Fish, salmonid family
Grayling
- Maximum length
- 60cm
- Maximum weight
- 6.7kg
- Best water temperature
- 6–16 °C
- Water today (3.5 °C)
- Tolerates it, but slowed down
- Fishing districts near where it occurs
- 2
About the species Grayling
How to recognise it
Large, tall sail-like dorsal fin with purple dots, a silver body with dark spots and a small mouth.
Where it lives
Faster clean rivers with a gravel bed in the zone below the trout streams.
What it feeds on
Larvae and adults of aquatic insects, small invertebrates.
Spawning
In March and April on gravel shallows.
It is very sensitive to pollution and lack of oxygen. It is a classic target of fly anglers.
Closed season, minimum size and daily limit
What the Fisheries Act says about grayling. For guidance only; check it in the fishing regulations of the district.
Closed season
§ 10 of the Decree- 1 Jan – 31 May
this species may not be fishedoutside this period
It does not depend on the closed season for all fish by water type. You can find this and the other rules on the fishing district page in the Law and fishing rules section.
Minimum size
§ 12 of the Decree33 cm
below the size limit: return it to the waterfrom the size limit: you may keep it
You must not keep a fish shorter than 33 cm. The total length is measured from the front of the head to the end of the longest ray of the tail fin (§ 12, para. 4). The district user may raise the size; the one in the permit and the fishing regulations applies.
Daily limit
§ 14 of the Decree- 2pcsGreen groupeel, carp, burbot, zander, pike, tench, barbel, lake brown trout, brown trout, grayling (combined)
The limit applies per day, also when fishing in several districts. The district user may set a lower limit in the permit, in which case the stricter one applies.
Summary of Act no. 216/2018 Coll. and Decree no. 381/2018 Coll. (as of 6 Nov 2026). It may be out of date or contain an error, and exceptions apply on some waters. The permit and the fishing regulations of the district are binding. The fishing law, rule by rule.
Water temperature and requirements
At what temperature the species is active and how well today's water suits it.
Tolerates it, but slowed downTypical water in Slovakia is 3.5 °C today. The species tolerates this temperature (1 to 20 °C), but the water is colder than the ideal 6 to 16 °C. Fish tend to be slower and pickier.
- tolerates 1 to 20 °C
- best 6 to 16 °C
- spawning at 4 to 9 °C
- typical water today 3.5 °C
- Length
- up to 60 cm
- Weight
- up to 6.7 kg
- Oxygen
- Requires a lot of oxygen
- Position in the food chain
- 3.3omnivore and small animals
The values are indicative and come from the FishBase database. In a particular water, fish behave according to the weather, air pressure, oxygen and food.
Where it was recorded
Fishing districts around which a record of this species exists (GBIF).
2 fishing districts in total. Show on map
Catches of Grayling
Approved catches by anglers on this portal.
Nobody has logged a catch of this species yet. Be the first; once approved it will appear here and on the leaderboard.
Similar species
Photo credits
- Grayling: Photo: Gilles San Martin, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Brown trout: Photo: USFWS Mountain Prairie, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Common nase: Photo: André Karwath aka Aka, CC BY-SA 2.5, Wikimedia Commons
Minimum sizes, protection periods and permitted fishing methods are set by the fishing regulations and the conditions of the specific fishing district. Check them before you fish.