Arctic Greyling

[Fishdog78]

Has anyone out there in the forum ever caught an Arctic Greyling. I am planning a few backpacking trips in the high Uintas and have found a few lakes that supposedly have them. I have never seen or caught one myself. Has anyone ever caught some, what type of bait was used and how big do they typically get? I heard they are are pretty fish.
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[aquaman]

ive have caught a few on the north slope lakes fished were round ,dog and fish lake had the best luck at fish lake used a small mepps spinner black body with green dots fish went from 8-14"
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[chickenlicken]

Fly and a bubble...fly and a bubble. I've caught tons of greyling on the standard fly and bubble set up. I've used renegades, mosquitos, and anything black. Try it with a dropper fly to catch 2 at once. I've never caught anything bigger than about 10-11" but the action can be fast, if your willing to make the effort to hike off the beaten path.
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[Fishdog78]

GREAT! Im glad to here you had some luck at Fish and Round Lakes. That is where I plan on backpacking it, I really want to catch an Arctic this year. Did you hike to those lakes in a day or go backpacking? Did you keep any of the fish you caught, are they good eating: Just in case I want to eat one while im up there camping.
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[cat_man]

I've caught a lot of them in the Windrivers in Wyoming, even some huge ones up to about 14 or 15 inches long out of one lake there! They are definitely a beautiful fish, that is for sure!

They are caught much the same way the brook trout are: small spinners or fly and a bubble. They usually are TOO picky, but on some days they are picky about spinner color so bring a selection of SMALL ones.
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[Fishdog78]

A bubble and a fly, I have never used that setup. How does it work, how do you set it up? Is it really good for the higher mountain lakes?
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[chickenlicken]

I can't speak for everyone else but this is how I set it up. Thread a clear bubble onto your line then tie on a snap swivel to keep the bubble on your line but will still allow it to slide. Then tie on a 36-48" leader onto the swivel, and on the very end attach your fly. Fill your bubble about 1/2 full to give it some weight, then cast it out as far as you can. A slow retrieve is best. You need to watch for the bite and set the hook as quickly as possible. Be careful on the greyling, they have tender mouths. You may even get rewarded with some cutthroat and brookies using this method.
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[cat_man]

chickenlicken got it right. I fill the bubble first, halfway full if you're using a dry fly, or all the way full if you're using a nymph or other wet fiy.

Then, thread it onto your line. I use a barrel swivel with a snap, then put on 4 to 5 feet of leader. High mountain trout are usually not too picky, but they can spook easily since many lakes are very shallow and ultra clear. Reel slowly, or try alternating soft jerks and reeling in with short pauses. The fish rise is usually visible but you can't always feel the strike, so you have to pay attention.

This is how I learned to fish pretty much, when I was very young, and I've caught hundreds of trout and dozens of grayling that way, in the Windrivers and the High Uintas.
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[Fishdog78]

I bet that would work really well. I will try it when I make it up there. I guess you cant get any Graylings until end of June, July and August. Anyone made it up towards Mirror lake in the last couple of weeks, anyone tried Smith and Morehouse?
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[HighUintas]

Heading to Fish Lake and Round Lake? Try Sand Lake too. It is often the fastest fishing, and Fish Lake has the larger ones. Want bigger graylings. I've caught 18" grayling in Allen Lake, near Four Lakes Basin in the High Uintas.
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[Theekillerbee]

I'll second the lakes already mentioned. Nothing really big in them, but the fishing can be fast at times. They sure are a unique fish as well. Here is one my old boss just caught up by the arctic circle in Canada. They get quite large up there. This one is about 2 lbs.
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Good luck and I hope you have fun catching these cool fish.
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[bkidder]

one thing to remember when setting this rig up is to put the bubble on right. the middle part has to be fat side toward the swivel. that way it forces it in, instead of out. otherwise you will release the water from your bubble when you cast. (that can be a pain when youre hurrying to try and get a line in the water!) this rig works great!
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[Fishdog78]

How was the hike to Allen Lake, did you take the trailhead from Moon Lake or Mirror Lake area? How strenuos and worth it is the hike to Allen, it looks like fun. How long ago did you catch that 18"er?
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[Fishdog78]

Just learned how to set it up, its nice, you could use this rig for all kinds of stuff. Thanks[cool]
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[Anthonygreer]

I too would suggest round, sand, and fish lakes. The fishing was great the last time i was up there about two years ago. I packed an 8' fly rod up and caught grayling out of all three of the lakes. Sand lake was the best fishing, but fish lake had the biggest ones. Round lake was hard for me to cast because of all the trees very close to the lake, but we did get a few grayling, as well as some beautiful cutthroats. Renegades, prince nymphs, griffiths gnats, and irressistibles were the flies of choice. Pack along some bugspray when you go. good luck dude.
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[Fishdog78]

Thanks man, it sounds like ill be catching a lot of something while im up there. So many lakes, im going to go on a fishathon backpacking trip in the high Uintas, cannot wait.
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[HighUintas]

I've hiked to Allen Lake from two directions. Start at the Highline trailhead near Mirror Lake, or at the Grandview trailhead near Hanna, Ut. The Highline might be a little easier, but you'll see more lakes and scenery starting from Grandview. It's about the same distance either way.

I've heard rumors of closing the road to the Grandview trailhead, and I don't know if that happened. So, I would play it safe, and hike via the Highline trail.
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[Fishdog78]

Sounds good,,,, is the Highline trail a difficult hike and long.
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[HighUintas]

The hike is about 9 miles. There are the usual ups and downs, but no real steep sections on the trail. Go in mid August if you want to avoid the bugs. Have fun!
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