# Artic Grayling in Michigan!



## WILDCATWICK (Mar 11, 2002)

Just was going thru the DNR website when I stumbled across this map: http://www.dnr.state.mi.us/spatialdatalibrary/pdf_maps/fish_atlas/maps/thyarc.pdf

On it shows locations of Artic Grayling in Michigan. I was not aware of these planting or the existence. I was wondering if anyone knows anything about the stocking efforts and how successful have they been?

Because of the nature of this feel free to P.M. me if you choose.


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## Boardman Brookies (Dec 20, 2007)

I read that they tried to re introduce them in some streams and rivers. I thought that the effort failed. I read in the DNR's site that if one is ever caught by an angler it needs to be released right away.


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## flyfishinchristian (Oct 5, 2006)

I believe at one point a stocking program was tried and failed.

The link below gives a good explanation. I also stumbled across that blog listed below where someone body wants to try to bring the Grayling back.

That map you found is probably very old.

http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10364_18958-53612--,00.html

http://michigan-grayling-restoration-project.blogspot.com/




WILDCATWICK said:


> Just was going thru the DNR website when I stumbled across this map: http://www.dnr.state.mi.us/spatialdatalibrary/pdf_maps/fish_atlas/maps/thyarc.pdf
> 
> On it shows locations of Artic Grayling in Michigan. I was not aware of these planting or the existence. I was wondering if anyone knows anything about the stocking efforts and how successful have they been?
> 
> Because of the nature of this feel free to P.M. me if you choose.


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## WILDCATWICK (Mar 11, 2002)

Map is current, not from the 80's. 

Thanks for the links. I know they did stocking in 80's and reported not much luck. It would seem to me that even if they were sustaining in small numbers in U.P. lakes they would not publish it because of the attention it would draw. Grayling are reported as being one of the easiest fish to catch.

I'm just curious as to why a map shows up on their website showing Grayling even thou they have not made any recent stocking attempts according to their data.


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## itchn2fish (Dec 15, 2005)

Boardman Brookies said:


> I read that they tried to re introduce them in some streams and rivers. I thought that the effort failed. I read in the DNR's site that if one is ever caught by an angler it needs to be released right away.


Correct. And it failed not only because of our degraded stream conditions but because of the fact that there are so many voracious, non-native competitors in these streams like browns.
The introduction of browns are what finished the beautiful Grayling off in the PM, for instance, after this magnificent stream suffered through the logging era.
The Michigan strain genetics of the Arctic Grayling are gone forever, a very sad occurence, since, in hindsight, it could have been avoided. 
I had high hopes when the DNR re-introduced the Grayling from some Rocky Mountain stock, and the hard-working people of the Michigan DNR gave it their absolute best shot. It was a great effort & they should be praised for a commendable attempt.


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## Brown duck (Dec 16, 2005)

itchn2fish said:


> And it failed not only because of our degraded stream conditions but because of the fact that there are so many voracious, non-native competitors in these streams like browns.
> The introduction of browns are what finished the beautiful Grayling off in the PM, for instance, after this magnificent stream suffered through the logging era.


It's funny how we condemn many aggressive, non-native, species, but celebrate others. I'm guilty too - nothing I'd rather have grab my parachute Adams than a chunky brown, but I won't hesitate to curse the zebra mussels accumulated on my crawler harness when it runs too deeply.


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## kingfisher 11 (Jan 26, 2000)

I know they were planted in Antrim county's Cedar River. I saw the signs but never heard of anyone catching one. I did hear it was not successful. I would bet Linda G would have more info on that. Since this is in her neck of the woods.

The Cedar was my childhood brook trout stream Is was not that uncommon to catch a big brown way up stream from Craven Pond in Bellaire.


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## twice-as-nice (Jun 6, 2007)

We caught a bunch of them one year on a drift in the Manistee near Sharon Bridge. Best I can remember it would have been about 20 years ago. It was a good attempt there also, but have not heard of any since those "planters".


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## steelslam (Apr 8, 2001)

some years back a lake in the northern lower penn. had good numbers of grayling in it. we used to catch a few while fishing it for rainbows. the grayling would measure 16''. sure wished i had took a pic of some of them, but the rules said realease right-a-way. not many michigan fishers have ever caught a grayling in this state


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## DanP (Mar 1, 2005)

We caught them for a couple of years I believe on the Manistee but that was 20 years ago maybe longer. I have photos but who knows where and what box. Catching them is was started me on pinching down barbs as all were released and it made the task much easier.

great memory!


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## Shupac (Apr 17, 2005)

In 98, I talked to a guy on the north branch AS who said he'd caught one there five years earlier, probably after one of the failed planting attempts. Even if they weren't going to stick around, it sure would have been cool to catch one.


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## malidewd (Sep 11, 2006)

About ten years ago I was fishing o the Frankfort Pier and caught a couple of these little fish and had no clue what they were. An older gentleman and his wife were going for a sunset stroll as I pulled up the third one and he informed me that it was an Artic Grayling. I have no idea if he was right or not, I had never heard of one at the time. I don't really remember exactly what it looked like. If he was right that would have been in 97'-98'.


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## Linda G. (Mar 28, 2002)

Rocky Mountain strain grayling were stocked in the Cedar River in 1984. I don't think there were a lot of them. They made a big media blitz about it (this was before I was writing, but Gordie Charles, Dave Richey, etc., all made a big deal of it) and marked the fish as catch and release only. 

All of the fish were then either eaten by the big browns that the DNR hadn't even considered before stocking or caught, then released...and the trauma of that alone killed them. And some were released on dinner plates, I'm sure. 

They were all gone by 1986. I had the pleasure of watching a guy catch one, it was a beautiful fish. 

The DNR may have made an admirable effort, but they sure didn't do their homework, just as they didn't do their homework with a lot of species they were introducing in those days. The grayling never really had a chance, between the browns, the anglers, and the sand in the river. 

They were also planted simultaneously in a couple of small lakes in the lower and some lakes in the UP. Go back to the 83, 84 stocking records and dig, you'll find some really good info in there. 

But I would really doubt there's any left at all anywhere, I don't care how "current" those maps are-and I highly doubt they're current at all.


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## 2PawsRiver (Aug 4, 2002)

They are a beautiful fish. We taylored part of trip to Alaska this summer to make sure and fish water where we would have a chance to catch our first Grayling.

This was my first Grayling. I caught it on Petes Creek.










This was another from the same water. I caught a good mixture of Rainbows and Grayling on the pictured streamer......that I tied, so they must not be too picky.










As a backup plan we had a three mile hike planned into Crescent Lake. It receives little pressure, but has a good population of Grayling and they did not let us down. We picked up Grayling on dry flys and spinners.










We did keep one Grayling on Petes Creek for Dinner. The Rainbow cooked up fantastic. They Grayling was gritty with bad flavor, would never eat another.

I have to agree that it would have been great to catch a Michigan Strain and I fished for them when I was a kid, just never managed to hook up with one.


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## WILDCATWICK (Mar 11, 2002)

Great pics 2paws! Congrats on those they truely are magnificant looking. 

I'm hoping to find a couple of the lakes that they put them into in the U.P. I saw the general map but it's so general there is no way to tell. I would hope that they put some in some of the trophy brook trout lakes that you have to hike into for a couple of miles. They at least may have a remote possiblility of survival. 

There just isn't alot of info out there. If they are so gullibal and feed like mad I would think that they would have a decent growth rate and that they should be able to survive in some of these lakes that have nothing in it but bait fish and brook trout??


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## Dom (Sep 19, 2002)

A few of my friends went up into Norway and fished pristine river for Grayling. Thought I'd share a little info on them, hope they come out large enough to see and read, the first and second pics are info, the last one is from Norway, a good friend who teaches the Fishing Course over here, Petriheil, Dom.


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## steelie (Sep 20, 2000)

Good Day,

If I have said it once I have said it one thousand times. There is no reason in my mind why we cannot bring grayling back to Michigan. We simply have to want to - and do it in a way that makes sense. In my opinion one of the reason previous attempts have not been successfull has to due primarily with two reasons. River condition and the presence of competitors, in particular, brown trout. Look - brookies and grayling co-existed for thousands of years before "exotic" species like browns and steelhead were introduced to Michigan waterways. So why should they not be able to exist with brookies today? I simply believe that prior attempts were not well thought or planned out. 

I would start in the U.P. There are several streams that have brookies and only brookies - particuarly above fish blocking structures like waterfalls. One would not have to worry about predation and over competition by browns. Start small. Maybe just three streams. Plant the grayling, close the streams for a year, check out how it is going. Maybe close it again until at least one chance for spawning has occurred and see if in fact they are doing so. I do not believe a program like this would or even needs to cost millions upon millions. They could probably get it done for pennies by comparison to other projects. I dare say even $100,000 could probably do the job. Not only would it be cool to have grayling back but it would also be an investment into the future of Michigan and its fisheries. Just as there are folks who come to Michigan to fish for the salmon or the steelhead - if we can rebuild the grayling stock - so too will they come. Infusing more money into the economy - particularly those of small communities.

Steelie


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## WILDCATWICK (Mar 11, 2002)

steelie said:


> I would start in the U.P. There are several streams that have brookies and only brookies - particuarly above fish blocking structures like waterfalls. One would not have to worry about predation and over competition by browns. Start small. Maybe just three streams. Plant the grayling, close the streams for a year, check out how it is going. Maybe close it again until at least one chance for spawning has occurred and see if in fact they are doing so. I do not believe a program like this would or even needs to cost millions upon millions. They could probably get it done for pennies by comparison to other projects. I dare say even $100,000 could probably do the job. Not only would it be cool to have grayling back but it would also be an investment into the future of Michigan and its fisheries. Just as there are folks who come to Michigan to fish for the salmon or the steelhead - if we can rebuild the grayling stock - so too will they come. Infusing more money into the economy - particularly those of small communities.
> 
> Steelie


I'm in complete agreement that Grayling today could survive. I wanted to find more info on the planting so I could do some field research on these places. Some of them were in the U.P. and appear to be in brook trout lakes and some streams as you described. So what caused them to fail? Did some of those lakes get contaminated with pike? 

Thanks for the opinions and info....please feel free to keep them coming.


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