Think big fish on a canal and you picture specimen perch, bream and maybe even carp.
Increasingly, though, you can add chub to that list, with venues such as the Grand Union, Stratford, Loughborough, Nottingham and Coventry Canals all holding them. Here's how to catch them...
Get close to cover
Bramble branches trail underwater. Try to fish a little bit away from what you can see above the surface.
Switch to worms
Double caster is my No1 bait, but when the fishing is hard and you’re waiting a long time for a bite, try a lobworm tail.
Fish a dibber
Canals can tow from locks being opened and that means a bristle float will drag under. Use a dibber instead.
Shorten the elastic
You have to bully the chub. Less elastic will do this, so I fit just under 1m of red grade Garbolino Bazookarp.
Ditch hooklengths
I’ll be pulling hard, so I can’t afford any weak spots. I fish direct with 0.15mm Powerline to a size 16 Animal Spade hook.
Ping in casters
I loosefeed a dozen casters every 10 minutes over the top of my initial feed to lure chub out from beneath cover.
