Homemade bait tempts big chub from Great Ouse

Leighton McDonnell proved that rewards are there to be had from flooded rivers when he banked this huge 7lb 4oz chub.

Fishing a tough stretch of the Great Ouse, the specialist from Tring, Herts, found two spots that featured slack marginal swims and introduced 25 small pieces of fishmeal paste.

His home-made bait certainly did the trick when he slipped the net under the specimen after it took his hookbait that he had moulded around two hair-rigged 13mm cork balls and attached to a size 4 Nash Fang Uni hook.

“I spotted some crystalline ginger in the cupboard so I finely chopped a couple of lumps and it gave my bait a really distinct hot ginger smell,” said Leighton.