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
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
Giant chub falls for sausage hookbait
GERARD O’Sullivan proved the pulling power of Peperami when this 7lb 8oz chub snaffled his sausage hookbait during a short evening trip.
The 29-year-old had prebaited his local stretch of the River Lea with pellets and chopped Peperami before returning two days later to try his luck – but he had no idea he’d be battling a new chub personal best within 10 minutes of casting out!
“After a crazy battle this old brute popped up and headed straight for the landing net, leaving me in complete shock,” Gerard said.
“I’ve only ever caught chub to 2lb so this catch was really something special for me.”
Gerard O’Sullivan’s 7lb 8oz chub fell to a sausage hookbait
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
Roving approach pays off for huge Lea chub
SWIM-hopping helped Steve Fenton put this chunky 7lb 6oz chub into his net on the River Lea Relief Channel.
The 67-year-old spent no longer than 15 minutes in each swim, casting his bread feeder and flake hookbait combination into the deep channel three-quarters of the way across the river.
It was a tactic that paid off shortly after dark, when his quivertip slammed round within minutes of him plotting up in a fresh spot.
“The belly on this chub was something else!” said a delighted Steve.
“It stayed deep the whole time and fought its corner all the way to the bank”
Steve Fenton and his 7lb 6oz chub
Monster chub falls to lure in high water - Robert Onicala
“I recently had a morning free before I had to work in the afternoon, so I decided to nip out to the Great Ouse beforehand to do a bit of lure fishing.
“The river was running high and coloured, so I knew it was going to be hard work, but I figured I’d give it a go anyway.
“Because I could only really fish the slacks close to the bank, I attached a 2ins Keitech Easy Shiner lure to a weedless hook to avoid snagging up, and began roving the bank.
“I got off to a great start and banked a number of small pike and perch before eventually hooking into something more substantial.
“At first I thought it was a bigger pike, but then this monster chub surfaced… and the panic immediately set in as I tried to land it as quickly as possible!
“I was really pleased with the result, because I’d spent most of the summer trying to catch a big chub but caught nothing that could compare to the size of this beast!”
Robert Onicala – 6lb 4oz chub
Winter campaign off to a flyer with 7lber - Adrian Eaves
“It was my first chub session on the River Thames this winter and the conditions were excellent. The river was running low and clear after the recent high levels and most of the autumn leaves littering the bottom had been washed away.
“After walking the section and feeding a few promising-looking swims with mashed bread, I headed back to the first and flicked out a lump of flake on a running lead set-up.
“No bites materialised in that swim but soon after dropping my rig into the second I had a very positive bite.
“Fortunately, it was a pretty uneventful fight in the clear water, with no snags to cause me any problems.
“It was real chunk of a chub and I was super delighted to get a 7lb-plus fish under my belt this early in the winter campaign.”
(This catch was reported before the third England lockdown)
Adrian Eaves and his 7lb 3oz Thames 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
Monster Avon chub falls on the pin - Darryl Hughes
“I took a couple of days’ leave from work to have a go at catching a big chub from the Hampshire Avon.
“On my first day off I drove to a favourite stretch of mine with a bag of boilies and baited a few bends, overhanging trees and slacks with the plan of returning the following day to fish them in turn.
“Arriving early, I started fishing and spent an hour in each spot before moving on – but I just couldn’t get anything to take my paste-wrapped boilie.
“The daylight was slowly slipping away, but I was determined to catch so I clipped an isotope on to the end of my rod and dropped into a swim on the bend of the river which had a deep hole close in.
“I lowered down my rig, and roughly 15 minutes later the ratchet on my centrepin reel spun away and I struck into a heavy lump that kited straight into the main flow.
“At first I thought it was a barbel from the way it took off, but I was able to guide it into some slack water where I lifted the fish’s head to reveal the unmistakable ‘gob’ of a chub, and a big one at that.
“She went into the net and the first thing I noticed was the size of the belly on it. It was the fattest chub I’d ever seen!”
Darryl Hughes and his 7lb 4oz chub
Is this Yorkshire's largest chub?
A CLUB match secretary believes he banked the largest chub ever recorded from a Yorkshire River when this 7lb 4oz specimen sucked in his breadflake hookbait.
Ripon Piscatorial Association official Nathan Proctor banked the thickset fish when he took advantage of the ban on competition angling to target chub on the River Ure with bread feeder tactics.
Casting tight to the far bank, Nathan’s rig had only been in the water for a few seconds before he struck into his new personal best.
He said:
“At first I thought it was a snag but after 30 seconds it moved and just wallowed in the flow.
“After five minutes I gained some line, but it woke up and I had to use my knowledge of the peg to try not to lose it in any snags!
“When we got it on the bank I was in awe of its size. I can’t find any records, but it’s got to be one of the largest chub ever caught in Yorkshire,” he added.
Nathan won a weekly Drennan Cup award for his catch.
7lb-plus chub result of early start - Trevor Pole
“AFTER spending the last two months chasing bream on a massive pit I decided to target some Great Ouse chub for a change. I headed to a stretch I’d not fished before and baited a few swims with cheesepaste. I had two chub to 5lb 8oz in one swim, so I decided to stay in my van overnight and get up early to fish it again.
“At dawn I flicked my link-legered paste to the far-bank slack and had two small chub before my tip whacked round again. It was a lovely plump chub, but I was wearing my reading glasses and didn’t think it would go over 7lb! It was only when I got it on the unhooking mat and took off my glasses that I realised its true size.”
Trevor Pole – 7lb 6oz 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.”
Thames giant is largest Drennan awarded chub of the season
A BOILIE hookbait has accounted for one of the largest recorded chub of the season, weighing it at a staggering 8lb 8oz.
The fine specimen, which fell to a hair-rigged 15mm Krill and Crab offering, was a new personal best by more than 1lb for its captor, Paul Faint, who travelled from his home in Essex to target the species on the River Thames during an overnight trip.
He said:
“When this chub surfaced and I saw how big it was, the adrenalin and nerves kicked in, but thankfully I remained calm and netted it safely.”
Paul Faint’s 8lb 8oz chub is the largest of the season that has received a Drennan weekly award
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