At the start of this season, Joe Atkinson set himself the challenge of catching a truly big chub, and he’s just achieved his goal by landing this specimen weighing 7lb 8oz. Fishing the River Lea at Kings Weir, Joe landed a string of five-pounders over his first few sessions this winter, capped by a fish of 6lb 1oz while the river was in flood.
Shortly after landing the six-pounder, Joe returned, although this time the river had dropped by 18 inches, and he found that his 6g fluted float wouldn’t run through the swim quite as he wished.
But, while walking the stretch in search of a different area to fish, he realised that the river was on the rise again, so returned to his original spot and began to feed maggots steadily.
By the time he cast out again, the water had gone up by six inches and was carrying a tinge of extra colour. Joe found that his float then ran through perfectly, and around two hours later, it sailed under.
He struck and connected with a fish that tested his light tackle to the limit, and as it neared the bank, he caught a glimpse of what he knew right away was a special chub. Once in the net, he knew it was the one he’d been after!
THE BEST FLOAT RODS ARE PERFECT FOR TROTTING A FLOAT FOR CHUB.
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