RIVER CHUB ON THE FEED

Trent seven-pounder highlights a week of big fish off the beaten track

THE nation’s rivers are producing their best chub sport of the summer, and species experts are urging anglers to launch their campaigns now.

Running water venues have been packed with anglers since the start of the season, many making barbel and bream their main targets.

But river fishing specialist Lee Swords is among those who are urging other anglers to turn their attentions to chub this summer.

He proved why by banking several huge fish to 7lb from the River Trent.The Hook Bait Company-backed angler covered miles of the waterway, adopting a roving approach with a freelined breadflake hookbait and just a piece of rig putty on the line to add a little weight.

It was a ploy that produced four fish to a best of 5lb 13oz, but Lee was convinced that a bigger specimen was there for the taking.

He returned just days later with a more static attack that involved legering a glugged Spicy Meat Pro dumbell wrapped in paste.

His switch proved to be an instant hit, and in a memorable night of action he netted chub of 4lb 14oz, 5lb 14oz and 6lb 9oz before the biggest of the lot – the seven-pounder – was caught.

Lee told Angling Times: “It was a fantastic few days’ sport but I am by no means surprised at what I caught, as summer chubbing can be really prolific.

“The best barbel areas are packed at this time of year and I’m not the kind of person that enjoys getting in among the crowds.

“If chub are your target, you can go off the beaten track and find some huge fish that nobody else seems interested in.

“Both my ‘searching’ rigs for a roving and static approach work for big fish, and both of them play a part in my tactics.

“This is my third verified chub over 7lb, and they were all caught in summer. I would soon get bored just fishing for barbel on the Trent – the river is so much more than the best barbel venue in the UK.”

Bristol’s Kenny Parsons is equally enthusiastic about his A 6lb 13oz chub from the Hampshire Avon for Bristol big-fish man Kenny Parsons. summer chub fishing antics, and got his campaign off to a flyer with a 6lb 13oz lump from the Hampshire Avon.

Clear conditions made it tricky for him to get the fish feeding confidently, but by scaling down his rig to 6lb fluorocarbon mainline and a hooklength of the same strength he eventually gained the only bite of the day when the fish gobbled up his pellet hookbait.