Big Loddon chub coaxed from undercut bank
Mark Erdwin had every reason to smile after banking this 6lb 10oz chub during a session on the River Loddon.
The Reading-based all-rounder visited a tricky stretch of the waterway that he knew held a small head of big fish and rigged up a simple low-resistance link-leger rig with two SSG shot.
Several spots were baited with a mixture of liquidised bread, maggots, casters and some freshly crushed garlic for added attraction.
After rotating the swims he started to receive a few light plucks from one which featured an undercut bank. He had to sit on his hands for an hour, though, until his tip finally thumped round as the chub fell for his lobworm and maggot cocktail.
“By keeping the rod low and by applying steady pressure I finally coaxed it out from the undercut bank. As it slipped into the net I could see the width of the fish - broad with a double chin – it looked huge,” said Mark.
New personal-best after six years with 7lb 3oz chub
A six year wait for a new chub personal best came to a welcome end for Darran Goulder when he banked this 7lb 3oz chub from the River Lea.
Targeting the Fishers Green stretch of the Herts waterway, the Shimano backed all-rounder proved that the best things come to those who wait after banking the specimen from a swim he baited for three weeks before fishing it.
He said: “I was excited about fishing it, and was glad to see it was free when I arrived. I cast out a short bolt rig onto a gravel run and had the take soon after. I thought it would be a good ‘six’ but it beat my old pb – a fish I caught on the float six years ago - by an ounce.”
Darran beat his prize with a Dynamite Crave boilie on a size 9 Drennan Barbel hook and a 6ins ESP Two Tone hooklink.
Big chub bonus in Hampshire Avon catch
A session on the Hampshire Avon produced this 22lb bag of dace and roach, plus a bonus 5lb 7oz chub, for Stuart Walker.
Targeting the river near Salisbury in Wiltshire, a long way from his home in Yorkshire, the 38-year-old used a light stickfloat in 4ft of water, feeding maggots, hemp and brown crumb. The Caught In The Act DVD star said: “The weather was bright so all the action came in the morning and the last few hours before dark. When the light was fading it was a bite a chuck. I fished 3lb mainline, a 2lb 12oz hooklink and a size 16 Drennan Wide Gape Specialist hook, under an alloy stick.”
5lb chub on coaching session with Dave Harrell
The water temperatures may have dropped recently but one man who wasn't complaining was Robin Adcock who booked a day with Angling Times columnist Dave Harrell on the River Wye near Symonds Yat.
This stunning 5lb 3oz chub featured in a 60lb catch which also included some quality barbel. All the fish were caught using bunches of three or four maggots on a size 12 hook underneath a DH 4SSG No2 Truncheon Waggler, fished slightly overdepth.
"It was certainly a day to remember," said Robin. This is the second time I've been fishing with Dave and both days have been memorable with plenty of bent rod action! I'm alreasy looking forward to our next day out."
**For information about Dave's coaching days visit his website at: www.daveharrellangling.com**
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.
Change of plan sees huge chub double banked
A last minute change of plans proved fruitful for Jamie Cartwright who banked two chub over 7lb in consecutive casts.
The Northants Specimen Group member targeted a private stretch of the River Great Ouse in the Midlands which he had pre-baited with boilies the day before and landed fish weighing 7lb 4oz and 7lb 1oz.
“It was a bit early in the season for chub but my friend who I was supposed to be going barbel fishing with cancelled so I headed out chubbing instead. And I’m so glad I did now,” he said.
Jamie took both fish on CC Moore Meteor boilies on running rigs constructed with 10lb mainline, 10lb braided hooklinks and size 8 ESP hooks.
“My first cast produced a fish of 7lb 4oz which I rested in the net before photographing. It would have been rude not to have another chuck, and five minutes later my tip banged round again. After what was without a doubt one of the best fights I’ve ever had from a chub I completed the brace.”
Further south, Bob Hornegold ended a two month break from angling after the loss of his close friend and fellow specimen angler Simon King, by landing a colossal 8lb 9oz chub from the River Lea.
The 68-year-old chairman of the Osprey Specimen Group had only just cast out at the Fishers Green stretch of the waterway when the fish took his hair-rigged All Season Salmon and Crab flavoured boilie offered alongside a PVA bag of broken boilies.
Bob said: “I was actually fishing for barbel but you have to use boilies here to prevent being pestered by crayfish.
“After my friend Simon passed away I just didn’t feel like going fishing for a while, but I think Simon would have wanted me to carry on and I’m sure he would have been happy with this nice fish. I know I am,” added Bob, who beat his prize with a size 10 Gardner Mugga hook and a 12lb Stealth hooklink.
Ouse switch pays off
A change of swim proved fruitful for Derren Burr who landed this 6lb 7oz chub from the Great Ouse.
The 42-year-old manager of Browns Angling Centre in Haddenham arrived at section of the waterway just above Bedford at first light, but with only a couple of taps to show for his efforts by 10am he decided to move a few miles further upstream.
He said: “I settled on a bait and wait approach. And wait I did, as it was 3pm when my rod tip finally pulled round. I’ve only had limited time available to me so far this year and this was only my fourth trip to a running water venue.”
Derren fished a lobworm hookbait in conjunction with a small PVA bag of pellets on a 10lb Drennan hooklink and a size 6 Nash hook.
Kayaker's chub quest
A short session fishing from a kayak helped Josh Fisher net this 6lb 1oz chub from a Norfolk waterway.
The Norwich-based all-rounder has taken to the water on the vessel on numerous occasions to reach stretches that are otherwise inaccessible.
Arriving at his chosen area for a few hours lure fishing it didn’t take long for the specimen to grab his artificial offering.
“One of my main aims this winter is to catch a 7lb chub and I’m confident that the best way to achieve this is by visiting spots that have barely, if ever, seen an angler before,” said Josh.
Lea form continues for Joe Royffe
Joe Royffe’s run of form on the River Lea is showing no signs of slowing following the capture of this 7lb 10oz chub.
Returning to the same swim where he’d caught a 14lb 7oz barbel three days earlier he found the water had dropped back to its normal levels and with the colour having dropped out he knew that the chance of a decent chub was on the cards.
It wasn’t long before his hunch was proved correct and 10 minutes after casting out he connected with the 7lb 10oz specimen. This was later backed up with a small barbel of 7lb 6oz.
“I have now landed nine chub and seven barbel from the venue in the last five sessions alone,” he said. “There’s definitely the chance of an 8lb-plus chub from the river this winter.”
Joe used a 12mm Sonubaits pellet wrapped in paste on a combi-rig.
Two 6lb chub in two casts - from a kayak!
Roving by foot down a river bank is nothing new but Josh Fisher took the approach to another level when he banked a series of chub to 6lb 2oz from a Norfolk waterway from a kayak.
The keen all-rounder took to the small vessel in a bid to search a stretch of the local waterway that had previously been inaccessible to anglers.
Armed with minimal tackle he embarked on a short evening session using bright surface lures.
After making his journey upstream he spotted several large fish milling around between weedbeds close to a large fallen tree and a big chub took the artificial bait on his first cast.
“It was an explosive take and I was forced to pile on the pressure while trying to manoeuvre the kayak close to the bank. Everything went according to plan and a 6lb fish was soon in the net,” said Josh.
Another move further upstream paid dividends as the professional tattoo artist used his watercraft skills to spot another good fish taking insects off the surface.
“I knew that if I got the cast wrong it would almost certainly spell disaster but luckily I managed to land the lure in the perfect spot, leading to another bend in the rod.
“As soon as I hooked it I knew it was another big fish as I could feel its head shaking violently. Once it came to the surface my theory was proved right and the dial on the scales spun round to 6lb 2oz. I couldn’t believe it -two casts and a brace of 6lb-plus chub.”
With the predator season set to commence in the coming weeks, Josh has now set his sights on using his kayak even more to target uncaught specimens from unfished stretches. “I have landed countless big fish using this approach and I’m convinced I will have even more this winter once the pike and perch switch on.”
Waiting game pays off with 6lb 12oz chub
A roving approach paid dividends for Joe Royffe who landed four chub from the River Lea – this 6lb 12oz fish the highlight.
The 23-year-old targeted the popular Fishers Green stretch of the waterway and by travelling light he was able to fish a number of swims during his short evening session.
All of his fish came in the last 90 minutes of the trip and his haul also included fish of 6lb 5oz, 5lb 2oz and 4lb 7oz.
He said: “It shows that fishing one rod well is often better than using two. I find with one I can give it 100 per cent attention and it also allows me to rest each spot between each capture.”
Joe mounted a 12mm Sonubaits Elips pellet wrapped in halibut paste on a size 8 Owner hook and a 10lb combi-rig hooklink.
Surprise 6lb 14oz chub from carp lake
A carp fishing session on a Nottinghamshire syndicate water produced this surprise 6lb 14oz chub for Chad Critchley.
The 35-year-old local rod was fishing with Vortex Baits Hydro Shrimp and Shellfish boilies, cast tight to a reed bed in the margins of the lake where he hooked what he originally thought was a grass carp: “I had no idea what I had hooked in to at first. It put up a good fight and as there are a few grassies in the lake I thought one of them could be responsible.
“There is a brook which runs close to the lake so it may have come from there” he said.
Chad was used a hinged-stiff rig with a size 10 wide gape hook and also landed five carp to 15lb.
6lb Wensum chub taken on breadflake
A classic bit of link legering saw Tom Martin continue his run of form on the River Wensum with this 6lb 2oz chub.
Targeting the Norfolk waterway at dusk, the 33-year-old crept into position and presented a piece of breadflake close to the bank slightly downstream.
Using 6lb line straight through to a size 8 hook, the Norwich rod fought to keep the fish away from snags before it was safely netted.
The chub is the latest in a string of 6lb-plus specimens he has landed from the venue.
Big chub after work
Tom Martin finally broke his personal best chub from his local River Wensum with this fine 6lb 10oz specimen.
The 33-year-old from Norwich presented a piece of link-ledgered cheese and garlic paste close to his own bank, during a quick fire evening stint on the river after work.
It fell to 6lb Drennan Specimen Plus line direct to a size 8 hook and put up a terrific scrap, repeatedly diving for near bank snags.
“I’ve fished various stretches of the River Wensum and Yare for as long as I can remember and have had numerous specimen chub over 5lb with a personal best of 6lb 3oz, so I was delighted to get this fish. I have been keeping a chub fishing diary for a number of years and now have a large collection of diaries, pictures, maps and drawings. Come the winter I’m sure this stretch will produce a 7lb plus Wensum chub,” he said.
Biggest chub of the season for former Olympian Dean Macey
Dean Macey described this 6lb 10oz chub – his biggest of the season so far - as ‘one of his most exciting captures ever.’
Arriving at a southern river, the former Olympic decathlete found most of the going swims taken so decided to get his walking boots on and go in search of a new spot.
“After an hour I spotted a dark tail glide under a bush in no more than a foot of water so I headed upstream and located a deeper channel to try and draw it out in to,” he said.
An hour spent feeding Hinders Elips pellets eventually attracted a few fish and another hour spent introducing Mainline Grange boilie chops had the big fish feeding confidently.
“I freelined half a boilie chop on a size 12 Korda Mixa hook and in the blink of an eye it was gone and before I knew it, the fish was in the net. In the water she looked every ounce of 7lb but she was so empty and came in slightly under.”
Excellent Fishing on the Trent & Mersey at Horninglow
The Trent & Mersey Canal through Burton-on-Trent is an excellent but under-rated stretch of waterway containing a good mix of species, including a number of river fish, such as chub, due to the Trent entrance near Wychnor further south.
The stretch is the chosen venue for the Division One National Championships this year, proving its consistency and the quality of fishing on offer. The pole is the most obvious and proven tactic that visiting anglers tend to opt for here particularly if you are targeting the venues big head of roach, skimmers and perch. Squatt, pinkie, maggots and bread will all work on their day but at this time of year the former tends to be the best option for a good net of fish. The trick is to fish a couple of lines, one at 3-5m on a whip or top sections of your pole loose-feeding little and often to keep the fish coming as well as feeding another line at the bottom of the far shelf at around 11m feeding it the same way. A little groundbait here is also a good idea to keep the fish concentrated but this must be topped-up if boats pass through and try not to use too. Some of the good pegs can be found by Dallow Lock at the northern end of the stretch as these tend to hold some skimmers and chub which can provide a nice bonus to any good roach and perch net. For the bigger fish you can use chopped worm and caster but some anglers opt for the corn or pellet fished tight to the far bank where roach to 2lb are in residence.
For predator fans there is also a good head of zander with good catch rates of fish in the 4-10lb bracket. Pike will prove harder to find but it is known for fish over 20lb to lurk in the deeper water.
Prices: £2 a day or £12 a season from Burton Angling Supplies or Burton Carp Tackle, Burton Mutual Angling Association, Juniors under 18 are £1 a season on the canal
Contact: Club secretary John Anderson 078911 26910
Location: Trent & Mersey Canal, Dallow Street, Horninglow, Burton on Trent, Staffs, DE14 2PJ
Rules: No litter, distance of at least 5m between moored boats
Facilities: Parking by Dallow Lock off Dallow Street
Huge canal chub landed
AN ANGLER has this week landed one of the biggest chub ever to come from a canal, smashing his personal best in the process.
Steven Brady, from Wolverhampton, made the impressive catch from his local stretch of the Shropshire Union Canal, where he adopted a stalking approach to tempt the impressive 7lb specimen.
The 29-year-old targeted a number of areas on the far bank towards a group of snags and after waiting almost an hour without a bite, his perseverance finally paid off when the fish took his freelined luncheon meat hookbait.
“I’d been watching a particular spot on the far bank for a while and had already seen some decent fish moving in and out of the snags when I saw this specific one. I cast towards it with a large piece of meat and it took the bait instantly – almost on the drop,” explained the carpet fitter.
“It charged straight towards some sunken branches on the left hand side of the swim and I thought I was going to lose it. Luckily I managed to turn the fish, which then charged towards me and safely into the net.”
Steven used 8lb ESP Mono mainline straight through to a size 6 Drennan Super Specialist hook to catch the fish on what was his first session targeting canal chub.
“Over the winter period I’d been concentrating on the canal’s big carp. I caught a 26lb 12oz pb just a few weeks ago, so I’m absolutely blown away to have landed another pb so soon - my previous best chub was only 4lb 6oz. I’ll be going back soon to try for an even bigger fish as I’m sure they’re in there,” he added.
Other canal venues to try for a big chub:
Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal, Monmouthshire
Bridge 106 Ffynnon-Yr-Eirin to Bridge 107 Dan-Y-Graig; Bridge 110 Pen-Pedair-Heol to Ashford Tunnel; Bridge 96 Govilon turn to Bridge 102 Ty-Gwynn.
Tickets: Part of the £20 a year Waterways Scheme (See Canal & River Trust website.)
Kennet & Avon Canal, Reading
Padworth Rota and East Towney sections.
Tickets: Reading & District AA; go to www.wordpress.rdaa.co.uk for details.
Staffordshire/Worcestershire Canal, Wombourne
Botterham Lock to Awbridge Lock
Tickets: £15 a year or £2.50 day ticket; Wolverhampton AA - 01922 413491.
Grand Union Canal, Watford
Park Pound stretch
Tickets: £4.50 on the bank; Watford Piscators - 07956 385241
Coventry Canal, between Nuneaton and Bedworth
Bridges 10a to 34 (particularly good between bridges 17 and 18)
Tickets: £10 a season for permit; Royal Leamington Spa AA - 01926 312319
Big chub catch wins Shropshire Union match
Bonus fish were key during the latest match on the Shropshire Union Canal and Richard Buxton included several chub to 5lb in his winning 29lb catch.
The Willenhall Angling man drew peg 11 during the Wolverhampton AA contest at Brewood in Staffordshire and used a bold worm and caster attack to take seven big specimens.
Maver Tipton Van Den Eynde ace Jamie Edgerton was also kept busy but had to settle for second place with a 17lb 5oz mixed net.
Derbyshire Derwent produces memorable 6lb 6oz chub
A visit to a renowned hotspot on the Derbyshire Derwent ended with Patrick Oliver banking 6lb 6oz chub.
The professional angling guide spent four days prebaiting an area he had had taken a number of big specimens from last winter before rigging up a simple running feeder rig to try and tempt a few bites on a bitterly cold evening.
Shortly after starting his Lodge Specialist Baits shrimp dumbbell wrapped in paste was taken and after a quick yet tense battle, his personal best was equalled.
To book a tuition session with Patrick call 07763 611556.
Steak and cheese fool Ure chub net
Thinking outside the box can sometimes pay dividends as Dave Robson found out when he took victory in the latest event on the River Ure with 28lb 8oz of big chub.
While most of the field decided to use conventional offerings such as worms and bread during the competition at Ripon, the Kippax Tackle Box rod alternated between lumps of cheese and steak to net eight fish to 4lb.
Weights slumped off dramatically from then on, with Leeds Angling’s Steve Beckwith needing just 6lb 4oz for second spot.
