Fishbook: Grayling

‘Fishbook’: Our species-guide series based on “Get Fishing”
the brilliant how to fish book by Allan Sefton

We profile the UK’s most common as well as some lesser-known fish species to help newcomer anglers find out more about fish that can be caught in our lakes, canals, rivers, ponds and sea.

Understanding the kinds of fish you might catch will add interest and could even make your fishing easier! Here you’ll find out more about…

GRAYLING

Name:
Grayling

Scientific name:
Thymallus thymallus

Life span:
Around 10-12 years

Typical size:
10oz to 2lb

British record:
4lb 4oz

Waters:
Grayling can be found in fast-flowing streams all over the UK

Interesting fact:
Grayling prefer fast-flowing water but during the coldest winter months they often gather in large shoals in deeper pools

About Grayling

Grayling are a delicate member of the trout family but, unusually, it breeds in the spring like most coarse fish.

Their most obvious feature is a large dorsal fin. They have slightly underslung mouths and mostly feed close to the riverbed. They prefer fast-flowing water but during the coldest winter months they often gather in large shoals in deeper pools.

Some rivers have ‘fly fishing only’ rules for grayling but if bait fishing is allowed, you can search for them by ‘trotting’ bait downstream under a sensitive float. Grayling love red maggots. Trickle some in as free offerings.

Visit the rest of the How To Fish video gallery here to learn new tricks and discover more about the basics of angling.

Find out more about:

• Barbel
• Brown Trout
• Chub

Read more about how you can get into game fishing. Alternatively, find a venue near you where you can #getfishing!

Some of the above content is taken from the new book, Get Fishing – the ‘how to’ guide to Coarse, Sea and Fly Fishing by Allan Sefton published by Merlin Unwin Books. This colourful, lively book is aimed at complete beginners of all ages, those who have been out fishing a couple of times and want to take it further and families of all abilities. It’s also packed with top-tips and info that make it useful for more experienced anglers too. Find out more about, and purchase a copy of the book here.

Header image thanks to David Overland and text reproduced with permission and © Merlin Unwin Books.