1/16 oz. to 1/8 oz. grub tails, paddle tails, puddle jumper tails. Sometimes these fish are in the mood to hit various insect imitations or minnow imitations. Colours can range from white to black but Brown, purple, gold, and dark red can work well too. You can use spoons, small ½”, Eppinger little devle 1/8 oz. Various colours, dark orange, dark green, black w/orange, blue, etc. Minnow imitations like phoebe’s and super duper’s may work also. You can use a 5.5 foot to 6.5 foot(1.6-2m) ultra-light or light spinning rod with a fast tip is recommended. A light or ultra-light spinning reel should be enough for this type of fish.
International
Arctic Grayling are widespread in Arctic ocean drainages from Hudson Bay, Canada to Alaska and in Arctic and Pacific drainages to central Alberta and British Columbia in Canada. They do not occur naturally in the Fraser and Columbia river basins. There are remnant native populations of fluvial Arctic Grayling in the upper Missouri river drainage in the Big Hole riverand Red Rock basin. Fluvial Arctic Grayling have been reestablished in the upper Ruby river, a tributary of the Beaverhead river. The native range formerly extended south into the Great Lakes basin in Michigan. They occur naturally in the Arctic ocean basin in Siberia from the Ob to Yenisei drainages and in European Russia in some tributaries of Pechora river. Lake dwelling forms of Arctic Grayling have been introduced in suitable lake habitats throughout the Rocky Mountains, Cascade Mountains and Sierra Nevada Mountains as far south as Arizona.