Warwickshire Avon - UFO's and Ultramicroscopes

A rather nice Sunday it was in Stratford-upon-Avon, I must admit, with anglers seemingly emerging from every bush, hedge and suspiciously convenient patch of riverbank. The Rec was absolutely rammed with fishermen, and, even better, quite a few youngsters were amongst them always good to see the next generation getting their waders muddy.The water, unfortunately, was so clear you could probably have counted the scales on a gudgeon from the bridge, which isn't exactly ideal when you're trying to convince a barbel that your bait is something it absolutely must eat immediately.Walking past Lucy’s Mill weir, we spotted a couple of young anglers, complete with tripods and the sort of enthusiasm normally reserved for discovering buried treasure, who had managed to tempt a barbel of around four pounds. They were absolutely chuffed to bits and rightly so. A proper little river prize, and a rather handsome fish to boot.There’s something very encouraging about seeing youngsters catching good…