Barbel caught and lost plus more 6lb chub
The memory is not what it used to be and having not written down the numbers of chub caught I can say without doubt this has been the best start to my chub fishing ever. I do know the number of 6lbs plus chub and some recollection of some others of epic tales and disappointments.
One of my biggest disappointments is that my mate Andy (you should have been here yesterday) Cowley hasn’t been able to stay with me in Fordingbridge as this virus covid 19 has me very worried. Yes sure we meet up whilst fishing however being outdoors is relatively safe. Normally we have a good few days staying at my place and fishing 3 consecutive days. So that’s one of my biggest regrets of the season thus far. And with the second wave having devastating effects on the northern part of the country we are heading into winter wondering what will become of life for the future.
What hasn’t changed is the fantastic chub fishing that I’ve been enjoying. I said in a previous blog that August and September were normally disappointing months for me. Not this year.
Andy had found a group of really good barbel with one fish that looked huge. I had found a few others that were feeding not too far away. I had a plan that I had run through my mind.
Firstly I would make sure the barbel were present. Sure enough they were in midstream and I knew from previous visits that I could coax them over and feed at my feet. So my process, and I call it this was to gently lower my hookbait with a bag of pellets in some PVA. No splashing, no noise nothing. With the rod leaning gently on the vegetation I was ready. Were the barbel?
Visibility was perfect and I could see exactly where the PVA lay on the gravel. It was right at my feet. So I scattered a few pellets in the area and very quickly the process started. It was as if the switch had been thrown. The plips and plops of the pellets going in had the barbel moving over to where my bait was. It’s such process that I’ve observed time and time again and it works so many times.
There was this huge barbel certainly over 13lbs hoovering up the pellets. Not just one but three and this normally means that with the competitive feeding you will catch one. Sure enough I saw the big one move over the baited area shake it’s head a few times and then off it went with the rod being pulled almost into the river. It fought really hard going downstream then upstream and then pulling hard in midstream. I had it under complete control after 30 seconds or so. It moved and took a little line as it went over the far side. There wasn’t any weed there so I wasn’t too worried. It was shallow but with the rod held high everything looked good. Then the hooklink broke. It must have touched a stone or such. I was devastated as I reeled in the line and the lead. I threw the rod to the ground in disgust.
I was angry yes the process had worked and I really thought I deserved better. Early in the week I had a lovely barbel of 11lb plus from the swim and this one was much larger. Still you can’t win them all.
Not deterred I told my sorry tale to Andy and he understood the pain but was sat in a swim where a huge barbel was feeding. Decided to spend some time further upstream just trying to get a bite and a bend in the rod for the day to cheer me up. Well I was fishing a swim where you can see the chub take the bait. The process of lowering the rig in place does differ here. First I introduce some pellets and see what turns up. Sometimes there are a few barbel present but recently they had moved on. I introduced a few pellets and let the chub slowly move out of a tree snag. There were about 8 chub that came out and started to feed. Once this happens I allow them to feed for 15 minutes or so then gently lower the bait in together with the hookbait. It takes 10 minutes or so for the chub to return and sure enough they were feeding hard. I could see the hook bait again on the gravel bed. A couple of times a chub picked up the bait but not hooked up. They really don’t like to feel resistance.
Then I saw a good chub come out from the snag and move towards the bait. It looked a good fish too. It wasn’t long before it was feeding hard on the pellets and bingo the rod belted over as the chub shook it’s head and drove the hook home. The fight was great having to hold and stop it returning to the snag.
The fight isn’t spectacular as I’m using 10lb line this is just in case a bertie barbel turns up. On the scales the chub goes 5lbs 12oz and is one of the largest caught from the shoal. I’m pleased with this result but doesn’t numb the pain of losing the big barbel earlier.
Whilst I was there I found another swim that I haven’t fished before. I could see a few chub going in and out of the weed and over a gravel bed. Under my feet was a lovely gravel run with a few strands of weed. It was here where I placed some pellets to see if the chub would come in to feed. What I saw was 8 chub between 4 to 5lbs come in and rip the bottom up feeding on the pellets.
My goodness they were hungry.
So I used my 6ft long hooklink with a couple of pellets with a pva bag lowered into the swim when the chub had vacated it. Soon the chub came back in and took to feeding hard again. I had been watching them feed for about 40 minutes before lowering in the bait. I even managed to video the chub feeding and eventually landing a chub.
The chub came in and one picked up the bait but there was no hookup. A few minutes later another 4 or 5 chub came back and one picked up the bait and was hooked. The video has recorded it all. There was going to be chaos and sure enough it happened. The chub was hooked and landed. Its weight was 6lbs 3oz and was my 10th 6lb plus chub of the season. A little more happier after losing that barbel.
