Pre-baiting pays off as big chub go on summer spree

Our rivers are producing their best big chub sport of the summer so far.

The first such fish scaled 7lb 2oz and was caught by river fishing fanatic Alfie Naylor, who makes the most of living close to the Trent, one of the UK’s most
in-form and sought-after venues. 

The commitment needed to catch the biggest specimens was clear when he fed half-a-kilo of 110% Baits Redball plum boilies into his swim for several evenings before finally wetting a line.

Then, after finishing work, the specialist from Newark, Notts, headed down to see if his carefully-laid trap had tempted one of the resident chub into the area. His answer came just seconds after he dropped his rod into the rest.

“I’d been on the bank for less than five minutes, and my left-hand rod ripped off just after the boilie hookbait hit the deck,” Alfie told Angling Times.

“I’ve had a run of double-figure barbel on the river and some big carp, so to smash my chub personal best is incredible.”

He’s since been back to the river, backing up his ‘seven’ with another chub weighing 6lb.

Richard Hart was also celebrating the capture of a huge chub just a few weeks after beating his pb for the species. This time round it was a 7lb fish from a Midlands river for the angler from Heanor, Derbyshire.

“I’d been trotting pellets for about two hours when I decided to move,” he said. 

“I was getting my gear together when I looked back to see what I thought was a barbel of around 8lb move across the river to the far bank.

“I decided to give a legered lobworm a go and bounce it around under the tree where the fish headed – and sure enough, about five minutes later I got a great drop-back bite.

“This fish made my former personal best from a few weeks back look very small in comparison.”