Winter chub fishing

[Stewart Bloor]

I know this might sound crazy (but I am a bit mad anyway !!), but all summer I've been looking forward to the winter so I can get out and do some chubbing. Is there anyone else that does winter darkness chub fishing? I just love those dark, frosty, wet nights (told you I was mad !!). In fact a future Pilgim's Progress is all about my winter chubbing campaign.

 

[paul williams]

Just thought i would let you know,i agree with acouple of your statments!
Seriously, i think that Chubbing is one of the best "releases" any angler can ask for, a setup rod, a little bait, a pair of walking boots, a deserted stretch of a small river and all's right in the World!

 

[Stewart Bloor]

Paul, you crack me up !!!

 

[Mark Munday]

I dont know that I agree with your love of the winter weather!!
But it is nice to get away from the still waters and fish with some different baits and tactics.
P.S If carp angler reads this does he still walk round in the middle of winter in a pair of shorts????

 

[Andrew Miller]

Don't forget the daytime fishing in winter especially after the flood cleans the little river out and you go out with a stick float and catch roach and dace ( as well as the bonus chub!)MAGIC! ( Don't anyone else catch dace any more they never mentioned anymore!)

 

[matthew dent]

I can't wait for the frosts and the floods and the rain,snow,sleet and hail and consequently the mud to drive other people from the river banks. So I can wander up and down getting cold and wet catching chub in tip top condition. Returning home with a huge smile on my face to the prospect of a warm bath.
Being a masochist is a prerequisite of the winter river angler!

 

[DAVE COOPER]

I shall be doing the same on the upper reaches of the Bristol Avon. There's also a good chance of 2lb perch as well as chub.

 

[Stewart Bloor]

Glad to see I'm not alone in my madness of looking forward to the winter !! Matthew, you are a man after my own heart. In fact, I'm off right in a moment to sample the chub from a session into darkness.

 

[Carp Angler]

Is that Mark Munday, as in one of my old TVAC bailiffs from Marchwood?
If it is then you know I wear shorts all year round.....

 

[Alan Roe]

In Common with a few of you I am also looking forward to the nice cold and wet days of winter up here in the North with the rivers carrying some extra water and the Chub ever ready to feed..
I am not mad I have a certificate to prove it....

 

[GrahamM]

I'm dafter than all of you. I absolutely love chub fishing in the snow and frost. The old winters we had, when snow fell in flakes the size of half crowns, (12.5p) was wonderful.

 

[Stewart Bloor]

I actually have a certificate to say I am certified (strange BUT true). Although it has to be said Graham, i do agree with your statement 100%.
Just got back from my chub session. Had 2 fish, 2.9 and 2.15, so it wasn't too bad. I'm sitting here eating bacon sandwiches and drinking hot tea, just arrived home. I find that's one of the best things about winter fishing a) the journey home when you put the heater on full and b) the aforementioned food.

 

[DAVE COOPER]

Isn't it sad that days like Graham mention happen much less frequently now. Even sharp, clear, frosty days where the puddles snap under your feet don't happen so often. It seems in the last few years the rivers stay almost constantly in a state of flood and colour all winter. I hope we get a few consistent weeks of lightly tinged water this winter, rather than the constant run of brown soup we seem to get now.

 

[paul williams]

Dave, you have just made me realise why the last couple of seasons i have started to turn more to stillwaters, yep i to hope for a good old fashioned winter, and getting more from our rivers.

 

[Carp Angler]

Paul
If the river fines down and we get a few good heavy frosts we can start targetting those BIG roach.

 

[paul williams]

YEAH!!!!!!!!!

 

[David Preston]

Big roach? Big chub!

 

[Carl Nightingale]

Don't know what all the fuss is about, I love high floods and chocolate water for chub fishing!
Of course I know of a nice quiet weir pool were all the chub in the river back up. A net full of good chub 2-3lb is heaven..so is the ride home in a warm car!

 

[john conway]

Thought I'd bring this topic back up again as we're now comming up to winter 2004/5. It's nice to read back over what others have previously said about winter Chubbing rather than starting another thread: -

I?ve always had a bit of a dilemma when fishing the Ribble in winter, as to how much feed to put in at the start of a session. I?ve tried piling the bait in, spodding or feeder, then waiting an hour before fishing. I?ve tried feeder fishing with liquidised bread and or hemp and caster, usually casting every 15/20 mins, and of course PVA bags of micro pellets, generally casting every half-hour. As yet I can?t say that one way is better than the other.
If I?m pushed for time or the river?s coloured up, then it?s PVA bags of micro pellets, I?ve nearly always got some made up. If the river?s running low and clear (and I can get to the tackle shop for some casters), I usually fish the upstream rod on bread flake fished over liquidised bread and the down stream rod on caster fished over hemp and caster. I will generally change from caster to pellets later in the evening.
At first I thought that by pilling in the bait I might frighten off the bigger Chub?
However, looking back in my records there has been no pattern to when in the session I?ve caught my 5lb plus Chub e.g. the beginning of a session, middle or end.
So the question is what?s you?re thought process as to the method of choice on the day during the winter?

 

[Rod MacAskill]

I generally pick places where there is probably a small head of chub but the average size is large i.e 4lb +. If I feel confident that I am fishing a chub swim I will, more often than not,dispense with any loose feed, and sit it out with a large lump of cheesepaste or bread,thus not giving the fish any choice of bait. In my experience big chub can be so finnicky that often one only receives a single bite in an evening's fishing and if you don't connect first time the old buggers rarely return for a second go. Alternatively if I am feeling more active I will fish a few swims in turn prebaiting each one perhaps half an hour to an hour earlier with a handful of mashed bread. I have never felt comfortable by throwing in too much bait as I am sure that the majority of fish don't get their heads down til that magic hour before dusk and I don't like to think that once they have started feeding they are preoccupied with the loose feed while my time is running out.