Grayling (Thymallus thymallus)

Grayling or Thymallus thymallus is a freshwater fish that is commonly found in Northern Europe, and Russia. Grayling are not very large, growing to about 2' (60 cm) in maximum length and weighing in at no more than 15lbs (6.7 kg). They can live for a maximum of about 14 years.

There are two different kinds of Grayling Thymallus thymallus and the Arctic Grayling or T. arcticus arcticus. You can easily tell the two apart by the presence of 5-8 dorsal and 3-4 anal spines that are only found on the traditional Grayling not the Arctic Grayling. In comparison to the body, the dorsal fin is huge! When viewed in water the dorsal fin resembles the sail of a boat.Grayling fish are commonly found in cold, clean running waters but can also be caught in lakes. They are omnivores that feed on insects, zooplankton, crustaceans and smaller fish including Perch.

Also known as The Lady of the Stream this fish are often caught fly fishing, often in the winter months in. Grayling are great indicators of water quality, they only thrive in the cleanest of waters. To check out the Grayling in action watch this video!

If you have any fishing tips or Grayling recipes that you would like to share please leave them in the comments below...

Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus)

The Bluegill or Lepomis macrochirus is just one of the many kinds of fish that can be catch with a fly rod while they are on the beds. The Bluegill has many common names including Bream, Sun Perch, Blue Sunfish, Copperhead and Copperbelly. They are small freshwater fish that are known for their ability to ferociously defend their eggs. This makes the Bluegill very easy to catch in May and June while they are spawning. If you are using a fly, just land it right on top of their spawning beds and bam! The Bluegill will hit every time and you will have yourself a quick meal. In fact, the Bluegill is known to be on of the tastiest freshwater fish, rivalling the Walleye. You can easily identify the Bluegill by its blue or black "ear" of sorts. This extension is actually called an opercular flap and it helps cover the gills. You can check out a few unlucky Bluegills underwater in the video below...

Bluegills are found in many places in the United States including Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin, Texas, and Louisiana. The Bluegill is even the state fish of Illinois! The Bluegill can grow up to 16" in length and live up to 11 years old.

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