If there’s one species that can be virtually guaranteed to provide you with a bite or two in the depths of winter, it’s chub. As long as the water isn’t bank high, this greedy river fish will most likely be feeding, especially early and late in the day.
Traveling light and exploring your local river is a fantastic way of targeting chub, and also means that you can keep warm as you’re not sat still in one spot all day. All you need on the tackle front is a quivertip rod, a few SSG shot and light bombs, a packet of size 8 hooks, landing net and unhooking mat.
NOT SURE ON THE BEST METHODS TO CATCH CHUB? READ OUR 10 BEST TIPS TO CATCH YOUR FIRST HERE.
Bait wise, a smelly lump of cheesepaste is nigh on impossible to beat at this time of year, especially if the water is coloured and the fish are using their sense of smell to locate their next meal. Use a thumbnail-sized piece of paste on the hook and spend just 15-20 minutes in each spot investigating any likely looking chub haunts.
Knocking up a batch of cheesepaste to use for your winter chub sessions is a piece of cake. Many anglers have their own recipes, the ingredients of which remain a tightly guarded secret as they look for an edge over those around them, but below we’ll show you how to make a super pungent offering that big chub love.
You can then try experimenting with adding extra flavours or additives to make your own unique recipe. Once you made your cheesepaste, wrap the ball in clingfilm and store in the freezer ready for your session.
STAY COMFORTABLE ON THE BANK WITH OUR GUIDE TO THE BEST WINTER WATERPROOFS.
Cheesepaste is quite a soft bait, so it is best left stationary or else the hookbait will fall off. With this in mind, legering tactics are much better than the float. If you are able to link leger in the conditions then this is best as the rig entering the water will create little commotion and won’t spook any nearby fish.
A durable 6lb mainline to a 4lb hooklength will beat chub of any size and a size 6-8 hook is ideal. This may sound large but it needs to be big enough to hold a large hookbait and keep it impaled during the cast. Mould the bait around the hook but make sure that a decent stretch of the point is showing so that you set the hook home on the strike after every bite.
Don’t introduce any loosefeed – the flavours leaking off the hookbait are more than enough to draw fish into the peg.
How to make cheesepaste for chub fishing
These are the base ingredients you will need – shortcrust pastry, grated cheese and blue cheese, plus any other flavourings you would like to add.
1 - Mix some powdered pastry mix with water and a teaspoonful of hemp oil, keep kneading the pasty until a putty-like consistency is reached. You can use the ready made pastry too depending on what is available to you.
2 - Take a quarter-pound of grated cheddar cheese, grate a similar amount of stilton and then add two teaspoons of parmesan and half a teaspoon of a fishmeal bait powder. You can add anything you like at this stage, garlic puree and spices also work really well in the mix, just get creative!
3 - Roll the pastry out flat and add the cheese mix on top. The ingredients are more evenly distributed if you do it this way.
Mix the pastry and cheese well until an even consistency is reached and then it is good to go, either take it with you that day or freeze for a later session.
Top tips for cheesepaste fishing
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If you want to create a hookbait that’s really going to grab a chub’s attention, try adding a teaspoon of red colouring to the mix. This adds extra visual attraction to the pungent offering and can often get you a quicker bite in more coloured water.
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Balancing your cheesepaste by moulding it around some cork can make it behave more natural in the water.
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Try to ignore small knocks on the tip and only strike at firm pulls.
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In really coloured water, introducing a few free samples to some swims and then fishing them in rotation can bring quicker bites. Don't go too heavy, however, as each offering will be incredibly attractive and filling.
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