Thats’s it for the season and another big chub

Andy (you should have been here yesterday) Cowley and I were discussing where we were going to fish the previous night. I had to remind him that the second day of the season I suggested he should fish a swim that produced a big 6lb chub plus 3x5lbers. He did and he caught a 7lb 4oz chub. I said I wouldn’t make the same mistake again and was going to fish the same swim as I did yesterday. I was thinking it might contain some other big chub.

So I parked the car put on the chest waders and made my way to the swim. First thing was to put out 6 bait droppers of maggots in the same area I fished the previous day. I sat again once more in the water and hung everything I could on the tree branches around me.

The weather was not so windy but wet with light rain falling. I was thinking I might just get a bite reasonably quickly however the chub had differing ideas.  I sat there in the rain watching  a motionless tip for the best part of 3 hours. It then gave a little dip, a line bite I thought, then another. That was it I was standing up poised waiting for the rod to bend around. First there was a heavier bump on the tip followed by two really hard pulls which I believe was the chub hooking itself. I lifted the rod and tip plunged over as an angry chub fought for freedom. The slack is fairly large so I wasn’t fighting both current and fish. It felt like a really good fish making some really powerful runs. There are few snags in the slacks other than a pole under my feet and some submerged vegetation under water close in. Sure enough as I brought the tassel closer to the bank the chub found the vegetation and became stuck for a few seconds. I positioned myself closer to the edge of the bank where I could afford to pull the fish from the snag. Then it came up near to a gap in the reeds and I could see it was huge. I slackened the clutch even more as I didn’t want the size 20 hook to ping out. This action enabled the chub to dive for cover once more. Now I was better in control as the leverage from this position allowed me to stop the chub from regaining the snag. Up it came again and wallowed in the shallow water that was flooding over the bank. Not an ideal place to land it but it needed to be completed quickly. Into the net she slipped in the shallow water. It was a long chub and certainly a big fish. As I lifted the net it felt heavy. I unhooked the fish and left it in the landing net while I prepared the scales, camera etc.

On the scales it went 7lbs 6oz. I weighed it again and got the same weight. I phoned Andy to share the news that I had another 7lber. He said is it the same fish I said I’m unsure but defiantly 7lbs 6oz. He said I’m on my way. I got the camera out and took a look at the 7lbs 3oz chub. I could see a dark mark on the mouth area on both fish. So I phoned Andy back and said it was the same fish and not to worry about coming back.

So a quick bit of camera work and she went back well

So I thought here we go I’m in another fantastic day. I never had another touch or rod tip tremble for the remaining time. So being slightly disappointed but only just a little I headed back to meet Andy to discuss the day. I think he had 7 chub or there about plus a couple of jacks so a great day for him too.

We got talking about the increase weight from the previous day. On the first day with the wind the scales showed 7lbs 4oz or 7lbs 3oz. I settled on the lower weight. It was a 7lber after all. So how could the fish put on 2 or 3oz. Our only thoughts were that perhaps it had eaten so many maggots as I didn’t catch it until after 3 hrs of fishing. I talked to other experts and they said that perhaps it had taken on water. I just don’t know. However like the first one I weighed it twice.

However I had just reached my target twice in 2 days.

Our final day didn’t go to plan for me as I fished a swim which normally produces some good fish and I drew a blank.  I moved to another swim and had a couple of taps from chub and they were even rolling in the swim. I had one really good bite in this slack water and caught a 3lbs 15oz chub. So I guess I had used up all my good luck over those 2 days and was back banking the bad luck again.

I even fished the last day of the season in the slack swim where the small carrier comes in. I fished for 4 hrs in hail, rain, wind and sun the 4 seasons in one day. The rod didn’t move until towards the evening. I struck as the tip pulled over and found myself playing a small chub. I had it under control quickly and as I bought it up from the deep slack it reviled itself as a huge perch and I think closer to 4lbs than 3 lbs. The colours were beautiful as it powered deep again showing me it’s depth. Up it came once more and as I bent down to get the landing net the size 20 hook pinged out. Little rascal or something like that I said at it disappeared back into the deep slack. And that was that for the season.