17/01/2017 - Lone Angler Cheese Paste a Float Rod Centre Pin Reel with a 6 Gram Clearwater float = Exciting Chub Action
One of my 4lb plus chub
With no relief from my shingles and unable to sleep or settle, I was up around 0400 hrs as I sat in my study drinking tea, the time dragged on, I had dentist appointment at 0945 hrs after that I decided I would then go fishing, the forecast was for an overcast day with low light levels, then having checked the river level on the EA gauge to find it with about 2 feet of extra water I made the decision to float fish for chub, yesterday I'd fished for some 3 hrs without a sign of a bite even though the water temperature from last Friday to yesterday Monday had increased by 5 degrees F, my baits then had been crust flake and cheese paste. Today when I arrived a light drizzle was falling, looking across the meadow I said to myself "It's a roach fishers day" sadly I had no roach fishing available as I wasn't fit enough to drive further down river, it had to be chub.
Having had no breakfast I made a couple of slices of buttered toast with a mug of tea, it's so easy making with a Ridge Monkey Sandwich Toaster, certainly a great bit of kit, all you need is a small gas burner, within 3-4 minutes you have buttered toast. I then put together a Lone Angler 13 foot float, rod centre pin reel with about 40 yards of 6lb breaking strain line, if your new to fishing with a centre pin reel or thinking of doing so don't put on more than 50 yards of line, otherwise you will find the line bedding down. I then attached an Avon Clearwater float with double rubber using an Olivetti weight stopped on the line some 18 inches from the hook by a rubber float stop, as I was using paste as a bait I had no use for a tell-tale shot, as I would if I was using gentles, finally I attached a size 10 barbless hook. Into my bait bucket went a bag of cheese paste a small bag of broken cheese dumbells for use as feed which I would mix with bread crumb, the crumb as an attracter with little nuggets of cheese dumbels, to keep the fish looking around for something better which I hope would be my soft cheese paste, I also added scales camera weigh bag box of hooks Olivetti's and other small items should they be needed.
Having locked everything I didn't need in the car, I made my way downstream to a swim that has given me good sport in the past, first job was to check the water temperature where I got a reading of 44 degrees F, water visibility was good with just a tinge of colour, looking downstream I spotted a cormorant heading upriver 2 shots from my pistol that fires a 9 mm blank sent it off somewhere else, After a few casts to set the depth, I had the float going smoothly down the 5 feet deep swim, the hook just a few inches off the bottom. I spent the next 15 minutes working up the swim with pigeon egg size balls of damped crumb with bits of dumbbell, I also flicked in odd piece of cheese paste the size of a thumb nail. T then rested the swim for another fifteen twenty minutes, before starting to fish, on each cast I added a pigeon egg size ball of crumb and bits of dumbell. It must have been some twenty casts before the float dipped slightly then it was pulled across the flow, striking I set the hook into my first fish, on feeling the hook it went skywards, yes you've guessed right a brown trout, after brief struggle it was netted and returned. Two casts later the float had gone about fifteen yards, even with my poor eyesight the rich red tip of these Clearwater float can be seen easily at distance, there was no mistaking this bite the float disappeared then as it did so the rod tip was pulled sideways, I'm into my first chub which gave a good performance for several minutes then I was drawing the fish nearer the waiting net, it swirled on the surface, "That’s a good 4lb fish" I thought, on the scales it weighed 4lb 7 ounces after a quick picture I returned the fish upstream some 40 yards.
Several more 4lb plus chub
In the next two hours I caught 7 more chub all in the 4lb class using the same tactics and bait as I used for the first fish, now some anglers have been asking the question how long can you keep shelf life baits, today I was using L A cheese paste that I purchased in early 2016, it's been in my car all the time it's as perfect as the date I purchased the bait, talking to people at Lone Angler who know more than I do, they confidently told me the shelf life bait were good, I can't say the same about some other baits from other companies I've used in the past, where the bait often turns white, I was always being told it's not a problem it's just the sugar content, I wasn't happy with the answers I was given so made my own until Lone Angler come on the scene were I'm more than happy, and see no reason to change.
Tea Break Time
I then had a half hour break for a brew and a toasted cheese and pickle sandwich, as I walked back to my peg I noticed the visibility getting worse, then thinking in another half an hour I will have to pack up and head off home otherwise I might have problems, how I wished I was with a friend as I reckon the fish might even continue feeding well into the darkness. In the next eleven casts I had three more good 4lb plus chub, then with the mist closing in I packed up then headed back to the car, as I drove home I realised I had made the right call I couldn't complain it had been a good session with 11 good fish what more could on with for? Except perhaps a 7lb chub but then that's being greedy. I will be back tomorrow to see if the chub still want to feed.
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