Discover the tactics behind huge chub... including a 7lb 3oz fish!
Specialists make the most of feeding spree nationwide
AMAGNIFICENT 7lb 3oz chub tops the list of specimen fish in what has been a truly memorable week for the species.
Jerry Gleeson had leftovers including black pudding, sausage and burgers to thank for the capture of what he described as ‘the fish of his dreams’ when he packed the meaty mess into his feeder and cast it into the River Trent at Sutton, Notts.
It didn’t take long for his concoction to attract attention, and the chub took a steak hookbait after it had been in the water for only five minutes.
“I can’t believe that a bit of leftover breakfast and tea caught me a chub like this,” said Jerry.
“At first I was just going to unhook the fish in the net, but then it rolled over and it really did look like a small carp.
“The rig went back out and it wasn’t long before I had another chub of 5lb 2oz and 4lb 11oz – and then the bait ran out.
“I did try pellets and boilies, but they didn’t bring a single touch.”
It often pays to stay mobile when fishing for chub at this time of year, and that was certainly the case for respected specialist rod Paul Elt.
The Drennan/Dynamite Baits-backed angler from St Neots, Cambs, was fishing a Midlands river when he slipped the net under a superb chub weighing 6lb 12oz.
A simple link-leger rig made from 7lb mainline and a size 6 hook was the winning method for Paul, who also landed another chub of 4lb.
“I baited several swims with broken Complex-T boilies, and as it was so cold I tried to stay as mobile as I could. It worked a treat,” said Paul.
Measham, Leics, angler Dave Owen has spent all year trying to catch a 5lb chub, and his hard work paid off when he banked two six-pounders in a single session.
The pair tipped the scales at 6lb 4oz and 6lb 3oz and were taken during a short day session on a Midlands river.
Link-legered paste was the winning hookbait, and both fish smashed his previous personal best for the species that stood at 4lb 14oz.
“I spent no more than 20 minutes in each swim and just flicked my hookbaits into likely looking places,” Dave told Angling Times.
“The secret to catching big fish is often about using a bait that’s different from what everyone else is using, and my paste certainly proved the point.”