How to Catch Chub - Top 5 Tips

This entry was posted on 24th February, 2021

Chub are described as the greediest of fish. Often on a cold winters day chub have saved me a blank when every other species has well and truly shut up shop. There’s nothing quite like a winter river chub; however, chub can be found in stillwaters and canals. Here’s a few tips to help you next time you are in search of a chub.

Location Location Location 

As with any fish, location is paramount, after all you can’t catch them if they are not there. Look for cover such as snags, weed rafts and undercut banks. Areas of slower water or creases in the main flow can be ideal holding areas for chub. Try feeding these areas and then jump between the spots until you find a shoal of willing chub.



Trotting

One of my favourite methods for catching chub is trotting. You can cover a large stretch of the river working your stick float near to snags or feeding regularly with maggots or bread to encourage the chub to feed in you swim. One thing is for certain; if you keep feeding sooner or later you’ll be in for some action.

Off the Top

There’s no better method then watching a pair of big old white lips grab your bread crust off the surface as it drifts down the river. In warmer conditions don’t forget to use your loaf and target chub in a stealthy manner, drifting crust down to them on the surface; the action can be immense. For something even more radical try surface lures in the summer, those predatory chub will smash them.



Tackle Up

Chub fight hard, especially in running water. They also aren’t particularly line shy fish so ensure you have adequate tackle to prevent them burring you in snags or freeing themselves from your hook. A nice balanced setup up with a minimum 5lb line, especially if the chub are larger in size on your particular venue.



Light Levels

Chub tend to feed best in lower light levels, especially the specimens. The cover of low light seems to be a trigger for the big boys to go on the feed. Try fishing shorter sessions, targeting an hour prior to sunset and sunrise, and often you will see a much better stamp of chub on the feed.