Tips for fishing for high mountain lake Grayling?

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lloyd3
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Location: Parker, Colorado

Tips for fishing for high mountain lake Grayling?

#1

Post by lloyd3 »

Am planning an excursion for blue grouse and grayling in a few weeks. I'm presuming that grayling and trout will be eating similar things but I though I'd ask. Another question, are grayling really salmonids?

Arctic-Grayling
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Re: Tips for fishing for high mountain lake Grayling?

#2

Post by Arctic-Grayling »

The Arctic grayling I fish for are feeding on the same things trout eat. I like to fish for the with dry flies, they are OK with my poorly tied bugs. When I first fished for them I used small woolly worms in different colors. These days I like the original #14 Klinkhammer, if they are feeding on something I can’t see, I go with #18 Griffiths gnat.
They are their own species Thymallus arcticus within the family salmonidae.

lloyd3
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Re: Tips for fishing for high mountain lake Grayling?

#3

Post by lloyd3 »

Thank you so much.

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tiptop
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Re: Tips for fishing for high mountain lake Grayling?

#4

Post by tiptop »

I've had one experience at a mt. lake in CO with grayling. They were feeding off the surface all over the lake and they were all fairly small - about 12". They had very small mouths and I found that sz 16 or 18 resulted in more hookups. I used a variety of dry flies and they all seemed to work. FWIW.

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scarlet>fire
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Re: Tips for fishing for high mountain lake Grayling?

#5

Post by scarlet>fire »

I spend a decent amount of time chasing high country trout (and grayling!) each summer. Same as others that have posted- my experience is that they will eat the same as trout. Small dry/dropper rig would be what I started out with and then adjusted depending on how things are going. Their mouths are smaller than trout so I usually start with a parachute adams or similar with a smallish zebra midge as a dropper 24" down or so. Adjust as needed. Good luck- they are a cool fish!

Badger Matt
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Re: Tips for fishing for high mountain lake Grayling?

#6

Post by Badger Matt »

tiptop wrote:
08/01/22 18:35
I've had one experience at a mt. lake in CO with grayling. They were feeding off the surface all over the lake and they were all fairly small - about 12". They had very small mouths and I found that sz 16 or 18 resulted in more hookups. I used a variety of dry flies and they all seemed to work. FWIW.
This mirrors my experience and likely on the same lake. I got tons of hits on a #18 PMD, but finally got fish on the line when I gave them a second to get the fly in their tiny mouths. Lots of fun.

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Hellmtflies
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Re: Tips for fishing for high mountain lake Grayling?

#7

Post by Hellmtflies »

Same as above. Though, like cutthroats, count "One Mississippi" before setting the hook. :)

As for the blue grouse. Yes, they eat the same things. Hoppers in particular. I find the blues down low in September stuffed with hoppers. Then they reverse migrate and head higher as the weather gets worse in late fall.

snorider
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Re: Tips for fishing for high mountain lake Grayling?

#8

Post by snorider »

Not many hoppers at elevation. I would go with chironomids and various mayfly patterns. Also beetles, ants etc work. Dusky ("blue" is so 1990's) grouse are omnivores they do eat hoppers but also berries, herbs etc. They Definitely do not eat the same things, and with grouse you need to count 2 Mississippi before you set the hook, use 1x and tighten that drag...
Leave it as it is. The ages have been at work on it and man can only mar it. T.R.

lloyd3
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Re: Tips for fishing for high mountain lake Grayling?

#9

Post by lloyd3 »

The trouble with Blues (now indeed "Duskies" or "Sooties" on the Left Coast) is keeping it sporting. They'll just as likely fly up into a tree and look at you as flush away. The term "fool hens" also applies here. The big males really are a "blue" grey-blue color with either yellow or orange eyelids (had some pictures around here somewhere, oh well) so....not so "90's" to me. Not sure what the motivation is by the various Fish & Game operations to re-name a species such as this. Damn twerps! They will always be "Blues' to the folks that have lived out here for a while. A white meat bird and fairly large, they are quite toothsome. While I prefer ruffed grouse for table fare, these birds are quite exotic and a good way to start the season. Casting and then blasting makes for a very full day afield (or is it the other way around?). No matter, a pleasant distraction and simply great exercise.

Doug K
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Re: Tips for fishing for high mountain lake Grayling?

#10

Post by Doug K »

caught them in Montana, Wyoming, and Alaska. All of them were happy to take a small dry fly except the Alaska ones seemed to prefer a little nymph, GRHE with a #6 splitshot seemed to work as well as anything..

tried to hunt blue/dusky grouse a number of times, never yet seen one in grouse hunting season.. plenty in elk season though, ha.

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