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Chasing chub....

Sounds like a plan, I will definitely shorten up.

& No crayfish present i don’t believe Ian, and the bites are not like the bites I get from crayfish on other rivers I fish. Im sure chub are the culprits.

Cheers

Maybe pike?
I've had pike on legered cheese past in years past.
Personally I can't see it being chub. I know they have pharyngeal teeth but after pushing my finger in their throats they felt soft to me.
 
Maybe pike?
I've had pike on legered cheese past in years past.
Personally I can't see it being chub. I know they have pharyngeal teeth but after pushing my finger in their throats they felt soft to me.

There are odd pike in the stretch, it’s a possibility.

I do remember getting quite a badly cut finger, as a youngster when feeling for a small hook down a 2/3lb chubs’ throat when I’d lost my disgorger.
 
Peter Stone wrote about chub bite-offs 50 years ago. He ended up using braided hooklinks I think.

I’ve had issues with bite-offs from tench when using longish nylon hooklinks. The solution was the short heli-rig that is standard issue these days. My current chub rigs reflect that and are always pretty short, sometimes very short.
 
I’d been considering braid. I thought I’d sussed it with the 11lb powerline, though there was always the thought that I’m fishing way too heavy for finicky chub! But when that went the other week…

I’ll try shorter hooklengh and maybe braid and see if the bite offs stop, it’s been getting frustrating and I hate leaving tackle in fish.

Cheers
 
I was very kindly sent some floats by Richard Isaacs to try out.
First impressions of the floats when they arrived was how well Richard had finnished them off, and how robust they felt, no flimsy bit of alloy stem on these floats!... Richard had used a substantial alloy stem on these.
The sight tip is nice and long, brightly coloured and also thick for visability at range, in choppy flow etc. It's obvious that Richard has put a lot of thought and effort into maling these floats.
Anyhow, I managed to get out and give the 4 gramme model a workout on the lower wider part of a large river in some medium to fast flowing water.
This spot I had chosen to fish was too deep to wade and I had to fish from the bank which required a fair cast to reach the fish. Because of the alloy stem the float flew like dart through the air and reached the line I wanted no problem.
Third trott down stream and the float dissapeared and there was a chub attatched. I did notice how stable the float was on the trott and it held it's line well without moving very much at all when mending line....don't forget, this particular float is only a 4grm float, Richard does larger ones if needed.
I finnished up having a great little session, made all the better because of Richards float, plenty chub, although most of them were only about a pound or so, a few dace, a very nice trout and a couple of unexpected guests also......








My advice to anyone who trotts a float, if Richard has any available grab 'em while you can!
 
I was very kindly sent some floats by Richard Isaacs to try out.
First impressions of the floats when they arrived was how well Richard had finnished them off, and how robust they felt, no flimsy bit of alloy stem on these floats!... Richard had used a substantial alloy stem on these.
The sight tip is nice and long, brightly coloured and also thick for visability at range, in choppy flow etc. It's obvious that Richard has put a lot of thought and effort into maling these floats.
Anyhow, I managed to get out and give the 4 gramme model a workout on the lower wider part of a large river in some medium to fast flowing water.
This spot I had chosen to fish was too deep to wade and I had to fish from the bank which required a fair cast to reach the fish. Because of the alloy stem the float flew like dart through the air and reached the line I wanted no problem.
Third trott down stream and the float dissapeared and there was a chub attatched. I did notice how stable the float was on the trott and it held it's line well without moving very much at all when mending line....don't forget, this particular float is only a 4grm float, Richard does larger ones if needed.
I finnished up having a great little session, made all the better because of Richards float, plenty chub, although most of them were only about a pound or so, a few dace, a very nice trout and a couple of unexpected guests also......








My advice to anyone who trotts a float, if Richard has any available grab 'em while you can!
Thanks so much Ian for trying them out. I’m glad they didn’t disappoint.
That first chub looks a proper chunk. Nicely angled.
 
Thanks so much Ian for trying them out. I’m glad they didn’t disappoint.
That first chub looks a proper chunk. Nicely angled.

I very much enjoyed using the float Richard, they are a credit to your skills bud !

Yea, the chub was a decent sized one, it looks deformed in the pic lol, it'wasn't though, it was just in a funny position 😉.
 
Two really good morning sessions for me yesterday and today. Chub obviously trotting floats.
Latched into a couple of absolute belters today 1 after another and I’m made up with these beauties being caught by design and on the beautiful 15’6 sphere too.

I know I really spoil chub photos because I can’t lose my pigs tits for fingers so apologies but here we are a brace of big 6’s
Top 6,04
Bottom 6,10
IMG_7829.jpeg
IMG_7831.jpeg

Big Winter chub on the float. What can possibly be more enjoyable
 
Two really good morning sessions for me yesterday and today. Chub obviously trotting floats.
Latched into a couple of absolute belters today 1 after another and I’m made up with these beauties being caught by design and on the beautiful 15’6 sphere too.

I know I really spoil chub photos because I can’t lose my pigs tits for fingers so apologies but here we are a brace of big 6’s
Top 6,04
Bottom 6,10
View attachment 33225View attachment 33226
Big Winter chub on the float. What can possibly be more enjoyable


Beltin' brace of chub there Richard, well done you 👍.
 
The weather is due to change after tomorrow, lots of rain followed by low temp's so I thought i'd pop out and have a couple of hours trotting. I went back down towards the tidal area again, so I could fish from the bank rather than freezin me goolies off stood in the river.
Anyhow, I caught quite a few small chub, most of them being about a pound or less and a couple of whoppers, must have been a good 2lb lol. I did have a few dace also and a couple of them really where propper crumpers. This spot seems to be a favourite of small barbel and I had 8 of em, only tiddlers, but at least there are youngsters to replace the larger fish in future....










I tried the larger of the drennan titanium floats today, the 6grm model just to see how it worked in comparison to the next size down, the 5 grm which I used a couple of weeks back, and wasn't keen on. It was ok if I undershotted it putting a 4grm olivettee on and a no1 shot so as to leave plenty of shoulder showing below the sight tip.
I think they felt pretty naff even more so after using one of Richards creations the other day!
 
The weather is due to change after tomorrow, lots of rain followed by low temp's so I thought i'd pop out and have a couple of hours trotting. I went back down towards the tidal area again, so I could fish from the bank rather than freezin me goolies off stood in the river.
Anyhow, I caught quite a few small chub, most of them being about a pound or less and a couple of whoppers, must have been a good 2lb lol. I did have a few dace also and a couple of them really where propper crumpers. This spot seems to be a favourite of small barbel and I had 8 of em, only tiddlers, but at least there are youngsters to replace the larger fish in future....










I tried the larger of the drennan titanium floats today, the 6grm model just to see how it worked in comparison to the next size down, the 5 grm which I used a couple of weeks back, and wasn't keen on. It was ok if I undershotted it putting a 4grm olivettee on and a no1 shot so as to leave plenty of shoulder showing below the sight tip.
I think they felt pretty naff even more so after using one of Richards creations the other day!
Those floats look far too delicate to me and can easily be damaged.
Never been a fan of the crystal type floats.They could of at least made the tips longer.
 
Those floats look far too delicate to me and can easily be damaged.
Never been a fan of the crystal type floats.They could have at least made the tips longer.
They look great to me. Nice and thick, plus they’re translucent so they glow and the stems are titanium and very bendable 🙂
 
I used to use the crystal loafers and crystal avons all the time many years ago and they were very robust floats. As Ian said though, not so great for long range stuff. The tops just don’t protrude quite enough and under shotting them defeats the object of that bulbous body which should be under the surface providing some stability.
 
I used to use the crystal loafers and crystal avons all the time many years ago and they were very robust floats. As Ian said though, not so great for long range stuff. The tops just don’t protrude quite enough and under shotting them defeats the object of that bulbous body which should be under the surface providing some stability.

I am a fan of drennan, but seriously, their river floats are naff. As David says, they are fragile. Moving the line up or down the line you need to hold the wire as it just bends right round !
I wouldn't recommend them.
 
If you after the off the shelf floats for long trotting, I don’t think you can find better options than David Harrell bolo. But currently my favourite is Andrew Burt’s floats, looking forward to try Richard’s work.
 
If you after the off the shelf floats for long trotting, I don’t think you can find better options than David Harrell bolo. But currently my favourite is Andrew Burt’s floats, looking forward to try Richard’s work.

Yes, Andrew Burts floats are excellent also, I have been using them a lot for a while now.
 
Sounds like a plan, I will definitely shorten up.

& No crayfish present i don’t believe Ian, and the bites are not like the bites I get from crayfish on other rivers I fish. Im sure chub are the culprits.

Cheers

Maybe pike?
I've had pike on legered cheese past in years past.
Personally I can't see it being chub. I know they have pharyngeal teeth but after pushing my finger in their throats they felt soft to me.
Chub are definitely capable of bite offs Ian, I've had it more than once, usually on bread or worm which they often engulf with no warning. Also, a very slow bite which you wait to develop can turn into a bite off as the slowness of the bite indicates the fish has simply swallowed the bait straight away and not moved off with it.
 
Chub are definitely capable of bite offs Ian, I've had it more than once, usually on bread or worm which they often engulf with no warning. Also, a very slow bite which you wait to develop can turn into a bite off as the slowness of the bite indicates the fish has simply swallowed the bait straight away and not moved off with it.

Yep same baits, more so on bread than worm. Violent bites completely out of the blue lift rod to strike, feeling no great build up of pressure as I do so, but hook gone. Not happened recently, but not getting many bites anyway!
 
Chub are definitely capable of bite offs Ian, I've had it more than once, usually on bread or worm which they often engulf with no warning. Also, a very slow bite which you wait to develop can turn into a bite off as the slowness of the bite indicates the fish has simply swallowed the bait straight away and not moved off with it.
Not sure it would ever happen trotting 🤔
 
Despite the title of the thread, I know lots of posts on here are more about centre pins and trotting, so please indulge me for a minute as I share a pic of a roach I caught on the 2nd ever time I used a centrepin. Have always fancied trying one but never have until I picked up a cheap Marco Cortesi recently to try the method. The result today was a lovely days trotting culminating in a 2lb 3 oz PB roach.

Ian (Woods) has whetted my appetite to try similar tactics for barbel when it warms up a bit .....thanks Ian!!

tempImagephtrUO.png
 
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