21/06/2016 - My First River Session of the season
The chub were like peas in a pod
Having missed out on fishing the River Beult on June 16th Monday 20th was going to be my first day fishing a river, I got to the River Ribble around 0600hrs to find about 4 feet of fast dirty water, not the best of conditions for chub, in fact for trout sea trout or salmon, visibility was around 3 inches, not good, so after walking both beats, I went back home. Around 0900hrs I got a call from my doctor asking how I was coped with my shingles while I was away, he also suggested I call in and see him, an appointment was made for 1040hrs, after checking my blood pressure which was spot on he checked my eyes but couldn’t see any problem. Having discussed the shingles, he suggested I take 3 pain killers at night, as they make me sleepy during the day, I chose to put up with the pain. I spent the rest of the day in the garden.
Chub on the float
It was around 0430hrs when I was up and about, after a bowl of porridge followed by a mug of tea, after filling the bird feeders I was ready for another try on my river, the car had been packed last night then locked away in the garage, within minutes I was driving down the country lanes fifteen minutes later, I turned off the road, then down the long track to the fishery car park. One of the members said “Your about early today Martin” Edward had been on all night sea trout fishing, his only fish was a recently spawned chub he estimated around 4lbs. I then put together a 13 foot float rod, centre pin reel with 6lb BS line, I chose a 6 gram Clearwater Avon with a wire stem, the best advice I can give you the reader, is if you’re planning to trot for chub and barbel use a float that takes some weight so you can boss the stream, when mending the line you don’t want to move the float. I then attached a size 12 barbless hook, after running the float through the swim and making a couple of adjustments I settled on fishing the bait a few inches off the bottom to start with. I then made up some ground bait a mixture of Lone Angler Ocean Pride ground bait with liquidised bread, dampened just enough to hold together until it started to sink I wanted it to dissolve in mid water. I introduced four balls of mix the size of a golf ball one every ten minutes, then introduced a dozen marble size bread balls soaked dunked in Lone Angler cheese flavour glupe, I then sat back to enjoy a fresh brew, apart from flicking in a bread ball every minute or so I rested the swim.
Half an hour later I made my first cast the float travelled ten yards down the swim then disappeared striking I connected with a fish that took line off the reel then a fish swirled on the surface “Trout” I muttered under my breath, after a few minutes I netted a brown trout around 2lbs which was quickly dispatched, rebaiting I made another cast the float travelled five yards then dipped before disappearing, another trout was netted about the size of the first, again it was dispatched, making a brace for the doctor. I introduced two balls of mix then re baited and made a cast this time the float went to the end of the swim, striking off the bait I retrieved the hook then re baited with another bread ball, the next few casts were the same nothing not sign of a bite.
Chub Switch On
I rested the swim for abut fifteen minutes before starting to fish again the second run through the float disappeared setting the hook into a fish which made me think it was a big trout as it took line off the reel, then I felt the fish give up, “Chub” I thought as trout don’t just give it but early season chub, don’t have the fight of a September fish. Soon I netted a nice looking fish around 3lbs, that’s a picture fish, then after a quick pic the fish was returned upstream. In the next couple of hours feeding the swim with a golf ball size of mix about every fifteen minutes, with one or two bread balls every cast, yes I missed a few bites, there were short ten minute periods without a bite, I caught a total of 11 chub all like peas in a pod. Thankfully I didn’t get bothered by any more trout. I fished on for about forty minutes without a bite so called it a day. It was a happy angler who walked across the meadow then through a small copse to the car. On the way home I dropped off the brace of trout at the doctors surgery, it was around 1200hrs when I got back home.
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