The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

Curious thing, I notice this autumn that while I've taken chub by various methods, the recent catch rate on lures has been surprisingly good.

Granted, this is based on catching just two of them, so may be an anomaly. Basically, the last but one time I fished I did a shortish session of spinning. This caught one small pike, but also a 3lb chub which took a medium sized spoon. Then at home I made a few more spoons including some smaller ones (an elongated copper and silver, with a single hook and plastic "worm"). Just did a quick test of the latter and promptly caught another chub, 4lb 4 oz this time. Took with a bang, too.

Maybe this is an experiment to persevere with. Though one has to use strongish tackle and a wire trace, so not ideal. Anybody else using lures much or doing well, I wonder?

As a kid I used to catch quite a few chub on mepps spinners, not fished for them with lures for years now though....

caught my first canal chub of just on 3lb on a small jigged paddletail rubber minnow recently the first one I have had on a lure as well.

I regularly catch big chub (once a year from a special swim) up to 51/2lb using a small 5cm Rapla plug. They really hit hard.

I was pike fishing on the river Wyre the other day when a local angler happened along and the discussion turned eventually to the chub that the river is perhaps best known for. He confirmed what another source had told me - many of the 4lb plus chub reported back to the club (big fish for this small river) fall to lures aimed at pike. Perhaps this population of chub have become more predatory than many and this explains why my efforts with standard baits such as bread mash and cheese paste haven't been as successful as I'd hoped ?

I have caught many chub in various sizes on lures. My biggest chub all took dead bleak, that were meant for pike. Chub certainly are predatory.

I don't think chub become more predatory, they're just predatory everywhere, but perhaps not recognised as such until they're caught on plugs etc. They also eat large deadbaits meant for pike.

Santiago wrote: ↑Thu Dec 03, 2020 5:03 pm I don't think chub become more predatory, they're just predatory everywhere, but perhaps not recognised as such until they're caught on plugs etc. They also eat large deadbaits meant for pike.

And funnily enough carp like a dead bait ....I’ve had a few over the years, my best was a 21lb 10oz mirror caught one Christmas Eve on half a mackerel......

The right lure (usually a small diving crankbait) will out-fish bait for chub a lot of the time IME, if the water doesn't also contain too many jacks.
I have caught two double figure carp on lures, plus bream and gudgeon. There's a time of year when most coarse fish will either eat smaller fish or aggressively defend their own "nest".
Many people regularly catch roach and rudd on small lures - but this is all very modern as you need specialist equipment not really "traditional".

Early in the season one can even catch barbel on small lures. A few years ago my friend caught an 8lber on a fly, and last summer I saw a chap in a kayak catch a nice barbel on a small jelly drop shotting.