Nicknamed ‘The Lady of the Stream’ for its pretty colours, graylings easily negotiate fast currents as they search for their prey of small invertebrates.
Male graylings have slightly brighter red fins with pewter-coloured scales.
Grayling facts
Scientific name
Thymallus thymallus
Family
Salmonid
Diet
Shrimp, midge and caddis fly larvae
Predators
Pike, piscivorous birds and mammals
Size
30cm
Weight
Rarely over 2lbs
Record weight
4lb 4oz 8dms
Lifespan
8-14 years
Grayling and our canals
A fish that is restricted to well-oxygenated waters, grayling are mostly found in our river navigations. However, they can also be found in some canals, and their presence is an indicator of water health.
How to identify a grayling
A silvery fish with large scales and a pale belly, the grayling is a distinctive freshwater creature with a recognisably huge sail-like dorsal fin. They have long, slender bodies with bands of green, orange, purple and red. The head is small with large eyes, an underslung mouth and, as all salmonids have, an adipose fin.
Its streamlined build and huge, brightly coloured dorsal fin makes the grayling the 'Lady of the Stream'.
Lifecycle of a grayling
Grayling spawn between March and May, with females laying their eggs in gravel beds. Eggs hatch in 3-4 weeks, depending on the temperature. The larvae grow rapidly in the first year, with males maturing between two and three years while females mature between three and five.
Where to find grayling
Grayling are native to the UK, living in cool, clean rivers and streams with fast-flowing waters. They’re most commonly found grayling in rivers across the Midlands, the north of England, and parts of Wales – and are particularly abundant in the River Severn and River Calder.
Threats to grayling
Grayling live in cool, clear, well-oxygenated rivers, so they’re particularly sensitive to pollution and increasing water temperatures, even more so than salmon and trout. Climate change may make some waters unsuited for grayling survival.
How to catch a grayling
River fisheries such as the River Severn and River Calder hold good populations of grayling.
Carl Nicholls, fisheries & angling manager
A river fish, the grayling is found in fast, clean rivers, mainly in the upper reaches, but it will tolerate clean middle rivers.
Fly fishing is the preferred tactic for this game fish, which means provoking a fish to bite using an artificial lure known as a fly (a hook dressed up to resemble an insect). You can also catch grayling with stick float tactics and more traditional baits like maggots, worms and bread.
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