Operation Brazzers Breach - Angels and Divas

It certainly doesn't feel like almost 2 years the day I caught a 1lb 7oz Warwickshire Grayling but there you go, it's there in black and white if you look at that blog post. So I was back before the season end because I fancied trying for another one. 

This is my 6th trip (I think 🤔) and with the trotting gear still in the car from yesterday's session and maggots up for a dunking the session almost dictated itself, especially when I could kill two birds with one stone and drop in to see my mum to drop off a card and some flowers. 

Now In the rapidly flowing upper reaches of many rivers, grayling will often be found living happily alongside the dace. Grayling are extremely sensitive to pollution and are a good indicator of clean, well- oxygenated water. 

Despite having an adipose fin between dorsal and tail, which shows that it is a member of the salmon family, it is considered to be a coarse species by fishery bodies due to the fact that it spawns in the spring and not the winter.

Grayling are fish of contrasts' biting boldly and fighting extremely hard for their size, yet very delicate when brought to hand for unhooking. 

They have an unnerving habit of writhing while being unhooked, which immediately and instinctively results in their being gripped even tighter to prevent escape often leading to disastrous consequences. 

It is far better to try and unhook them in the water. The fighting ability of the grayling is undoubtedly enhanced by its very large reddish brown dorsal fin bigger and almost sail-like in the male which is raised in the flow to produce a large area of resistance.

The silver-sided grayling is a shoal fish and averages around 12oz to 1lb, with fish over 2lbs being very special fish indeed. The chalkstreams of southern England are renowned for producing fish of this size, but not exclusively as very big grayling have also been recorded from both Welsh and Scottish rivers in recent years.

Oh and how can we forgot the county of Warwickshire, yes they can be found there too and only a short car ride away for me which is nice, just don't tell anyone. 

Now Grayling, like dace, feed both on invertebrates on the riverbed and flies at the surface. 

One of the grayling's most endearing characteristics is its willingness to feed even on the coldest and brightest of days even after a sharp overnight frost. They will take small worms, brandlings and maggots avidly. Fish them on hooks between sizes 12 and 18 (for single maggot). 

There can be fewer more pleasant ways to spend a crisp winter's day than to run a float down shallow runs and glides in search of grayling. Loose feeding is often not necessary but will increase the number of fish that can be taken from a shoal before they become wary. 

The only conditions that really seem to put grayling off feeding are high and coloured water. At such times they can be very hard to catch, making it much more profitable to go in search of dace and roach instead. I remember fishing a turbid river Itchen once where a solitary grayling succumbed to the maggot feeder so they can still be caught in the toughest of conditions. 

Anyway the river was lower than I'd have liked but I cannot magic up extra water now can I, but the colour was nice for a bite so I was hoping some fish would show.

What I didn't expect that within 10 minutes I had already lost a Grayling because after a sure bite I struck in to some resistance where the fish came to the surface and wollowed about a bit in plain sight, before managing to bump off the hook Arrrrrrrrrrrhhhhhhhhhhh !!!!!!! Not uncommon with Grayling admittedly but when you are fishing for a small group of fish and the odd bite rather annoying I must admit.  

I manage a small chublet not long after but then a good hour or so without a bite I decided to go and try another swim. Now you can tell it's not fished much down here if at all, because I stumbled upon a phone holder and bankstick that I must have left here 15mths ago. 👀

That swim didn't produce a bite for a good half an hour so I decided to go back to the main swim where after feeding more maggots I managed another 3 chublets. The grayling after the initial lost fish just didn't show at all in this near 3 hour session.

Sadly the curfew came round far quicker than I'd have liked but at least I didn't blank and the new trotting set-up works wonders. The Korum glide line combined with the shallow spool the line comes off brilliantly and it worked that well I'm tempted to buy another Drennan float fishing reel to put on my main 15ft trotting rod for barbel and chub. Anyway on to the next one before the drawbridge comes down.