FIRST CHUB TRIP OF THE WINTER PAYS OFF WITH 7LB 2OZ SPECIMEN
A MAIDEN visit to a new river couldn’t have ended any sweeter for Kevin Sanders who left later that evening with a new chub personal best of 7lb 2oz.
The 42-year-old from Cambridgeshire pinned his hopes on the River Lea for a few bites but had to wait until dusk for some action.
He said: “I tried several swims through the day with only a couple of knocks for my efforts but when I went back to my first swim for the evening my tip pulled round into something very heavy!
An absolute chunk of a chub for Kevin - and a new PB!
“It was a strong fish making several runs but eventually I coaxed this huge fish into the net.
“At 7lb 2oz it beat my previous PB of 6lb 7oz.”
Kevin’s fine chub fell to a wafter hookbait wrapped in paste.
8lb 1oz chub is one of season's best
ROBIN Cave has slipped his net under one of the biggest chub of the year weighing an incredible 8lb 1oz.
The specimen ace was itching to get back on his favourite stretch of the River Thames after recent floodwater rendered it unfishable, but had no idea his first outing would yield a new personal best.
He said: “I know there are some big chub in this stretch so to draw them in I baited a small amount of pellet and crushed boilie, before fishing a 22mm Oxford Carp Baits GS Crab boilie over the top.
“As the light faded my tip shot over and after scrappy ten minute fight I finally landed my prize – a chub weighing 3oz bigger than my previous pb!”
Robin’s 8lb 1oz giant beat his previous PB by 3oz
Monster chub comes out after dark
Chub don’t get much fatter than this 7lb 13oz cracker taken from the Great Ouse by James Crameri.
The train station supervisor, from Bury St Edmunds, was targeting a favourite swim on a fining-down river, but it wasn’t until the hours of darkness that the specimen pulled the quivertip round.
“It was the only bite of the evening although in fairness I didn’t fish much longer after catching it as my desire to continue had been overtaken by the size of the chub I’d just caught!” said James, who used a legered boilie on a semi-fixed rig cast to the crease, with a PVA bag of loose offerings nicked on to the hook.
Big Thames chub the perfect remedy
DESPITE suffering from a severe cold Ken Hellewell braved harsh weather to get out and bank this fin-perfect 7lb 1oz chub.
The Farnborough-based angler reluctantly headed to a length of the River Thames and was forced to fish areas of slack water due to the floods.
He said: “I’d only fished for four hours as I really wasn’t feeling well, and I had to settle of fishing the slacks as the river was so high.
“I’d fed four areas with liquidised bread and fished a chunk of flake over the top on the hook.
“It was my only bite of the session but at 7lb 1oz I was very happy I’d made the effort to get out.”
Meaty hookbait fools Ouse specimen
Every season the Great Ouse produces big chub, and for Mark Austin the river certainly didn’t disappoint with this cracking 7lb 9oz specimen.
Targeting a stretch of the river in Milton Keynes, the big chub took a legered Pallatrax ‘Meatbeast Squabs’ presented on a size 8 hook.
Mark revealed that this tactic has been effective for other fish from the same stretch: “I smashed my Chub PB (previously 6lb 13oz) with this stunning fish at 7lb 9oz,
the same tactic has also produced five big chub over 5lbs in two sessions along the same stretch.”
Chocolate river no problem for monster chub!
FLOODWATER has halted fishing on many rivers across the country but anglers targeting southern waterways are currently enjoying sport from a glut of specimen fish.
Hampshire specialist Simon Daley was one of them and he found success in pursuit of chub on the Dorset Stour with the capture of a 7lb 7oz giant.
The big-fish hunter, who made headlines a fortnight ago with a superb 16lb 13oz barbel, had intended to trot maggots for his quarry but a rapidly rising river forced a change of tactics.
He said: “The river was bank high and chocolate in colour, so trotting was out of the question.
“Instead I decided to fish the slacks with a strong-smelling paste hair-rigged to a size 8 hook, 8lb mainline and my favourite Drennan 1.25tc rod.”
Early in the session Simon thought his chance was gone when he missed a bite but a few taps on the tip five minutes before packing up was enough to warrant a strike.
He added: “I connected with a heavy fish and had to play it hard to keep it away from the snags.
“I was shocked when it surfaced – the length and girth was immense.
“I’m sure come February or March it’ll be a proper monster.”
