During spawning the colors darken and the male becomes more brilliant than the female. The Arctic grayling occurs in northern B.C. from the Peace and Stikine rivers north and in the south in the flathead river. The general habitat is the clear waters of large, cold rivers, rocky creeks and lakes. No actual nest is prepared and the female lays 4000-7000 eggs. The maximum age is 11-12 years.
Food consists of a very broad range of invertebrates.
This fish has been taken by Eskimos and Indians as food for their dogs and, less often, for themselves. They are an attractive sport fish due to their tendency to leap when hooked. Fly fishermen fly into northern Canada to catch this beautiful fish.