Winter Chub Tactics by Harry Pardoe

When winter sets in and most species become harder to catch the good old Chub can become an Angler’s best friend. It doesn’t seem to matter how bad the weather gets as long as there has been sufficient time for the fish to acclimatise to however severe the weather may be, the pure greed of the Chub will always bring an opportunity to put a bend in your rod!
This winter has been no exception for me and with January looking increasingly wintery at times I firmly set my stall out for a few Chub.  

There are no complications when it comes to bait for Chub, Bread, Cheese Paste and Maggot are my top choices at this time of year. I will use the bread if the river is running a little clear and I will do this by walking the stretch first dropping a couple of balls of liquidised bread into each likely looking spot as a little taster to get them interested. With this pre-baiting approach any action shouldn’t be long in coming if there is a feeding fish present so I will only give each spot between 15-30 minutes before a move to the next pre-baited spot if no signs are forthcoming. 

I fish Cheese paste very similarly to the bread as with regards to pre-baiting any likely looking spot. Only two or three small pieces of paste is needed but again just giving those fish a little taster so when the hook bait is placed they should home straight on to it thinking it is another freebie. The paste is great to fish in coloured water or if you are fishing into the hours of darkness, it’s also great for fishing tight into any near bank cover where the weight used can be critical. As little as one SSG can be used and is perfect for bouncing that bait right into the Chubs home! For me the choice of quiver tip is also a key factor on seeing and converting more pick ups into hooked bites. As light a tip as I can possibly get away with and it always has to be Glass!!

Since it’s release I’ve been using the Korum Neoteric power Quiver for most of my Chub fishing and have been really impressed with it, a nice soft Glass tip but with plenty left in the butt section to steer those snag loving Chub away from their home.

Onto my final winter baiting application which is the humble maggot and when it comes to Chub very often more is best! However it’s not all piled in at once, a constant stream of bait is best and to let the fish gain confidence at least 30 minutes of regular feed before wetting a line which can take some patience but the effort is very often rewarded when the first run through sails away. I have found that the more patience you can have and the longer a swim is fed before any disturbance the more likely you are to catch a greater number of fish from the shoal as the fish become so preoccupied with competing against each other that they don’t really notice when there mate goes missing! 

Maggots for me are an excuse to get the float rod out, the feeder can be a devastating method but there is something a little special about running a float through in anticipation for any dip or for it to shoot under! Tinkering with the rig or presentation until it all comes right and those cautious old fish almost become easy to catch. 

The biggest mistake I have been guilty of in the past is using floats to small/light for the job!  There is so much more control over a heavier float with a bulk or ollivet around 10” from the hook. It helps keep the bait down if there is a broil to the water and and aids the presentation by keeping the float running along the desired line without a crosswind pulling it off coarse. 

Fishing the float is by far my favourite method of Chub fishing, to be stood in a river knee to waist deep with water rushing around me and very often it’s in the middle of nowhere immersed in stunning surroundings such as the Dove, Wye or Severn valley to name a few favourites is my kind of heaven...especially when that float buries with a solid resistance! Until Next Time……..Harry

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Winter Chub.

The Monmouth & District Angling Society AGM was held on the Monday night, I planned to go fishing on the Tuesday.  As I was already in Monmouth and that the meeting would not finish before 10.30pm I made the decision a week before to spend the night in the van so I was ready at first light to go chubbing.  I did not realise the temperatures were going to plummet to -3 that night!  Chub fishing in cold weather does not deter me, sleeping in the back of a cold van does!  

However, id made the decision to stay over night and that was my plan.  I arrived in Monmouth a couple of hours before the meeting so I would have the opportunity to prebait half a dozen swims ready for the following day.  During the day I identified 6 swims that looked ideal chub sanctuaries and fed in 3 handfuls of mashed bread into each one.

The AGM was a success, featuring a slide show, a talk by invited guests and I became Chairman of the club.  Now the hard work starts, to increase members especially junior members and also the restocking of our rivers and lakes to improve the fishing.

I made sure I filled up on the buffet, a good spread laid on again, and I ate until I could eat no more, as I was about the spend the night in the back of a van in Arctic conditions.  My alarm went off at 5.45am and in the torch headlight I could see frost on the inside of the van roof, it must of been cold last night, i was glad of my 5 season sleeping bag.  I got dressed in the dim light of the torch as the sun was not up yet, then next job put the kettle on for a steaming cuppa.

The hot tea felt good as I rigged the rod up with a light link leger secured with a water knot leading to a size 6 hook which would hold a large lump of flake.  The sun was on the rise as i made my way to the frozen riverbank.

As I reached my first swim on the River Monnow I fed in another 2 handfuls of mashed bread then walked along the bank and topped up the swims I fed the previous evening.  Back in my original swim I baited with a large piece of breadflake then cast to an overhanging willow on the far bank.  Immediately I received taps on the light quiver tip, small fish probably, I waited for a more positive pull.  No pull materialised so I reeled in and rebaited again with bread flake.  The second cast resulted in the same response although the tip did pull round so I struck into my first fish, a plucky little chub around 10oz.  I caught another 2 chub between 8oz and 1lb, not the specimens I was fishing for.  I fished another 5 swims that morning with no luck.  This little river does seem to be a shadow of its former self, when a fish between 2-3lb was average, nowadays we struggle bites.

Unfortunately the laptop im using does not let me upload photos onto my blog so I will share them on twitter and facebook, including the incredible frosty dawn on that morning.

Ive also decided to write an e-book due out in 2014.  In 2004 I took a year off solely to fish for big fish and I had 8 PBs during that time and many first captures.  It was a great experience and one Id like to share.  Its not just about the big fish I caught, it will be also be about the characters, their stories and tales of fishing I heard during that time.  Its called Fishing the Dream, please look out for it in the new year.

Good to be Back.......

Since the birth of my beautiful baby boy last month, as any proud father will know everything else in life takes a temporary back seat, including fishing, so that you can concentrate all your efforts on looking after both baby and mum.  Now things are starting to settle down a little I had a short window of opportunity this morning to get in some bank time before an evening shift at work.  

Typically the rivers condition wasn't great, earlier in the week there was at least an extra 2 foot of water on, the barbel were feeding and anglers were catching.  Today all that extra water had gone the river was low again and very clear, never mind I had to make the most of my session.  I was on the Wye after Barbel and Chub using a 3FT test bait.

It was a stunning summer morning as I arrived at the river, a thin mist soon melted away leaving a clear blue sky, a shoal of small fry scattered in the rivers edge and a heron glided above me in search of his next swim.

A Misty Start

I was using the usual running feeder rig and a stiff groundbait mix, (which you can see in more detail on the link below).  Bait was a 3FT test boilie which has had a good track record.  
It was slow for the first couple of hours, I was regularly casting to build up the swim with feed and hopefully attract fish into the area.  As I sat watching the rod tip Rob the Bailiff popped by doing his rounds, he explained how the river had fished well early in the week after the heavy rain, however the fishing had slowed down the last couple of days.

Soon after Rob departed to patrol another stretch,  my rod tip rattled and I hooked into my first river fish of the season.  The initial fight was slow as the fish came in without putting up too much resistance then suddenly it realised it was hooked and gave a much better account of itself in the margins.  It was a spirited chub of 3lb 11oz, a cracking healthy looking fish which will pile on weight over the coming months.

3lb 11oz

Surely itll be a 4 in a few weeks!

Although it was only a short session, it was an enjoyable morning, even if the barbel were a bit elusive.  It was good to be on the riverbank again and as long as I do my fair share of nappy changing then I should be back out soon.

I now have a facebook page people can "like" in which I will go into more detail on rigs, baits and tactics you can even ask me questions. http://www.facebook.com/Wyeangler

Wonder of the Wye

My fishing began at a young age and like many kids back then it was on moving water and regardless of the amount of stillwater fishing I partake in during the river closed season nowadays, I am always counting down the days until the rivers are back in season.  Its like a first love you never forget, always comparing them to your current flame!   Now, my pregnant wife is the best thing that has happened to me however, the Wye runs a very close second and is much more forgiving - sometimes!  

Today I took the fly rod onto the Monnow hoping to catch a few wild brownies on the dry fly.  I have to admit it was all a bit half-hearted, with every cast I made, I kept thinking of the neighbouring Wye, was it low, was it clear, would I be able to spot a few fish!    As I cast my dry fly, only to miss a rise, I was not concentrating 100% so I decided to scratch that itch, I wound in the floating line and headed back to the van to take the drive upstream to the Wye.

Any fisherman who has a favourite water will understand the feeling when walking the banks as you visit each swim, memories of previous captures come to mind, each step evoking vivid pictures of red letter days.  I stared into the Wye as I walked and through polarised sunglasses I spotted a big chub hugging the over hanging branches of a willow, then below it a flash of a barbel, I stood still and crouched so as not scare the fish.  It was another "Wonder of the Wye" there were dozens of barbel, chasing each other in groups of 3's and 4's over the gravelly river bed.  

You can just make out the barbel

To watch fish, whichever species in their natural environment is a privilege and it stopped me in my tracks, I spent the next couple of hours, just watching, sitting still in the warm sunshine as the barbel darted in and out of the weed beds, sending plumes of silt downstream as they laid their eggs.  It was the first time id actively observed barbel spawning and I hope its not the last.  It can be quite rewarding to walk the river banks during the close season,  not just fish spotting, but also nature spotting, I saw dragonfly's, damsel and mayflies, young ducklings and several species of butterfly.

A nice Chub in the edge

The pics I took weren't great, these are the best of a bad bunch, next time I hope to do better.    Im hoping the Wye will reward me this season with PB barbel and chub, ill be trying my best and you'll be the first to know.  Tight Lines

Chevin Hell

When I look back through my old fishy pics theres one species that the photos doesn't do justice to and that's the Chub.  When I was younger I fished for chub almost exclusively for years and loved every minute of it, cutting my teeth on a tributary of the Wye, learning watercraft skills and various techniques to land a big Chevin.  I caught hundreds of them, highlighting in the landing of two 5lbers in the same season. 

This doesn't sound too ground breaking in the days of 7lb+ Chub regularly making the angling press, however from a small river 15 - 20 years ago it has always been one of my best PBs to date.  Unfortunately for me the age of the digital camera was a far distant invention and although my East German Praktica served me well over the years, self takes were a lottery and often resulted in out of focus shots, especially if I commandeered a dog walker to take the photo!

This was something I intended to put right over the last 12 months and I had hoped to have several decent Chub pics to share on my blog gallery, however this has not happened so far, as I  have struggled on every Chub session over the last year and today was no exception.

Hoping the Chub will feed as the light fades!

I started on a tributary of the Wye (Monnow) and fished several "chubby" looking runs and glides armed with bread mash as feed with breadflake and luncheon meat for hookbaits.  It was a very cold morning, although I felt I was fishing well, I couldn't muster a bite.  I decided to drive to a section of the Wye and dropped in on a few slack areas of the river, I used luncheon meat on the hook in the hope of a bonus Barbel, however it was not to be and I couldn't understand why.  Throughout the day I had fished swims that had a track record for Chub in the past, a good Chub pic is still eluding me.

On a more positive note, I recently won a competition on Twitter by Gadda Baits.  My prize was a selection of Pike baits from their range, and when I arrived home they were waiting for me in a well insulated box.  I have to say the baits were all still frozen solid and looked in perfect condition.  My bait freezer is looking healthy again and I can not wait to get out on the bank and use them for my planned winter Pike trips.  Anyone serious about Predator fishing check them out (Gadda Baits) they have a great range and a fantastic service.

Just a very small selection of my Gadda Baits prize

On the subject of Pike, If any fisherman are contemplating a trip to Blenheim Palace after an Esox then you might find my "Rough Guide" to Blenheim useful.  After fishing the lake for over 10 years Im putting a few pointers down on paper and it will be published on www.thebivvy.co.uk forum towards the end of January and will include photos.  To any anglers fishing such a big lake for the first time afloat, I hope it might help you get on some Pike.  If your lucky some bonus Perch.

Flood Water & Falling Leaves

Autumn is an enjoyable season to be on the bank with its changing moods. It brings us shorter days, normally the first frosts and usually rain, which results in the rivers carrying extra water, however what does not change year from year are the vivid colours you encounter as the countryside prepares itself for the harsh Winter months.  The recent rainfall was the reason I trudged my way along a sodden mud caked track towards a swollen River Wye.  It felt colder of late and every breeze of cold wind sent ever more leaves spiralling to the ground to join the hundreds of others that made up the colourful patchwork.


Autumn Morning

The section I was fishing has a long bend which creates a slack on the inside bank, I intended to fish with 2 rods as I was not expecting the fishing to be hectic.  The inside rod for Chub with usual feeder tactics and a rod cast further out for Barbel, using a heavy lead to hold bottom.  I set up both rods before casting out.  I routinely cast out the "Barbel" rod and watched the tip as the lead settled, then reached for the "Chub" rod.  As I prepared a cast, the barbel rod heaped over, I stared at it for a second in disbelief, surely not a bite that quickly, then the tip trembled, I assumed it must have been weed or debris as I put the 2nd rod back in the rest and struck the arched barbel rod, there was a sudden kick as the tip bounced back leaving me to reel in realising I had just missed my first Barbel of the day! 
I recast, again let the lead settle and waited a minute before casting out the 2nd rod, just in case of a repeat performance!  All was quiet for now.  I managed to cast out the chub rod, just inside the crease in slightly slacker water.  No sooner was the rod in the rest the 1st rod bent over double again, no hesitation this time I struck and was playing a flood water Barbel.  It felt like a bag of shopping in the heavy flow as it glided side to side in the current.  Eventually netting a 5lber!  With the Barbel unhooked and recovering in the net, I noticed the feeder rod tip trembling, then bouncing down, then motionless.  The Barbel was just leaving the net as the feeder rod again thumped down and I struck which met with a residence for a few seconds, I reeled in to find a large scale, probably a Chubs on the hook!  What a mad 5 minutes!

Sport was seemingly more hectic than I had imagined, so I thought it would be best to fish with 1 rod at a time, alternating between the 2 during the course of the session.  I stuck with the Barbel rod first and was quickly rewarded with another, this time around 6lb.


Flood Water Barbel

With no further action on the barbel rod, I thought it was time I tried the feeder rod for an hour.  Having missed the first 2 bites, I hit the third and it resulted in a beautiful Chub just over 2lbs.  Albeit a small Chub, I wish I had taken a photograph of it now,  not only did it turn out to be the only Chub of the day, the iridescent purple and blue colours in the wrist of the tail were stunning.
The feeder rod was clearly going to out fish the other today, as it quickly accounted for a Barbel, biggest of the day at almost 7lb, the hotspot was going to be just inside the crease of the bend, which is normally the case.


Golden Flanks in the Autumn Sun

Above me a flew a flock of Redwing, winter visitors from Scandinavia, in search of berries after their long journey.  A juvenile Cormorant flew down river and a pair of resident Swans struggled to make their way up river against the dense flow.

The sun was now strong and felt pleasant on my face as I waited for the next bite I picked up another Barbel on the outer rod, then for the remainder of the day I fished the feeder rod.  I fished an hour in darkness, having no bites in that last hour, however the last hour of daylight was very productive.  Throughout the session I had landed 7 Barbel between 5 and almost 7b, a bonus Chub and lost another 3 Barbel. 


Into another Flood Water Barbel



The moment you know, its just not gonna happen!

Where have all the Chub gone!

After a productive meeting with my fellow market managers at lunchtime I was soon on my way to a tributary of the Wye hoping to winkle out a few Autumnal Chub.  I really enjoy catching them at this time of year, especially when the fiery orange Autumn sun catches their brassy flanks as you hold them up for a self take.
I chose to fish a stretch of the Monnow that I know intimately although I have not fished it for some years.  One of the reasons I chose to revisit this stretch is that during a conversation with Rob the bailiff a couple of weeks ago he mentioned how the fishing had declined, especially the Chub population, they dont seem to be there in the numbers they were a few years ago.   He explained how patchy the fishing was especially if you fished maggots or worms all you would hook were Brownies.  This seemed hard to believe, I wasn't doubting Robs recent experiences, however I would expect to of caught half a dozen Chub from this stretch a few years ago with relative ease due to the numbers of them.  This sounded like a challenge.



Spam and Bread - Classic

I drove over the small bridge that takes you into the car park, and this instantly brought back vivid memories of all the years I had spent on the river as a lad, stalking Chub in the height of summer, catching a mixed bag on the stick float and lure fishing for Pike, this was where I cut my teeth in river fishing and I learnt alot over those early memorable weekends.
I made my way to the first swim, a slower paced section with over hanging trees on a slight bend, it was one I could normally entice a bite or two.  I was armed with a medium feeder rod, feeder reel loaded with 6lb line, small feeder and a size 6 Drennan Specialist hook.  After all the Barbel fishing Ive been doing recently threading the eyes on the feeder rod felt like threading the eye of a needle with cotton, thin cotton! 
I mashed up a loaf of bread for the feeder and put a 50p sized breadflake on the hook.   I wouldn't normally use bread in the warmer months but I had the Spam as back up.



No one at home.

It looked ideal, big over hanging trees, the fallen leaves slowly making their way down river, the first cast was perfect, under the out stretched branches.  A couple of handfulls of mashed bread were fed slightly upstream and I sat back with the rod in the rest, the butt on my thigh and my finger on the line feeling for any indications.
In the background I could hear water cascading over a small broken weir downstream, a kingfishers high pitched call and about two hundred kids all trying to shout louder than the next one!  I had forgotten about the junior school on the  opposite bank which had obviously just broken for a break releasing what seemed hundreds of kids all rushing and screaming into the playground.  If there were any fish under those over hanging branches im sure it wouldn't of affected them, they hear this almost everyday and it probably bothered me more than the fish.
With no indications after over an hour it was time for a move.  I was travelling light, chair was left behind, I would sit on the unhooking mat, this made it so much easier to move around the river to try and find the fish.



Waiting for a bite.

I walked to a steadier section, not as deep, a nice long glide with several over hanging willow trees on the far bank.  My intention was to fish every 10-15 yards and fish for half hour at a time.  I put on a light leger, baited with luncheon meat and fed a few small balls of mashed bread into each swim just to try and get the Chub going.  After fishing a couple of swims I couldn't believe I was still fishless, I know this stretch like the back of my hand and ten years ago if you asked me to catch a chub I would of made a bee line for this stretch.  Surface activity was minimal too, just the odd dace breaking the surface.  I fed some floating crust and watched them travel the entire glide without any of them being harassed by anything sub surface.
As I waited for a bite I looked down to see 3 big slugs approaching my sliced bread, this was to be my final assault.  I retackled 6lb line straight through to a trusty size 6 and picked a nice sizeable black slug with the intention of rolling it under the over hanging willows.  After another half hour of constantly casting and rolling big fat slugs along the bottom, it started to spit with rain, and as I was travelling light I had no water proofs or brolly so I had to admit defeat.  I was scratching my head, perhaps it was one of those days the fish weren't feeding, however Rob had also struggled to land a Chub recently on a couple of trips.  After so many great memories of this stretch which include my PB Chub, my first river Carp, my PB Roach, it seemed that it was certainly in decline, this might seem harsh after just one session in many years away from the river, so I intend to return during the winter months to target the Chub again, when they will hopefully be shoaled up under those over hanging willows.


Closer to Home

With the temperature predicted to rise on Thursday to a tropical 14 degrees, there was only one place I was heading for and that was my local stretch of the River Wye in search of Barbel.
My intention was to fish an afternoon session, so I arrived at the river around 11.30am and on arrival I walked a short stretch, to find no other anglers, which was not what I was expecting due to the mild conditions.  My chosen swim was a glide just down from a salmon groin which created a nice steady run off with a nice depth of water.  I headed back to the van to collect the tackle.
Set up was going to be a standard feeder rig, including a 3oz feeder, 2 feet braided hooklength and a strong size 8 hook mounted with a hair rigged red fish 15mm boilie. As a little extra incentive for the barbel to bite, I wrapped the boilie in a fishy paste, surely irresistable. 
The sun felt warm on my face as I made the first cast towards mid river, as the feeder settled I squinted into the sunlight, wishing I had packed my polaroids.  The feeder mix was a stiffish method mix dashed with pellets that slowly released from the feeder, perfect in a strong flow.
First few casts were made in quick succession to buid up some feed in the swim and it didnt take long to attract the attentions of something fishy.  The bait had only been in the water a few minutes on my fifth cast when the rod tip thumped down, I struck, the rod bent over and line started peeling from the reel as the fish headed upstream, then across river, then downstream using the flow to its advantage.
With the added flow the fish felt heavy and certainly gave a good account of itself as it did its best to lose the hook in a winter weedbed.
On the surface the Barbel felt like a "sack of spuds" and after a blank 2 days on the Avon, I was relieved when I finally managed to persuade the Barbel over the lip of the net.


8lb 7oz - Photo doesnt do the fish justice



It was a short chunky looking barbel that sent the scales to 8lb 7oz, not a monster but very welcome especially after a hard fight.  Im hoping to improve on my self take shots which is something im looking forward to sharing with you all.

When the sun shone brightly it felt like a warm spring day, on the odd occasion when the sun dipped behind the ever increasing clouds, you were reminded it was still winter.  I had no action for the next hour, and as the clouds developed overhead I had a confident knock on the rod tip.  Within the next half an hour I managed 2 chub, 3lb 9oz and 3lb 4oz.  The smaller of the two was a perfectly conditioned fish, with proud brassy flanks and a pot belly, surely a future 5lber in the making.



Chub perfection

I fished on until dusk with no further bites.  Im hoping to have a day or two off next week which I will definately be spending on the bank, but in search of what, I havent decided!