8lb 2oz AVON CHUB IS SEASON’S BEST SO FAR
Prebaiting gains confidence of biggest fish in the shoal T
HIS is the biggest chub of the season so far, at 8lb 2oz.
The specimen was banked by river specialist Paul Allen, who spotted a group of fish during an evening session on the Hampshire Avon.
After laying down a bed of pellets via a bait dropper, the aircraft engineer from Dorset, who’s been fishing the famous waterway for more than 15 years, sat back for 30 minutes and watched a shoal of chub confidently graze over the bait.
“I’ve never seen chub feed so confidently. They were flashing over the bait and ripping up the bottom to get to the pellets…. it was all very exciting,” he told Angling Times.
“Even though it was bright it was very windy, so I couldn’t see how big the fish were through the rippled surface.”
After missing a bite on his very first cast, Paul’s legered fishmeal boilie hookbait was taken by the huge chub 10 minutes after recasting.
His rig was constructed with a braided hooklink and a size 8 hook, the same as he used to bank his previous personal best chub of exactly 8lb back in 2013.
“I really didn’t realise how big the chub was until I lifted it out of the landing net and on to the unhooking mat,” he continued.
“The picture really doesn’t do this chunk of a chub justice because it was so wide across the back and extremely deep – a huge summer fish.
“But it still was a real shock when the pointer on the scales went over the 8lb mark.
“What is truly remarkable about this stunning chub is that it looked so young. It certainly didn’t give the impression of being an old warrior, as many big chub tend to do.”