Grayling in a Stillwater setting

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Have a lake about 70 miles from of me that's planted with Grayling & Westslope cutts. Planning on spending a day there of my 1 week fishing vacation as I've always wanted to catch one.

Sounds like the Grayling are typically aggressive and will take a dry if there's a hatch going off. This lake is about 200 surface acres & max depth of only 20' so bug activity should be high in late May along the weedbeds.

Anyone ever attempt this?

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Way back in the 70's I caught the Idaho state record grayling. Unfortunately, I ate it before calling the state to see if was a record!!

There were really easy to catch on any fly.

Don't bother eating them. But do check the state records before you go fishing.

At the time the Idaho state record was a 15 inch fish. The current catch and kill record is 2.44 lbs and 18.13 inches. The state catch and release record is only 16.2 inches. Mine was right at 16 and I actually caught two and ate them both.
 
If there’s an inlet be sure to check it out. I’ve found grayling podded up in the seam. Softhackles just under the surface have worked for me.
 
I know exactly the lake you’re talking about. I used to fish it often when I lived in Kalispell. I always did well there for both species with a balanced leech and a chiro dropper under an indicator near the creek mouth.
 
I only C&R’d them in Alaska…..they were huge in the connector stream between two big lakes. The record grayling for Alaska came from this stream! We’re talking about pounds….not inches. And even no caddis or mayflies just mosquitoes and no-seeums they would attack it with reckless abandon!! This is an average size……old picture younger me!

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Just target them as you would trout. They’ll take anything a trout would. I’ve used wet flies and dry flies with good success in lakes near Wisdom, MT.
 
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