NEW SERIES We go ‘In the Swim’ to reveal where to find chub on your river
“Cast to the edge of the cover for an instant bite from a chub, and you can adopt either a leger or float approach”
AUTUMN is one of the best times to go in search of river chub, which will feed in even the harshest of conditions.
They can be found in many types of swim, and will eat almost anything put in front of them. However, before you can think about baits and tactics for chub, you’ll need to track them down, and sometimes the most unlikely looking spot can hold fish.
We’ve earmarked five top areas to find chub, and how you should go about fishing them…
1 BRIDGE STANCHIONS
Immediately behind bridge supports you’ll find slower water out of the main flow where chub will gather to wait for food to be washed past. The water may be shallower, and by standing on the bridge and looking down you’ll be able to tell if any fish are at home.
To catch chub from such spots, presenting a static bait on the feeder or leger is the best tactic. You can pre-bait by dropping feed in off the bridge, and then casting out a maggot feeder or lead with a big bait like bread or lobworm.
2 BANKSIDE COVER
This feature screams chub, which love to shoal up under the branches of trees and ambush food items that drift past. If it’s opposite you, cast to the edge of the cover for an instant bite, and you can adopt either a leger or float approach, depending on the pace of the river.
A waggler trotted along the edge of the cover will to cover more of the swim and often pick off fish that have drifted downstream following your loosefeed.
3 EDDIES
Created where the current swirls back on itself, often near a bend in the river, these pools of swirling water don’t look that inviting with their uneven flow, but under the surface they can provide a larder of natural food for chub. As an added bonus, eddies are normally found on the near bank, so a simple cast off the rod tip will suffice.
The uneven flow present can require the use of a fair bit of lead to hold bottom when using bread, worms or cheesepaste on the hook, or you can use less weight and let the bait roll around the swim, thereby making it act more naturally.
4 BACKWATERS
Off the main rivers you’ll find these small arms that, while often narrower and shallower, nevertheless can house big chub. Treat them as a mini version of the main river and look for the usual features including overhanging trees and slacks. However, be aware that the shallower water will make the fish particularly wary. Roving may be your best bet in this instance, only having one or two casts into each area with a light leger weight and a big hookbait.
5 SLACK AREAS
Reedbeds and areas where the riverbank juts out into the main flow will create slack pools of water close-in. This slow, almost still water may not look too inviting to the angler, but in times of high water, they become popular with many coarse species, chub included. As with an eddy, food will be swept into the slacks, meaning that the fish don’t have to work too hard for a meal.
It’s a ‘one rod job’ to fish this type of spot, gearing up with a running leger and a big hookbait like lobworms or cheesepaste. Creep up on the swim stealthily, as even in murky water conditions they’ll sense any disturbance.