Everyone has that fish that fascinates them. You pursue it every chance you get. Maybe you dreamed of it in past years, or are still dreaming about it now. Each and every one you encounter is special and memorable.
Grayling have been that way for me for a long time now. The way their dorsal fins light up, their unique shape and colors, and the fact that you can’t find them in a lot of places make them pretty damn attractive. Fortunately, here in Bozeman we have a pretty decent grayling fishery right near town: Hyalite Reservoir.
Hyalite has long been a favorite of mine for a lot of reasons. Stillwater fishing is something I am still trying to figure out and have a good option close to town makes the learning curve a lot more manageable. You can’t beat the scenery, especially from the south of the lake. FWP stocks the lake with cutthroat every year, so I can keep a couple now and then and not feel too bad about it.
Last week Shane, Ken and I hauled Ken’s drift boat up there on a stormy afternoon. He’s got a motor that is just perfect for lake fishing situations like. We covered a distance in five minutes that normally would have taken half an hour to row. Makes it much easier, and it’s nice to sit back drinking a beer with the motor going.
The fishing was slow. Definitely slow. But still I managed to catch a couple. The best of the bunch was a grayling about 14 inches long that put a good bend in the rod and looked downright pissed off when we got it close to the boat. I know there are some really big grayling in that reservoir, but like I said, each one is special. The two grayling I landed were also the first ones of the year for me. Being able to check off the first one of the season is a good feeling.
A big goal of mine this year is catching a fluvial grayling. Between the Upper Madison and the Big Hole, I don’t think that is going to be too hard to achieve.
What’s the fish that fascinates you?
Photos by Shane Rickert
