Two more H. Avon 6lb plus chub

After resting my broken toe for about 10 days I was ready to go again.

I arranged to meet Andy (you should have been here yesterday) Cowley on the H.Avon. We each had a plan to fish different stretches of the river. I was going to fish an area that I’ve not fished before well I should clarify that I’ve not trotted a float through. I had in September a lovely looking 6lbs 8oz chub on pellet, however from a different swim.

chub 6lbs 8oz

I arrived a little later than planned and walked the stretch looking for fish. The river was painfully low still and clarity was clear as crystal. Not the kind of conditions that is conducive to good fishing. I saw one really good chub feeding on some pellets that I had introduced 30 minutes before. Nothing much could be seen.

In the summer John had removed a tree that had been in mid stream for several years. Now with it’s removal the swim looked just right to run a float through.

I spent a while putting the float rod together. It was supposed to be dry, however who believes the forecasts these days. In fact it rained continually up until 4pm.

Soon the float a chubber was fastened to the line with 4lbs 12oz hooklink on a size 20 hook. Impaled on the hook were 2 red maggots. Previous to this I spent 20 minutes catapulting out 20 or so maggots every minute to get the chub feeding. The swim was not deep only at about 7ft. There was a nice far bank crease that in normal conditions would provide a great area to run a float through. Today though the flow was slow it needs a good flow for the chub to wait for food.

Anyway after the 20 minutes of feeding the initial cast was made. Then the second, however the third trot through saw the float shoot under and the strike met with a head shaking chub on the other end. Now there were a few snags in the river mostly under me own bank where the tree was removed. Taking no chances I moved downstream to be close to the chub and stop it from finding these snags. It tried a couple of times however being level with the fish I could guide it away from trouble. It looked a big chub and sure enough when I bought it in close to the net I knew if I played it well then another 6lber pounder would be mine.

There was a near bank slack that presented itself as a good place to net the thing. Now it looked a good chub laying in the net. I unhooked and let the fish rest while I got the scales and sling ready. 6lbs 4oz chub in pristine condition was my 8th 6lber of the season. I phoned Andy to tell him my story and luckily enough he was just about to phone me too. I’m on my way he said. Andy arrived and did the business with the photo’s.

6lbs-4oz-chub

Now Andy had not seen the stretch before so we took timeout after for me to show him a few swims. One swim where I had previously put some bait in had 4 chub feeding with one being a real lump.

So we split up again with me heading upstream to a line of willows. I fed for 20 minutes again how ever for the next hour feeding and trotting a float through other than a couple of grayling nothing else turned up.

Andy put a little bait in the swim with the lump of a fish and then nothing turned up for 2 hrs. How strange!

It was 1.30pm and time for me to move on. I traveled 2 miles upstream to fish a swim where on the opening day I had a 6lb 15oz chub. It looked as though nobody had been fishing it for a while. There were about 15 chub in the swim and some good sized ones too. I put 5 droppers of hemp and red maggots in. Then I snapped my feeder rod. Stupid, stupid, stupid. It was still pouring with rain and I took a short cut. Don’t want to say anything more.  I thought I had made a second big mistake as it took 1 hour before the chub started to show again. It’s so shallow you can see them around the feeder picking up the maggots. Andy was cold and wet and was about to throw in the towel. I suggested he drop in to see me as another swim below me had plenty of chub as well.

Well talk about great timing he was just walking over the field doing a spot of pike fishing when I hooked this lively chub. In the crystal clear river it looked a decent size. I gave a whistle and over he came to net the chub for me. When he saw the chub he said it’s another 6lber. It looked larger than the 6lbs 4oz chub from the morning. He read the scales at 6lbs 3oz. Even though it looked larger it wasn’t so big on the shoulders.

Never mind that was my 9th chub over 6lbs from the Avon.

6lbs-3oz-chub-

Well that’s twice I’ve had 2x6lber in a session in two weeks. I continued fishing and great the rain stopped at 4pm. I had 3 more chub with one being 5lbs and the others a little smaller.

So dusk came and it was time to pack up. One broken rod and two 6lb plus chub a very indifferent day indeed.