18/03/2025 - A Good Session With Chub
Today I was up around 0630 hrs as I was going fishing, I also had some chores to-do before I left home. First was to get a quick shower then a mug of tea, by the time I’d finished it was light enough to go outside and sort out all the bird feeders. Also checking my hedgehog house where I found the resident were all safe and fast asleep. The sky to the east was various shades of colour, the forecast had given sunny conditions with moderate breeze from the south west, though I would have preferred an overcast sky it will be enjoyable with the sun on my face, no doubt an occasional trout will be seen taking something from the surface. Though my target fish were the chub. My friend Terry was picking me up around 0930 hrs, Terry wanted to try and catch some grayling, which at this time of the year is a searching exercise, as they will now start to shoal up for spawning, as will the chub. I had several places where he might get the chance of grayling, often when you catch one, you can often have some excellent sport. Though no doubt Terry will catch a trout or two.
Off To The River
Having sorted out our tackle, float fishing outfit for Terry, chub fishing for myself, which would be a lot of free lining baits as the water was low and gin clear. I spent some time walking the beat with Terry pointing out the areas to concentrate on, after walking the whole length, we went back to the top again. I suggested he start off by putting in a pouch full of gentles well upstream, then setting the float so the bait was fishing a few inches off the bottom, also to put in a few gentles every cast. I suggest you give each swim fifteen twenty minutes, then move on to the next spot if you haven’t had any interest. Having left Terry I went off a mile or so downstream to a place where I could fish under the trees. I was lucky to have the warmth of the sun on my face but the area I wanted to target was in the shade of many tall beech trees. My first job was to check the water temperature where I got a reading of 46 degrees F I was happy with that.
My tackle set up was a soft Avon action rod, with a small fixed spool reel, loaded with 6lb breaking strain line, to which I attached a size barbless 4 hook. Having catapulted few free items of meat around the swim, I made a few casts with meat to see how the tackle behaved in the slow gin clear water, after a few casts, I chose to fish a tiny piece of plasticine the size of an SSG shot some twelve inches up the line from the hook. to ensure the bait rolled along on the gravel bottom. Having got everything sorted out to my satisfaction I sat back enjoying the warm sunshine on my face to rest my swim for some twenty minutes in the hope any fish would have then got over the disturbance.
Plenty Of Wild life
As I sat there at peace with the world in some delightful countryside, I had no company, just me and the countryside, two pairs of Buzzards were working the thermals getting higher and higher, mewing as they did so, out of nowhere a magnificent heron landed on the gravel opposite where a small pool usually full of small fish, I have built a perch over the pool for the kingfishers to perch on when they are in the area. Soon I heard the haunting call of the oyster catchers as two pair flew fast up the valley like fighter aircraft, later I was the surprised to see a pair of curlew settle on the field opposite, at one time these birds along with the lapwing were common everywhere, sadly modern farming methods have destroyed most of the birds over the years, along with many of our water courses.
Break over I made my first cast in earnest then holding the rod high allowing the line to come off smoothly from the spool, Every now and again I felt a quick sharp pull, but nothing to strike at, I
did think they might be caused by trout. After a few casts I got a determined pull but felt nothing on striking. Rebaiting I got a serious of sharp knocks again, nothing to strike at, after an hours fishing with lots more small pulls, knocks and drop back bites, then I got a decent pull, I felt a fish on, after a few minutes I had a chub about 2lbs, I then walked well upstream to release the fish, no way did I want a fish back in my swim that would no doubt spook the other fish for a while. I didn’t make cast for about ten minutes, during that time a pair of kingfishers flew upstream from down river where they perched over the pool opposite, one dived returned with a fish, which it presented to its mate, I had never seen this before. They spent a few minutes with both of them diving at different times, returning with a fish which they both swallowed, then off they flew upstream. I then had an exasperating half an hour, with lots of knocks and pulls. It was time to switch to an idea I have used over a lot of years when chub are being cautious. From using a big piece of meat on its own, (see pic 698) I now put on the main chunk of meat then having cut a small bit which I put this on the hook below the main bit of meat.(see pic 700) Though I do sometimes loose often the small bit falling off on the cast. Though I persevere and on most casts will eventually it stay on
The idea is those small knocks will turn into confident pulls, having spent literally thousands of hours in my lifetime watching how chub feed usually in the close season, it’s amazing how they will pick up a bait in their lips move an inch or two then drop the bait, then move away coming back a few minutes later, often they will push the bait an inch or more, or just watch it for anything from a minute to ten or more, before moving in and taking the bait. On my next cast I felt a sharp tap then a minute later the rod tip was pulled round confidently as I set the hook into a good fish, eventually I had the fish coming over the net. On the scales it weighed 4 lb 12 ounces after a quick picture I walked it well upstream before releasing it. I was a happy angler. It was time for lunch, after two chicken rolls with a mug of OXO, I was ready again for the second half.
Back in my swim I chose to fish the two bits of meat system, as it had worked in the first half. In the next two hours I had a total of nine good takes, sadly not everyone was hooked but the majority were, In the first two casts I had two nice chub around 3lbs, Half an hour later I had another fish around 2lbs.
I then had to wait for about half an hour before I got a good pull, hooking into a fish that tried its best to get into some bankside brambles that were hanging in the water, it’s amazing how they know where the snags are, I’d hooked the fish well away from the danger area which I hadn’t seen, but the fish made a determined beeline for the danger. Thankfully I got the fish away from the danger into open water. Where eventually l was able to draw the fish over the net.
When I lifted this fish out I could tell it was a heavy fish, but was quite amazed when it weighed the same as the first at 4lb 12 ounces, this second fish had a solid gut also a different shape including the width of the fish. I reckon if the first fish had been more solid, it would have gone 5lbs. It’s quite amazing that 2 fish should be the same weight, but they look so difference in appearance. One a long slim fish, the other a shorter plump fish, if the long lean fish had been gorging itself, it could have been another 5 lb fish, Don’t get me wrong I was more than pleased with a brace of good 4 pounders. Sadly Terry didn’t get any grayling just a few trout, he also had a good chub caught on his last cast, it was hooked on a single gentle on a size 16 hook see pic of fish in net, certainly a well earnt fish
Next week I’m on the river Soar for 3 days with two of my friends Tam who has just retired from the British Army after 36 years’ service and Mark Sarul, it will be a good three days even if the fish don’t oblige but hopefully they will.
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