The search for Winter Chub-Part 1.

Well hello again, sorry the posts are so inconsistent at the moment. I have unfortunately had lots going on and have not had much time to sit on the computer. Anyway this post is going to be about a couple of sessions myself and my friend Kev have had out on the rivers in search of Chub recently. Chub are a great species to target at this time of year because they seem to feed whatever the weather. Most rivers nowadays have a stock of Chub to target and we are very lucky in the South west not only to have rivers with large quantities of Chub but also some real specimens of over 6 pounds in weight!!
Our first Chub adventure was going to be on Somersets river Tone which runs straight through the city of Taunton. It is a relatively narrow and fast flowing river with a good number of all coarse fish. Not living that local to the river we decided to fish the free stretch instead of buying a ticket for the more prolific stretches. We set off mid morning from Exeter and made the 20 minute drive up the motorway. Which actually turned out to be more like a 40 minute drive due to the never ending road works! Even though we were a little late we still managed to get down by the river for lunch time.
Our tactics for the day would be simply to move from swim to swim with big hook baits and no loose feed. My main bait for the day would be bread but Kev fancied a more natural bait in the form of a big juicy worm. These baits would be presented on simple running ledger set-ups in likely looking areas.
The first swim we came too was just past the motorway bridge on a junction between the main river and a small side stream. The spot looked prime to hold a few fish and I began fishing the crease line were the two waters met. Kev was fishing tight to a overhanging tree in his near margin. Chub are known to love snaggy areas and overhangs so Kev's spot looked bang on. It felt like an age had passed however before Kev's rod began to show the first signs of action. Short sharp wraps on his tip indicated a fish had taken a liking to his worm hook bait. He struck into the third knock to reveal the culprit, a small Chub of about a pound in weight was soon in the net. It wasn't the monster we wanted but a good start. A few minutes later my rod was also away but with only a small Roach to show for my efforts.
We decided a change of swim was needed and we set off back down the river. We found two more lovely looking swims, one with a tree in the water and another with a crease line running into a deep hole. It wasn't long before Kev was in again in his new swim. This fish was no Chub though but still made Kev happy as it was his first Grayling. Kev's worm hook bait was certainly attracting the fish. I decided to plug away on the bread though and not long after dropping the bait into a hole just off the main flow, I had a solid pull round on the tip. The result was a Chub of about a pound and a half in the net. On re-casting to the same spot I connected with another Chub and a slightly better one too. This fish was about 2lb in weight. Unfortunately it seemed that the quick action and disturbance had spooked what looked like a good shoal of fish. So after a few more casts it was time to move again.

2 lb River Tone Chub

The session was going well but the next two swims we tried seemed entirely fish less. Not to get disheartened we continued to rove down the river back towards the car. I then arrived at a stunning swim were a tree had created a raft down my own margin. It looked prime for a bite. So a cast down towards the tree with the bread soon followed. The bait was in the water for no less than a few minutes when it was taken with a violent wrap round on the tip. What looked a decent swim in the books proved to be just that! The fish thought harder than all the others and used the current to its advantage to try and shake the hook. After a short battle it was in the net though and looked to be the biggest Chub of the day nearing the 3lb mark. As with the other swims though this instant action seemed to spook any other fish in the area and a few casts later I was off to the next swim. 

The light was now fading as it so quickly does in winter and I was struggling to find any more fish. Kev however managed to bag another one from a stretch of overhanging trees on the far bank. It was to be Kev's biggest Chub of about 2 and a half pounds.

2 lb + River Tone Chub

The session had been a lot of fun and although we hadn't caught any monsters we had however caught in most of the areas we had tried. The bonus was it was all for free too! You can't beat a bit of winter Chub fishing and I now was itching to get out on the bank after the species again.

To watch a video of our River Tone Session check out the You tube Channel 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lBZuop1Vqw

Would I catch a bigger Chub next time out? Find out in part 2.......

Tight Lines