Operation Brazzers Breach - Calico Queens

Back in March 2022 after a few trips to the Warwickshire Grayling spot I was put on to came up trumps with a 1lb 7oz Grayling , I have always wondered since catching it if there if there were any bigger fish to be caught. 

There is no reason why there shouldn't be either because with my limited banktime here I've already managed quite a nice fish. 

Whilst enjoying a post match celebratory drink with the Wife and kids I checked the gauge and it looked at an idea level to give it another go sometime.

To be fair I was going to go when the conditions were a little more settled but with more rain on the way and the fact I had restless sleep I decided to bugger it, I'll have another go for them in the morning.

So at midnight I was in the garage sorting out the gear so I could head off quick sharpish in the morning. 

I had some maggots in the fridge that I had forgotten about and despite being a few weeks old still fine in their cold coma where the fridge is around 3 degrees if I recall. 

Now this stretch is only 20 minutes from me and what I didn't expect that it went from a rather damp and dull day in Stratford-Upon-Avon to a very misty day and also signs of sleet / snow on the ground too.

It wasn't that cold overnight with the temperatures hovering above freezing however it was a rather nice wintery scene when I headed over the fields to the Grayling area. There isn't that many fishable swims here however the swim where I caught the decent Grayling from still looked the perfect vantage point to do some long trotting.

The water was quite a nice colour and only around a foot and a half deep. It's very shallow indeed and to honest probably deserves fishing with waders on but fish from the bank will have to do.

I fed some maggots every minute or so to get the swim kicked off whilst enjoying a nice strong mug of tea and got in to the trotting. It was clear from the start the leaves coming down were going to be a problem and probably why I might well come back in a couple a months to fish it when it should be in much better trotting fettle.  

The first Grayling didn't take long though after maybe twenty minutes or so in to the session. It buried the float at the end of the run and I instantly knew it was a Grayling with the first few seconds of the fight. 

For the size they don't half pull back, like a dace on steroids but sadly not the size I was after, in-fact the one I caught was probably three times the size of this fish. I stuck at it though hoping for a bigger fish that I'm sure are here to be caught.  

I probably only fish an hour and a half because the leaves that were coming down were becoming very frustrating I must admit. Not only was I getting snagged up when retrieving the float but also on the cast too where the Righyni float wouldn't cock correctly.  

I wanted another fish though and eventually I hooked in to another one, this one slightly bigger than the first but again still nowhere near the size I wanted. I swapped rods to a standard stick float and that didn't fair any better either. 

The rain then started and it wasn't exactly pleasant conditions to trot in so I decided to head off early with a couple of fish caught and revisit the stretch when the river is in better condition. I'd like a bit more pace to it for starters so I've noted down the river levels so when there is another 100mm on or so I'll give it another go.

I'm still amazed that these Grayling have done so well considering they were stocked as an experiment quite a few years ago now and it's encouraging to see the smaller fish even though it was the older and wiser fish I was after. Anyway on to the next one !!!