Catching Big Chub on Boilies

[FishingMagic]

This is a dedicated thread for discussing article: Catching Big Chub on Boilies

[Cliff Hatton 2]

Very, very well done, Peter - an absolute stonker! I admire, too (no matter how irrationally) your decision to 'cut and run'...I know the feeling: you don't want to break the spell, do you? You're reluctant to fish on for fear of diluting the significance of your catch-of-a-lifetime! You get a lot of chub for 6lb - if you know what I mean - and I bet the bulk of that fish had you gasping in disbelief!

[Matthew White]

Great article Peter. What type of rod do you use when fishing this rig?

[geoffmaynard]

Do you think hook size plays an important part when fishing these baits?

[bigchub]

Matthew -
For this rig I use my Free Spirit Specialist Stepped Up, 12ft, 1.75lbtc, old style chestnut blank. You would think that a rod with a tc of this nature would be quite stiff but not so. It has really quite a sensitive tip but with plenty of power of reserve to bully a big chub and or barbel if it comes along. I also have a quiver top section for my other Free Spirit Specialist but with this style of fishing its really not needed.

For my lighter chubbing work with link ledgers and the like I have a custom built Tony Fordham, 12ft, 1.25tc rod with a built in 1 1/2 ounce quiver. It really is a delightful little rod. I was glad I got rid of my old Shimano Technium Specialist and replaced it with this.

Geoff -
I think hook size does play an important size but a 15mm boilie with a Drennan Continental seems to sit right. I will be conducting experiments at the start of next season and throughout the summer especially with midi or mini boilies of 8mm-12mm with a size 10 hook.

[Lord Paul of Sheffield]

Nice write up Peter

The hair rig bait approach is, as you say, not the norm and maybe that's worked for you.

[Jeff Woodhouse]

I'd like to give Peter a big vote of thanks. That's a very informative article and the pictures and rig illustration are good too.

Whether you agree or disagree with Peter and his methods is irrelavent to a great degree, it's what he uses and what he has confidence in that matters.

If I'm fishing for chub specifically, I'll avoid a boily prefering to use pastes wrapped around the hook with only a hint of teh point sticking out. Saying that, my biggest chub came on ........... a boily!

My next biggest chub came on 2 casters on an 18s hook to 1½lb hooklink. I had no idea until the fish was in the net that it was so big! It does knock the wind out of you!

[bigchub]

Thank you very much for you comments Jeff. I'd like to say a big thank you to all those who have posted comments so far and to being so receptive to my methods especially as this is my first ever article.

[Neil Maidment]

Excellent read Peter, thank you.

The impact a big chub can have is quite extraordinary, they really do look the part!

A couple of years ago I returned to my "home" river on the Dorset Stour (Throop) and finally managed to get a 6-02 and then equalled my long time pb at 6-06 (a positively huge fish for the 1980's), both on the float. I've since improved that pb to 7-02, which was a bit special, even though it came on the feeder , but that first one stands out as the one.

[john conway (CSG - ACA)]

Congratulations Peter on your Chub and your article. I’m not surprised that boilies are picking up big Chub some Chub Study Group members are doing very nicely with boilies and their popularity has certainly increased over the last three or four years. Most of the CSG lads targeting chub with boilies tend to fish them on a very short hair. The rig will depend on the river and water condition. On the Ribble my boilie set up is very similar to yours Peter but with a much short hair.