Legitimate fishing methods ?

[Steve Walker]

I've fished a stillwater with a good head of (illegally introduced) chub. They used to show up while fishing maggot on the tip, but the best way to catch them was to fish shallow with a waggler and pile in lots and lots of maggots.

[Steve Burke]

I did a fair bit of stillwater chubbing in the 80s at 2 different venues in particular. The chub were much more difficult to catch from rivers, but they did grow bigger. Interestingly, chub did seem to breed at least once at one of these stillwaters, which was landlocked by the way.

[BobH]

I have caught Chub from the 70ty Acre when Tench fishing, I'm sure there must be Monsters in that pit and Landridge use to be stocked with Chub and Barbel every year when The Old Lea flooded, in fact you can see why in the Step by Step book written by Pete Frost.

 

When they straighten the Old River and increased the size of Landridge, there was only a spit of land between the two, now of course Landridge has a river running through it and there are plenty of Chub in it, some Monster as well.

 

Chub seem to bred fine in still waters judging from the small chub you see in the Lea Valley pits ?

 

Bob

[Rusty]

I did a fair bit of stillwater chubbing in the 80s at 2 different venues in particular. The chub were much more difficult to catch from rivers, but they did grow bigger. Interestingly, chub did seem to breed at least once at one of these stillwaters, which was landlocked by the way.

Well they were introduced for two reasons, to provide reliable winter sport and to feast on the signal crayfish which infest this water. I can see the logic and I hope they thrive but if I fish that venue it’ll take me a while to get my head around catching chub from a lake, I’ve never done it.

 

Perhaps one of my angling prejudices will be laid to rest (sort of on topic).

[Anderoo]

The previous record chub was from a gravel pit in Oxfordshire, which the Thames flooded into.

[Tigger]

Well they were introduced for two reasons, to provide reliable winter sport and to feast on the signal crayfish which infest this water. I can see the logic and I hope they thrive but if I fish that venue it’ll take me a while to get my head around catching chub from a lake, I’ve never done it.

 

Perhaps one of my angling prejudices will be laid to rest (sort of on topic).

 

 

Some of my most enjoyable chub sessions have been on an old quarry when I was a sprog. The quarry had a small inlet of water (a trickle really from the field drain and a nice outflowing stream (it must have been fed from a underground spring also) and there where lots of up and coming chublets of various sizes so they must have been spawning. The best method for targetting the elusive larger chub was to fish in the summer months when they would hang about just below the surface. Use a fine line, small hook with a floating caster on it, catty out floating casters and cast amongst 'em. You had to lye on your belly on one of the cliffs and wait until a fish obliged which wasn't that often compared to the time you put in.

Unfortunatly the quarry was used as a landfill site for general waste with most of the fish being buried...abslute disgrace !

 

Steve, have you never thought about introducing some chub into wingham ?...I bet they'd thrive and grow quickly, if the pike didn't get 'em first .

[Anderoo]

Unlikely, the wingham pike only eat sweetcorn

[Phone]

All,

 

Thought you might like to know what the British are proposing.

 

""""We propose CIFER: A Corruption Index of Fisheries Enforcement and Regulations""""

 

Sounds right up your alley - a few new regulations.

 

Phone

[Steve Burke]

Some of my most enjoyable chub sessions have been on an old quarry when I was a sprog. The quarry had a small inlet of water (a trickle really from the field drain and a nice outflowing stream (it must have been fed from a underground spring also) and there where lots of up and coming chublets of various sizes so they must have been spawning. The best method for targetting the elusive larger chub was to fish in the summer months when they would hang about just below the surface. Use a fine line, small hook with a floating caster on it, catty out floating casters and cast amongst 'em. You had to lye on your belly on one of the cliffs and wait until a fish obliged which wasn't that often compared to the time you put in.

Unfortunatly the quarry was used as a landfill site for general waste with most of the fish being buried...abslute disgrace !

 

Steve, have you never thought about introducing some chub into wingham ?...I bet they'd thrive and grow quickly, if the pike didn't get 'em first .

 

I'm sure they would do very well and I did consider it when I first stocked Wingham. However my experience of stillwater chub is that they're particularly predatory. Adding another predator into the equation would have complicated the fishery management, so I decided not to stock them. I certainly have no intention of stocking any new fish now as there's always a risk of introducing disease.

[Ken L]

The Stillwater barbel thing always makes me laugh. I've watched barbel feeding in the crystal clear waters of Lake Lucerne where they appeared to be quite happy with no inclination to go live in the river that flows out of the lake.