Hi, What is the meaning of the word "grilse"? ?

Question

The exact sentence is "Salmon anglers are also well catered for, with the nearby Crolly River having prolific runs of grilse..."

Thanks

Answer 1

grilse  (grls)

n. pl. grilse

A young Atlantic salmon on its first return from the sea to fresh or brackish waters.

Answer 2

Salmon less than 22 inches (56cm) Fork Length (FL).

A young salmon after its first return from the sea.

Answer 3

"Grilse" is the name given to Atlantic salmon returning to their native rivers after no more than one year in saltwater.  In most watersheds, Atlantic salmon will spend more than two years in the salt before returning on their first spawning migration.  Having achieved sexual maturity and being capable of reproduction, grilse are technically adult fish.  

The difference is in their size; grilse are considerably smaller than true Atlantic salmon, because they don't have nearly the amount of time spent feeding in the ocean before their first spawn.  Truly massive Atlantic salmon tend to be those that spend at least four years in the ocean prior to their first spawn.  It makes little difference how much time each spent in their natal rivers before heading to the ocean the first time;  almost all growth is achieved in the salt.

Grilse can be likened to their west coast counterparts, "half-pounder" steelhead.  Their habits are quite similar.

Grilse can provide enjoyable fishing due to the better likelihood of multiple hookups on any given day.  This is the opposite of most days spent in pursuit of Atlantic salmon, where you take in lots of scenery and reel in lots of slack line.  The downside is that grilse can get boring when you really want the possibility of catching something large.  It's somewhat an issue of "quantity versus quality" fishing.