Good setup for chub?

[BoldBear]

I would like to know a effective method of catching chub on small rivers.

I can only go on my local stream as the Chub may act differently on other streams & small rivers. so my answers are based on what I have observed from fishing my local stream/small river which has a good stock of Chub and Barbel etc. and is fairly shallowish with a gravel bottom and is usually very clear.

 

Is float fishing a good method?

 

On my local stream there are lots of Gudgeon, small fry and minnows which smother a bait as soon as it hits bottom and on a warm summer day the Chub sometimes ignore a bait laid hard on the bottom (whether it has a hook in it or not), and the Chub seem to hover just off the bottom, picking off bits of food which are drifting downstream in the current, and it is only once the light starts to fade and their visiblity is probably reduced slightly that baits and loose feed that are hard on the bottom start to get picked up more by them.

when they are acting like that then a bait trotted down stream a couple of inches above the bottom seems to work better.

 

Other days especially if there is a bit of colour in the water a link leger with a bait hard on the bottom is effective as well as a bait trotted off bottom.

 

What is good depth to catch them?

 

Chub feed at all levels including off the surface; and on small rivers and streams this is even more so, although they can be surprisingly suspicoius of footfalls and movements on the bankside which can send them down. There is a saying that 'Chub are one of the most fearfullest of fish' and I am sure that is so.

 

Is bait on a hair rig good for chub or on the hook?

 

Although Chub have large mouths they are notorious of picking up a bait in their lips and darting off away from the shoal before swallowing the bait; just like a sparrow flying off away from the other birds with a piece of bread in its beak. this tends to happen more if there are a lot of other Chub around and the bait is on the largish size and happens less when the bait is small like maggots etc.

With this in mind you can see why a hook mounted bait is normally better than a hair rig where the hook would be more likely to end up hanging outside of the lips as the Chub darted away.

Some Chub anglers do use a hair but it is normally a very short hair with the bait actually touching the back or bend of the hook.

 

What are the best baits to use and best hook size? (are boilies worth trying)

 

Chub take most baits but some of the baits that I would have confidence in for catching Chub include: Slugs, Luncheonmeat (Spiced or plain), Halibut or Crab pellets (or boilees), Cheese/Onion breadpaste, Worms, Casters, Maggots, prawns or minnows.

Hooksizes to match the bait you are using but use good quality sharp hooks made by a well known hook company.

 

I hope this has helped a bit

 

tight lines

 

Keith (BoldBear)

Edited August 18, 2010 by BoldBear

[sparkyy]

I can only go on my local stream as the Chub may act differently on other streams & small rivers. so my answers are based on what I have observed from fishing my local stream/small river which has a good stock of Chub and Barbel etc. and is fairly shallowish with a gravel bottom and is usually very clear.

 

Is float fishing a good method?

 

On my local stream there are lots of Gudgeon, small fry and minnows which smother a bait as soon as it hits bottom and on a warm summer day the Chub sometimes ignore a bait laid hard on the bottom (whether it has a hook in it or not), and the Chub seem to hover just off the bottom, picking off bits of food which are drifting downstream in the current, and it is only once the light starts to fade and their visiblity is probably reduced slightly that baits and loose feed that are hard on the bottom start to get picked up more by them.

when they are acting like that then a bait trotted down stream a couple of inches above the bottom seems to work better.

 

Other days especially if there is a bit of colour in the water a link leger with a bait hard on the bottom is effective as well as a bait trotted off bottom.

 

What is good depth to catch them?

 

Chub feed at all levels including off the surface; and on small rivers and streams this is even more so, although they can be surprisingly suspicoius of footfalls and movements on the bankside which can send them down. There is a saying that 'Chub are one of the most fearfullest of fish' and I am sure that is so.

 

Is bait on a hair rig good for chub or on the hook?

 

Although Chub have large mouths they are notorious of picking up a bait in their lips and darting off away from the shoal before swallowing the bait; just like a sparrow flying off away from the other birds with a piece of bread in its beak. this tends to happen more if there are a lot of other Chub around and the bait is on the largish size and happens less when the bait is small like maggots etc.

With this in mind you can see why a hook mounted bait is normally better than a hair rig where the hook would be more likely to end up hanging outside of the lips as the Chub darted away.

Some Chub anglers do use a hair but it is normally a very short hair with the bait actually touching the back or bend of the hook.

 

What are the best baits to use and best hook size? (are boilies worth trying)

 

Chub take most baits but some of the baits that I would have confidence in for catching Chub include: Slugs, Luncheonmeat (Spiced or plain), Halibut or Crab pellets (or boilees), Cheese/Onion breadpaste, Worms, Casters, Maggots, prawns or minnows.

Hooksizes to match the bait you are using but use good quality sharp hooks made by a well known hook company.

 

I hope this has helped a bit

 

tight lines

 

Keith (BoldBear)

when fishing for chub on small rivers i generally tend to use corn or lob worms on the hook and lunchen meat from time to time but when bites are hard to come by i will switch over to a spicy shrimp and crab boilie as i have caught loads of chub on this but beware if there are barbel in your stretch of river as they luv'em too.