After-dark fly-fishing for chub?

[Alan Tyler]

I have a couple of gnarled and ancient fly-rods to do up - we'll make a fine threesome - and was wondering about trying them out on chub; has anyone any experience of this, especially at night, that they could share, to save me trying to re-invent the wheel?

 

[seth49]

Have had a few chub at night whilst sea trout fishing. They seem to go for big dark flies.
Long slow deep pools seem to be best. Not had a lot though.

 

[greenie62]

Sorry Al,
Can't really help with the rods - other than to suggest you use the tip-sections for next year's Tom's [NB: correctly used Greengrocers' apostrophe] - and binding together the butt-sections to make a walking stick!

Chub fly-fishing - I've done a bit on the Severn, Dee & Ribble - and reckon they fight with about the power of a trout of half the size - i.e. a 4lb Chub goes like a 2lb Brownie - I reckon the 'softness' of the rod takes a lot of the fight out of them.

Fly patterns - Big bushy Wickhams 10-12 works for me later in the summer - possibly as a sedge imitation - Dark sedges work well in the evenings when you've still got a bit of light sky reflecting off the water, Daddies work well in the late summer/autumn.

I give up and go home/pub when I can't see the dry fly any more - never tried wet-fly for 'em - so can't really give you any other tips on night fishing for them - other than use a 'ghillie' - not so much for H&S but to help you find your way home after - I remember your sense of direction! mg:

 

[floatfish]

Fly fishing for Chub,as said anything darkish for the fly.If you have a shallow flow with bushes or small trees to the side, try and risk getting the fly into the gaps among the roots. Maybe only be there for a few seconds. But that is all old rubber lips need to suck the fly in.
If you connect, it's hit hold and heave, if it gets to dive,chances are you are loosing the fly and a bit of line. Chub know their way round the tree roots pretty well, they live there. Therefore don't worry about being a bit under gunned on your leader.
Fishing in the dark or poor light you need to be taking the usual precautions
of not loosing your foot hold or grip. !

 

[Alan Tyler]

Slow deep pools?
Bother, I was hoping they use the cover of darkness to get onto the shallows and after the minnows and shrimps. I've certainly seen some in shallows they'd avoid completely in daylight...
But soft, what penny in yon bottle drops? This was in the pit of winter. Perhaps that's their strategy - keep off the shallows until the days are really short, then all the buglets will be fat and slow just when you really need themneed them.
OK, to refine the question,who's done any shallow-water, winter, night-time chubbing? Did it work???
Thanks, Chaps, I'm feeling almost motivated already, and with this blarstid cough I've got, that seems to have all the "attitude" of the Great Plague, that's quite an elevation of mood!

 

[rubio]

Sorry Al,
Can't really help with the rods - other than to suggest you use the tip-sections for next year's Tom's [NB: correctly used Greengrocers' apostrophe] - and binding together the butt-sections to make a walking stick!

Chub fly-fishing - I've done a bit on the Severn, Dee & Ribble - and reckon they fight with about the power of a trout of half the size - i.e. a 4lb Chub goes like a 2lb Brownie - I reckon the 'softness' of the rod takes a lot of the fight out of them.

Fly patterns - Big bushy Wickhams 10-12 works for me later in the summer - possibly as a sedge imitation - Dark sedges work well in the evenings when you've still got a bit of light sky reflecting off the water, Daddies work well in the late summer/autumn.

I give up and go home/pub when I can't see the dry fly any more - never tried wet-fly for 'em - so can't really give you any other tips on night fishing for them - other than use a 'ghillie' - not so much for H&S but to help you find your way home after - I remember your sense of direction! mg:

Would that be the apostrophe of your own personal greengrocer, or that of the complete set of greengrocers?

 

[Peter Jacobs]

Can't really help with the rods - other than to suggest you use the tip-sections for next year's Tom's [NB: correctly used Greengrocers' apostrophe] - and binding together the butt-sections to make a walking stick!

. . . . Keeper . . . set the dogs on that man . . . . he's a bounder!

 

[keora]

I have a couple of gnarled and ancient fly-rods to do up - we'll make a fine threesome - and was wondering about trying them out on chub; has anyone any experience of this, especially at night, that they could share, to save me trying to re-invent the wheel?

I think you might catch a chub at night when you're fly fishing. I'd use a big dry fly, or perhaps even a streamer. But I'm not sure if it's worth the effort, as it's just as enjoyable to chub fish with baits during the daytime.

 

[Alan Tyler]

I have a hidden agenda... this is a suburban common that I have in mind, and not only do I suspect that the chub feed on the shallows after dark, but I know that very few human pests schlep all the way to it then - and if they do, it isn't for the purpose of scaring fish...

Plus, this time of year, most of the time is night!

 

[trotter2]

A big bushy fly with a parmered hackle caught some big chub on claret bumbles in pitch darkness when the sea trout are not playing ball. Also have a look at bustards night fishing flies fished on the swing north country style