River Great Ouse Chub fishing

 Today I decided to have a change of scenery and head off to one of the Chub mecca's of the country with the hope of catching one of the large specimen's that call it home, so with a 2 and a bit hour journey needed to get to the river I had to leave early, journey done on the train, my target stretch was the Stony Stratford beat controlled by the MKAA and where a decent head of Chub reside and at a pretty good average of 5lb +, with the occasional 7lb Chub coming out.

 The river when I arrived was with in it's banks and maybe a foot up on usual levels plus it was very coloured for it isn't always like liquid sand but I was here so I had to make a go of it, so a go of it tried, my tactic today was to have a feeder rod out with meat, cheese or bread cast in around snags where the Chub will normally congregate and the trotting rod I used my centrepin with a 6BB trotting float using meat mostly and sometimes alternating to rolling meat with 1x 2SSG shot.

Looking down to Wolverton wier.

 



A good looking swim with a large back eddy in front.





 

 

 

  To say the least though unfortunately the trip wasn't going to plan with a plethora of swims and different tactics used I couldn't muster a bite and tried just about everything to find a fish and after 6 hours of fishing I finally managed to hook up something whilst rolling meat which turned out to be a Pike of about 4lb or so but it broke free when it turned on itself and one of it's teeth must have brushed the line, it then charged back off into the depth's to sulk and my time was coming to a close so at 5:30 it was to be my only shot at landing a fish, but this trip was to get an idea of what is available to catch and ask some questions to fellow anglers to try and build a mental image of what the best times are to get down, what bait's work, where the fish hold up and then just using the knowledge I already have of the species and count on their sheer greed to successfully bank an Ouse Chub.

 

 On a different note I also found fresh Otter foot prints in the mud and scales off of what must have been a Roach or a Chublet which also had fresh blood on it, so the dreaded Otter has made it's way up there after they have mullered most of the Barbel and Chub stocks down the Newport Pagnall stretch of the Great Ouse. Not a good thing to discover if they are left uncontrolled.

 

 With the session coming to a close I bumped into one of the baliff's where he shared some good knowledge with me for a later trip down which might stand me in good stead to not blank the next time I go up there in search of a Chub of a lifetime.

 

 At the end of the day though it was nice just to be out in the fresh air with lovely weather and relaxing in a nice part of the country in amongst nature with the rods and at anytime getting that all important bite that could just be my target fish....     ........But until next time.