Chunky Thames chub on after-work session - Ryan Macdonald

“AFTER work I nipped down to my local stretch of the River Thames to spend a couple of hours fishing for chub.
“I found a fantastic-looking swim roughly 60m upstream of an overhanging tree and began baiting under it with a few whole and chopped 18mm boilies before casting out a matching boilie on a running rig.
“Clearly there were fish in the area because I received line bites from the start, but out of nowhere my rod just ripped off.
“I grabbed it and bent into the fish that gave me a slow, dogged fight – very unusual for a chub from this venue.
“The whole time I thought I had a big bream, at least until it surfaced at the net and I saw this big pair of rubbery lips in my headtorch light!
“At 7lb 2oz it smashed my old best of 6lb 8oz and, as a bonus, I went on to catch five more in the session.”