Chub are very aggressive fish at times and will eat pretty much anything placed in front of them, with anglers usually favouring baits like pellets, maggots, and cheese paste to tempt them. However, chub are also predatory, and the bigger fish in particular are partial to eating small fish, which is why using a lure can really effective.
While it isn’t something many anglers consider, chub fishing with lures, when done right, can result in some impressive catches, as Mark Erdwin discovered during a recent session on the River Loddon.
"I’d decided to head out for a short session after a doctor’s appointment, taking the light lure gear I’ve been enjoying using to target chub," Mark explained.
"My choice of lure was a Yo-Zuri Aile Goby in Electric Blue. It’s a slow-sinking micro crankbait that I find ideal for holding in slow flow and allowing it to drift nicely into likely strike zones while remaining inconspicuous. I tie that to a 6lb fluorocarbon leader, as chub can be quite wary," he added.
Despite landing a couple of smaller chub in the first few casts of the session, Mark decided he had to move to try and find a better fish. After roving around, he found a likely looking area that had a good mixture of flow and plenty of streamer weed that he knows the bigger chub like to seek refuge in.
"After a few casts and varying the retrieval speeds, I felt a massive thump, followed by a powerful run as the fish held the bottom and tried to plough through the streamer weed and under some very heavy debris," he recalled.
"I could see it was a large-framed chub, and that’s when the worry of a hook pull started to kick in. Thankfully, the hook didn’t come loose until I’d slipped the net under a wonderfully built summer chub weighing 7lb 5oz."
"I was over the moon. I'm utterly thrilled with the capture, it was such an incredible fish, and what a way to catch it."
IF YOU HAVE NEVER TRIED LURE FISHING, HERE IS A USEFUL BEGINNERS GUIDE TO GET YOU STARTED.
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