Chasing chub....

[Ralph Harris]

Nice job. My first proper Chub rod was a NW. I bought it as a blank with handle fitted. I've never seen such a long handle! After shortening and ringing up I caught some good fish on it including a 5.15 and a bit in 1983. Massive fish then. Would it have been an SS5? Seems to ring a bell. Sadly I sold the rod to a friend.

I think at one time there must have been a fashion for long cork handles. 2ft of cork today would be a significant part of the cost of a rod.
A near 6 back in 83 would certainly have been a fish of note. The seemingly unstoppable increase in chub size must be a function of the available food, and the now common use of pellets and boilies. Where I fish there is very little food from anglers and I have yet to see a 6. Reading this thread I often read of anglers beating my personal bests several times in one trip!

 

[Andrew Jackson]

I think at one time there must have been a fashion for long cork handles. 2ft of cork today would be a significant part of the cost of a rod.
A near 6 back in 83 would certainly have been a fish of note. The seemingly unstoppable increase in chub size must be a function of the available food, and the now common use of pellets and boilies. Where I fish there is very little food from anglers and I have yet to see a 6. Reading this thread I often read of anglers beating my personal bests several times in one trip!

Hi Ralph. You raise an interesting point there about Chub sizes. I agree with you that the modern baits have made a difference to Chub sizes. If we take my nearest river, the Dorset Stour, it is a river of two halves. The big fish of over 6lb become much more common ( wrong word really) from Wimborne downstream. Above Wimborne there are still some huge fish but they are very rare. When you get above Blandford the average size is much lower. Around Sturminster Newton and Shillingstone I haven't noticed any real change in Chub sizes in more than 40 years. A '5' remains a monster and a real achievement up there. It is true that the upper river has virtually no Barbel and is not fished to any degree by specialist anglers and modern baits are not used there to any degree. I think though the make up of the river is different and this also has an influence. The upper river runs over clay. There is little streamer weed and gravel areas are not so common. I believe the natural food is less and of a poorer quality than lower down. 6lb Chub, though rare, were around in the early 80s at Throop but the upper river would struggle then to produce such fish and, as I say, that hasn't changed.
All that aside, the upper Stour provides great Chub fishing in more intimate surroundings and is just as rewarding in its own way.
Of course, there are also far fewer fish about in the rivers I fish nowadays so less competition for food must also have a bearing.

 

[Ralph Harris]

Hi Ralph. You raise an interesting point there about Chub sizes. I agree with you that the modern baits have made a difference to Chub sizes. If we take my nearest river, the Dorset Stour, it is a river of two halves. The big fish of over 6lb become much more common ( wrong word really) from Wimborne downstream. Above Wimborne there are still some huge fish but they are very rare. When you get above Blandford the average size is much lower. Around Sturminster Newton and Shillingstone I haven't noticed any real change in Chub sizes in more than 40 years. A '5' remains a monster and a real achievement up there. It is true that the upper river has virtually no Barbel and is not fished to any degree by specialist anglers and modern baits are not used there to any degree. I think though the make up of the river is different and this also has an influence. The upper river runs over clay. There is little streamer weed and gravel areas are not so common. I believe the natural food is less and of a poorer quality than lower down. 6lb Chub, though rare, were around in the early 80s at Throop but the upper river would struggle then to produce such fish and, as I say, that hasn't changed.
All that aside, the upper Stour provides great Chub fishing in more intimate surroundings and is just as rewarding in its own way.
Of course, there are also far fewer fish about in the rivers I fish nowadays so less competition for food must also have a bearing.

Hi Andrew,
I think a lot of fish are getting bigger for one reason or another. When I was a teenager, half a century ago, I won a prize from Angling times for a 3-11 perch and they had incorrectly reported it as 2-11 so I may have got the prize for a 2-11 perch. I think many are now caught over 4lbs. Crayfish may be affecting perch weights in some areas.
When I regularly barbel fished the Hants Avon which was just before boilies were used. One or less 10lb fish were reported each week, now much larger fish are reported regularly.
I am a bit concerned about chub in the (southern) rivers I fish, they are all a good size. I have only caught one chub of less than 2lb 8oz in the past 3years or so. Once our big fish go there’s no much coming through to fish for. We need to absolutely cherish the big chub we catch since they are probably old fish. I already delight in the capture of a small one!

 

[Andrew Jackson]

Hi Andrew,
I think a lot of fish are getting bigger for one reason or another. When I was a teenager, half a century ago, I won a prize from Angling times for a 3-11 perch and they had incorrectly reported it as 2-11 so I may have got the prize for a 2-11 perch. I think many are now caught over 4lbs. Crayfish may be affecting perch weights in some areas.
When I regularly barbel fished the Hants Avon which was just before boilies were used. One or less 10lb fish were reported each week, now much larger fish are reported regularly.
I am a bit concerned about chub in the (southern) rivers I fish, they are all a good size. I have only caught one chub of less than 2lb 8oz in the past 3years or so. Once our big fish go there’s no much coming through to fish for. We need to absolutely cherish the big chub we catch since they are probably old fish. I already delight in the capture of a small one!

Yes. I know what you mean. There are some huge Barbel coming from the Avon but I think it's worth noting that many of these are recaptures of a handful of big fish, though not all. The population is low but there are people on here much better qualified than me to offer an opinion. I did catch 3 Barbel under 8 pounds last season and I know certain parts of the river have been throwing up smaller Barbel but it seems to me atleast that we are way off the days on the Avon that you, and to a lesser extent myself, remember. I'd love to think the Barbel would make a come back but it's hard to see at the moment. There do however seem to be Chub of all year classes on the Stour and Avon but not perhaps in the numbers of old. There are though some fantastic fish to be caught still and I guess we should be very grateful for that!

 

[Ian Woods]

I had a few hours on a still water today, the water contains some quite nice chub, but also some very imaciated ones. The set up was a pin as usual, 8lb mono straight through to a size 10 hook and a large piece of bread.
I did manage to catch one chub which was as thin as a lat and had a serious chunk of flesh missing on one side with scales missing from the other side. I can only put it down to a cormorant the hole being done by the hook on the top bill.
I did have quite a few carp with most being over 10lbs and up to a guesstimated 16 or so pounds. I have to admitt they are good fun on floating bread and they pull back hard!
This was the smallest one....