Gary's brace of chub at 5.14 and 5.10 (click for bigger picture)
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For the last couple of months the Ribble has been up and down like a yo-yo (that isn't how he really described it, but it meant the same thing - Graham) making effective chub fishing impossible at times. When chubbing I don't like the heavy lead and bolt rig approach so when fishing spate rivers like the Ribble I'm pretty well at the mercy of the elements as to when I can fish.
That's the down side. On a more positive note it does mean that if you catch it right the chub can be really up for it and last week I was fortunate enough to get on the river in near perfect conditions and enjoy a real red letter day.
We arrived around 2.00pm and as soon as I clapped eyes on the water I just knew I'd caught it right and a good catch was on the cards. The river had been high for several days previously and had dropped steadily for the last couple. It was warm and overcast but more importantly had been for some time. Like most rivers the important thing is consistent weather, the chub will settle and feed in most conditions but when the river and the temperature are both rising and falling nothing that swims seems happy. The river was no more than a foot above normal winter levels, contained a hint of colour and the stick in the margins showed that levels were still creeping lower.
I chose a spot that had a good track record for chub as these would be my target and set about my task full of confidence. I fed mashed bread with a liberal helping of micro trout pellets and hemp and made a mental note to keep casting regularly whether bites were forthcoming or not, as I really did expect the fish to switch on at some stage.
It took a couple of hours before I had the first bite and I struck into what was obviously a big fish, in fact it fought so well I shouted to my mate that I hoped it wasn't a barbel as, if it was a chub, it was a big one. With the fish no more than a couple of rod lengths out a heavy swirl revealed the large scale pattern of a hefty chub, as it turned I got a good look and saw it was particularly broad across the shoulders and in the same instant the hook pulled. I was devastated, it really had been a good chub, possibly over 6lb, but it's something we have all experienced in the past and will do again. I was still trying to work out if I had been at fault when the tip pulled around and I was in again.
From this point it was all action and by alternating between cheese paste, bread flake and trout pellet paste I took 14 chub with 12 of these being over 4lb in weight, with the best brace weighing in at 5.10 and 5.14 (pictured). Not quite a six but a lovely brace nonetheless. Although I must admit to thinking back about the lost fish and wondering what might have been.
I'm sure I could have caught more as they were still feeding when I left but to be honest I felt I'd had enough and was more than happy with my return.
Strangely the fish on the left of the picture is the larger of the two, which just goes to show how pictures of fish can be deceptive.
Ron 'The Hat' Clay
