Prebaited river spot throws up a giant chub - Robin Cave
“With the weather getting colder I decided I’d target one of my old chub haunts on the River Thames.
“I prebaited a swim for a week with 14mm boilies and 4mm pellets in preparation for an evening session in hope I’d catch one of the monster chub.
“Using a single rod, a running leger rig and a 14mm boilie hookbait, I crept into position, cast out and sat in the darkness, staring at my rod.
“All was quiet until 8.30pm when my rod-tip slammed over and I set the hook into this fish which felt like a big chub from the start.
“After a good five-minute scrap, I managed to coax her to the surface and into the net.”
Robin Cave – 7lb 6oz chub
Opportunist cast nets 7lb-plus Trent chub - Alfie Naylor
“ON a barbel trip on the River Trent I’d spotted chub smashing fry on the surface near the far bank and, me being an opportunist, I just had to swap rigs and target them.
“I took off the long combi-hooklink and tied on a much shorter braided version before attaching a Nutrabaits River Plus boilie and a PVA bag of crumbed boilie and 8mm pellets to the hook.
“After around 40 minutes of fishing my tip smashed round and this fish tore off into the middle of the river, so I thought it was a barbel.
“When I got it close to the bank, though, and I saw it was a huge chub, my legs turned to jelly and I prayed it wouldn’t come off. Happily it didn’t!”
Alfie Naylor and his 7lb 4oz River Trent chub
Joe does it again with monster Ouse chub!
JOE Royffe extended his superb run of form for big River Ouse chub this week when he slipped his net under this pristine 7lb 11oz specimen.
It was a new personal best by 1oz for the Hertfordshire all-rounder, who spent an evening touch-legering 18mm milk protein boilies into a number of likely-looking swims.
Joe added to a fine run of specimen fish with this 7lb 11oz chub
Monster Avon chub fights like a barbel - Mark Howard
“DURING a session targeting barbel on the Hampshire Avon, I was fishing a gravel run under a large willow tree when I caught this incredible 7lb 8oz chub.
“The fishery manager had told me and my friend that the chub that live in the stretch were getting bigger, but I didn’t realise quite how big!
“We were both using centrepin reels and suddenly mine screamed off! It felt nothing like a chub and I was certain that a barbel was on the end. It was such a powerful fish.
“It obliterates my previous PB of 6lb from over 25 years ago and was caught using a small boilie hookbait.
“I don’t often catch anything special, so I’m really pleased with this one.”
Mark Howard and his 7lb 8oz Hampshire Avon chub
First Thames barbel trip results in a massive PB chub - Harry Keys
“Recently I decided to take a break from match angling and have a go at catching barbel on the River Thames near Pangbourne.
“The weather had been horrendous prior to my session and the river was running two feet above normal level.
“I still gave it a go, though, and fished a 6oz gripper lead with a 15mm Dynamite Baits Spicy Shrimp and Prawn boilie alongside a scattering of 20mm baits.
“At 11pm the wind speed got up to about 40mph and I thought it just wasn’t going to be my night, when all of a sudden my rod-tip bent double and I shot out of my shelter to strike into the fish.
“Surprisingly it came in like a bream, but I think that was because I was playing it in the heavy flow with a 6oz lead attached.
“When its head popped out the water I could barely believe it was a huge chub staring back at me!
“I knew it was going to be a new personal best, but never thought it would be a true Thames giant weighing 8lb 1oz!”
Harry Keys – 8lb 1oz chub
Carper catches record shaking Trent chub
A carp angler on the River Trent had a real surprise recently when just 15 minutes into an after work session he hooked into a giant chub. One of the biggest examples of the species ever reported from the Midlands river.
Tom Morgan and his 8lb 3oz River Trent chub
The huge specimen spun the scales to an impressive 8lb 3oz and was accompanied to the bank by three other chub, all dwarfed by the fine fish.
Captor Tom Morgan from Keyworth told Angling Times:
“Planning to target carp on the Trent Valley Angling Club stretch at Clifton, I was just about to cast out the third rod, when I had a classic drop-back bite on one of the rods.
“From experience of the chub in this swim in the past, I had a good idea what it would be, as they often shoot under the near bank.
“From the fight, however, I thought maybe I had hooked a small common carp. That was until it surfaced and I could see the unreal size of this chub.
“As it went into the net I said ‘oh my life, look at that!’, I honestly thought I had a record.”
“I honestly thought I had the record”
All Tom’s chub fell to 18mm Source boilies fished on hair rigs with size 6 ESP Cryogen hooks alongside a PVA bag of Complex-T pellets.
“Carp anglers seem to often trip these huge Trent fish up, I think because of the heavy pre-baiting strategy keeping fish in the area for longer,” he said.
Bigger baits the trick for crafty Ouse chub - Joe Royffe
“I’d been struggling to catch a big chub from the Great Ouse, but by switching to bigger hookbaits and targeting them earlier than normal this year I’ve managed to get a proper result.
“Over the last few seasons the stretch I’ve been fishing just above Bedford has been a really tough nut to crack. It’s 70-odd miles from home and there’s so much water to choose from, so locating the larger fish has been difficult. I tended to fish it from the end of October onwards, but winter floods made things even harder and I didn’t catch anything over 6lb.
“This year I decided to start my campaign earlier, so over the past six weeks I’ve been regularly baiting with 12mm milk protein boilies in the hope of drawing fish into the area.
“My first few trips were disappointing, with small roach and dace a problem. They were hanging themselves on the boilies I was using, so on my latest session I took a leap of faith and switched to much larger 18mm baits to try to overcome the problem.
“I got down to the river for 6pm and after loosefeeding a swim for an hour with hemp, I cast tight under the overhanging canopy of a fallen tree.
“About 20 minutes had passed when I had a twitchy, tapping sort of bite on the quivertip, which I thought was another small fish messing with the bait, but then the rod arched over and was nearly pulled out of my hands!
“I struck into a powerful fish which fought dirty and repeatedly tried to dive into the near-bank undergrowth as I drew it towards me.
“After I’d steered it away from the reeds and nettles it made a final bid for freedom by swimming back across the river towards the far bank, but with steady pressure and a bit of grunt I was relieved to scoop it into the net!
“On the scales this fish fell 6oz short of my long-standing PB, but it certainly felt much more rewarding after the long journey and all the effort I’d put in to catch it.”
Joe Royffe and his 7lb 4oz Ouse chub
Dream river session sees 7lb-plus chub and 2lb-plus roach banked - Connor Threadingham
“While fishing a quick overnight session on my local Dorset Stour I managed to catch my second 7lb chub of the season weighing 7lb 1oz.
Connor Threadingham and his 7lb 1oz chub
“It fell to a trimmed-down 14mm squid boilie alongside a very small PVA bag of Elips pellets and crumbled boilies, freebies thrown over the top.
“The tactics were suitable for chub and barbel, although during the night I also had a strange take on the same rig. The rod-tip bounced around and hardly any line came off the reel.
“When I hooked into it I thought it was just a small chub, but still couldn’t verify what species it was even when it slipped over the net cord.
“After I finally got my headtorch on and saw the bright red fins of a big roach my heart started to race!
“When the needle on the scales crept round to 2lb 5oz, I was well chuffed!
“I’m pretty sure that I actually saw this roach earlier on in the season when I was prebaiting for chub. I recognised it instantly from the really distinctive scarring that it had along its back.”
Connor Threadingham and his 2lb 5oz Stour roach
Cracking Avon chub falls on the float - Gavin Barrett
“The Hampshire Avon is exceptionally low and clear at the moment, but recently I managed to find a deep far-bank run which I could trot a stick float down with hemp and caster.
“In a few hours I’d caught a few dace and a 3lb chub, but I’d run out of bait. I decided instead to just have a couple of runs down without feeding and just fish double caster on the hook.
“Halfway down the swim the float buried and I stuck into a solid weight that tried its best to get under the far bank.
“Luckily it came back and on to the surface – giving me an opportunity to guide it over a mid-river weedbed.
“After a few last-minute lunges I was able to scoop her up.”
Gavin Barrett – 6lb 11oz chub
Strong Dove chub takes bait on dark - Steve Moss
“Just before it got dark I headed down to the River Dove hoping to catch a chub or two.
“To help draw them into my swim I baited it with a good helping of hempseed and chopped worm before casting out a bunch of worms over the top.
“The plan worked as later on my rod tapped over and I struck into what was clearly a big fish as it hugged the bottom for most of the fight.
“Needless to say, I was really happy to see this one go into the net!”
Steve Moss – 6lb 7oz chub
Huge Dorset Stour chub fights like a barbel - Connor Threadingham
“Before the river season started, I spent numerous evenings travelling down to my local Dorset Stour to watch the water for signs of fish and to bait likely spots with a mixture of Elips pellets and squid boilies.
“One swim that took my fancy featured a narrow gravel run on the edge of some streamer weed, so I planned to fish an overnight session there to see what I could catch. It turned out to be a blinding session for chub and I walked away with a new personal best weighing 7lb 5oz, also catching fish of 4lb, 5lb, 6lb 1oz, 6lb 2oz and 6lb 4oz for good measure!
“To make my hookbait look more like a pellet, I trimmed one of the squid boilies down to a dumbell shape before attaching a PVA bag of pellets to the hook and lowering my rig on to the spot.
“From the way my new PB took off with the bait I thought I was playing a small barbel, but as the fight developed it lost momentum, yet still tried to take me into every snag possible!
“When I saw it go over the net I knew it was a new PB, but never thought in my wildest dreams it would go 7lb 5oz.”
Connor Threadingham – 7lb 5oz chub
Ouse still the king for monster chub
PATRIC Kyte’s last-minute decision to target the River Ouse instead of the Trent proved to be a superb choice when he slipped his net under this 7lb 12oz chub.
Atfer a slow start, the 61-year-old Northants rod’s fortunes improved when he found a near-bank snag.
“On my first cast I missed a typical ‘finicky’ chub bite with the rod on the rest so I cast back in but this time held the rod in my hands,” he tells us.
“Fifteen minutes later I felt a double tug on the line, struck and was into what felt like a really heavy fish.
“After pulling it away from the snag and nearside reeds and rushes I quickly realised it was a truly special chub.”
Patric’s 7lb 12oz specimen is his fifth-largest chub ever and fell to an 18mm boilie fished with a 60g groundbait feeder.
Patric Kyte and his 7lb 12oz summer chub from the Great Ouse
Truly special chub is over 8lb - Anthony Hart
“During a recent evening trip to the River Wharfe I managed to hook and land this stunning 8lb 1oz chub.
“There were some overhanging trees on the far bank which I knew from previous sessions held big chub, so I flicked out a 14mm Vortex Baits CKO pellet as close to the branches as I dared.
“A few knocks on the tip moments later revealed that there were some fish in the area, before eventually my rod wrapped round and my centrepin screeched!
“I knew it was a big chub from the off, but never did I think it’d be a truly special chub.
“When the scales read 8lb 1oz I was in disbelief.
“It had smashed my previous PB of 6lb 4oz by miles and I reckon it could be the new chub record for the Wharfe.
“I don’t think I’ll be catching a bigger fish any time soon!”
Anthony Hart and his 8lb River Wharfe chub
Another giant Trent chub landed
PATIENCE proved to be the key factor in the capture of this personal-best 7lb 12oz River Trent chub.
It fell to the rod of East Yorks all-rounder Colin Hebb, who’d baited a near-bank overhanging tree with Nutrabaits River Plus boilies at 2pm but had to wait until 9.30pm for the bite.
“As soon as I struck into the fish I thought I’d hooked a barbel, so I was shocked to see a chub!” he tells us.
Colin Hebb and his 7lb 12oz chub
Sunken barge home to enormous summer chub
JUST a week after catching a personal-best 7lb chub from the tidal River Trent, Macclesfield angler Ian Potts returned to slip his net under an even larger specimen weighing 7lb 6oz.
He targeted a gravel run next to a sunken barge, using a straight lead set-up and a 14mm Spicy Furter pellet hookbait.
“When this one took my bait I thought it was a small barbel as the bite was an absolute screamer – so I was shocked to see this giant, fin-perfect chub surface,” he tells us.
Ian Potts with his second 7lb-plus Trent chub of the season
Small baits the key to rare Severn giant! - Roger Carswell
“I’ve seen many anglers persisting with big baits to catch chub and barbel on the River Severn
this season, but ditching them in favour of far smaller offerings has definitely helped me catch more fish.“I made the change around a fortnight ago and enjoyed a fabulous day’s sport that produced 14 barbel and seven chub.
“Knowing that other anglers had been struggling on bigger baits I left mine at home for that session and opted for 6mm banded pellets mounted on to size 12 hooks, which I fished alongside an open-ended feeder loaded with dampened pellets coated with groundbait.
6mm banded pellets with small hooks were key to getting regular bites
“The barbel ranged between 2lb and 6lb while the chub were 12oz to 5lb – not monsters but it was a superb result considering the Severn was well down on its usual levels.
“After that successful trip I hit the bank again a few days later to have a go in a much shallower swim and see if my smaller hookbaits made a difference there.
“The river could only have been 2ft deep, but there was plenty of cover along the opposite bank, so I was mildly confident of catching.
“A strong gusting wind made casting into the far-bank gulleys a bit tricky but I still managed to hit the mark.
“After about three hours I only had three small chub and a barbel to show for my efforts, so I decided to move downstream. My first cast in the new peg turned up another small chub but about 20 minutes later another bite saw me connected to something much bigger, although I knew this wasn’t a barbel.
“I had to walk downstream with my rod and net to play the fish in the fast, shallow water which was when I saw it was a huge chub!
“Chub of that size are incredibly rare for the Severn so I took my time playing her. They’re usually pretty hollow at this time of year but this clonker registered 7lb 4oz on the scales!
“It was an absolute beast that would have been more at home chewing on whole signal crayfish rather than my tiny 6mm Krill pellet, but the smaller bait clearly worked!
“I guess at the end of the day you can get away with crude tackle when night fishing but I’ve found daylight hours demand a more subtle approach where hookbaits are concerned.”
Roger Carswell’s rare 7lb 4oz River Severn chub
“I’m going to apply for the British record chub"
A claim for the British record chub will be submitted after an angler fishing the River Severn caught a large specimen weighing in at 10lb 11oz.
“I’ve caught chub to 6lb 15oz from the River Severn before, but the one I landed on a recent session was in an altogether different league.”
These were the words of captor Kam Srih, who whilst stunned by what his scales were reading, checked the weight six times to make sure.
He told Angling Times:
“I was fishing at Coalport, a Rowley and District Angling Society water, and had been loosefeeding boilies for a while before casting out in a bid to get the fish competing. A short while later I had a few bangs on the tip and then the rod hooped over. Straight away the fish snagged me.
“It wouldn’t budge, so I slackened off the line and eventually it moved back out into the main flow.
“I could feel a heavy weight plodding around, but then it snagged me again, so I gave it more slack line, which did the trick once more. Suddenly, it leapt out of the water and I thought I was attached to a salmon – it had such a big tail. Once I’d eased the fish towards me and into the net I stood there shaking. It was a chub, and a huge one at that.
“I calmed myself down, and after weighing the fish on my digital scales they registered 12lb 2oz. I thought ‘that’s not right’ so I weighed it again.
“In total, it was weighed six times, and on each occasion the scales showed 12lb 2oz. I released the chub and then weighed the net, which I knew weighed 1lb 7oz, and the scales registered this exactly, which means my fish weighed 10lb 11oz.
“I’m going to apply for the British record, but whatever the outcome, to me it’s one very special chub.”
Kam Srih weighed this chub at 10lb 11oz
We will keep up to date with Kam’s claim, but with no witnesses, it will likely be rejected by the British Record Fish Committee.
First ever chub is over 8lb!
Anglers getting back on the rivers today are bound to run into a chub or two, but they are unlikely to meet a specimen of this size so early in the season.
The monstrous fish pictured weighed in at a whopping 8lb 3oz and was caught by Henry Chilton from a Derbyshire Stillwater.
The shocked carp angler told Angling Times:
“With my mind set on carp I headed to a mixed coarse fishery in Derbyshire before dawn for a planned overnighter.
“The owner told me that a handful of chub were introduced in the late 1990s but were rarely ever seen, so I didn’t take much notice. I was soon settled into a swim with lily pads around 50yds away. I baited it with 12mm and 16mm glugged Krill boilies and cast a 12mm pop-up over the top. As the sun started to peak over the trees my bobbin dropped to the deck.
“The fight was just like a small carp but near the net I saw a flash of silver and realised it wasn’t what I was after. I’d never seen a chub, so I wasn’t sure what it was!
“The owner came down to help me weigh it and said: ‘That’s a beast of a chub – that’s massive.’
“I’m only 19 and my first-ever chub was 8lb 3oz! It’s probably the best fish of my life and I doubt I’ll ever catch a bigger one.”
Henry Chilton with his first ever chub at 8lb 3oz!
Dream end to greatest ever river season!
ANGLERS around the country enjoyed a prolific end to what may go down as one of the best seasons ever on the country’s rivers.
There was a host of big fish landed in the last couple weeks of the season, including these specimens reported to the Angling Times News Desk…
Robin Cave 9lb chub
WHEN Robin Cave embarked on his final session of the river season he had no idea he was about to catch a near British record chub weighing 9lb on the nose. The 59-year-old builder from Oxford latched into the clonking chevvin on a paste-wrapped boilie, which was fished next to a snaggy tree on the River Thames.
“I’m still buzzing now – I thought my 8lb 1oz chub from earlier in the season was special, but this was something else,” Robin told us.
Warren Hammond 8lb 1oz chub
NOT many anglers can claim their first chub on a new rod weighed 8lb 1oz, but Warren Hammond can! It was a personal best for the 51-year-old electrician, who trotted red maggots on his 15ft Drennan Acolyte set-up during a visit to the Dorset Stour. Warren says:
“I can’t think of a better end to my season than this!”
Garth Sykes 18lb 3oz barbel
IMAGINE smashing your barbel personal best twice in a single session – well that’s exactly what Garth Sykes did during his final visit of the season to the Tidal Trent. Using boilies to target a slack area of the river over a 48-hour period, the Leeds-based rod hooked and battled specimens of 15lb 10oz and 18lb 3oz. He says:
“When I saw that the reading on the digital scales had gone over 18lb, my legs started shaking!”
Phil Smith 30lb barbel brace
“Fishing boilies next to a tree at Castor on the River Nene, I managed to catch barbel of 15lb 1oz and 16lb 5oz between 10:30am and 3pm.
“I normally stay on the river until last knockings, but I drove home at 5pm with a huge smile on my face! Former PDAA bailiff Mark Smith got in contact later that evening to tell me that at 31lb 6oz, my barbel brace was the largest ever recorded from Castor. I was truly over the moon.”
James Champkin 4lb 3oz perch
“I’d been catching some nice 3lb perch on the River Lea, but a four-pounder eluded me for months. With a couple of days to go before the end of the season, I decided to have another crack in the area with lobworms fished over maggots and broken lobs. Within an hour I had lost a big fish, but just a few minutes later I received the all-important bite that resulted in my longed-for ‘four’.”
Chub falls ounces short of river record - Chay Jackson
“What a day I had on the River Anker. I’d been targeting a 5lb-plus chub from this stretch for a while now, but I always believed it could throw-up a whacker, having lost a couple of proper fish in the past.
“I’d already enjoyed plenty of sport during the day with three chub to 4lb 14oz taking a liking to my homemade cheesepaste but I wasn’t prepared for my next bite – an absolute donkey of a chub weighing 6lb 8oz!
I checked later and realised my fish fell just a couple of ounces short of the Anker record.
It was simply incredible.”
