Chub are greedy fish when present in numbers, but it’s certainly not a case of heaving the maggots in and bagging up. By considering how you approach the river and slowly building the swim throughout the session you can ensure you have a memorable day's chub fishing.
Here's six tips to help you put a bumper river net of fish together...
Add some bread
I’ll feed groundbait, but add liquidised bread to the mix. Chub love bread and the cloud it creates just seems to be irresistible, this can really help to pull in bigger fish early in the session.
GET THE BEST TIPS AND TACTICS FOR CATCHING CHUB WITH OUR HOW TO GUIDE.
A ball-a-chuck
Every run through with the float I throw in a ball packed with hemp and casters, with molehill soil to add vital extra weight. This is especially important if the river has extra water on as I need the bait to drop down and sit exactly where I want it to.
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Always loosefeed
Alongside the groundbait balls I’ll loosefeed aggressively with maggots. This creates two distinct catch zones. I'l catch the more aggressive fish that come to intercept the loosefeed, with the warier fish sitting over the groundbait further downstream. It also gives the chub somewhere to drop back to if they become unsettled.
CHOOSING ONE OF THE BEST FISHING CATAPULTS WILL HELP KEEP YOU LOOSEFEED.
Pick a big float
The floats I use are Bolos from 4g-10g or a 16x4 sticks. Bulk shot the Bolo with an olivette, and use strung No8s for the stick float. You need to be able to dictate the float rather than the river deciding where the float will go, bigger floats give you a better element of control.
IT IS IMPORTANT TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT ROD WHEN FLOAT FISHING ON A RIVER TO HELP CONTROL THE FLOAT, CHECK OUT OUR GUIDE TO THE BEST AVAILABLE.
Don’t fish too light!
For double maggot I will typically use 0.20mm mainline down to 0.14mm or 0.16mm hooklength to a size 14 Guru Pole Special or Hydra 110 hook. Whilst it can pay to fine down sometimes, it's seldom needed and when catching a lot of fish, it will cost you time and weight with unnecessary breakages.
IF THE RIVER ALLOWS, WADING CAN BE A GREAT WAY TO GET OUT TO THE FISH. CHECK OUT THE BEST FISHING WADERS HERE.
Make a quick strike
To stay in contact for a quick strike, I backwind to pay out line steadily, holding the reel handle as I make the strike. This isn't something I see many anglers doing but it definitely results in more hooked fishwhen you're catching quickly.
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And that's it! Try these simple tips and I'm sure you will be catching numbers of chub on the float down your local river in no time. Keep busy, keep feeding and play with your presentation, and you will keep them coming all day long. Most importantly, get out there and enjoy the sport these amazing river fish have to offer.
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