Fishing for chub in lakes

[Piers Hugh Smith]

Hi

Does anyone have some good advice on hoe to fish for chub in lakes. Normally I trot some bread in rivers but I can't do that. Also I have run out of groundbait so can't fish a feeder. I am fishing later today.

Thanks

P.s it is sunny

 

[Face]

Hi Piers.

My advice would be to keep things nice and simple. Try fishing a waggler with maggot hook bait. loose feeding maggots should soon attract the attention of the greedy chub. Depending on what time you're fishing you might find that the chub start coming up for the bait but I'd start by fishing on the bottom and see how it goes.

 

[Tee-Cee]

I dont know how deep or far out you are fishing but I have lake fished for chub and found tethered crust to work very well but this in shallow water over gravel bars and where the bottom rises near the edge.(2 to 4' of water)

I used this method because the chub were some way out but I could see them in the sunshine(early morning/late eveningin summer when its quiet)and it was a very exciting way of fishing!Floats tend to be difficult to control at distance but thats not to say they dont work in deeper water.

Not wanting to teach grandmother to suck eggs but I will just say that tethered crust(as I use it)is an Arlesley Bomb stopped 6" from a size 4/6 hook with a ledger stop and the crust at least 11/2" square.Cast out,let the line go loose to allow the crust to float to the surface(if the crust is too small it will not come to the top)and then gently tighten till the bread just moves.

If I can I will fire out a few cubes of crust but this only if ducks are not about.The takes,if you cannot see the chub can be a quick slurp or better still a real smash take so dont leave the rod.

 

[Piers Hugh Smith]

Thank-you

I had a great days fishing and used both methods. I ended up getting 2 brilliant chub.

 

[Nobby C (ACA)]

Peter Stone wrote about it in gravel pit angling. If memory serves me correctly he ended up using whole sardines with a dacron trace threaded through the body via the mouth and a #6 hook tucked into the scissors,possibly at night in the margins. This was from an article in one of the mags, 1980's era.

 

[Tee-Cee]

Great stuff Piers!

Regards floating crust;I have also had some good chub on floating crust in shallow rivers in summer ,best in slowish moving water with some eddies etc.4/6lb greased line and biggish lumps of crust,lightly wetted for underarm casting.Nice simple method for running down under trees etc.

I first read about it in a John Bailey book and on its day,again when you can see the fish it can be great fishing......

Cheers

ps dead right Nobby!!

 

[Face]

Hi Piers,

Glad to hear you had good days fishing, that's what it's all about.

 

[MikeW]

The Ultimate stillwater chub method, provided they haven't gone predatory, is spraying maggots with the waggler as has been mentioned;

Asa general rule, try and fish with the wind behind you and fish out as far as you can fire the maggots, but always cast past the free offerings and draw the float back in to the feed.

Feed little and often, roughly every 20-30 seconds, this will change depending on the conditions on the day, but it's a good starting point. If you have the patience try feeding for 30-60 minutes before you cast in...

Start with the float set at mid-depth, if no bites or line bites are forthcoming within about 20-30 minutes then deepen off until you start getting bites of some sort.

When they're really 'having it' you can get the chub swirling right on the surface with this method.

Fish 2lb-2.6lb hook lengths to a size 22 or 20 hook and single maggot, using a waggler heavy enough to cast past your feed and don't put any shot below the float, use a micro swivel to connect your hooklength to the main line, that's all that's needed. Try and use a hooklength roughly half the depth you are fishing too.

There are a multitude of other little tricks and tips with this method, but these are the basics and should get you catching fish, this method has brought me hundreds of stillwater chub over the years to almost 8lb's, so enjoy and good luck, it can be hard work, but very rewarding.

Oh one more tip, buy plenty of catapult spares, you'll know you're doing it right when you keep having to replace snapped elastic or torn cups...../forum/smilies/wink_smiley.gif

 

[slime monster]

Doh, beat me to it mike i will just add you may need a lot of baitspraying half a gallon at least .

 

[Tee-Cee]

MikeW................Looks a very interesting method-I shall definitely give it a go-looks a nice neat set-up!!

ps An 8lb chub on a size 20/22 sounds interesting-not too many people had an 8lb'er on any size of hook,let alone one that small!!

Great stuff!