The European Grayling Challenge.

The grayling challenge is the second challenge that we have launched. For a long time, I loved the look of grayling and when I caught my first grayling in 2024, I decided that I wanted to look deeper into this genus. And while searching how this species was represented in Europe, I found that the genus has 3 different species within Europe and the European grayling has 6 lineages.
That is when I thought it would be fun to create a challenge for the grayling lovers.

Why should you do the challenge.

Off course it is fun to challenge yourself but next to that you are also learning about different lineages of the European grayling and about the Loire and Adriatic grayling.
And as a bonus, part of the registration fee will contribute to conservation and restoration projects of native species. And when you complete the challenge, you’ll get a certificate with drawings of the 3 species with the dates and locations you caught the fish as a nice reminder.

The challenges.

For this challenge there are 3 levels you can apply for:

European Grayling Enthusiast.

• The entry fee for this challenge is €15 of which €10 will be used for one of the projects we support.
• For this level you have to catch 3 out of the 7 (species/lineages) that are found in the European region we accept for this challenge.
• When the challenge is complete you will receive a magnet button with the logo and a certificate of completion.

European Grayling Lover.

• The entry fee for this challenge is €25 of which €17.5 will be used for one of the projects we support. (If you have already done the Enthusiast level the entry fee is 15 of which 10 will be used for one of the projects we support.)
• For this level you have to catch 5 out of the 7 (species/lineages) that are found in the European region we accept for this challenge.
• When the challenge is complete you will receive two magnet buttons with the logos of the complete levels and a certificate of completion. (when you already completed the enthusiast level you only receive the magnet button for the intermediate level)

European Grayling Master.

• The entry fee for this challenge is €35 of which €25 will be used for one of the projects we support. If you have already done one challenge level separately the entry fee is €25 of which €17.5 will be used for one of the projects we support. And if both other challenge levels are already done separately entry fee is €15 of which €10 will be used for one of the projects we support.
• For this level you have to catch 7 out of the 7 (species/lineages) that are found in the European region we accept for this challenge.
• when the challenge is complete you will receive three magnet buttons with the logos and a certificate of completion. (or the remaining buttons you did not already receive from previous challenges)

How to enter and complete the challenge.

Everyone who wants to participate in this challenge can enter by filling in the form at the bottom of this page. After receiving the application we will send a conformation email with instructions on how to pay the entry fee. Your application will be valid after payment is confirmed.  

How to complete the challenge.

To complete the challenge u will need to send an email with a word document for each species. This document should contain the following information:

• A sharp picture of the fish (this picture should be taken with the fish above water and with the fish it’s health in mind.)
• The date on which the fish was caught.
• The river where the fish was caught.

Optional information:

• Fishing rod (spinning rod, fly rod, else).
• Type of fishing (streamer, nymphing, dry fly, spinner, jerk bait, else).
• Bait type/name.
• Fish weight.
• Fish length.

Species.

In Europe there are three species of grayling and within the European grayling there are 6 separate lineages. One of these lineages is found in Russia so this one will be excluded from this challenge but I’ll list the lineage just for completeness. Thymallus Aeliani and Thymallus Ligericus are evolutionary descendants of Thymallus Thymallus. This makes that Thymallus Thymallus once was the only grayling species in Europe.  

The Adriatic grayling (Thymallus Aeliani).

This species is known as the Adriatic grayling. Even though it is not jet officially recognised as a separate species the research suggest it should be. This species was found in the north Adriatic basin from the Po River basin on the west until the Soca River basin on the east. Sadly, the species is under pressure and only in parts of the Po and Adige River basins this species is found as a genetically pure species. Even though not all fish will be pure the grayling from these two River basins will be accepted as Adriatic grayling for this challenge.

The Loire grayling (Thymallus Ligericus).

The Loire grayling was recognised as a separate species in 2019 and it is found in the upper Loire River basin in central France. This species has different body proportion than the European grayling and most of the time it has more black dots than its relative the European grayling.

The European grayling (Thymallus Thymallus).

The European grayling is the most wide spread of the three species and it evolved with 6 distinct lineages.

1. Mixed central Europe. Which is found in basins draining into the Atlantic (from Somme in France to Denmark and in the UK) and Baltic Sea (Denmark, Germany and Poland). One exception to this is de Rhone in France which drains into the Mediterranean Sea but also contains this lineage.
2. Scandinavian. Which is found in Finland, Norway and Sweden. In River basins draining into the Atlantic, Baltic and Barents Sea.
3. Northern alps (Danube). The grayling upstream of Budapest belong to the northern alps lineage.
4. Southern alps (Danube). This lineage is found in the Drava (drainage waters of the southern alps).
5. Western Balkan (Danube). Western branches of the Danube like the Sava, Drina and great Morava have grayling from the western Balkan lineage.
6. North eastern Europe (Caspian). The grayling of this lineage are found in the Volga and Ural river basins in Russia therefor we wont include this lineage in the challenge.  

rules

1. We ask participants to register before they start the challenge. We want you to read the information and rules. And have fun while learning and pursuing unique species in beautiful landscapes. And help conserve and restore populations.
2. Know the rules and regulations that apply to the rivers you intend to fish.
3. No fish caught prior to 1-11-2024 can be counted to this challenge.
4. Fish registered for this challenge must be caught in their native watershed.
5. Fish caught for this challenge must be caught barbless and trough catch and release principles.
6. There is no time limit to complete the challenge.
7. All photo’s submitted for this challenge may be used for content by the European Native Trout challenge.