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Big chub

Chris Cheshire

Chris Cheshire

Senior Member
Ok guys, so I am fast reaching the opinion that my local Lower Severn has had it now as far as barbel go due to the presence of Keith. The Barbel and Bream stocks appear to have been decimated.

That said chub seem to be still around in reasonable numbers, so I have decided to start a winter campaign looking to catch my first big chub by design.

Where do I start? Up to now all of the chub I have ever caught have either been free-lining on small streams, or by accident when fishing for Barbel.

Boilies & Bolt rigs, or large lumps of crust and mashed bread?

any suggestions would be great - tho please do bear in mind this is the lower severn.........
 
Hi Chris

I've had some success with mashed or liquised bread in a feeder fishing flake on the hook. Admittedly, it was a couple of season back, but I caught fairly well right through the cold spell we had. There was even ice in the margins during some sessions.

For some reason, I found the shallower areas (in a Lower Severn context) more productive, and not necessarily fishing towards cover/overhanging bushes.

That said, my two best chub off the Lower, both 5+ came whilst barbel fishing using boilies. A mate also had a 6+ on a section of lamprey whilst piking.

From my limited experience, I would say bread for numbers of chub, and boilies/fish baits for the chance of a real good'un!

Cheers

Bruce
 
Cheers Bruce,

Useful information many thanks.... as far as boilies go, would you recommend I stay with the barbel flavours (The Source, Robin Red etc) or do you have a better alternative?

Chris
 
I've caught on Bankside Team Barbel Chris, although that's probably down to the fact that's all I use! In the Up Close and Personal DVD, Stuart Morgan is using boilies whilst fishing on the Lower and mentions that it's also a good chub bait (he also catches a decent one to prove it). I can't for the life of me remember what is was though! Maybe the Three River Rolling baits?
 
Bruce Fowkes said:
I've caught on Bankside Team Barbel Chris, although that's probably down to the fact that's all I use! In the Up Close and Personal DVD, Stuart Morgan is using boilies whilst fishing on the Lower and mentions that it's also a good chub bait (he also catches a decent one to prove it). I can't for the life of me remember what is was though! Maybe the Three River Rolling baits?
Click to expand...

I love the bankside baits, have been using them a lot this season.... caught no chub on them yet tho! I will persevere tho cheers !!
 
Paul Matthews said:
If there's Chub there, then Trigga Ice will catch them of that i've no doubt !!!
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Been there, done that one Paul !:D

One of the most respected anglers that I had the pleasure to know used to float-ledger a sardine for big chub.
The trick was to pull the head of the sardine from the body leaving the entrails attached and lip hook it with a single size 4. ..a deadly method when fished in the margins at dusk. A fine tracewire is recommended in case a snapper picks it up.
As mentioned, I have also caught a number of 6+ chub by mistake when piking.
Must say that my preferred method on a cold clear river is bread mash and crust on a light ledger setup. Location is obviously paramount for the real biggies, but a roving approach is more fun. :)
 
Sardine can definitely pick up the odd biggun. I used to use 45lb quicksilver and strike immediately fishing with a quivertip. Single hooks, I used large aberdeens, a little longer in the shank for a bit of protection if a pike was hooked. Quite eye opening what you would hook, turned up a few previously uncaught (by us) fish from a stretch that we thought we knew well, also one or two large barbel.
 
Some really useful responses thanks guys

thats a hell of a chub in your pic Mic....

Unfortunately havent had a day off for a while so havent had chance to put any of these to the test, surely Mic I will get plagued with eels using sardine pieces?

Chris
 
Give it a go anyway Chris,..nothing ventured, nothing gained,..Always worth a try in swims that have been fished for pike and may have had some discarded deadbait lobbed in the margins.
My main fear would be signal crays making a nuisance of themselves, but, as Mic says, it can be an eye opener! Have also caught on small smelt and large sandeels,...even had a 6.04 take a 4 inch adapted flounder spoon once!
 
I'd expect to have less problems with eels as the water cools down on the Lower Severn Chris.

As an aside, not chub, but I picked up a few nice roach last weekend fishing bread/worm. Could be something else to target whilst the conditions for barbel aren't great.
 
Try cheese paste. Mix any strong cheese stilton, danish blue etc with pastry that you can buy in a roll. mix together and add a flavor of your choice and a little oil if it gets to dry. The smellier the better. Keep in a plastic bag and just keep adding to it. Word of warning it will stink but it catches fish. Tie a hair and attach a small piece of cork or foam to mold the paste around but keep the hair short unlike for barbel, bait should be touching the hook.
Use as little amount of lead so that the bait only just holds bottom. You can lift the rod and it will bump across the flow. You will catch far more fish this way than using a static bait. Also never go without bread and meat. Good luck.
 
Good reply Paul, I agree with all the points you make. Definitely short or even no hair and a moving bait is best. I make my paste exactly like you suggest and barbel love it too.
Bob
 
Paul Cooper said:
Try cheese paste. Mix any strong cheese stilton, danish blue etc with pastry that you can buy in a roll. mix together and add a flavor of your choice and a little oil if it gets to dry. The smellier the better.
Click to expand...

I add blue cheese concentrate, about 6 or 7 drops,..this is the mix that signalled the end of my bait making days in the kitchen! Boy does it stink :eek:
I tried adding different food colourings, which all worked but I found green seemed to have the edge when used as a freelined offering to a targeted fish in clear conditions....great bait Paul ;)
 
A very enjoyable day chubbing on the Kennet with a small 2lber followed at dusk by fish of 5.7 and 5.15 (couldn't get the extra ounce!)

Fun netting the second fish as the net had frozen solid at 5.30pm.

Graham
 
The Lower Severn aint producing much still, can anyone suggest somewhere liable to turn up a good sized chub or 2?
 
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