Ice has been flowing on the river here for almost a week. How long ago did you take the video? I am lucky to catch one ice fishing each year otherwise they are way, way up river other times of the year.
That was 5 years ago today. Looks the same today. No ice here yet. I still have the net set in front of the house.
Totally cool fish Jeff, thanks for sharing them with us. The Grayling disappeared from my area before I was born, having died out around the turn of the 20th century in the Lower Peninsula. They lasted in the Otter River of the U.P. until around 1932. When my Great Grandfather was born Grayling were wildly abundant in our local rivers. People didn't take long to totally rid our area of them. I grew up with the idea that Grayling were the Holy Grail of fish. I wanted to experience the thrill of fishing for them that was available to my family before I was born, but it was decades before I was able to fish for them. A road trip up the Alcan in 1981 was when I caught my first ones. There is a project in the works that may return a self-sustaining population to Michigan within the next 4-5 years, but I won't hold my breath. The state has tried several times to bring them back. This time I hope it works, I'd love for my grandsons to be able to fish for them near home like their Great Great Great Grandad could.
I hope you can reestablish them. They live in the headwaters of spring fed streams most of the summer, so I think they are susceptible to warm waters, and yes easily overfished. We dont have limits here but they only bite well in early spring and late fall.
Some will catch 20-30 about now when they are biting, but not alot of people here and not much fishing pressure yet. They do eat salmon eggs so as a commercial fisherman its a love hate relationship, but I am always happy to share with nature, and would hate to see their demise.