Matthew Collier
Active Member
As in more selective for Chub. More likely to be picked up by a Chub rather than its main competitor for a nice big boilie, the Barbel
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chub
- Thread starter Richard Borley
- Start date
As in more selective for Chub. More likely to be picked up by a Chub rather than its main competitor for a nice big boilie, the Barbel
Simon King
Senior Member
As in more selective for Chub. More likely to be picked up by a Chub rather than its main competitor for a nice big boilie, the Barbel
Don't think I particularly agree with that. However, I can't say I've fished pop-ups where they're equally likely to be picked up by either species.
Colin Gordon
No Longer a Member
Craig, you're still persisting with your pop up boilies route for chub then.
The thing is, I know chub's preference is to feed just off of the river bed, hence air injected worms, bread crust and even slightly buoyant pastes can prove deadly effective.
But the first two baits waft around enticingly in the current and pastes (the ones I use) only rises up occaisionally, whereas pop ups tend to bob up and down violently in the current and this behaviour IMO alerts the senses of an already highly spooky chub.
I tried pop ups a few times on the river Blackwater, where the fish are only a couple of metres away from you, this in water that's both shallow and gin clear, so seeing the fishes every movement/reaction.
Even those fish which aren't subjected to any angling pressure never really liked taking the pop ups, eventually after a long period the chub will start mouthing the bait bit rapidly eject it and dart off but never seem to gain enough confidence to actually take the bait properly.
I've always attributed this to the completely un-natural behaviour of the bait spooking the fish. As the very same fish will happily take a bottom bait of exactly the same type.
The thing is, I know chub's preference is to feed just off of the river bed, hence air injected worms, bread crust and even slightly buoyant pastes can prove deadly effective.
But the first two baits waft around enticingly in the current and pastes (the ones I use) only rises up occaisionally, whereas pop ups tend to bob up and down violently in the current and this behaviour IMO alerts the senses of an already highly spooky chub.
I tried pop ups a few times on the river Blackwater, where the fish are only a couple of metres away from you, this in water that's both shallow and gin clear, so seeing the fishes every movement/reaction.
Even those fish which aren't subjected to any angling pressure never really liked taking the pop ups, eventually after a long period the chub will start mouthing the bait bit rapidly eject it and dart off but never seem to gain enough confidence to actually take the bait properly.
I've always attributed this to the completely un-natural behaviour of the bait spooking the fish. As the very same fish will happily take a bottom bait of exactly the same type.
Simon Lush
Senior Member
Colin mate, you know and i know that the Chub being contrarily to the 'fearfullest' of all fish are actually pretty stupid things that will eat just about anything, you being a bloody smart'arse' should realise this and stop pontificating about the bloody things
Colin Gordon
No Longer a Member
Colin mate, you know and i know that the Chub being contrarily to the 'fearfullest' of all fish are actually pretty stupid things that will eat just about anything, you being a bloody smart'arse' should realise this and stop pontificating about the bloody things
Si, me bumpkin inglish understanding o the word "pontificating" being: condeesending (trying to look supereeior) and seeing as I can,t even speil the word, I is obviously not in the slightest bit condeesending (or super**** at nuffin), see..
As for the term "smartarse" I do much prefer it hyphenated thus: smart-arse or Smart-Arse.
And one final thought, as chub develop and mature they inadvertently increase their level of intuative fearfullness, hence the title: The most fearfullest of all fish.
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Simon King
Senior Member
Colin mate, you know and i know that the Chub being contrarily to the 'fearfullest' of all fish are actually pretty stupid things that will eat just about anything, you being a bloody smart'arse' should realise this and stop pontificating about the bloody things
Simon,
"Eating just about anything" has no bearing on their level of "fear" or stupidity.
They certainly know what a hair is. I've had enough attempts to strip my bait off over the years to know that.
I also largely agree with Colin. The presentation of a bouyant/neutral bait in current on a longer hook-length is a world away from a short pop-up in terms of looking "natural" and enticing.
As I said, I've used them in deeper water with very slow flow, but I wouldn't bother in anything faster.
Simon Lush
Senior Member
Well the ones on the Thames never seemed to be too 'fearfull' of 20lb Berkley Steelstrand and two size 6 trebles if they were attatched to a Sardine , popped up or not !
and as for Sweetcorn intended for Cherwell Barbel fished on 10lb line straight through to a size 6 Hook ? No , fearfull would not, in my experience be an accurate description They are just a pest IMO Colin Gordon
No Longer a Member
Well the ones on the Thames never seemed to be too 'fearfull' of 20lb Berkley Steelstrand and two size 6 trebles if they were attatched to a Sardine , popped up or not !
Ah yeah but, the final line of my previous post serves to explain away your findings and I know if you were the accidental catcher of said chub, they were by no means of specimen proportions..... These days 3's and 4's just don't make the grade.
Craig Wood
Senior Member
Yeah Colin you smart arse..not content with upsetting the natives on the severn thread youve now decided to upset the chub thread!!!
Simon King
Senior Member
Well the ones on the Thames never seemed to be too 'fearfull' of 20lb Berkley Steelstrand and two size 6 trebles if they were attatched to a Sardine , popped up or not !
Not hair-rigged then?
A few years ago I bumped into Martin B when he was filming for Catching The Impossible. He was touch-legering for chub in 3 ft of gin-clear water. The chub were picking the bait up, taking it completely in their mouths and ejecting it, without him feeling the slightest twitch on his finger. Hugh got it all on film, pity it didn't make the final cut, it was incredible footage. These were 5-6+ pounders.
Craig Wood
Senior Member
A chub of 8lb+ has come off throop last week....I reckon Throop has to be the Premier Chub fisherie in the country.
..I reckon Throop has to be the Premier Chub fisherie in the country.
Craig Wood
Senior Member
Does anyone know what the biggest chub caught from a river is?..Ive read old articles saying one 9lb+ was caught off the river wye..Would be interesting to know..
Colin Gordon
No Longer a Member
Yeah Colin you smart arse..not content with upsetting the natives on the severn thread youve now decided to upset the chub thread!!!
Wwwwwwwwwwhat me, nah, you've got me confused with another.
That aside my first post on the pop up subject was genuine.
Just out of curiosity when you've been fishing pop ups has it been with a paternoster (fixed or running) or a running rig with the line going onto the river bed?
Does anyone know what the biggest chub caught from a river is?..Ive read old articles saying one 9lb+ was caught off the river wye..Would be interesting to know..
I'd say river Thames at 9lb 2oz, biggest I've heard of. And yes, Throop is one of the country's premier chub fisheries but of course it begs the question; how do you define 'premier'?
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Craig Wood
Senior Member
Hi Colin,
Ive tried it just popped up from hook shank on long hooklengths/short hooklengths, running lead/bolt rig...but alas the same observations that you made colin, they just swim up to it and either blow or nudge it..at one time there was three big chub sat right behind it!!!
Ive tried it just popped up from hook shank on long hooklengths/short hooklengths, running lead/bolt rig...but alas the same observations that you made colin, they just swim up to it and either blow or nudge it..at one time there was three big chub sat right behind it!!!
Craig Wood
Senior Member
Ive seen some monster chub at throop during the early part of the season just after they had spawned..they looked more like carp the size of them..!!
Colin Gordon
No Longer a Member
To my mind the fish lined up looking at a bait but not taking it, suggests a fear of it, though not enough to send them fleeing but enough to alert their senses to a danger.
How would you conquer fear, IMO you can't as how would you feed them a static bait a foot off the bottom.
8 - 9lb chub pretty much are the dimensions of a carp ain't they??!!
How would you conquer fear, IMO you can't as how would you feed them a static bait a foot off the bottom.
8 - 9lb chub pretty much are the dimensions of a carp ain't they??!!
Simon King
Senior Member
A chub of 8lb+ has come off throop last week..
The Lea Complex. River, Relief Channel, Navigation.
8's in most stretches. Fishers Green Venue alone has at least 6 that I know of.
Keith Speer
Senior Member
I have to say I tend to agree with Simon!
Some proper lumpy Chub on The Lea.
Of course you still have to catch them, but simply knowing they are there and you are fishing a water with such fish available must be worth a few blanks!!
Some proper lumpy Chub on The Lea.
Of course you still have to catch them, but simply knowing they are there and you are fishing a water with such fish available must be worth a few blanks!!
Dennis Poole
Senior Member
Blanking Kieth ,my old mate mean,s your one step closer too catching,and if your line isn,t being wetted you sure ain,t gonna catch
Matthew Collier
Active Member
A few years ago I bumped into Martin B when he was filming for Catching The Impossible. He was touch-legering for chub in 3 ft of gin-clear water. The chub were picking the bait up, taking it completely in their mouths and ejecting it, without him feeling the slightest twitch on his finger. Hugh got it all on film, pity it didn't make the final cut, it was incredible footage. These were 5-6+ pounders.[/QUOTE]
Have any of you seen 'Barbel Days and Ways'? there is underwater footage of Barbel picking up Bob Roberts hair-rigged bait, turning and dropping the bait. He never felt a thing either, despite touch ledgering. When they slowed down the footage though it was clear that the problem was that they were picking up his bait and as he was using a bolt-rig and a short hook length it actually pulled the bait out of the Barbels mouth rather than the Barbel actually ejecting the bait. Food for thought though, what is going on underwater unbeknown to us.
He did summise that if he had used a running rig or a longer hook link he may have hooked them (or at least felt a bite)
What do you all think the case is for using either a bolt-rig (semi-fixed) or a free-running rig for Chub. Obviously Barbel have a tendancy to turn downstream so the bolt-rig seems to work well there but do you think the Chub can and do pick up the bait and back off, thus feeling the lead and dropping the bait? I have caught lots of Chub using both methods but do wonder if some of the really big and shy fish might be doing this, especially on rivers with plenty of Barbel (and plenty of people using bolt-rigs). :confused: :confused: :confused:
Matt
Have any of you seen 'Barbel Days and Ways'? there is underwater footage of Barbel picking up Bob Roberts hair-rigged bait, turning and dropping the bait. He never felt a thing either, despite touch ledgering. When they slowed down the footage though it was clear that the problem was that they were picking up his bait and as he was using a bolt-rig and a short hook length it actually pulled the bait out of the Barbels mouth rather than the Barbel actually ejecting the bait.
Food for thought though, what is going on underwater unbeknown to us.He did summise that if he had used a running rig or a longer hook link he may have hooked them (or at least felt a bite)
What do you all think the case is for using either a bolt-rig (semi-fixed) or a free-running rig for Chub. Obviously Barbel have a tendancy to turn downstream so the bolt-rig seems to work well there but do you think the Chub can and do pick up the bait and back off, thus feeling the lead and dropping the bait? I have caught lots of Chub using both methods but do wonder if some of the really big and shy fish might be doing this, especially on rivers with plenty of Barbel (and plenty of people using bolt-rigs). :confused: :confused: :confused:
Matt