At Scott Lake Lodge
thymallus arcticus
With it's blueish/silver coloration, a dash of pink/purple iridescence along its back, and it's dramatically high dorsal fin, the Arctic Grayling is a feast for any angler's eyes.
While no 15 inch pike has ever gotten anyone excited, Arctic Grayling are fighting machines despite their size. Armed with the proper tackle, grayling are an exciting fish and no fish defines the north like our miniature sailfish.
Arctic Grayling need cold, clear water, preferring water temps in the 50s but tolerating it in the 60s. They can’t survive in even mildly contaminated water which is why they have disappeared from nearly all of their native lower 48 habitats like northern Michigan.
How big is big?
Though literature references grayling of over eight pounds, the official world record is a five pound, fifteen ounce fish caught in the Northwest Territories. Saskatchewan lists their record as four pounds, five ounces.
Saskatchewan also documents a “live release” record of twenty-two inches on the Grease River, the same river that plunges over Lefty Falls, the favored grayling fly out destination of Scott Lake Lodge.
The grayling in our neighborhood get very close to that twenty-two inch mark. Over the years at Scott, there have been quite a few landed at the twenty inch mark.
Fishing for arctic grayling at Scott involves a ride in a float plane, one of the authentic experiences of being in the north. There are a lot of choices for grayling fly outs and all except lefty falls are inflows or outflows of lakes we fish for pike or lake trout so combination days are the rule: a couple of hours with the “ling” as many guides call them and the balance of the day with pike and lake trout.
For arctic graylinf fishing
What you Need
Grayling will take two kinds of flies – those that float and those that don’t. Just keep your dries small (8- 14); adams, royal wulff, elk hair caddis, humpies, black gnat, and small hoppers all work well. In a cold front go to nymphs like pheasant tail bead head. Any dark colored stone fly nymph is a killer as are the standard woolly buggers. Nymphs can be fairly large (6-10). Keep your rod light, grayling rarely get over 20 inches in these parts, a 3 or 4 weight is perfect. the lodge has 4 wt rods for grayling as well as “no sweat” waders. On flyouts the lodge provides all the grayling flies you will need.
Where to catch arctic grayling
At Scott lake lodge
Lefty falls
Ivanhoe
Labyrinth
Sandy
Gardiner
wholdaia
Smalltree
selwyn
ingalls
We are proud to offer you the choice of making the experience yours by choosing your schedule and your destinations.