Best Chub Baits

[Elton]

Posted on behalf of Laurence. Please add all replies to this thread:

 

Hi,

 

For chub using a normal open ended feeder, what bait do you think I could use to bag up? In case it effects the decision, I am going to fish on the River Loddon and the River Wey.

 

Thanks,

 

Laurence

[Anderoo]

Posted on behalf of Laurence. Please add all replies to this thread:

 

I don't know about bagging up - I've never bagged up with chub! I like to fish big baits and rove about, giving each swim 20 minutes or so. I haven't fished the Loddon (unfortunately) but I fished the Wey a lot for chub. My favourite baits were luncheon meat in the summer and bread in the winter. I was only fishing for 1 fish per swim though. If you want to catch a lot, I'd imagine constantly feeding maggots would be the way to go - and feed for a long time before actually fishing.

 

Good luck!

Edited June 6, 2007 by Anderoo

[DavyR]

I also used to fish the Wey a lot, and unless there are fewer minnows now than formerly, the main priority is to use a bait that they can't rip to shreds in seconds. Like Anderoo, I found meat to be the best bait, followed by large lobworms. Again, like Anderoo, I rarely caught more than one fish from a single swim. I can't imagine how many pints of maggots it would take to feed off the minnows, but it's something I never considered trying.

[Anderoo]

I also used to fish the Wey a lot, and unless there are fewer minnows now than formerly, the main priority is to use a bait that they can't rip to shreds in seconds. Like Anderoo, I found meat to be the best bait, followed by large lobworms. Again, like Anderoo, I rarely caught more than one fish from a single swim. I can't imagine how many pints of maggots it would take to feed off the minnows, but it's something I never considered trying.

 

I think I must have wiped the memories of the hoardes of minnows! Aaaargh! It was a blessing when winter came and they disappeared. Very good point Davy, maggots were useless in many swims because of those little monsters, and also the crazy little brown trout.

 

I loved the Wey, such a lovely, underfished river. On my favourite stretch I can remember my three favourite swims clearly: there was the big willow overhanging nice shallow water, under which a shoal of chub would hide, drifting out into the flow occasionally; the deep 'pool' opposite an undercut bank which was like an aquarium (you could fish maggots here, and catch chub, trout, perch, roach, and grayling!); and the secret swim next to a little ditch, which is where the carp lived (I caught several beautiful carp to mid-doubles here on luncheon meat, and boy did they fight in the fast water!).

 

It was also at the Wey that I caught my one and only barbel, a pristine fish of 5lb 8oz. I was rolling a worm alongside a bed of streamer weed at the time after chub! A wonderful river. (My avatar pic is the Wey at dawn.)

 

I now have a new favourite here in Oxfordshire but if I told you I'd have to kill you

[bluerinse]

Try some blue cheese paste!!!

[Ken L]

The obvious answer is casters and hemp with meat (small 5 or 6mm cubes) as a standby - a size 12 or 14 hook will cope with both baits.

Pellets are another option but not one that I've ever played with.

 

I'd also seriously think about switching to a chubber and trotting it instead of fishing a feeder because chub respond well to moving baits.

[Anderoo]

Wear drab clothing, keep low and quiet and stalk them. Nothing beats it for excitement! Take the bare minimum (small bag, net, rod) and choose a nice warm sunny day. If you can get close enough to a chub (approach from downstream) and get a bait to it without it seeing you, most times it'll take it, and you can watch it happening in the clear water. That's one of the reasons I like big baits (a lump of meat approx. the size of a 50p) - you can see it easily and it means you can freeline, casting to individual fish. The skill in this isn't getting the fish to take the bait, it's getting into a position where you can make a cast without spooking them. Getting too close is problematic too, because the rod usually sends them bow-waving across the river!

 

If the light's not right or the chub are in hiding, wander the length of the stretch and drop some lumps of meat and some hemp in chubby looking spots and give each one 20 minutes as you work back. I usually leger (swanshot on some thick mono tied to a run ring, free running above a swivel and bead) rather than floatfish because I want my bait as tight to cover as possible.

 

It's a different story in winter of course - mashed bread in a feeder and flake on the hook, and a flask of hot tea!

 

Hurry up the 16th...!

[Kappa]

Try some blue cheese paste!!!

 

This gets my vote! The older and smellier (and possibly mouldier) the better!

 

Rich

[Brian Carragher]

One of the very best baits for sorting out the big chub is dead minnow

 

If you get pestered by them, try dropping down your hook size untill you've got a few for bait and then lip hook a daed one on a size six

 

Watch out for the bites as they just about rip your rod over, no gentle takes on minnows

[Guest Rabbit]

Don't think there is one bait better than another for chub, they will take virtually anything thats available. The reason some anglers have a preference for certain baits is because that bait is what they mostly use. However I wouldn't use maggots, and if I had just one bait to choose, then that would have to be bread.