Thankfully, not many of us anglers have to deal with the dreaded American Signal crayfish when fishing. Unfortunately, those who regularly fish rivers and lakes plagued by these invasive pests can quickly become frustrated. From whittling down hook baits to snipping off hooks and devouring all your loose offerings, these creatures can be incredibly infuriating.
You might wonder why anglers like Neale Woodward put themselves through such punishment. Beyond their incredible determination, it’s because crayfish provide a highly nutritious food source for fish like chub, which can grow exceptionally large as a result. It’s these monstrous fish that anglers are willing to endure the hordes of crayfish to catch.
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“I’ve been fishing the Thames for chub over the last few weeks, and the sport has been a bit slow."
"Signal crayfish have been a big problem recently on this stretch, and you often wind in after not very long to find your hookbait has gone."
"After a lot of perseverance I did manage this cracking fish of 7lb exactly, which made the torture worthwhile."
Neale decided to tweak his tactics to try and reduce the effects the crayfish were having on his angling to try and get amongst some of the large chub he knew resided in the stretch.
"It was caught on a hardened boilie hookbait, which I was using in the hope that the crays would find it difficult to whittle away. I was also making more frequent casts to ensure I still had a hookbait on," Neale divulged.
“This was fished on a size 8 Gardner Barbel hook below a 5oz lead.”
THE BEST CHUB FISHING RODS WILL HELP YOU LAND BIG FISH LIKE THIS WITH EASE.
