Wary Chub

[Andydj]

Assuming you're legering I used Kryston Krystonite Flourocarbon Coated Monofilament in 8lb for a hooklink for my Stour legering with boiles; yet to get a 7lber but had them well over 6lbs. The key to catching the chub was a very short hair and as little weight on the line as possible eg a link with just a SSG or two, that and making virtually no disturbance, hardly feeding at all, keeping very low at all times. I would hold the rod if possible and feed line from a loop in my left hand when I got a knock.

Thanks Mark. This is very much my way of thinking. People seem to think that heavy baiting is the way to go but whilst I have had lots up to high sixes I have never had a 7 doing it. That tells me I have been unlucky, fishing the wrong swims (or the right swims at the wrong time) or a new approach is required.
I have just made up some Cork ball waters that will negate the weight of the hook but will still (hopefully) sink. This may or may not be necessary. I will see. Interesting to hear your hooklength choice. I will look at that. Very light legering. I am in complete agreement about this and holding the line. I have tended to ease the rod towards the fish when I get a knock but the loop of line idea is a good one.
I have also used a bobbin where the current allows. This seems to work.
All good stuff.

 

[Andydj]

Thanks Mark. This is very much my way of thinking. People seem to think that heavy baiting is the way to go but whilst I have had lots up to high sixes I have never had a 7 doing it. That tells me I have been unlucky, fishing the wrong swims (or the right swims at the wrong time) or a new approach is required.
I have just made up some Cork ball waters that will negate the weight of the hook but will still (hopefully) sink. This may or may not be necessary. I will see. Interesting to hear your hooklength choice. I will look at that. Very light legering. I am in complete agreement about this and holding the line. I have tended to ease the rod towards the fish when I get a knock but the loop of line idea is a good one.
I have also used a bobbin where the current allows. This seems to work.
All good stuff.

Cork ball WAFTERS!

 

[tigger]

Have you never thought about float fishing for them, float fishing is by far the most sensitive method.
Another excelent method is laying on, again, a very sensitive method which causes very little resistance for the fish to feel. Also, the float is nearer to the fish, so will register a bite well in advance of a leger set up.
Laying on can be done in quite deep water also, I myself have done it many times on tidal stretches of a river where the level has come up over 12ft! It worked perfectly and I caught lots of fish.
Just another method for you to keep in mind.

 

[chevin4]

If I am using big baits ie paste flake lobworm etc I really use a hook length over 14inches. If I am using maggot or caster in conjunction with a blocked feeder I use a short hook length of say 3inches. I don't hair rig baits and when using cheese paste I will mould the paste around a 12mm cork ball

 

[Andydj]

Have you never thought about float fishing for them, float fishing is by far the most sensitive method.
Another excelent method is laying on, again, a very sensitive method which causes very little resistance for the fish to feel. Also, the float is nearer to the fish, so will register a bite well in advance of a leger set up.
Laying on can be done in quite deep water also, I myself have done it many times on tidal stretches of a river where the level has come up over 12ft! It worked perfectly and I caught lots of fish.
Just another method for you to keep in mind.

Yes when it's not too weedy or snaggy. No doubt about it. They are a lot less wary of a well presented moving bait.

 

[Andydj]

If I am using big baits ie paste flake lobworm etc I really use a hook length over 14inches. If I am using maggot or caster in conjunction with a blocked feeder I use a short hook length of say 3inches. I don't hair rig baits and when using cheese paste I will mould the paste around a 12mm cork ball

Thanks for that. All sound stuff. If you don't hair rig do you hook the Cork ball on the hook then?
Years ago we used to catch Chub by drilling a tiny hole in the feeder then threading the line through it and tying on the hook so in effect we had no hooklength at all. It worked amazingly well but we never had any very big ones doing it though in those days a 5 was fish of the season.
There are of course plenty of better ways of having the bait alongside of the feeder but that's what we did. The bites were amazing.
Would it work with the really big ones though?
Does it not rely on competition?
I will certainly be playing with this in the winter but maggots in summer requires more bait and money than I can regularly afford.
Che

 

[Andydj]

Thanks for that. All sound stuff. If you don't hair rig do you hook the Cork ball on the hook then?
Years ago we used to catch Chub by drilling a tiny hole in the feeder then threading the line through it and tying on the hook so in effect we had no hooklength at all. It worked amazingly well but we never had any very big ones doing it though in those days a 5 was fish of the season.
There are of course plenty of better ways of having the bait alongside of the feeder but that's what we did. The bites were amazing.
Would it work with the really big ones though?
Does it not rely on competition?
I will certainly be playing with this in the winter but maggots in summer requires more bait and money than I can regularly afford.
Che

That's cheers!

 

[barbelboi]

Although my preferred method for chub is free lining/trotting, however, on rivers that I know 'intimately,' I will readily use whatever method I consider to be most appropriate at the time.

For really spooky chub I use the open bail arm method for minimal resistance. The way I usually see it is, as the bite develops, the chub will be pulling line from the spool sometimes a few inches, but often up to twelve inches or more. Eventually the chub will bolt off and line will be stripping off the reel at a very fast pace. I believe it is important not to tighten up too quickly as it’s the speed at which the chub is moving which dictates the timing of turning the bail arm over. I tend to gently take the line in my fingers once a bite develops. This then become a sort of touch ledgering with an open bail arm - Although there may well be a possibility of deep hooking a fish, as with other methods, I've found that it is easier to lose a fish if your timing of closing the arm is not quite right rather than the other way round.

 

[Andydj]

Although my preferred method for chub is free lining/trotting, however, on rivers that I know 'intimately,' I will readily use whatever method I consider to be most appropriate at the time.

For really spooky chub I use the open bail arm method for minimal resistance. The way I usually see it is, as the bite develops, the chub will be pulling line from the spool sometimes a few inches, but often up to twelve inches or more. Eventually the chub will bolt off and line will be stripping off the reel at a very fast pace. I believe it is important not to tighten up too quickly as it’s the speed at which the chub is moving which dictates the timing of turning the bail arm over. I tend to gently take the line in my fingers once a bite develops. This then become a sort of touch ledgering with an open bail arm - Although there may well be a possibility of deep hooking a fish, as with other methods, I've found that it is easier to lose a fish if your timing of closing the arm is not quite right rather than the other way round.

Very interesting indeed. Hard to do on the Avon but well worth keeping in mind. Bit like hooking a Pike strange as it may sound!

 

[chevin4]

Thanks for that. All sound stuff. If you don't hair rig do you hook the Cork ball on the hook then?
Years ago we used to catch Chub by drilling a tiny hole in the feeder then threading the line through it and tying on the hook so in effect we had no hooklength at all. It worked amazingly well but we never had any very big ones doing it though in those days a 5 was fish of the season.
There are of course plenty of better ways of having the bait alongside of the feeder but that's what we did. The bites were amazing.
Would it work with the really big ones though?
Does it not rely on competition?
I will certainly be playing with this in the winter but maggots in summer requires more bait and money than I can regularly afford.
Che

 

[chevin4]

Andy I fix the Cork ball on a very short hair but I mould the paste around the ball and the shank of the but ensuring that the point of the hook is shoeing. On the rare occasions I use boilies I side hook them.