Chub are well known for eating just about anything, which can pose a conundrum as to which bait is the best.
Let's take a look at the most popular chub baits (and some forgotten ones), drawing conclusions on when to use each one.
River conditions
Chub have excellent eyesight, making them adept at locating and intercepting drifting food items. Even in quite murky water they can easily spot small items, like maggots and casters. When the water is really dirty, however, it can pay to switch to larger baits.
The same rules apply at night, and after dark larger baits are likely to be approached with even less suspicion.
WHATEVER THE TACTIC IN THIS BUYERS GUIDE WE HAVE OUR PICK OF THE BEST CHUB RODS.
Mobile or static?
To get the best from small, mass baits, such as maggots, it’s often best to drip-feed for a time to give the fish more confidence. Conversely, when roving around spending a short while in each swim, a larger bait that is easy to locate can be a better approach, as the aim is to get just a bite or two from each swim and move on.
All these rules are made to be broken, and on heavily pressured stretches of river it can pay to think outside of the box. Fortunately, we can mix up our baits and tactics, and there are plenty of ways to offer the fish something new.
THE BEST SPECIMEN FISHING RODS ARE A GREAT CHOICE FOR TARGETING RIVER SPECIES.
Maggots & casters
Maggots can drive shoals of chub into a competitive frenzy as they gorge themselves on every grub. This can take time, though, so try feeding for half-an-hour before making your first cast.
This tactic is just as important when feeder fishing – just leave the hooklength off and make several casts to the same spot before starting to fish. Fresh red or bronze maggots can have an edge for chub, especially in clear water.
MAGGOTS AND CASTERS ARE A GREAT BAIT FOR TROTTING FOR CHUB.
Bread
Bread often works best when there is a tinge of colour in the water – think green water as the river is fining off, not brown flood water.
Flake is my favourite bread hookbait, slightly compressed to ensure it sinks slowly. On small rivers, and when feeder fishing, I will feed liquidised bread, but when I need a faster-sinking feed I’ll use bread mash, stiffened with a little brown crumb.
IN THIS GUIDE WE EXPLAIN HOW TO GET THE BEST OUT OF BREAD.
Pastes & boilies
Many specialist chub anglers have enjoyed fantastic results with high nutritional value pastes and boilies. A steady pre-baiting campaign can bring fantastic results, but does require a lot of commitment. If time is limited it’s best to rely on light baiting with paste baits and a paste-wrapped mini-boilie on the hook for a roving approach.
CHECK OUT THIS EXPERT GUIDE FOR CATCHING CHUB IN THE WINTER.
Cheesepaste
I put cheesepaste in its own category, more because of how we tend to employ it as a roving bait, than because it is significantly different to other pastes. Of course, all pastes can be used in this way, but there is still something special about catching chub on your own cheese recipe. Most anglers will use cheese with a strong taste in their baits, but this isn’t essential, and a more subtle bait will work well too.
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Luncheon meat
A versatile and easy to use bait, luncheon meat will catch a lot of chub, and is a great alternative to pastes and boilies. In cold water use brands that remain soft if you want to bury the hook inside.
With harder brands, hair-rigging can be a better option. Adapt the size of the bait to the water clarity – smaller baits can be used when the water clarity is higher.
THIS ARTICLE IS OUR COMPLETE BEGINNERS GUIDE TO STARTING RIVER FISHING.
Worms
It doesn’t get any more natural than a lobworm, and when the water is up and running brown, a lobbie can be an unbeatable chub bait.
I would also use lobworms on heavily-pressured stretches, because few other anglers tend to use them.
FIND OUT THE BEST WORMS FOR FISHING IN THIS EXPERT GUIDE.
Oddballs...
The list of chub baits is almost limitless. Steak is a favourite of mine, and a small piece on the hook with a feeder filled with mince is a fantastic combination.
Wasp grubs, resembling large maggots, are probably no longer an option, but slugs remain instantly accepted by chub and are the exception of a large bait that work well in clear water.
Small fish, such as sections of sardine or lamprey, have accounted for a lot of big chub. On the River Wye I have lost count of the number of big chub that have picked up large deadbaits of mine intended for pike.
POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS WHEN IT COMES TO RIVER BAITS HERES OUR PICK OF THE BEST.
