3 Chub for 12lb

I've just got back from a great morning's fishing. I got to the river at 7am, and the weather was wild with heavy gusts and the odd shower. Walking to my favourite peg, I fed with liquidised bread whilst setting up. Casting out a feeder of liquidised bread, and some smelly cheese paste on the hook, it didn't take long to start getting some indications (i find if the chub are there, they will soon be on your bait). The first proper pull was missed, but second time round I hooked into a nice chub of 3lb 3oz

I could have stayed in the swim and hope for another, but decided to move on. My second choice of swim involved casting out into the middle of the river, and allowing it to swing the bait in to the near bank under some overhanging trees. I the balled the bad in by hand. Again, it wasn't long until I hooked into something, and this time it felt bigger. I had to put a serious curve on the rod to keep the fish out the near bank, but eventually it grudgingly came over the net, and at 4lb 8oz was a new pb for me.

My last swim was a real birdcage, but by squeezing through some branches, I was able to cast out and let the bait swing in again underneath some overhanging trees. Same tactics as before, and this gave me my final chub of the day at 4lb 3oz - the end to a brilliant session.

A Cold winters day on the river

Today was one of those tough days where I knew it would be difficult to catch, but I also knew it would be an achievement just to be out there on a cold crisp morning. I was trying a new stretch of water, one I intend to fish a fair amount this year. With the river cold and clear, I decided (after reading a recent magazine article on the river) to use steak on the hook, with mince in a feeder. It certainly provoked some interest from what was presumably chub but, try as I might, I failed to convert the many knocks and small pulls into a fish. Not suprising really, given the temps. Here are a few photo highlights from a cracking morning...

chub

After last weeks success, and with the mild temperatures and the river dropping off following midweek floods, I decided to go for some River chub again. Tactics were similar to before, with smelly cheese paste (blue stilton of course) and liquidised bread in the feeder, to a size 6 barbless super specialist hook and 8lb Drennan double strength. The cage feeder was stopped with two float stops up the line, so that the line wasnt weakened by any knots (you really have to hit and hold with these chub!). My first peg provided an instant response and i hit into what was obviously a big chub. No matter how hard i pulled, i just couldn't get him out of his snaggy lair, with the inevitable result of the hook springing back. Despite some further touches, i had no more action and decided to move to a new swim..

Using the same tactics, i had to cast out into the middle chanel and allow the bait to be pushed under the tree, which meant hand feedeing liquidised bread. A couple of nudges on the rod indicated some interest, and it wasn't long before the tip pulled right round. I hit into this one and, similar to before, it tried it's best to get to some nice tree roots. Fortunately i managed to hold this one off and despite a little argument with a tree to my left, it eventually came in. The result, a fin perfect 3lb 1oz chub.

First cast of 2012....

Feeling a little despondent with the local, my first cast of 2012 saw me changing venues, with a trip to another river. This is a smashing river, and one i wish i fished more. I've decided to set myself a chub target of 5lb for this year, and decided that cheese paste (the smelliest, garlic flavoured blue cheese paste you can imagine) balanced with crust and feeder fished with liquidised bread would be the tactic. 8lb drennan double strength and a size 8 drennan super specialist hook finished the rig off. First cast in to a likely looking raft of weed underneath a fallen tree showed the odd indication, and i struck at a quick jag of a bite but missed. I decided to let the bite develop, and within 5 mins the rod pulled round confidently, which was met with a strike and solid resistance. I stopped the initial surge for the tree, before playing the fish in open water. This resulted in a satisfing start to 2012, with a 4lb chub the result.

A mention about another recent fishing trip of mine. Between Xmas 2011 and the end of 2011, I had 3 fishing trips that all ended in blanks. The first was a boxing day trip to a small local river. Try as I might, nothing was interested in my float trotted maggots, and the pike did not find my well presented smelt deadbait of interest. Conversely, my brother Jono decided on an interesting little swim with a sunken tree and, using swimfeeder tactics managed to tempt 5 chublets to half a pound topped off by this smashing 2lb brown trout. If it wasn't out of season, i'm sure it would have made a lovely lunch.

Trip no. 2 saw me roving the banks of the middle river  and dropping a smelt into every likely looking spot. Despite being confident, once again i could't buy a bite. Finally, a move to the lower stretches saw me casting a deadbait to the base of the shelf in 25ft of water, a spot which the Pike usually like to roam. However, once more i failed. Prior to these blanks, a night trip to the coast in temps of -3C had me trying for that elusive shore cod. It was a stunning night at, with little wind, clear starry sky and freezing temps. Despite a promosing looking sea, my ragworm / lugworm / razorclam cocktail tempted the one fish only, a whiting, and I left for the comfort of my warm car at 1am.