Another 6lb plus chub from the H.Avon

Well the two weeks holiday was over in a flash. We left Boavista with the temperature at 28c and returned to Birmingham at a rather chilly 2c.

We had one day at home then Mrs. P and I headed down to Hampshire for the weekend. I had a couple of small windows of opportunity to try my luck for the chub. I collected 4 pints of red maggots from Ringwood tackle grabbed some lunch and headed for the river. I had planned to float fish for the chub but the easterly wind was so strong and made presentation almost impossible.

So I turned to my trusted feeder method. The ripple on the water made fish spotting very difficult however at times I could see dark shapes coming to investigate the contents of the feeder. Quickly I had a couple of chub of about 4lbs and then one under that weight. I then had a ferocious take that snapped the hooklink of 4lbs 12oz. So I’m unsure of the size of chub. It doesn’t happen very often.

I was hooking a few minnows and wasn’t surprised to hook a perch of about 2lbs. These chalk steam perch have such vivid colours

Having only fished for  couple of hours I was surprised to hook a 4th chub again about 4lbs. I was delighted.

The light was fading fast now, it’s just pass 4pm now and the sun is setting. There are just 4 weeks to go until the shortest day.

Then the rod tip bounced around in the rest resulting me lifting into an angry chub that tried to pull me into the willow branches. The rod took on a reasonably good curve and everything held firm. The normal things pass through your mind, please no hook pulls or fish getting weeded. I didn’t to worry as I netted the chub about 50m downstream. It looked like a good one and on the scales it went 6lbs 6oz. The light was really low now and I had left my glasses at home so setting up the camera was difficult. There was an angler whom I had spoken to downstream and we both commented if we caught a good fish then we would photo the fish. So I asked Bob Edwards to do the honours.

6lbs 6oz Novemeber chub

That was it for night.

I made another visit to a different stretch of the river the next afternoon. It lent itself to float fishing with the wind in the east.

I really like the swim but it’s not been kind to me. It had produced 7lbers before, however I had only caught high 5lber.

I started float fishing and within 1 hour had a chub of 4lbs 10oz. So no blanking. The wind was a pain as it kept taking the line over towards the willow branches on the far side. After loosing 2 floats and having had one chub in almost 3hrs of fishing I changing over to the feeder. Bad move not a touch.

Still another 6lb chub and number 12 for the season so far.

The sky had cleared and it was getting colder.

Sunset on a cold November evening

As I returned to the car I met Paul Fuller and he saw one of my floats drift down past him. He had caught one chub and lost 3 more. We had a good chat as darkness descended and we had to say good bye.