Specialized Chub fishing is something I have always enjoyed and each year try to get in a few sessions. More often than not I fish for Chub during the winter months, although the odd summer trip has been known. One positive aspect of fishing for this species is their tolerance for low water temperatures. When the lakes and pits are frozen and there is a good deal of ice in the margins of the rivers Chub will still accommodate and give your string a good pull. Finding and selecting the larger specimens from a river is another facet that appeals, as often the larger Chub can be found with a few smaller residents and being selective offers a whole different set of challenges.

The last few years have seen most of my Chub fishing concentrated on the River Mease. This is a small river, probably no more than twenty feet wide at its widest, that winds its way down from Measham in Leicestershire to join the River Tame a few miles above Tamworth in Staffordshire. It has a lot of character offering a wide variety of swims, from long slow glides, shallow runs and deep bends, shrouded in trees and all within a few hundred yards. Over the years I have got to know its moods and a good deal of its residents.

Chub in the Mease average around three and a half to four pounds. A five pound fish is rare. The biggest genuine Chub I know to have come from this river weighed 5lb 10oz and was caught by a friend in 1995. There have been many rumours of larger fish, but I have not met the anglers or seen any photographs and as is the case with all the species I pursue, I hold these 'tackle shop' stories with little regard. The Mease had produced an equal personal best of 5lb 2oz a number of years ago, my second fish at that size.

Towards the end of February 1999 work was proving to be very time consuming and since the beginning of the year I had only managed five outings, four of them Pike fishing at Staunton Harold Reservoir and a days Grayling fishing on the River Kennet with the Internet Angling Club. With only two weeks left until the rivers closed for coarse fishing I decided that a sessions Chub fishing was in order. There were two reasons for this, firstly I wanted to put a fish or two on the bank, more importantly, the second reason was to try a couple of alternative baits in preparation for a stillwater Chub fishing campaign. Stillwater Chub was one area I had not pursued, the local gravel pit held a number of specimens that got caught occasionally by Carp anglers and I wanted to try and catch one by design. These fish, as is often the case in big pits, were large. I had read a number of articles on stillwater Chub and most of them pointed to deadbaits but with a reasonable head of small pike, I wanted to try and find an alternative 'fishy' bait as backup. The bait I was going to experiment with was mussels. The pit Chub that had been caught by the Carp anglers showed a preference towards garlic and cheese, so I had opted to fish mussel with garlic and a cheese paste with garlic. However before I started fishing the pit I needed to feel confident that the Chub would take these baits. Hence a session on the Mease.

On arrival at the chosen stretch I found the river in perfect condition, about eighteen inches above normal and a little colour. I have found that the most productive time for Chub is the last couple of hours of light and the first few in to dark. It was just after 3pm as I started walking the river with my bucket of 'mash' to prepare the swims. Depending on how long I intend to fish determines the number of swims I will mash, as I was planning to fish for four hours, I selected and baited four swims. Each swim was treated with three good handfuls of mash and four mussels. My 'mash' usually consists of bread prepared in a blender with water, some cheese flavour and a little fish meal. The consistency can only be describe as 'mushy', just enough body to hold together but as soon as it hits the water, forms a cloud.

It took about half an hour to complete the job as the swims were a good way apart. I returned to the car to set up the two rods, which are typically a float rod and center-pin reel with a 2swanshot float, four pound line and a size 10 sedge hook, this is used as a backup, as my preferred method is to leger. On the leger rod I have, again, four-pound line, straight through, a swan shot link and a size 10 sedge hook. The sedge hook I have found to be best for Chub as it is strong and has a good gape, ideal for bread and paste. The number of swan shot on the link correlates to the flow, as I like to have just enough weight to hold bottom, this link is stopped with a small bead and a small float stop.

After a cup of tea, grabbed my gear and set off down the far end of the stretch to the last swim I had baited. I always travel light when Chub fishing, there are a couple of reasons. Firstly I like to be mobile and if I am carrying a load of gear the desire to get up and move to another swim can wane under the strain of a large rucksack and rodbag. Secondly; Chub are a vary wary fish and to be successful in catching Chub, especially big Chub, being quiet and stealthy on the bank is very important, in fact I would go as far as to say critical. Therefore I like to just have the two rods, a landing net and bankstick, a small low chair and a shoulder bag containing a few bits, plus camera, scales, bait and a flask. With this quantity of gear I can be very quiet and move easily.

Having crawled into position I settled down in my low chair, and selected the leger rod. Before I fished I wanted to add a little more mash to the swim and let this settle. The idea behind this is to get the larger Chub to dominate the feeding area. When the bait goes in it will nearly always be the smaller fish that start to feed first. After a while the larger Chub, as long as the swim has not been disturbed, will move in and push the other out. Its always tempting to cast straight away, but over many years I have found the fifteen to twenty minute wait worthwhile. On this river casting in before hand will nearly always result in a 3lb plus fish, nice, but not the target.

I selected one of the larger mussels and cast the rig to the far side, about six inches off the dead reeds lining the bank. Normally I would expect some action within five minutes but after about ten, nothing, I thought 'Oh well so much for the garlic mussels, at least that's dinner sorted' and proceeded to pour myself a coffee, always fatal! The rod started to bend; the kind of bend you get when a piece of weed is caught on the line, except the tip was quivering as well, it did not feel right so I struck and met a solid resistance. At first I was not sure if it was a Chub, there was no typical surging runs to the snags, it just stayed deep and swam up the middle of the river. Then after a few seconds it started. Far banks reeds first, I turned it away and it came at the near bank roots, turned it again.... this went on for a few minutes before it adopted a slow plodding fight under the rod top. It was during this I got my first look at the fish and I knew it was big. The scales read 5lb 7oz and a new personal best. I was over the moon.

Very rarely do I stay in a swim after catching a really good fish. I prefer to move and then return later, so I mashed the swim, loaded the gear and set off up-stream to the first swim I had baited. It took about fifteen minutes to walk there and having made myself comfortable I put in a little mash and waited. I cast the baited rig down towards some roots of an overhanging bush on my bank. This swim is much slower and so I had opted to lay-on with the float, rather than leger. Now I did not want a repeat of the last swim.....well not the coffee in the lap anyway, a five pound Chub would be OK though, so I reached for the flask and smack! I did not see the float go, just the rod hammer round. A few minutes later and the fish was under my feet and looked big. As I slipped the net under it I said out-loud "No way, it can't be!" But it was, 5lb and 1oz, a brace of fives in two casts on experimental bait. I packed up and went home, what else could I do? Oh well beans on toast for dinner.

If you have any comments or suggestions email me at pickled.carp@btinternet.com