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Monday: Paul Arden
Tuesday: Harps
Wednesday: Bernd Ziesche
Thursday: Mr T.
Friday: Ray
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Sunday: Bruce Richards

Ronan's report

Many years ago I read one of the great Late English angling writers, Mr HT Sheringham, and one of the many memorable passages that stuck in my head was a story about a brace of large chub he caught, but because they were considered very poor eating, instead of eating them himself, he left them by the roadside, for the poor. They were gone when he returned a week later, as was the bootlace he has used to string them. The question he raised was did they covet the chub or simply the bootlace?

This sort of thing makes an impression on me, and I was never too fond of catching chub as a result - that and they fight similarly to wet socks, well after the first run anyway. Still a large chub eagerly consuming a dry fly is a pleasant sight, and there are certainly chub in the stretch of river where I live. Whether they are large and eager to consume dry flies I have yet to discover, but Skeg thinks so...

Me:

Hi guys,
just curious if anyone here actually has chub as a preferred species. On the Drava there seem to be many chub, although I haven't seen any particularly large ones. But they hug the banks and go for Asp flies on contact. I'm thinking that grasshoppers would be deadly sometimes. I've caught a few on dries and nymphs over the years, but apart from when sight fishing I've never actively pursued them (ok one or twice blind ).
Cheers, Paul

Skeg:

I've (and most of the Hun FF-ers) fished a LOT for chub. Big ones, too. Paul, if ya float on the Drava, there are monsters of chubs. Ask Bali. In some periods hoppers, any big terrestrial imitation could work with an aggressive presentation, but sometimes streamers work better, espec. for big ones. smallish muddlers, thunder creeks, flashy-flies.

(Skeg is a Hungarian hippy by the way.)

Foreignmuck:

I go for them specifically here round Cambridge. A foam beetle or any chunky low riding dry seems to work well. I sight fish them and like to really splat the fly down in the middle of the pods of fish. They get all competitive and charge down the fly most of the time. Also caught them accidently while chasing pike so streamers would work too.

Zoran:

Chubs, hmm.. big ones ....spent my youth chasing them. Altogether with Asp, the most underrated fish in the terms of Fly Fishing. Chub, Asp and Afrikaan Yellowfish are far more interesting and attractive than any other fresh water species I know (sorry for Trout purists, but that's it )

-it's easier to catch any Trout anywhere, than big, old, smart Chub.
-they are not stupid, one needs a time for study their behaviour and habits.
-if you spot big chub, that's mean he spot you as well, actually he spot you before you noticed his big shadow on the bottom of the River
-that's the main reason why people say -there is no big chub on this water

-so, the first condition is that, somehow, you spot him and he doesn't spot you
-you must be stealthy as you are on the hunt for trophy Kudu Bull.
-Big Chub is not so curious as small one, but still curious.
-that is your only advantage.
-the next big thing is right timing of day and right spot.
-Big Chub has a rigid habits and preferences.
-one must know where to find him in the morning and when in the evening.
-sometimes you will be able to catch him only in the middle of the day
-doesn't matter of fly, it just have to be chubby (that's why Chub) and shaggy as vintage pubic hair and splash on the water on natural way, triggering his curiosity.
-sometimes, he prefers rubber, plastic and even wooden flies instead of standard one, just because former one make such a nice "splash" on the surface, imitating hard terrestrial insect body...
-in Spring time, female will sometime defend its territory and attack the aggressively presented fly.
-terrestrials, if there is a hatch, are must.
-tippet must be tiny and invisible...
-on bigger rivers as Drava it's easier, on the small, clear and fast mountains Rivers where I almost graduated my Chub University, is not so easy, actually not easy at all.
That has been said , more than 90 % of Big Chubs on the waters from my youth, have been caught accidentally.

It was me who caught the rest of 10 % with intention

Just a few thoughts, good luck ....

Cheers,
Zoran

ps
bonus feature (just $5 pm subscription )
if you are desperate for that fat head chub, find a stinky water pocket, which is usually frog habitat during a day, but well connected with and next to the main water current. This is a playground for Big Chub in twilight zone and time, meaning between dawn and morning and between evening and night. You have maximum 10-15 minutes.
Remember those spots very well during a day, just seat down, be quiet and wait, he will come.
Also, keep in mind, you'll have right for only one splash cast!

Will:

Ooh! Ooh! Chub!

I love chub!

Rubber legged stimulators and foam grasshopper pattern were deadly on the Thames. For the chub I was after it was a first light thing. They preferred to be over gravel, not silt. Overhead cover obviously. Interesting thing was, they wanted the fly on their nose, or just behind them. If I led them by 5ft they ignored the fly. Put it a foot away and they took it.

Chub are great.

It's all about to happen...

Cheers,
Paul

Pic Of Day