Rely on maggots for chub – Jake Benson

This is arguably the most effective way to trick the wariest chub, says Jake Benson who tells us exactly why maggots are his first-choice bait in clear conditions

IF SOMEONE asked me what my favourite style of angling is, I’d have to choose an approach involving sight fishing. Nothing beats the feeling of watching your quarry – it triggers a primeval desire for hunting, a real sense of me versus prey. Not only will fishing in this manner give you a massive surge of adrenaline, because you can often watch fish devour your offerings, it will also teach you so much about the habits of the species you’re targeting. Luckily, one of my favourite species – chub – is easily targeted in this manner, particularly during periods of sunshine and clear rivers like we’ve experienced across the UK this summer. However, it’s these conditions which can make the fishing tricky, especially under increasing pressure from other anglers. By this point in the year, chub on many rivers will have already made the mistake of taking larger offerings delivered on traditional tactics. Which is why I am armed with something different. Having grown up chasing chub, over the years I’ve learned so much about them. Early on in the never-ending ‘learning curve’ I quickly discovered the effectiveness of small baits such as maggots and casters – even for specimen fish of over 6lb. On their day chub can be easy to catch on almost anything, and on others one of the most difficult and finicky of species you’ll ever meet – this is where my maggot approach really comes into its own. I have yet to encounter a chub which will refuse maggots. The only time they’re no use is during periods of coloured water. I’d definitely say the approach is the most deadly I’ve ever used, and one that I will feel lost without during clear conditions. I can think of multiple cases where it’s resulted in me filling a keepnet, and I even used it to break my personal best in recent weeks – but how do I make it work I hear you ask? Well, it really couldn’t be simpler…