12/11/2025 - A good Session After Chub
When I arrived at the river, the weather was overcast light rain showers, with just a light wind, November5th was probably the warmest November day on record, today the river was falling nicely, after a period where the river has been bank high over the past few weeks. My friend Paul and I arrived to find we had the venue to ourselves, most member fish for the barbel, so they will no doubt turn up in the late afternoon, checking the water temperature I got a reading of 52 degrees F. The river has been improving over the past two or three winters, with some excellent dace and roach fishing, though the cormorants have been a nuisance. The only problem is the sound of traffic, but it's something I try to ignore. Sadly, there were masses of leaves floating down the river, also I reckon the bottom will have a carpet of leaves, despite the fast-flowing water. Paul chose to fish a swim well downstream, with walking problems these days, with some very rough ground to walk over, I chose a swim close by the five Barr gate.
My tackle set up was a Peter Stone Leger strike, it's an old fibre glass rod, but still ideal for my way of fishing. I matched it with a centre pin reel holding some forty yards of 6lb bs line. I then added two float stops to the line, these would be used to mould some plasticine around them as a weight, the bottom is so rocky and snaggy that I reckon I would lose several weights. With plasticine, if I get hooked up, I can usually get it free, just losing the plasticine , though often I get that back, though it's sometimes a different shape, where it's been caught between the rocks. I then attached a size 4 barbless hook, my baits were bread crust, cheese paste, and luncheon meat paste, from many years of observing feeding chub in clear water, I have seen fish back off from a cube of meat, so it's easy to make a paste bait out of luncheon meat.
Bites from the off, I was quite surprised to get four good bites, in the first half an hour, with the tip pulling round with confidence. I missed the first, second and third, then I got a hook up, for all of twenty seconds, then it was off, it felt a decent fish, though I got feeling it might have been a barbel.
I then had a bite less half an hour, I decided it was time to change the bait, to strong smelling cheese paste, a bait that was probably four years old. It was a good idea, as ten minutes later I had a good fish of 4lb 2 ounces, quickly followed by three more chubs estimated at around 3lbs 8 ounces. About thirty minutes later, I hooked a very good fish. I was forced to give line as it powered off downstream, I said to myself, "I hope it isn't a barbel" After that fast powerful move downstream, it turned into quite a long tussle, getting it back upstream, the head shaking, the short powerful runs, taking just a few feet of line I realised it was a good chub, perhaps a five pounder. Suddenly got it hooked up with some trailing brambles, I was quite concerned it could be lost, picking up my landing net I moved downstream hoping I might be able to get the net under the fish, just as I arrived it got free of the brambles, then moved out into the stream.
Five minutes later it was in the net. It looked a very good fish, sorting scales and weigh bag, I stretched the matt on the ground, then lifted the landing net, so the fish was safely on the matt. It was hooked in the scissors, easy to slip out the hook, I then gently moved the fish into the weigh bag. I got a reading of 4lb 7 ounces. After a quick picture, the fish was released, going by the length of the fish come February with a mild winter it might push 6lb or a very good 5lb chub.
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