Flashback.

 From one of my trips to Turkey. I bought a cheap rod set-up for about 20YTL and grabbed some bread from the breakfast hall, even being on holiday I found every which way to go fishing, hiring out pedelo's, walking off the beach, boat trips you name it. In the 40c weather the fishing wasn't unbearable but it was bloody hot and the fish did enjoy the bread and had a range of fish, some of which were pretty ugly and some with an abundance of colour.

The man from Atlantis.

A spiny and a very toxic fish.

Lunch time for 1.

Where are you fishy's???

After feeding them a slice of bread.

The calcium cliffs (Pummakkale) in 51c weather and the water was ice cold.

The celsius library at Ephisus.

Still searching for big Chub.

 My recent attempts to locate and catch some Chub over the 5lb mark has been alot more challenging than I thought when I decided to pursue them, my quest has taken me to 6 different rivers in a 70 mile radius and still not managed to acquire my target in 2 months of trying, today I decided to stay closer to home and have a go at my most local of tributary's.

 I had been selected for a home match in a league fixture, so I had to get out early because I had to be off of the river by 11:30 at the latest to get home and grab some bits and then meet up with the squad, on the bank for sunrise I had travelled light and only armed with some Chub favourites, a few casts in each swim and with no enquires I would move, my first swim certainly looked good for a Chub but for all the cover, gravel bottom and running water with slacks not a sniff, my next swim I had a Chub wrap and nothing, normally rolling will get the attention of the greedy ones first but even they managed to not hook themselves, next cast and a Barbel sideled across the river clear as day heading straight for the bait and I was brimming with confidence that it was just about to suck the bait and run, but no that wasn't to happen when it appears to nudge the bait and I struck thinking it took it, clever sod must having been testing it!

 So the Chub my target and the Barbel were playing smart today, another mile or so downstream I walked along the bank and spooked off a Pike about 7lb from a snag under the bank, the next swim I did finally catch a Chub but not a big one of about 2lb.

  Today I was also trying out a centre pin I bought off ebay, a Marco cortesi centre pin, for only £20 I wasn't expecting much but so far it's okay, in regards to spin my Okuma Sheffield is so good with a small flick of the wrist will give it a spin of about 45 seconds and the Marco cortesi reel maybe 7 seconds, far different by comparison but the Okuma is about £120-£160 on average so the price gap is what you would expect, but it's light and the ratchet is okay and for rolling so far I have found okay.

 Another half a mile or so downstream I found a shoal of Chub sitting in mid-stream and about 3 rolls through another Chub was hooked and after a brief fight a larger fish slipped over the net but it wasn't a big one either at 3lb 4ozs which was quiet heavily scarred on both sides like it had been attacked by just about everything in the river.

 

Definitely got plenty of room to fill out.

 

 Still no large Chub showing themselves, but as time was closing in on me I headed further down and rolled around a pool and spotted a Barbel at the tail end of the swim of about 9lb maybe a bit bigger which spooked so I naturally followed it, one Barbel turned into about 6 if not more, the longer I looked down into the water more appeared and on one of my first rolls I felt a tug and I struck into the smallest of the shoal, but not to sell it short it certainly gave a great account of itself, not a Chub but a fish all the same. Another one for the future, without these there is no future for this river!

 

 

Photography by Stu, who after seeing the Barbel wanted one himself.

 

 After that fish I packed up and headed home. 5 hours later and home grabbed the gear, got transport out back to river, we drew 2 - 2 at home unfortunately having been 2 - 0 up at HT so none of us was happy with the full time result but that's football for you, you don't close out games you run that risk.

 

 Back out and in search for Chub so effectively starting from where I finished in the morning but I fished a number of swims and some at length with not a touch and at 8:30 it was a long day I needed a rest. Home time it was. Another trip to the Great Ouse me thinks, I'm going to crack this big Chub target before the 14th of March, I will!  Tight Lines until then.



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.

Off on the trots.

 With the impending freezing cold weather on course to hit us on Sunday onwards I had to get a session in, so Friday night I packed my gear ready for an early start on the river this morning, with the constant light rain the river was up slightly and a bit coloured.

 My tactic today was to trot maggot and bread for anything that fancied feeding, early part of the session I drew a blank and I didn't get my first enquiry until 2 hours into the day when I landed a small Chub around a pound which was quickly followed by a nice Dace of about 6ozs, then all went quiet again.

 After the two fish the swim died a death so I had to move on down river looking for more fish, but I didn't have a dead Barbel in mind which was unfortunately what I saw on the river bed in a back stream around a pound n alf, never good to see dead fish but I guess it was of natural causes rather than angler error, it wasn't too long until I found some more fish, 3 Carp and a couple of Barbel were cruising around and I put a bait out right in front of them and the float slid away with what I thought was one of the Carp ended up being a Barbel of around 4lb if not a little larger but unfortunately wangled free of my hook thus spooking everything else off.

 10 minutes later I had this lovely Chub on the bank. 4lbs 2oz.

 But the most interesting part of the session was coming up, with what seemed to be an attempt to catch a white Koi Carp of maybe 3lb, so I had got into position creeping very slowly and close to the ground to keeping a low profile not to alert the fish but I only saw one Carp laying up close to some debris, so I prepared everything and cast about 15 foot above it's position and let it trot in front of it, but the bait passed the target and no touch and could visibliy see the fish and then my float buried itself and I struck, then all hell broke loose, a large Mirror Carp had slipped the radar and nailed my tasty morsel with my very light tackle I quickly found myself in a spot of bother, lucky I was on a stretch that was fairly clear so I could grab the gear and follow it down river as I couldn't battle it back up river as it was far too powerful on 4.7lb line and a size 14 barbless hook not to mention a very light match rod designed for Roach and Dace.

 Surprise..... this definitely was after a hard fought fight and after 5 minutes I slipped my net under what has to be one of the biggest surprises of the season. An extremely fat almost leather Mirror Carp that weighed..

...13lbs 12ozs of pure power and obesity.

 Well I certainly didn't wake up this morning thinking that could be on the cards so, very chuffed to say the least and she went back as if nothing happened soaking my jeans in the process, later on in the session I did also manage two Brown Trout both about 8ozs, both of which decided to leap back for the river without a piccy, plus I got my obligatory Barbel that weighed 3lbs on the nose.

Just have to have one a session almost my birthright.

More tackle for the collection.

Over the last few days I've managed to build my lure collection by raiding the lots on amazon and ebay in a bid to have every post covered in a last gasp bid to catch some predators before the season end, some of the gear that's turned up so far.

 

Chevin hunting.

 Recently I have been searching the rivers for a 5lb plus Chub and so far it has produced more Barbel, over the last few sessions with the large Chub as my target I haven't managed to hit my target with my best weighing 4lb 14oz which in fairness is close enough but one a little bigger would be great.

 Today was no different, I spent the day catching Chub with some of them giving me a decent fight compared to what they normally provide you with and some smaller skelly's thrown in, throughout the day, I tried a range of different spots and with the river up a few inches and carrying a lot of colour it allowed me to rove around almost undetected.

 Armed with all the baits you would associate with Chub, finding the Chub was the hardest part once I found them they were practically throwing themselves at it, with a few hours out in the nice sunshine I finished up with a nice tally of fifteen Chub with the largest at 4lb 5oz not quiet a monster but for this small system a fairly impressive size but the 5's do live here, so I'll be back to find them.

 

Biggest of the day at 4lb 5oz.

 

 

Another 4lb Chub almost pristine.

 

 

Connected to a decent Chub in the coloured backwaters.

 

 

A typical swim, plenty of Chub around and it looks ideal for a big Chevin.

 

 My Chub scorecard for the day:

 

3lb 8oz

3lb 5oz

4lb 5oz

2lb 15oz

3lb 14oz

3lb 7oz

2lb 13oz

3lb 10oz

4lb 4oz

4lb 1oz

2lb 2oz

4lb 0oz

2lb 6oz

3lb 2oz

3lb 8oz

For a total of: 51lb 3oz of Chub.