Search for a six

[Bill Maitland]

Dave,
I agree with you again mate, its chubing for me any time of the year.
That might be a bit boring for most but i love it all the same.
Stuart, this is your season for a six son !

 

[Bill Maitland]

Dave, you're so right about chub and their love of the near bank when hooked, its like a magnate to them.

 

[Ashe Hurst]

AM I MAD?

Why feed the Ducks when you can feed the Chub?
I love to watch the Chub, even when out shopping with my wife and kidds they have nuff trouble getting me off the Bridge.

Often take a bit of bread or sarny for them. Even when i pop into mark 11's angling for my bait, I always feed a bit to the Chub before going to the Buss stop.

Sort of religious offering.
people ask "why are you feeding the ducks when there arnt any"?
"Im not, im feeding the Chub"
"Chub? whats a Chub"?
"Its a Fish"
"What fish?, there are no fish in this river".
And so it goes on like that almost every time.

Then the Carp lads.
" carp mate"?
"Not any more mate"
"Was thinking of comming down for the weekend and having the carp out mate ".
"Naa, dont waste your time mate".

They all mine, all the fish are mine, the rivers mine.

R U SURE IM NOT MAD?
The wife seems to thinks so.

Spent today walking the Cray and watching the chub,seen some of the biggest chub that i've ever seen in the cray.
Used to be average 2-3lb, last week and this week some have got to be 4lb + pushing 5 lb.
Its only a small river ,and yes they proberly could get wedged between the banks in places too.

I love the way you can stalk a Chub in clear water, present a bait and watch as the bait is carried in the current or trundles along the bottom, then the Chub moves in slow but steady, takes the bait, pauses then turns away, rod tip up and a nice curve develops along the blank and all hell breaks loose.

In the summer months i tend to use a 6lb main line and 4lb hook length with a size 12, 10, 8 or 6 depending on the bait or size of chub i may be targeting.

Some say this is too heavy, but most of the swims are weedy, full of debri and brickwork .

In winter i go much lighter, 4 lb main and 2.5 lb hook length and 18, 14 or 12 hook.

Baits tend to be Mega Bread flake, Lob worm or chopped worm, sometimes several sections on a hook. Works very quick.
Or i may use double caster or maggot, slug or a bunch of about 8 mixed maggots tied to a loop and pulled tight to form a bunch, then hair riged on feeder, link with a few BB, rolling or lofa crystal, even free line have all worked without fail, even if its just the one fish then im happy.

nuff said.

 

[Stuart Harvey]

Hopefully so Billy Boy, starting this monday. Are you coming?

 

[Dave Slater]

Gary,
How about doing a long running thread on chub. We could start one one topic and then move onto the next after we have exhausted each topic. If you think this is a good idea perhaps you could start ther thread off as you write very well. I hope you shatter your new p.b. next season. I will enjoy reading about it.

 

[Ashe Hurst]

Sorry Chaps, did arf go on a bit.
Get a bit carried away sometimes.

I tend to have a lot to say, but my writing skills are not great and others out there word things better.

i do try.

 

[Gary Knowles]

Dave,

A long running thread on chub eh?

Well I must admit, if there was one fish that could keep a thread going indefinitely it would be the chub. No other fish falls for such a multitiude of baits, methods, approaches, etc. than old chevin.

Sometimes they are the easiest fish in the river to catch, sometimes verging on impossible.

This summer I'll do a little slugging, which I enjoy thoroughly and I intend to do a little light lure fishing which I have not tried before.

Maybe one of us should start a thread on summer lure fishing for chub, that would seem an appropriate subject for this time of year, and then move on from there...

 

[Jon Moores]

There certainly is something magical about chubbing. The thought of winter chubbing can almost make me wish summer away. Particularly the sort of nights Gary described. A cold, still and frosty night with the river low and every touch showing on the quiver, conducting an intimate battle of wits with the fish, despite them being 20-30 yds away the darkness. Often moving the bait or changing baits to get a hittable indication and yet every so often getting one that pulls the rod in. Real contrary creatures and for all their greed I?m sure they are amongst the smartest fish in the river.

That said I had my first serious goes with slugs late last summer and can thoroughly recommend it along with floating crust for a fabulous day on a small river in summer. I?ve not targeted chub on lures, but have had a few on rapalas and also mepps cast upstream, not to mention fly fishing and not just dry flies, lures too, both surface and sunk.

Definitely the fish for all seasons

 

[Dave Slater]

Gary,
Lure fishing is something I am not very experienced in. My mate Dave Ivey is brilliant at it. My summer fishing is often done in the evenings using big baits. If I fish any whole days in the summer I either sight fish using particles or sometimes use a feeder or big baits depending on where I am fishing. If you want to start the thread when you start lure fishing I will join in when it moves on to my styles of fishing. If the thread runs I will probably contribute more as the season progresses. Good luck if you are out on the 16th.

 

[Bill Maitland]

Boys,
a long running thread on chub is a good idea,would be interesting.
Chubing with slugs in the summer months can be great sport, done it for years, very simple and some terrific bites, real rod wrenchers.
Haven't tried any lure fishing though but wouldn't mind.

 

[john conway]

OK lads, here we go re a long running thread on Chub. “Summer Chubing” - How, when and where?
I’d suggest we split this into two threads and later on add a thread “Winter Chubing”. I’ve posted the thread under Coarse fishing and started off by asking the first question

 

[Chris Hammond]

Hi Gary,

Great read mate, Is there any better feeling than cracking a P.b? I reckon that's what makes all the effort worthwhile. I know what you mean about fishing on your own, more often than not that's how I fish. It's a lot more fun with a mate to share the memory with.

I've never come close to a six myself. To be honest I've never really made a concerted effort, the Chubbing is a bit patchy around here, though there's been a few from the Cam over the years. I'm feeling well inspired after reading your article though, it's definitely stoked the old boiler!

It's nice to have something to look forward to in the winter months. I've tended to be a little too single minded towards pike in the last few autumn/winter seasons, I'd desperately like to land a thirty, like you with the 6lb chub, I've been close on a few occasions. The trouble is I enjoy fishing for most species and there sometimes just doesn't seem to be enough days in a season to do it all.

Another of your articles (the one about splitting sessions.) got me thinking about how I might make better use of my time, sometimes in the past I know I've pike fished in conditions that were better suited to chubbing or perch fishing, or sat it out when my heart has told me they've finished feeding for the day.

I reckon a few more evenings watching an isotope are on the cards this coming winter.
Cheers for the inspiration mate, let's have some more of the same!!

Regards Chris

 

[Ashe Hurst]

Was out on the Cray this afternoon, before the storm.
Never seen so many quality Chub.
Kept it nice and simple, Balsa lofa & bulk shot under the float, 4lb bs line and a size 10 hook, finnished of with a nice bit of bread.

cast into the white water from the weir at Hall Place, Trotted for about 20 feet , the float burried, and Hey Presto, another quality Chub of 3lb, and followed by several more between 3 & 4lb.
The Nettle stings were worth it.

 

[Ashe Hurst]

RE; Nettles.

Common sense says "Dont walk through nettles whilst in short trousers".

Why is it that when water and fish are involved, the Brain fails to engage?

Is it just me?

Happy Chubbing chaps.

 

[Neil Wayte]

Hello Barney

Still flogging that lucky 6 I see.Sorry I've been too busy to get round to abusing you lately.Give me a bell and I'll sort out a trip for some proper chub for you.
Seriously mate I'll have a bit more time later in the year so come on down and fill your boots.
I'll await the inevitable abuse from north of Watford.

 

[Gary Knowles]

Chris,

Cheers mate, I really thing splitting your session can pay dividends especially when your angling time is limited.

Be warned though, if you really do get into chubbing everything else will take a back seat.

 

[Gary Knowles]

Oh, you still about then Neil. I thought you had risen above talking to us mere mortal anglers now you are fishing with the elite ;o)

Seriously. I'll be in touch though. I'm well up for a session after the easy southern chub !!!!!!

 

[Ashe Hurst]

re done my pic, my head isnt squashed in real life.
Your right about chubbing, i would be quite content fishing the cray for those easy southern chub!!!!

Rove all day then sit it out in the evenings at the mill pond for those quality Roach.

like to pre bait with white bread mash, with hemp, caster and chopped worm, then work my way back down stream using a link ledger on the feeder rod or swim feeder and some places i may go over to trotting a crystal or Balsa lofa float.

Tell you what, years of self abuse resulting in dodgy back, neck, knees and putting on a few stone, can realy take it out on me when roving.

Have to realy scale down my kit. Mondays session left me S*****D. Two years ago i would have been festooned with kit and only my face and feet would prove i was human and not a tackle shop display.

Nicked my Boy`s bag and stool combo, flip up landing net on my back, and quiver holdal with one rod, two rests and unhooking mat inside. Easy.

Roll on friday morning, thats if the winds have died down, dont mind the rain but hate fishing in high winds.

my legs have just recovered from those stinging nettles. I keep doing it, must just be me.

 

[Neil Wayte]

Oh dear another 6lber last night,had to catch it so I could get after the Barbel in the swim.
Managed to do that as well all 13lb 4oz of it.Lovely jubbly
Mind you the beast that totally blitzed me an hour or so later was another matter.It left me sitting on the floor shaking with the smashed line blowing in the wind.

 

[Dave Slater]

Neil,
We have been running a thread on summer chubbing. A number of topics have been covered. Would you consider posting a thread to get another angle? Most of my big chub are caught in the winter months, partly due to being a bit of a dinosaur. I do know that the type of methods you use are tremendously effective, even if some of the big chub are caught when barbel fishing. I would be very interested to hear about your methods and tactics and, perhaps, even a bait recipe or two. I may even try some modern tactics myself this season, although I have resisted so far. I do hope you can post a thread to the summer chubbing forum. Hope you keep catching some big ones and that you manage to land the barbel that smashed you when it comes along again.