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Chub in the winter

Haha, I’m certainly claiming no IP, so please feel free! I’m sure I’m not the first or only person on here to do it. Like you say, very simple and I haven’t looked back since the first time I tried it!

And congratulations on the 7lb Wye fish - that’s an absolutely beauty!!

I know this is a barbel forum, but I’ll absolutely be shouting from the rooftops on here (under ‘other species’ of course 😂) when (if) I finally break that elusive 7lb barrier!

Let us know how the video shots go 👍
 
Hello Stuart - fabulous fish. In October I set myself a personal challenge to catch 50 chub by the end of the season. I've still got 46 to go as the rivers around have been a mess for quite a well. Even when they are not - unlike other places - it would require a lot of fishing to catch 50. It seems you are having a good season with fine perch and chub. I'm heading further up river today in search of a bite. Have foolishly been fishing the Windrush which seems to have been killed off by effluent - not a bite in 10 hours even on a size 18 with a single maggot.
 
Edward Adcock said:
Hello Stuart - fabulous fish. In October I set myself a personal challenge to catch 50 chub by the end of the season. I've still got 46 to go as the rivers around have been a mess for quite a well. Even when they are not - unlike other places - it would require a lot of fishing to catch 50. It seems you are having a good season with fine perch and chub. I'm heading further up river today in search of a bite. Have foolishly been fishing the Windrush which seems to have been killed off by effluent - not a bite in 10 hours even on a size 18 with a single maggot.
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Hi Edward,

I actually spent a couple of years living in Faringdon, so I know the upper Thames and it’s tributaries well.

It’s not been an easy autumn/ early winter for me either!! And the Thames can certainly be a cruel mistress. To be honest though, I haven’t fished the Windrush for years - it’s sadly far from the river it once was. Same for the Evenlode, although I did sneak a 5lb chub from it a couple of months back from about 100 yards upstream from where it joins the Thames (so basically the Thames!).

I really stick to the main river these day as it tends to produce the better fish, although Seacourt Stream still contains a few surprises 😉
 
Stuart Wright said:
Hi Edward,

I actually spent a couple of years living in Faringdon, so I know the upper Thames and it’s tributaries well.

It’s not been an easy autumn/ early winter for me either!! And the Thames can certainly be a cruel mistress. To be honest though, I haven’t fished the Windrush for years - it’s sadly far from the river it once was. Same for the Evenlode, although I did sneak a 5lb chub from it a couple of months back from about 100 yards upstream from where it joins the Thames (so basically the Thames!).

I really stick to the main river these day as it tends to produce the better fish, although Seacourt Stream still contains a few surprises 😉
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I fished Radcot today and caught a sub 2lb chub at last light. A lot of canoes which surprised me at this time of year. When I moved to this house in 2003 the barbel were shoulder to shoulder in the Windrush at the top of the garden and I didn't fish for them as it all seemed too close to home!
 
Just the one for me also probably 1.5-2lb nothing to write home about but much nicer than a blank.
my mate missed a right proper rap around. Almost barbel bite like. Picked up the rod and nothing there 😂
 
Edward Adcock said:
Hello Stuart - fabulous fish. In October I set myself a personal challenge to catch 50 chub by the end of the season. I've still got 46 to go as the rivers around have been a mess for quite a well. Even when they are not - unlike other places - it would require a lot of fishing to catch 50. It seems you are having a good season with fine perch and chub. I'm heading further up river today in search of a bite. Have foolishly been fishing the Windrush which seems to have been killed off by effluent - not a bite in 10 hours even on a size 18 with a single maggot.
Click to expand...
Target is down to 36. Since Saturday I have been fishing/roving 6 to 7 hours a day and the best session has been 4 chub. Largest so far is 5lb 9oz and I doubt that will be improved upon. Otters are well established here so I have been surprised at the size range and great condition the fish have been in except the smallest which was rather mangled.
 
Great stuff Edward, a 5.09 is a very nice fish indeed! On the windrush again?

Otters can absolutely cause all sorts of problems, but provided there’s enough cover, it’s not necessarily game over. I was fishing on a small Thames tributary a few weeks ago and an otter popped up again 10 yards away from me!! Still managed a couple of chub about 30 mins later. Not ideal, but it’s what we’ve got
 
Stuart Wright said:
Great stuff Edward, a 5.09 is a very nice fish indeed! On the windrush again?

Otters can absolutely cause all sorts of problems, but provided there’s enough cover, it’s not necessarily game over. I was fishing on a small Thames tributary a few weeks ago and an otter popped up again 10 yards away from me!! Still managed a couple of chub about 30 mins later. Not ideal, but it’s what we’ve got
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The main river Stuart. Down to 31 now. So, do you travel from Harrow to Oxford to fish?
 
Got out for a bit of Chubbing on Monday, slow going but eventually got a nice one on trotted maggot..

IMG_20191230_151235525_HDR.jpg
 
Edward Adcock said:
The main river Stuart. Down to 31 now. So, do you travel from Harrow to Oxford to fish?
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Yes, reasonably often, although I also fish the Thames and a couple of other rivers down this way too. I used to live in Oxford though, so they still feel like my home waters!

My angling buddy lives up in Oxfordshire, so we often fish the Warkwickshire Avon too.
 
Great lesson learned at the weekend chub fishing for me
Got there early and got in my swim of choice and worked my socks off on maggot feeder and lots of infuriating plucks & pulls and eventually landed a decent fish of 5-8 but lost a couple of heavy fish in snags.
Bites died off in the afternoon and a reluctant switch to bread at last knockings. Bang, completely different bites, proper 3 ft twitches on big bits of ledgered crust on size 2 hooks! 3 decent fish in as many chucks and 1 lost.
Lessons learned - what worked a week ago, may not work today - know when to fold 'em and try something completely different.
And an hour in the right place.....
We all know this, and I astound myself on how blinkered I can become and could kick myself at times. But...it also explains why I love chubbing so much - sturggled on a size 18 to 4lb line, but stick a basic ledger rig with 10lb braid hooklnk and a big-hook and it's hook-a-duck???
 
Paul Richardson said:
Great lesson learned at the weekend chub fishing for me
Got there early and got in my swim of choice and worked my socks off on maggot feeder and lots of infuriating plucks & pulls and eventually landed a decent fish of 5-8 but lost a couple of heavy fish in snags.
Bites died off in the afternoon and a reluctant switch to bread at last knockings. Bang, completely different bites, proper 3 ft twitches on big bits of ledgered crust on size 2 hooks! 3 decent fish in as many chucks and 1 lost.
Lessons learned - what worked a week ago, may not work today - know when to fold 'em and try something completely different.
And an hour in the right place.....
We all know this, and I astound myself on how blinkered I can become and could kick myself at times. But...it also explains why I love chubbing so much - sturggled on a size 18 to 4lb line, but stick a basic ledger rig with 10lb braid hooklnk and a big-hook and it's hook-a-duck???
Click to expand...
It can often work the other way round... no bites on big baits but plenty on maggot.. that's one of the things that makes it interesting!
 
Over the festive season I went for a long walk with a rod and came across a swim which screamed chub. Usually, I take a photo of everywhere I cast but seem to have forgotten this time. The swim comprises a raft under an over hanging willow on the far bank with a slack in front and a slack behind and quite pacy water in front. I have visited the swim half a dozen times and caught small fish in both slacks. I have been keen to get a bait close to the raft but it involves casting quite far upstream to the edge of the slack and quickly dipping the rod tip otherwise the line ends up in the tree, especially if there is a hint of a downstream wind. I managed this the last time I was there but kept on snaring a nasty snag just in front of the raft and having to pull for a break. Today, that snag seemed to have moved as the bait ran free. The first run through I foolishly put the rod on the rest and two seconds later the rod tip thumped down and I missed the bite. I persevered a few more times holding the rod but nothing happened. I then reverted to the rod rest with my hand on the rod. The rod tip thumped again without any prior warning. By this stage I thought I had blown it but gave it one last go without the rod rest...

42152180-D9BC-4133-8661-07508A32CAF9.jpeg

5lb11oz
995F01D7-F5FC-4D5F-A82E-8276FF27F71C.jpeg
 
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