I first heard of this crazy fish in Colorado maybe five years ago with a giant, flamboyant dorsal fin like a beta fish called the Arctic Grayling. Due to their need for clear, cold water, graylings are only stocked in a handful of bodies of water across Colorado. When I found out they were in Peal Lake near Steamboat while on a shoot for CPW, I knew I had to come back for them. I kept it in the back of my mind for a few years before moving it to the top of the priority list in 2023.
With adventure in the air, I reached out to the Colorado Kayak Fishing Club for a kindred spirit on this piscine pursuit. Justin Collins, a father, social worker, and emerging master of the kayak angling domain reached out with enthusiasm. The stage was set for an introduction to the illusive Grayling.
Justin Collins is only a few years into kayak fishing but proves to be no novice. With two master angler catches and the 2023 Colorado Kayak Fishing Club’s Angler of the Year title under his belt, he was the ideal ally for this pursuit.
It was fall, and when I say fall, I mean right smack dab in the middle of peak leaf-peeping season in the area. From the time that I jumped off I-70 in Silverthorne, it brightened up and painted a canvas of that amazing yellow glow that all Coloradans and tourists from far and wide seek to find. It wasn’t just the aspens in full fall color, but the Cottonwoods and birch were holding strong in bright yellow. I even saw a full hillside of red unknown brush at one point. It demanded several stops to grab a couple of shots during the two-and-a-half-hour drive from Silverthorne to Pearl Lake.
I made a stopped in beautiful Steamboat Springs to grab what might be the best pizza in all of Colorado from Beau Jo’s (try the Cajun). Leftover pizza is one of my go-to snacks for camp or on the water. Then I headed over to Steamboat Flyfisher to grab a few flies and a quick stop at F.M. Light & Sons to check out the boot selection before meeting up with Justin at the campsite.
Pearl Lake is a hidden gem (pearl) of a lake. Located 28 miles north of Steamboat Springs and five miles east of Steamboat Lake State Park. This 167-acre, 75-foot-deep body of quiet, wakeless, Gold Medal water is adorned with Cutthroat, rainbows, brook, and brown trout. Pearl is perfect for any kayak angler to get his or her fix of tranquility amid nature’s splendors. You’ll want to book your campsite or yurt early because the 38 campsites and four yurts book up quickly during peak season.
Our camp was perched on a hill overlooking a spectacular view of the lake surrounded by rolling hills patched with the glowing yellow of fall. After a brief introduction, we launched into the still waters in search of the elusive Grayling. We quickly got into a few small stocker trout while trolling up and down the east side of the lake when all of sudden Justin had something hit his Tasmanian Devil while dangling it just in the water. Slam! It was a grayling. Not only was it a grayling, but it was nearly fifteen and a half inches long, making it half an inch above the mark for Colorado Master Angler qualifications. This was going to be easy. So, we thought…
The Arctic Grayling is in the salmonid family which means they are relatives of the salmon, trout, and even whitefish. They can be recognized by their distinct, large, and colorful, sail-like dorsal fin. This beautiful species calls North America, Europe, northern Asia, Siberia, and North Korea home. Throughout mainland Alaska, you can find them in freshwaters that have the right amount of dissolved oxygen and a water temperature between 50- and 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Here in Colorado, they are small. A large one reaching 16 inches and the Colorado State record being 17 and ¼ inches. That’s pint-sized in comparison to the nearly 6-pound recorded through the IGFA and with tales of 40” grayling being caught up in the deep mountain lakes of the Altai Mountains of Mongolia.
Continuing to troll the lake, the rest of the evening provided us with a few more stocker trout but not another grayling for the day so, we packed up and headed back to camp to strategize for the next morning.
We hit the peaceful water early, starting on the south end where Justin picked up a beastly, beautiful trout. From there we cruised the east side of the lake again and over to the dam, then around to the boat ramp nearly covering the entire lake without another grayling being pulled out of the water.
Around noon, the wind picked up and stirred the lake’s surface into frothiness. We conceded and headed back to camp to pack up. Even though the Grayling proved elusive in quantity, examining one up close marked our adventure as a victory -an embrace with nature on one of Colorado’s hidden gems, chasing legends that swim beneath the surface.
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