PB CHUB, PB CHUB! Big fat Thames chub!

[Angly]

Fished a spot on the Thames today I've had in mind for a while. Luckily the weather was looking promising, although the bright sun over my shoulder worried me just a little.

 

I consider myself a bit of an apprentice to identifying fish holding features, but walking the bank it was as if someone had put a flashing neon sign on the far bank saying 'fish here'! Really, it was that obvious to me, there appeared to be no flow, in stark contrast to the rest of the river which was pushing through at a fair rate of knots, and was located between both overhanging trees and submerged braches.

 

I banged out a large 60g feeder full of maggots to the swim every couple of minutes to get the fish feeding. Twice I actually managed to hit the swim! After 30 minutes of spreading my maggots over half of Surrey, on went my hook and maggots, and as if by magic, my first real cast was bang on the money. Just like the manual said, I paid out a large bow of line, and settled my 1.5lb TC rod into the rest almost vertically.

 

Something happened, can't remember exactly what, but the rod tip did something and I struck into a fish. Hard to tell what fish and how big, because the current was fairly fast. As I got my capture closer a flash of flank hinted that I might actually have hooked my target species, the first time I've caught one since returning to angling. I took things a little easier now, couldn't afford to lose this fish. And OMG, what a absolutely beautiful fish it was, a golden/silver shimmering chunk of a chub, that after so many blank session seemed enormous. After a few quiet repetitions of 'oh my gosh' (well, those might not have been the EXACT words), with trembling fingers I somehow managed to assemble the weighing gear…3lb 10oz, so just enough to warrant a Korum Challenger badge should I be into that (good to use as a yardstick though). I was beaming so much my face hurt!

 

 

Not quite as much as it hurt from beaming after my next cast's capture, a submarine size monster of…6lb exactly, qualifies for a Korum Challenge Specimen Chub badge so can't be too bad! Wow, now this is why I come fishing.

 

 

Third cast, yup, third chub, and this time a clonking 6lb 8oz beauty!

I fished on, but either my casting was way out, or I couldn't get my swimfeeder to hold due to a slightly increased current. Much as I hated to admit it, all good things must come to an end, and so it was to be today.

 

As if to signal the end of my session three cruisers, usually absent from the river at this time of year, motored past just after I'd packed up.

 

So, to recap:

 

First chub since returning to angling.

First fish after 11 consecutive blanks.

PB of 6lb 8oz

 

To say I'm a happy chappy is an understatement!

P.S. Oh how I wished I'd been fishing with a buddy, or taken a bankstick to pop the camera on! Oh well, next time!

 

 

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Edited March 11, 2009 by Angly

[Angly]

P.P.S. Arbocop, congratulations, I think I know just how you feel!

[Guest tigger]

What a great day for you Angly, well done ewd lad

[JV44]

Angly well done sir that is a cracking catch of Chub the old scattergun prebait technique with maggots obviously worked then ,That is why i often prefer a good flow/flood conditions on a big river as it does make it easier in a way to track down fish and your watercraft was spot on ,Chub in most bits of the Thames have increased in size in the last few years helped in part by the Carp guys baiting spots for the Carp and some i talk to have caught some monsters .

I am on the river on the last day with rusty and if we manage to get anything approaching your catch we will be well happy ,what was your old Pb Chub out of interest to gauge how big the smile on your face and how loud you screamed

Massive well done and has given me a desire to catch something before the end of the season Steve.

[lutra]

Well done Angly, super chub that 6.8 looks like its swallowed a brick, maybe it had.

 

Ive been on the river tonight looking for chub with the maggot feeder myself. I even managed to catch 3 fish with 2 over the 6lb mark, sadly they were all barbel and the 4th one i hooked nicked my hook length. I'm beginning to think i live at the wrong end of the country for a 6lb chub, but I'm told they are there so i will just have to keep trying.

 

Well done again Angly, 6lb 8oz thats a monster.

[arbocop]

Ive been on the river tonight looking for chub with the maggot feeder myself. I even managed to catch 3 fish with 2 over the 6lb mark, sadly they were all barbel and the 4th one i hooked nicked my hook length. I'm beginning to think i live at the wrong end of the country for a 6lb chub, but I'm told they are there so i will just have to keep trying.

 

Well done again Angly, 6lb 8oz thats a monster.

 

Yeah agreed, well done, don't think of it as a title think of it as a club - a chub club. I just wished I was able to have weighed mine. Did yours swallow the swimfeeder?

[Rusty]

Dead chuffed for you Angly, what a day after so many disappointments.

[Angly]

Thank you everybody, I can't tell you how much catching something before the AN Barton Court Fish-In means to me, a little of the pressure to catch is now off. 11 blanks in a row does test one's resolve!

 

Steve, my previous chub PB, in fact my only previous chub, I didn't weigh, but it was a milestone to me as it was the first species I had deliberately set out to catch, using methods learnt from JW's Go Fishing series. First trot caught me a gorgeous dark chub well under a pound. 20 years ago I'd guess on the Mole.

 

I'm guessing the 6lb 8oz chub is a female heavy with eggs?

[Guest tigger]

Well done Angly, super chub that 6.8 looks like its swallowed a brick, maybe it had.

 

Ive been on the river tonight looking for chub with the maggot feeder myself. I even managed to catch 3 fish with 2 over the 6lb mark, sadly they were all barbel and the 4th one i hooked nicked my hook length. I'm beginning to think i live at the wrong end of the country for a 6lb chub, but I'm told they are there so i will just have to keep trying.

 

Well done again Angly, 6lb 8oz thats a monster.

 

 

 

Although I love catching chub I think I'd prefer the Barbel taking my bait, well done Brian.

[Chris Plumb]

Well done Angly - its been a good week for big chub. A mate of mine also had a 6.08 from the Lea at the weekend - caught on a prawn - it equalled his PB....

 

 

C.