Bite indication.

Chub have a reputation for being finicky feeders; capable of testing and rejecting bait with nothing more than a quick deflection on a quiver tip. These days I do not experience anything like the number of missed bites I experienced in the early days and most sessions a high proportion of detectible bites are translated onto fish on the bank. On reflection, I think this was probably due to using too much lead, either in the form of Arsley bombs on a running ledger, or link ledger with too many swan shot.

I think this problem is more pronounced on slow moving rivers as chub have too much time to inspect, test and examine baits. If you observe fish feeding in clear water, it is quite common for a fish to approach a food item a number of times prior to committing itself! The key is to keep resistance to an absolute minimum so when it is picked up, it at least behaves as naturally as possible.

There are a number approaches to detecting bites; quiver tip, bobbin, touch ledgering or watching the line for any discernible movement. I could add another that has accounted for some exceptionally cagey fish, and that is to fish with an open bail arm and watch for the line coiling from the spool. When you get a ‘take’ it is much like a pike run and is treated in much the same way. Close the bail arm; tighten into the fish and strike! Each has its merits.

I should perhaps explain the reason for fishing an open bail arm. There are times when a chub will intercept a bait and carry it some distance before ‘committing’ itself. I was fishing my usual approach of quiver tipping and was getting unhittable bites. Bites kept on coming, in fact the third time it took the bait on the drop – and once again it was missed on the strike. As I fully expected a bite on the fourth cast – this time I left the spool open and watched for the fish taking line. It was fascinating to see the line skating towards an old weed bed. This fish had been holding station in the weeds and was coming out to intercept the bait and then returning to its sanctuary where it felt safe. This fish was hooked after giving it more time. I used to think chub avoided thick line, but in many cases this is irrelevant – far more important is resistance. I have chub pick up baits confidently using 12lb line!

Keeping it simple.

Tackling up for Chub.

I am not one for fancy hook link material, beads, swivels etc... I guess, over a period of time, I have adapted a method that requires matching the size of hook to the bait and am even happy pinching shot directly on the line. I have my own thoughts on link ledgers – for the majority of my fishing I rarely, if ever bother with them.

Balanced leads.

It never cease to amaze me how little lead is actually needed to effectively fish a ledgered bait. If at all possible I have a preference for free lining a bait using a quiver tip. After casting and allowing time for the bait to settle, draw the bait back a little to ensure it has landed on a clear part of the river bed and introduce a little slack. What this does is effectively slow the bite down. Holding the rod in hand, the first sign of a bite is a sudden jolt transmitted as a sensation down the rod, followed by the tip pulling round. The advantage of free lining is that provided you ‘feather’ the bait down on the cast – it sounds exactly the same as the free offering that you have anticipated the chub have been feeding on. Where there is little flow to carry a scent, I suspect that chub will easily detect the sound of potential food entering the river and investigate closer. It has to be an edge if your bait sounds exactly the same as the free feed!

Upstream ledgering. 

Chub caught from behind a raft structure using upstream ledger.

If I have to use any amount of lead to hold bottom, there is much to be gained from upstream ledgering. The aim of upstream ledgering is to balance the amount of lead used so that having cast upstream and allowing the bait to settle; after carefully tightening up to the ledger weights, the quiver tip should show a deflection of 1 or 2 inches. Anymore and the whole lot is washed downstream in the flow. This does take a little practice and trial and error. With practice it is possible to gauge the amount of lead using a combination of swan shot and even BB shot on the link. When the chub picks up or tests the bait, it will drift down stream relaxing the tension on the tip showing the bite. Typically I normally experience an upstream ‘tug’ just before the tip collapses leaving me in no mistake a fish has picked up the bait. 

The best part about upstream ledgering is that you can approach a swim in a completely different angle to the majority of anglers. Fish that get used to being caught in front of a ‘snag’ quickly learn to avoid feeding in such areas – or certainly give problems with bite detection. An upstream cast often wrong foots that crafty old Chevin that feels safer eating behind the feature.

Downstream ledgering. 

The most sensitive method of downstream ledgering is to cast across and slightly downstream and let a bow form in the line. Once again the lead has to be balanced just right so that when a fish picks up the bait, the pressure from the flow on the line releases and reduces the pressure on the terminal tackle. Bites could be as indefinable as simple plucks on the line; this is where touch ledgering becomes critical in timing the strike.

Touch ledgering. 

Touch ledgering seems to have an air of mystery surrounding it... it is in fact the simplest form of bite detection, but it does improve with experience. I particularly enjoy touch ledgering as it helps to communicate directly with what’s taking place on the river bed. I do however prefer to touch ledger in conjunction with a soft quiver tip. I think this actually improves chances of connecting with a Chub as it slightly ‘dampens’ the initial ‘tug’. My thoughts on this are; if you can feel the Chub, it must also feel a sharp resistance.

As a slight variation on this method, I often find that it helps if you can give a chub some more line. Holding a loop of line in my free hand, when you see the initial ‘tap’ on the quiver tip it’s simply a case of feeding some line – or dropping the loop. The tip folds over and its simply a case of pulling into the fish.

Touch ledgering in winter? You catch a hell of a lot more Chub if your prepared to hold the rod in one hand and the line in the other!

Bobbin. 

In many ways, fishing a bobbin has many advantages over the tip especially when free lining. The only problem is finding a bobbin that is light enough. I use the Solar light weight bobbins, into which I insert a beta light for night fishing. A length of old fly line makes up the tether and works superbly. It can of course be used for upstream or downstream ledgering – in fact, this method is far superior in showing drop back bites. The bobbin just plummets as it swims back downstream.

Are you seeing every bite? 

Not one of these methods really answers all the questions asked from chub, indeed, I believe there are bites that are to all purposes undetectable! On a number of occasions I have gone to retrieve my bait, only to find resistance and on the strike a fish that had just been sitting with the bait in its mouth. Perhaps it was making its ‘mind’ up and pounced on it as the bait moved?

Another occasion whilst fishing an open bail arm, I noticed line slowly peeling from the spool. Holding my finger on the spool I observed the quiver tip for a deflection – there was none. I released my finger and once again line slowly peeled from the spool. I suspected that perhaps some debris had hit the line and was drifting the line downstream. But on releasing the line a fourth or fifth time I decided for whatever reason that it was moving faster than the current and decided to strike. To say the chub I hooked into was surprised was an understatement – but having taken maybe 4meters of line, it took itself into a nearby reed bed and unhooked itself..... Charming!

As you can gather from my approach to Chubbing I am clearly not ‘normal’.  I put it down to the way Chub can drive you insane at times, but if you consider Einstein’s definition of insanity ‘Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results’.

Einstein continued; ‘By that definition, a lot of us are mad. But it’s those times when we try something different, when we’re sane, that progress is made’.

Just a slight rocking on the tip indicated the presence of this beauty.

Therefore the problem to good Chubbing is trying to stay sane – and I guess I am just hanging in there!