Hi Shaun,

Just ordered some of these excellent baits after a remarkable experience yesterday.

I was fishing my local stretch of the Bristol Avon near Chippenham in Wiltshire and happily banging out roach of a pleasing stamp on maggot, corn and bread, rotating the baits as bites slowed. Oddly, not a chub in sight and I would have normally expected to pick up a couple. Another angler stopped for a chat, mentioned the Chubby Chops (swiftly avoiding a slap by mentioning that it was bait) and suggested I try a couple. I packed a small feeder with the same light groundbait mix I was using to keep the roach coming, hair-rigged a Chop and cast into the same spot I had been trotting over.

An hour and 6 chub to 3 1/2lb later and my two Chops were decimated. Fantastic!

I have to say I missed quite a few bites and think that my size 12 Drennan Super Specialist about 5mm behind the bait was probably not the optimum set-up but it was getting dark and I didn’t have time to experiment.

What would you have done – longer hair and bigger/smaller hook or larger hook and tight to the barrel?

Best regards,  Graham Parry.

PS, I ordered some Barbel Chops as well. What would you combine those with – I fish the Wye and Gloucester Severn in the Summer and Autumn and was thinking of grinding up some chops and mixing in a little of the Archie Braddock’s powder but choice of pellets to bulk the mix?

 

Hi Graham,

Excellent – our biggest problem is getting people to try these things. We are more than happy knowing the baits will then do the rest for us without the sales patter.

The water temperatures are still running very cold which affects the metabolism and feeding style of the fish. It is easy to draw sometimes the wrong conclusion when it’s as it is at the moment. Sometimes simply mounting the bait in a different manner (lengthways or sideways) can often make the difference. One thing I would most certainly have tried with the limited time which often stops us changing rigs would have been to cut one end off of the bait.

This straight away releases a slightly stronger flavour quicker but also has the effect of giving a bigger separation between the bait and the hook.

Another very useful Item I find myself using almost all of the time these days is the boilie stops which Korda market. The ones which are shaped in a ‘u’ shape to pull into the bait. I believe these are available in three sizes so allow you to effectively use a different length hair without ever having to tie separate rigs. So simple but also so effective with the added bonus that the smaller species don’t manage to peck them out.

You may be interested to know that we do matching ‘Maximum Action pellets’ to go with the Chubby Chops. These are made from exactly the same ingredients as the boilies (rather than being a cheap pellet with flavour sprayed over them) and break down releasing their attractors real quick. They work superb in small PVA bags as well as in a feeder scenario. You can simply crush them with your fingers if you want them in ‘powder form’.

Regarding the Barbel Chops (the chub love these too – as do the barbel with the Chubby Chops as Ron Key found out to his delight on the river Wye) I would incorporate the matching Maximum Action Pellets with these too and probably a layer of matching paste over the top of the hook bait.

The Mega Spicy is the one I would go with for the Barbel but would probably keep that one as a trick up the sleeve to incorporate at the end of the day if bites start to slow up.

Hope the above helps a little.

Best fishes, Shaun

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