Quest Baits Blog

13 chub from this one little swim in a short session!

As the river season has now drawn to a close I thought I’d give you something to think about for the back end of next season.

I find that in the last month or so of the season with the continuous cold nights and not particularly warm days there is a lot more chance of catching a few nice chub than there is of having much success with barbel.

Now don’t get me wrong, you can still catch the odd barbel (if you are prepared to put a lot of time in or if you fish areas of the Middle Severn or Wye where there can be lots of shoal fish in certain swims) but to me one of the best fun ways to almost guarantee some sport is with small stream chub.

My first taste of really small river chub fishing came in the last week of the season in 1997 (didn’t realise it was so long ago until I checked my old photo’s). I was fishing with a good mate of mine on the tiny River Mease near to Tamworth. The river here varies from as little as about 6ft wide up to maybe 2 rod lengths, with shallow fords of 6 inches deep to the odd 8 feet deep pool. Now on only my second trip to this beautiful little river we had a really cracking days fishing. continue reading…

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. continue reading…

Just taken this photograph from the office. Looks nice but it certainly looks as though this weather is now well and truly set in until the new year. Just checked the long term weather reports and it certainly doesn’t look good for putting a carp on the bank and that is coming from someone who has caught several from holes in the ice from a few different lakes now.

I think to-night I will dig out the river fishing gear. I have to get out there fishing for something and what better in these difficult conditions than to spend a few hours on a river fishing for something that actually wants to feed and will feed?

My first choice over the years has always been the grayling or chub as both can be relied upon to offer a little sport when there is minimal chance of catching other species. I love trotting a float down a river for grayling and from what I have found in the past so long as the rivers aren’t running too coloured then it simply doesn’t get cold enough to put them off the feed. Maggots or pinkies are all I usually fish with as bait. continue reading…