How big is a big chub?

[Steve Walker]

That looks rather like my favourite Thames chub swim, though taken from the wrong bank. Not the same one, I'm sure, I think your stamping grounds are further downstream. Unfortunately, I can only find one photograph with it in, and it's too dark to see it.

 

[Anderoo]

That looks rather like my favourite Thames chub swim, though taken from the wrong bank. Not the same one, I'm sure, I think your stamping grounds are further downstream. Unfortunately, I can only find one photograph with it in, and it's too dark to see it.

 

 

Yes, this will be a lot further downstream. Actually I've never fished that swim, I just came across it on my wanders. I very much doubt where it has EVER been fished. It's a very long walk from the nearest parking spot. It's exactly the kind of place where the new record is probably lurking as we type... If we get the right winter I'll give it a go this year. It looks good for a 20lb pike too Not to mention a 4lb perch

 

And a 22lb barbel

[MALC2]

Chub and perch definitely eat crays - in abundance - quite common for both species to sick ups bits of signal in the net (when I've caught them on another bait of course!). In fact a couple of years ago I had a 5lb chub sick up a whole small signal which was still alive!

 

A decade ago my PB chub was stuck at 4lb 13oz for quite some time and I dreamt of getting a 5lb chub. Then in 1999 I had one of 6lb 3oz - trotting for dace on the Kennet! Missed out 5lb completely! Thought I'd never beat it but there's been an absolute explosion in the size of the chub locally. A couple of seasons ago - I had 5, 5lb+ fish in a morning - And my PB has now nudged upto 6lb 5oz - so for me a 6lber is a specimen...

C.

 

Chris, as you well know the Barbel explosion has caused the increase in Chub size as they both frequent the same sort of environment, high protein baits used by Barbel/ river Carp anglers picked up by Chub are the cause of their increased size.

Edited October 12, 2007 by MALC2

[Chris Plumb]

Chris, as you well know the Barbel explosion has caused the increase in Chub size as they both frequent the same sort of environment, high protein baits used by Barbel/ river Carp anglers picked up by Chub are the cause of their increased size.

 

Only partially agree - all my bigger chub have come from the Kennet above Newbury where there are very few barbel and no one fishes for them in the usual (ie pellet/boilies etc) way. I'm lucky enough to get access to some of the large game estates in the winter and a couple of years ago saw a guy land a 7¼lber on one of these waters. Now these are parts of the Kennet which get no anglers bait at all until October (and certainly no HNV bait) and yet hold some of the biggest chub in the system. It is however rumoured to be the place that signals 1st got into the Kennet system...

 

 

C.

[ayjay]

5lb is still a sensible general figure for specimen Chub size.

 

With regard to the fairly recent growth of Chub, I've not come across any Crayfish in the H.Avon yet, but I no longer bother to weigh an obvious 5lb (or 6lb) Chub. If it looks like a big six I'll get the scales out.

 

It would seem in these circumstances that the growth is caused by something other than access to Crayfish; like Chris I often fish very underfished areas which see little or no bait all season, but the fish can move around, and there is quite a bit of HNV going into the river as a whole.

 

It may be that it's nothing to do with their current diet and bearing in mind that Chub seem to have got much bigger across the whole country in the last few years it may be that the weather/water conditions and available food during the first two or three years of the Chubs life were a factor.

[gozzer]

5lb is still a sensible general figure for specimen Chub size.

 

 

It may be that it's nothing to do with their current diet and bearing in mind that Chub seem to have got much bigger across the whole country in the last few years it may be that the weather/water conditions and available food during the first two or three years of the Chubs life were a factor.

 

I'm with you there ayjay, all waters have a cycle of good years for different species. Good fry survival years, according to conditions.

I think that combined with the use of some of the modern baits, this is why there has been an increase in average size of some species.

I often wonder about Vitalin, it's reputed to be a 'growth hormone stimulant' in humans, so why not fish?

 

The thing that concerns me is the apparent fall in the numbers of the smaller species in some areas.

Gudgeon, Ruffe, Bleak and the fry of Dace etc, don't seem to be around in the same numbers they used to be. These are not the signs of 'balance' in our fisheries.

I fear that in a few years that the 'bubble will burst' so, I suggest that you make the most of it while you can.

 

As for "what's a big chub"? Surely it's relevant to the person, and the waters they fish?

I don't like the comparison with waters from different areas. There are waters where a 3lb chub is well above average, so a relatively small 2.5lb er would be classed as a 'big' fish.

 

John.

[Janet]

Anderoo,

 

That picture was pretty spooky. It looks virtually identical to a stretch of the River Aire in Yorkshire that I fished recently, even down to the bend in the river and the way the branches lie in the water. I'll see if I can find a way of posting the pictures off my phone, but it may prove to be a bit too technical for me!

 

As for chub, my first, and still my PB was 3lb 11oz, caught on the River Ribble on my first day fishing with Martin James. If I hadn't been so nervous and cack-handed, missing bites left right and centre, then I believe I could have caught a 5lb+ fish from there.

 

I've since caught a nice chub on my fly rod, and a few decent ones whilst out on the river, but none will ever beat that first one! To me, that WAS a specimen fish, and will remain so, even if I catch bigger and better ones.

 

Gozzer, when I started angling last summer, I was catching gudgeon for fun. My best was just over 4.5oz from the Leeds and Liverpool Canal at Gargrave, which I dismissed as just a tiddler - I know better now! However, fishing the same spot this year, using exactly the same tactics in exactly the same place, I haven't had a single one. I've had perch, a few bream, some nice roach up to about 3/4lb, but no gudgeon. Also, and I don't know if this is relevant or not, I haven't seen a single stickleback. Our smaller species seem to be rather elusive!

 

Janet

Edited October 13, 2007 by Janet

[Ian FG]

Lightened that image up a bit Steve.

 

Thames2

Edited October 13, 2007 by Ian FG

[DavyR]

I often wonder about Vitalin, it's reputed to be a 'growth hormone stimulant' in humans, so why not fish?

 

I know things are tough oop north, John, but surely you haven't been reduced to eating pet food?

 

http://www.vitalinpetfood.co.uk/

[Ken L]

A lot of the "Kingprawns" sold raw in frozen blocks are in fact tropical freshwater prawns. As far as I'm aware, there's no law against using them for chub bait in place of the illegal crays.

When I buy a block (to eat) I use a running tap to split the pack up into 6 portions and each pack is enough for one person to have a good feed of prawns (about 8 the size of a thumb) or 2 people to have a meal containing prawns mussels and squid.

So if you buy a block for £9 or so, you can split it up into half a dozen packets, each of which contains 8 huge baits or 16 fairly large ones.