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Chub
Common name:
Chub
Latin name:
Leuciscus cephalus
Family: Cyprinidae
Current UK Rod Caught Coarse Fish Record
CHUB (Leuciscus cephalus) 9lb 5oz 2007 Andy Maker, Southern Stillwater
Description and habitat of Chub
Nicknames include old rubber lips, loggerhead, chavender and chevin.
The chub is mainly a river fish found in slow moving rivers to the
faster moving rivers and weirs especially where trees or bushes
overhang the water. The chub is also found in ponds and lakes and is
now being stocked in commercial fisheries. The chub is a thick set
fish with a large blunt head. It has a long and cylindrical body with
large greenish/brown scales that have a slight black edging across the
back working down to a lighter golden flank and a light belly with a
dark brown or black tail. The dorsal fin of the chub is a
greyish/green colour, with all the other fins being orange/red. The
chub has a large mouth with thick rubbery lips and a voracious
appetite and will eat almost anything. When smaller, the chub is
sometimes mistaken for dace as both the chub and the dace have similar
body and fin colouring. Identification is by the shaping of the dorsal
and anal fins. The chub has convex shaped fins while the dace is
concave. Small chub often swim in shoals and as they grow the larger
specimens usually become solitary. An average size chub is 2½ - 3lb.
Natural food for chub include; invertebrates, crustaceans, insects,
flies, mayfly, caddis fly, larvae, worms, fish fry, berries from
overhanging bushes i.e. elderberry. Larger chub will eat smaller fish
such as minnows, roach and dace. Chub are known for being gluttonous
and will eat just about anything. Unlike other fish the chub will feed
throughout the year be it a hot summer afternoon or freezing winter
morning.
Fishing Methods for catching Chub:
Chub can be caught using various methods including float, ledger,
feeder, free-lining, spinning with lures and even fly fishing. The
venue will determine the best method. A medium rod with a fixed spool
reel fitted with a minimum of 3lb line should be used. Hook size of 16
up to a 4 but this will depend on the size of the bait used. I use
barbless hooks because they cause less damage to the fish and are
easier to unhook. A typical approach when chub fishing in rivers or
flowing waters is trotting. Use a stick float or in faster waters a
big Avon or a Loafer that carries a lot of shot. The float and
shotting pattern will depend on the speed of the water flow and where
in the water the chub are located. Plumb the water to get the depth
and start by stringing the shot out button style and letting the float
and baited hook flow at the same speed as the water. The baited hook
needs to be in front of the float so hold back (stop the float) for a
couple of seconds every couple of yards or so. (the reason for this is
the current nearer the river bed is slower than the surface so holding
back the float will allow the baited hook to stay in front - you'll
get the hang of it!). When trotting remember to feed every cast. After
a few run throughs if you get no bites try altering the shot by moving
it nearer the hook or bunching every second shot together. If fishing
a fast flowing water try using an Avon type float and fix the shot
nearer the hook to keep it closer to the river bed. Another method is
free-lining. This is ok where there is little flow on the water.
Attach a single swan shot (SSG) about a foot up the line from the hook
and fish a large piece of luncheon meat or bread. The bait will bounce
along the river bed and hopefully be intercepted by the chub. The
feeder rod can also be used. Make sure you use enough weight to hold
the bait on the bottom of the river bed. Start with a 24 inch hook
length, bait your hook, fill you feeder with maggots or casters and
cast in. If after a few casts you don't get a bite try varying the
hook length from the feeder until you start getting bites Chub can
also be caught on plugs and spinners. On slower moving rivers / waters
try fishing floating crust. This can be a perfect approach on its day.
Chub love bread so don't be afraid to use quite large pieces.
Baits for catching Chub:
Worms, lob worms, redworms, cheese (especially the smelly cheese),
cheese paste, bread (either crust, flake or paste), maggots, pinkies, casters,
pellets, hemp and tares, wasp grubs, slugs, black slugs are a good
chub bait, sweetcorn, luncheon meat, sausage meat, berries and
elderberries, shrimps, cockles (fresh not frozen or pickled in
vinegar), boilies. For the bigger chub use a bigger bait. Chub are
also caught using plugs and lures and also by fly fishing.
A couple of tips.
1: Tackle up away from your peg because chub are very wary fish and
can soon be scared away. The vibrations you make next to the water can
frighten the chub away and when you are stood near the water your
profile against the skyline can scare them away.
2: Once hooked a chub will swim straight for any rushes or underwater
obstacles like submerged trees or tree roots and snag you up.
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