Grayling

The grayling is an elegant salmonid and the namesake leading species of the grayling zone – clear, cool, oxygen-rich flowing waters with a gravel bed, exactly the character of a mid-mountain river like the Franconian Saale. It likes to hold freely in midstream, using the drift as a feeding lane and living mainly on insect larvae and food falling onto the surface. In spring it spawns over shallow gravel banks. As Bavaria's Fish of the Year 2026 it symbolises clean water and intact river landscapes.

How to identify it

Unmistakable is the large, flag-like dorsal fin (the grayling sail) bearing several dark longitudinal stripes; added to this are the adipose fin typical of salmonids and a small, slightly subterminal mouth. When freshly caught, the flesh smells faintly of thyme.

Look-alikes

Practically unmistakable – no other native fish of these waters has the tall striped sail. From the trout it is further distinguished by the small, slightly subterminal mouth (trout: large, terminal mouth); from whitefish a glance at the dorsal fin suffices, as theirs is small and triangular.