Chub - hair rig or straight on the hook?

[Stealph Viper]

I've caught all of my Chub on hair rigged raw stewing steak.
Perhaps i could have caught more if i had put the stewing steak straight on the hook, but perhaps i wouldn't have done.

 

[Sean Meeghan]

Peter raised an interesting point on hook sizes. Conventional wisdom dictates large baits and large hooks for chub. I've never really been comfortable with this and normally fish a 12 or a 10 in the lighter gauge patterns such as Drennan Carbon Chub. This is usually matched to a smallish piece of flake or paste, with flavoured mash in a light feeder or a straight bomb. If I'm geting finicky bites I'll often fish a tiny piece of flake pinched round the spade of the hook.

I think fishing hooks (and other tackle)heavy enough to land big barbel can be counter productive when chub fishing. Remember I'm fishing relatively narrow rivers so I can't let barbel have their head. The hooks I use match 6lb line and a soft avon rod, but would tend to open with heavier line and rods.

 

[Peter Jacobs]

Peter raised an interesting point on hook sizes. Conventional wisdom dictates large baits and large hooks for chub. I've never really been comfortable with this and normally fish a 12 or a 10 in the lighter gauge patterns such as Drennan Carbon Chub. This is usually matched to a smallish piece of flake or paste, with flavoured mash in a light feeder or a straight bomb. If I'm geting finicky bites I'll often fish a tiny piece of flake pinched round the spade of the hook.

I think fishing hooks (and other tackle)heavy enough to land big barbel can be counter productive when chub fishing. Remember I'm fishing relatively narrow rivers so I can't let barbel have their head. The hooks I use match 6lb line and a soft avon rod, but would tend to open with heavier line and rods.

I agree there Sean; what I was trying to say was to use the largest hook and bait that you can still get bites on.

My typical Chub set-up is also with 6lb BS line, a Carbotec No. 3 feeder rod and either a straight lead or a small(ish) feeder. In the feeder goes flavoured bread mash, crumb or liquidised bread, with bread on the hook, or a maggot feeder with lobworm on the hook.

Most, if not all of my Chub fishing is done on the middle Hampshire Avon below Salisbury, so not too wide and not too much room to allow a long run.

The swims that Dave and I fished last week hold some large Barbel, as well as big Chub, so that was another reason for the larger hooks.

 

[Dave Slater]

My standard chub hook is a Kamasan B983 widegape Size 4. I am usually using a correspondingly large bait and this works well for me. I sometimes scale down to a Size 6 when not getting bites but use a different pattern if I have to go smaller as, although these are my favourite hooks and strong in the sizes I use, they are too weak in the smaller sizes.
If using particle baits I use a different pattern, usually Size 8 or 10, but occasionally 12. My favourites are an Ashima pattern that is no longer made, but I still have a stock. I will have to look at something else when I run out and will ask for advice in my local tackle shops.
For maggots and casters my standard hook is a Drennan Super Specialist in Size 16. I prefer this size as I find I get less bites with anything larger but, although better for getting bites, I get more pull outs with anything smaller. This pattern is nice and strong, which is necessary when fishing for the larger fish.
If I were to use boilies/pellets and bolt rigs I would probably opt for carp hooks, either Fox or Eustace.

 

[Jeff Woodhouse]

My finest chub catch to date was fish of 5lbs 7ozs and caught on 1lb 10ozs leader with a 20s hook.

Boy was I nervous! And the fish just barfed up all my maggots and caster whilst I was removing the hook.

------------------------------

It's discussions like this make you want to get your rod out and give it a good play, preferably with a decent fish on the end.

 

[Paul H]

A few people have said now about PBs, or just good sized chub, caught on hair rigged baits.

I too have caught chub on hair rigged baits but if I were fishing soley for chub I would straight hook the bait every time.

You can catch pike on a pellet feeder rig with a mono hooklength (I've seen photos of a double figure one) but you wouldn't set out to pike fish with that set up.

 

[Stick_Float]

I think you're right Paul, my Pb also came on a hair rig set out for barbel but It's not ideal, I think sometimes, because of the fully exposed hook they will hook themselves occasionally like my Pb did but more often than not they don't. I think the issue of the resistance the chub feels also when using hair rigs and barbel set ups is important too.

 

[Stealph Viper]

How can you compare Pike fishing to fishing for Chub.
Anyone setting out to catch a Chub isn't going to use a trace like they would for Pike fishing.
Yes, you can catch a Roach etc when Chub Fishing, but you rig up according to the species you are targeting, and for Chub fishing i have used hair rigs to good effect, i would also use bait straight on a hook i.e Maggots, Casters, Corn, Luncheon Meat, Pellets, but i wouldn't be worried about hair rigging baits as well.

If you haven't tried hair rigged Raw Stewing Steak for Chub, you should try it, you may just be surprised at the Bites you get.
The reason i hair rigged the stewing steak is because, the meat swells up considerably, and i used Kryston Silkworm Braid for the Hook Length, tied to a size 8 Kamasan Salmon and Trout Hook.

 

[The bad one]

Well it's time I stirred the pot a bit :0) I always fish my bait hair rigged for chub, normally pellet or boilie 4s and 6s Drennan Super Specialist. With an added wow factor. but that's my edge and not for public disclosure. My hairs are short 16 mm long and always from the back of the hook. My catches that I counted last year were, 4 X 6 +, 27 X 5 + and 38 X 4 + didn't count the ones under 4, but I'd think were over 60 fish.

It works for me and the record speaks to it.

When I use maggots I use a 12s Kamatsan Animals

 

[Paul H]

How can you compare Pike fishing to fishing for Chub.

I was pointing out that I wouldn't target pike with a feeder rig best suited to barbel or bream and yes you're right - I wouldn't target chub with a trace for the same reason - it's not the best tackle for the job. But that is my point exactly - you seem to have understood what I was saying but then mistunderstood it as well.

If I were concerned about the hook not pulling through a tougher, larger bait when striking - for example steak chunks - then I would probably attach it tightly to the hook shank with a bait band instead, but I would always want the bait either on or as close to the hook as possible.

I'm not saying hair rigged baits don't work or that bites on them aren't sometimes savage but the hair rig was designed to work best on fish that suck in their food and chub, generally, don't do that.

 

[Mr Cholmondeley-Corker (PaSC)]

Whats the difference between banding a pellet and attaching the pellet via a very short hair? They are both close to the hook as far as I can see.

The chub my son caught (4-10, in the gallery) on the Ribble came to two small salmon pellets super glued on a short hair on a size 14 hook. It gave a good postive wrap on the rod top and was hooked firmly in the lip.

 

[The bad one]

They are Matt, but one's a hair rig the other is a banded rig. The question was about hair rigs not about the length of them.

BTW have you seen how big a chub's gob is, it's made for snatching bait in the water column.

 

[Stick_Float]

I've been using pellets hair rigged on latex bands so the elasticity of the band keeps the pellet tight to the shank. I still miss lot of savage bites though like this but it's the best I can do, the chub are going mad for halibut pellets but they can't be fished on the hook!

 

[Paul H]

None if the hair is short enough.

To me this is a hair rig - the bait sits below the hook bend:

This is a banded pellet, or banded anything else rig - the bait sits on the hook shank:

​

 

[The bad one]

A fair point SF and paste made from HP that can be molded around the hook in my experience isn't as effective as the pellet for reasons I'm yet to find out.

 

[Stealph Viper]

ok, i see your point.

Sorry if i misinterpreted it.

I would still use a hair rig to fish for Chub and be confident of a take though

 

[The bad one]

Paul that's your interpretation only. One I don't agree with, as do many of the carpheads I know.

 

[Paul H]

No worries SV, things don't always come across clearly on a forum.

Ph...., I mean Bad One,

Everyone's entitled to their own opinions, even if they're wrong (joke).

Which bit do you disagree with?

 

[Barney 2]

I've been using pellets hair rigged on latex bands so the elasticity of the band keeps the pellet tight to the shank. I still miss lot of savage bites though like this but it's the best I can do, the chub are going mad for halibut pellets but they can't be fished on the hook!

Sonubaits do some which are hookable or hair-riggable. Various sizes and are fairly tough. I have been using these with free offerings of the more usual hard pellets with success - smaller ones float fished with the hook nicked in the side.

 

[Stick_Float]

Cheers Barney, I've had a look at the soft hookers but I haven't spent a great deal of time after chub yet this season and kept on using the hard pellets, now winter is just around the corner I will be knocking up some serious amount of cheese paste and using crust for a most if not all of my chub fishing but I'll have a gander at the sonubaits range.