'Good six' taken on the float - Dean Derbyshire

“My mate wanted to learn some winter chub fishing tactics so we headed to the Dorset Stour to see if we could catch one on the float.

“We set up in a swim with a steady glide and I began baiting it with maggots for half-an-hour before making my first trot through.

“After a few attempts, I let the float carry right to the end of the swim where it buried out of sight. The fish made a run downstream, leaving my 14ft Ultralight waggler rod bent right through!

“It was a solid and typically dogged fight from a big chub, but with slow and steady pressure for around five minutes I was able to bring the fish back upstream.

“My mate and I high-fived the second it went in the net and we both looked down saying that we thought it was a good ‘six’. We were right, too, as the scales soon confirmed a weight of 6lb 7oz.

“I was chuffed with the catch, but even more so because my mate had learned how to catch winter chub!” 

Dean Derbyshire with his 6lb 7oz Stour chub