Schoolboy bags brace of a lifetime!
DAY sessions don’t get much better than the one enjoyed by Kyle Brayne recently.
At just 13 years old, he became the envy of many a seasoned big-fish specialist when he braced a 7lb 10oz chub with a 17lb 14oz barbel.
After being stuck inside for weeks, Kyle had been itching to get out fishing, and he got his wish when his dad’s friend Robert Bown offered to take him to a local stretch of the middle River Trent a mile from home.
“The river is within walking distance of both our houses,” Robert told us,
“so Kyle and I spent the few days leading up to the session baiting a swim we fancied.
“When Wednesday arrived, we got to the bank for 9.30am, and it wasn’t long before we were into fish, the first being the huge chub. Kyle played it like a professional, and after a few minutes’ battle the fish was netted.
“Unsurprisingly it’s a personal best for him, and we ended up chatting for hours about his extraordinary catch.”
Kyle Brayne and his monster 7lb 10oz chub
The pair decided to pack up late in the afternoon, but just before they called time, the right-hand rod roared off again.
“This fish went on a series of big powerful runs, but Kyle again played it brilliantly, coaxing the fish out of a snag that it had kited into,” Rob revealed.
“We saw a huge barbel surface, and on the scales it registered 17lb 14oz – another big PB for Kyle!
“A little later I picked up my rod to reel in and head for home, and it almost tore off in my hand, with a smaller barbel being the culprit. It’s sod’s law that I landed the smallest fish, but it was Kyle’s day, so him landing the biggest was only right.
“We walked home wet and muddy but over the moon. What a day session!”
Kyle backed up the chub with this huge 17lb 14oz barbel
Perfect conditions bring huge Avon chub
Making the most of perfect conditions resulted in this immaculate 7lb 12oz Hampshire Avon chub for Gavin Barrett.
Arriving after lunch and creeping into position, Gavin found the river in great shape, with a tinge of colour and rapidly warming water following a long cold spell.
“I lowered a lump of paste on to a crease off the rod-tip where I was able to fish a slack line” he told us.
“After 10 minutes, it suddenly whipped tight, and I struck into a fish already trying to get under my own bank. Fortunately, it stayed in the calm water, and after netting it I was greeted by the most pristine chub I’ve ever witnessed.
“If it hadn’t been for travelling restrictions, I’d probably have been fishing for roach. But catching this chub has certainly made my season!”
Gavin Barrett – 7lb 12oz chub
Giant Norfolk chub...on a lure!
FEW hardy souls target winter chub on lures, but judging by this 7lb 10oz fish banked by Savage Gear team member Robbie Northman on a 5.5cm Cannibal Shad lure, maybe they should.
Targeting Norfolk’s River Bure, Robbie found it in perfect nick during a mild spell after weeks of snow.
“I was working my tiny lure through a bankside slack when I felt a sudden thump on the rod,” he told us.
“I struck instantly, and the fish took off powerfully across the current.
“I could tell it was a big one, and at 7lb 10oz it broke my previous PB by 8oz.”
Robbie Northman’s 7lb 10oz chub fell to a lure
Switch to maggots on dropping river brings big chub
Chub fishing hasn’t been easy in flooded rivers across the UK, but southern specimen angler Phil Buckingham made the most of his local River Lea as it fined down with this 7lb 8oz fish.
Fishing the Kings Weir stretch, Phil returned to a swim where he’d had a few indications earlier.
“I’ve been fishing Kings Weir twice a week this winter, with it being my local water, and on a previous session I’d fished meat in a big slack but only had a few pulls.
“With the colour dropping out the river I switched to a maggot feeder, and when my centrepin screeched I thought I’d hooked a barbel!
“The lack of fight indicated otherwise, and I was delighted to slip the net under the fish – my 11th chub over 7lb.”
Phil Buckingham and his 7lb 8oz Lea chub
Rig change makes all the difference for specimen chub - Tom Stafford
“Conditions on my local river in Essex looked perfect for chub, so I headed down there at 8am with my quivertip rod, a net, a rod rest and a bucket of bait.
“With just a couple of hours’ fishing at my disposal, I could only afford 10 minutes in each swim and hoped for a quick bite on my link-legered cheesepaste and lobworm offerings, but before I knew it my time was running out and I was in my final swim without having had so much as a knock.
“It was an ‘S’ bend with an inviting slack on the far bank, and I nicked on a whole lobworm before flicking my rig out to the mark.
“After five minutes I reeled in to check the worm, only to find it chewed and covering the hook point, yet I hadn’t received any indication on my rod-tip.
“So off came the rig and I tied on a new, short hooklink incorporating a Drennan Quickstop before hair-rigging half a lobworm to the back of my size 12 hook. It’s a technique I often use when for perch, as I find it makes for better hooking efficiency.
Hair-rigging his worm bait to the back of the hook was only a small tweak, but it paid off for Tom Stafford
“A couple of minutes after casting back out, there was a little judder on the tip before it smashed completely round and I connected with a strong fish that immediately tried to get into the marginal snags.
“I was adamant it wasn’t going to reach them, though, and by piling on as much pressure as I dared I steered this huge chub up to the surface and shouted ‘get in!’ as it slid over the net cord.
“It was a massive fish for my tiny local river and, at 6lb 5oz, it proved to be a new personal best into the bargain.
“I had made only a small rig change, but it made a huge difference at the eleventh hour of the session!”
Tom Stafford – 6lb 5oz chub
Big carper finds perfect lockdown target
Big carper and The Challenge star Harry Charrington has put the carp rods away for now and set his sights on greedy river chub.
“If I’m still to get my fishing hit in lockdown that’s the only way to go,” he says.
Fortunately, Harry lives just a stone’s throw away from a fantastic stretch of river in East Anglia, one with a good head of chub.
“I’m very lucky in that I can easily access miles of quality river with dozens of great spots, all with the aid of my bike, so it couldn’t be more local. Since Christmas I must have had over 30 chub, with the average size between 3lb and 4lb 8oz.
“However, I struck gold the other day when I managed a 5lb 3oz and a 6lb 1oz in consecutive casts, with the six being a new PB!”
Harry is clearly delighted with his 6lb 1oz chub
Target achieved with big Itchen chub - Thomas Bark
“This winter I set myself the target of catching a personal-best chub from my local River Itchen. As my previous best was only 3lb 8oz, I didn’t think it would’ve been too hard a task, but I spent around two months blanking or catching bream while other anglers were landing chub to some impressive sizes.
“On January 20 I finally hooked into a good chub on the maggot feeder, but sadly I lost it at the net! It looked all of 5lb and I was absolutely gutted.
“I returned a week later to the river, and half-an-hour later I had a PB chub in the net which weighed 5lb.
“Two hours after that the quivertip smashed round again and I was into a far better fish which fought doggedly and stayed low in the current before rolling over the net. At 6lb 12oz, it was a monster, and smashed my target out of the water!”
Thomas Bark – 6lb 12oz Itchen chub
'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
Monster Lea chub banked
DESPITE his local River Lea being the colour of tea, Matt Hayes fished through the unsavoury conditions to bank this huge chub weighing 8lb 2oz.
Targeting a small slack on the far bank, the 43-year-old had to wait only a few minutes after casting out before his quivertip smashed over.
He told us:
“At first I thought it was a barbel as it was so heavy, but then this thing that looked like a grass carp surfaced, and I realised I’d hooked a truly monster chub!”
Matt’s new PB took a hair-rigged cork ball wrapped in cheesepaste.
Matt Hayes and his 8lb 2oz chub
Brace of Trent sixes banked prior to floods - David Fry
“Having a free afternoon I headed to my local stretch of the Trent in search of a bite. Out went my 80g cage feeder loaded with mashed bread and it didn’t take long before something took an interest in my garlic cheesepaste hookbait.
“Eventually the tip swung round and I connected with a lovely 5lb 7oz fish. My next bite was instant and resulted in a chub of 6lb 1oz. Knowing I’d located a decent shoal of chub, I just had to get back to the swim the following afternoon and I didn’t have to wait long for the tip to smack round again!
“This fish was a completely different class to the others and I netted a new PB of 6lb 10oz. The next cast produced a 5lb 15oz fish and half an hour later I had chub of 3lb and 6lb 6oz were landed. I was mega happy with my brace of Trent sixes in one afternoon!”
David Fry and his 6lb 10oz Trent chub
Flavoured maggots tempt big Stour chub
AN EARLY-morning raid on the Dorset Stour came to fruition for Richie Martin with the capture of a personal-best chub of 7lb 6oz.
Before introducing his float rig the Hampshire all-rounder baited a far-bank run with pouchfuls of plum-flavoured maggots.
He banked the fish after striking at a slight dip on his float an hour after his first cast.
Richie Martin and his 7lb 6oz Stour chub
First 7lb chub comes from high and coloured river - Craig Hall
“The Thames was up and coloured, but I thought there could be a chance of a chub. Fishing close to some snags, I introduced a few handfuls of Elips pellet, boilie halves and worm extract with a bait dropper and fished hardened bloodworm dumbbells.
“Just on dark, my rod rattled off and I bent into a heavy weight. When I got the chub on to the scales, I was buzzing to see I’d caught my first-ever seven!”
Craig Hall – 7lb 1oz chub
Two trots of the float and two PB chub - Matthew Fernandez
“I’d spent the night fishing a syndicate lake for big bream but I didn’t have a single bite, so in the morning I switched my attentions to the Dorset Stour and its big chub.
“The river looked in good condition to trot a float so I settled into a swim and began feeding it with red maggots.
“After an hour I started fishing and caught lots of dace and roach before I set the hook into a new PB chub going 6lb 10oz.
“Before I had a chance to enjoy the moment, though, my very next trot saw the float bury again and my rod bent into what felt like an absolute monster!
“From the off I was certain I’d hooked a barbel as the power of this fish was insane. Fortunately, my friend Matt was present and helped me net the fish.
“I’ve always dreamt of catching a 7lb-plus chub on the float, and the needle on my scales signalled my dream had come true.”
Matthew Fernandez and his 7lb 1oz Stour chub
Spooking fish off the spot before casting is vital for big Stour chub - Nigel Kennard
“TEN years ago I started working nights, which meant I only had time for short, opportunistic fishing trips. I love chub fishing, but back then I struggled to catch them from my local river in the three hours I had before my shifts started.
“The swims I fished all looked great for a bite and I knew the chub were there, because I’d seen them moving in the area, but from the moment I dropped in my rig it was as though my sessions were doomed, and time ran out before I’d even had a knock.
“I have lots of confidence in bolt rigs for chub, and the 2oz versions I use feature a boilie hookbait alongside a PVA bag of eight matching boilies. However, the rig makes a relatively loud splash when you cast it out, so I could only think that this was the reason for my blanks.
“Eventually I came up with a solution to the problem and thought up a way of temporarily spooking the chub from my swim – giving me enough time to cast my rig before they returned.
“This simple tweak involved feeding just six boilies into the area, one at a time, the idea being that the small splashes would deter the chub just long enough for me to make my move. The change made an instant impact, and has accounted for the majority of my chub catches ever since!
“Two weeks ago I headed to the Dorset Stour for another short session before work and I decided to fish a marginal swim with a bit of depth to it. After dropping in my six boilies to move any resident chub out of the swim, I then flicked out my rig.
“My first bite came two minutes later, resulting in a 5lb 13oz fish. After letting the swim rest I repeated the process – eventually banking a much bigger chub of 7lb 5oz.
A chunky 7lb 5oz chub
“A little over a week later I headed to a completely different stretch of the Stour.
“The water was carrying a bit of colour, but I had seen big chub in this particular swim during the summer so I decided to start there.
“Using the exact same tactics, I waited less than an hour for a bite and landed a 7lb 9oz chub following a strong scrap under the rod-tip.
A 7lb 9oz Stour chub
“This fish proved to be my biggest chub from the Stour and just 2oz off my PB, caught from the River Lea some years ago.
“I don’t think I’ll use a different approach to my chub fishing ever again.”
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.”
Ryan Macdonald 7lb 2oz Thames chub
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