Hair rigged bread

[jasonbean1]

In the winter most my match fishing is done on the Thames or Cherwell. I try to avoid using the tip as much as I can because I hate to miss bites. I tend to use the pole as much as I can as the bite to fish ratio is very high. The majority of the time I fish for big fish mainly chub with the main bait being maggot or worm, again to avoid missing bites like I tend to when fishing bread flake.

With the weather like it is and the upper thames bit I'm fishing on being predominantly chub I'm going to be fishing bread a lot more.

What I'm asking is.......

The best way to fish flake for big chub without missing bites, I've never hair rigged it before and I reckon that's the way I'll have to go. I suppose it would be large fattened discs of bread?

Any advice would be greatly received as when I normally fish flake on the tip the frustration of missing bites makes me not fish it.

 

[Philip]

I am not sure hair rigging it is the way to go if your intending to strike rather than fish a self hooking rig.

Chub will often hold a bait on the edge of their lips so if your hair rigging it the hook may not even enter the mouth before you strike.

As Chub have very good eyesight I actually go the other way and try and hide the hook as much as possible in the bait (whilst trying to keep the point exposed).

One thing I have done in the past when missing allot of bites form chub is to change position to fish upstream . I remember fishing the Royalty many years ago and getting these whopping great bites from Chub yanking the rod round and slashing away at them but never hitting them. Changing position to fish upstream however and striking when the tip sprang back and the line went slack you literally hit every one...its a situation that has been repeated many times since.

Anyway, its something to try...

 

[rayner]

I wouldn't be fishing discs of bread on a river for chub, bread flake would be my choice.
I used to fish the upper Welland rolling a small bullet through the swim with a big piece of flake.
If you are against ledgering make sure your float fished bread sinks before you cast.

 

[no-one in particular]

Hair rigging flake could work, I have never tried it myself but have fished flake in many different ways to find what works so hair rigging might be one.
here's one to try maybe. Cut or tear a length of bread about 1inch wide too 2 or 3 inches long, you can vary this but the things is to place the hook near one end and lay the line down one side and then roll it up around the line and hook so the hook is just inside the end. Like a roll mop. Squeeze the end of the bread from the hook round the line end hard so it all stays in place. You end up with a hard bit around the line but the hook and an inch or two of line in the soft bit. You will need to anchor this down with a shot it not legering as it will float. As the chub sucks it in he will suck the soft bit in putting the hook well inside his mouth. If he just takes it in his lips the hook should still be in his mouth. As you strike the hook should set as its only in the soft part of the bread.
Sometimes works for me with bigger fish.
A bit of crust works better than flake sometimes, cut or tear a piece half an inch say and push the hook in from the soft side and through the hard side, then turn it a little and pull it back into the hard side of the crust to the bend of the hook. I squeeze the crust hard to get most of the air out of it first before putting the hook in; I like a good bit of the white crumb still attached to the crust hence the squeezing but it all goes soft in the water.. This will still need anchoring as well as it will still be semi buoyant but the crust goes soft in the water and the hook easily pulls away when the fish take it, it swells up and the hook is hidden and I sometimes find better stronger bites with this than flake and it hooks more fish.
For both methods I use 1, 2 or 3 bb's depending on the size of bread to anchor it and sometimes vary the length from the hook but 2 inches is about right or a link leger if not float fishing..
I find both these methods hook fish more frequently than the traditional squeezing flake around the bend of the hook on quite a few occasions.

 

[peter crabtree]

In my experience on the Thames the chub are more often than not lurking across on the far bank margin under overhanging trees or bushes. That's a long chuck with a float and a lump of flake...If you're fortunate enough to draw with a feature downstream on your bank and you can trot downstream to it you may catch one first chuck but usually that's it, any others that may have been lurking will probably be spooked.. In a match I wouldn't go all out for chub it's too much of a gamble. Saying that though a 5lb chub would probably put you in the frame in present conditions.

 

[laguna]

I often hair rig a flake but I don't use hairs for chub. You might catch a barbel or two with a hair but chub tend to mouth the bait and will likely nick it without getting hooked.
Its possible to vary the hair length with these just use a long hair for barbel or very short for chub - they can be adjusted short enough to be tight up against the shank if you want without breaking the rig down. They are often used 'opened' for paste and bread flake anchors too which is what most people use them for.
Good luck.