Chub Archives - Page 2 of 3

On Sunday it was off to the chub section for a second try at the chub.
First stop was just outside a small village where I had success in the past.
The plants at the bank were now about man high and you had to take
care where to step because of the holes dug by the muskrats.

The lack of aquatic vegetation was probably the cause of no visible fish.
I could spot nothing on the clear sand bottom except for one small fish.
That fish was target practice and it took the sedge I served with gusto.

Since I was not new to this spot I sought out the section with the most
cover where I spotted several medium sized fish with one behemoth
amongst them.
To bad that even the landing of the fly on the water caused the fish to bolt.

The presence of mayflies was minimal and only the small blue damselflies
attracted some of the small fish.
Time to move to another spot where I found a school of chub moving
upstream almost in casting range.

My first cast with a big fly yielded a strike from one of the fish but it missed
and the racked caused the school to move downstream again.
After a little wait they came in range again and this time I landed the fish.
Not a monster but a progress from fish nr. 1 of the day.

The final spot was a good stretch void of any disturbances, well I thought it
would be but reality was different.
I had forgotten that it was “Schützenfest” season in Germany, a tradition
from the past when villagers where enrolled in militia’s protection rural areas.
These days a social event involving fair with a shooting competition and off course
a lot of drink.

At this particular spot it also involved canoe trips for the kids at my intended
fishing spot …
There was just one thing left to do … off to the pub.

Germany 06+07-05-2023

14 May 2023 admin

With the slightly higher temps I thought it might be a plan to check out the
chub section last Saturday.
Got lost more or less en route and came at the stream well above the chub section.
Spotted a couple of dace surface feeding and tried to get them on the dry but failed.

Action was very sporadic so I left to spots downstream to check on the chub.
In hindsight a month or two to early as all the regular spot where empty.
One spot I passed had some fish below a bridge with I deemed to be dace.
The rest of the hot spots totally empty and with still lacking aquatic plants meant
no hiding spots for any fish.

Skunk was imminent so on the way to the pub I stopped at the bridge to see if the
fish were still there.
Spotted the fish and tossed a small nymph in the current.
Got a take from one of the fish and it turned out to be the target species chub.
Small one but nonetheless the first of the season.

For the Sunday the weather forecast talked about heavy rains and thunderstorms.
Checked out the rain radar in the morning and chanced it.
Choose the forest stretched and fished with dries for Dace and caught a few.
Had two attacks on a strike indicator from a trout but could not get it too eat
any flies.

At one of the deeper pools I hooked a small trout but lost it.
Spotted a larger trout but whatever fly I tried it did not want to eat.

Tried it a last time before pub time and behold the squirmy finally convinced
the fish to strike, about 14″ brown which was pretty good.

Met up with friends at the pub who fished the guest stretch of our stream.
Again a day with East wind so fishing very slow, spotted enough insects
but somehow fish declined most offering this day.
At least the E-NE wind kept the heavy rainclouds well to the W-SW of my
locations so it stayed dry for most of the day.

Germany 06+07-08-2022

10 August 2022 admin

The dog days of summer, hot weather and low water meant chasing chub again.
Weatherwise Sunday was the best day with smaller clouds and enough sunlight all day to spot the fish.
The cooling tower plume of one of the last few remaining nuclear powerplants in Germany
was clearly visible from miles.

My hotspot at the feeder had such low water that the chub did not venture there anymore.
Luckily the main stream still had some deeper parts that where fishable when not completely overgrown with waterweed.

The waterweed caused trouble, lost two good fish in there as they dove in it for cover.
Even my telescopic landing net of 3.6m could not coax them out.
All left to do was pull on the leader and the hook came out.

With that skinny water the fish where even warier than usual but I still caught a few fish
with one close to the 50cm range which I consider big for a chub.
Most banks where mowed with plenty of fish around, all chub off course.

Germany, 31-07-2022

1 August 2022 admin

With the drought continuing I went for another chub session at the lower end of the stream.
Conditions where not exactly favorable with overcast skies.
Sunlight was lacking for proper sight fishing.

I started late as some showers where predicted early on.
Luckily it stayed dry so I headed to a good spot near a bridge to scout for chub.
One chub I spotted was particularly big but it just did not respond to the fly.
Even a school of medium sized was unfazed by my offerings.

Clouds soon became thicker and it actually started to rain.
I sheltered under the bridge and noticed some fish moving about.
As the hopper did not seem to entice the fish I tried a sedge and tossed it to a school of fish.
Surprisingly a dace hit the fly instead of the present chub.

With not much happening I went on my way to spot nr.2
As I crossed the bridge I noticed fish moving at the other side.
I stopped and found a large school of smaller chub, perfect for a hopper presentation.
As soon as the hopper landed on the water one of the chub grabbed it.

With the banks mown I moved downstream and spotted a slightly larger fish moving
right under the bank.
All I had to do was to drop the fly over the edge and it was hit by the fish.
The school was gone now so off to the next spot.

My hotspot had many fish but without of sunlight I could not spot the fish with
their dark backs over the dark weed.
Only at the sections with sand bottom you could see moving fish, I scared most fish away.
At one of the more fast flowing riffles my fly suddenly disappeared in the current.
It was not the current though but a chub … noticed it too late and so the fish was gone.

It rained on and off during the day with light rain in the morning through some
heavy showers in the afternoon.
To bad I could not elude them all but there where plenty of fish around so still a productive day.

Germany, 24-07-2022

25 July 2022 admin

I went out on Sunday to the lower section of the stream once again chub fishing.
Blue skies and hot weather provided ideal conditions for this species.
On the last trip I fished a section where I spotted a lot of fish but this time I spotted
just a few small fish.

I went further downstream and checked out the cascade dams that replaced an
inaccessible weir.
I spotted a big chub but there was no way I could present a fly there due to the
current and plant growth.

At the end of the cascades a tree provided some shade at a small pool, it just looked fishy.
The bank was steep though, about 10ft sheer 90 degree drop off.
I tossed a hopper blindly under the tree and boy a big chub nailed it instantly.
Now I had to figure out how to get down to the water.
Only way was to slide down through the shrubs to land on the rocks.

In the meantime the chub had managed to dive under a deadfall and the leader
was tangled in a branch.
When I tried to untangle the leader the chub bolted and bend out the hook, bummer.
I found some other fish but none where inclined to take the fly.

At what I figured was the best spot I finally caught the first fish of the day on the hopper.
It was not a monster but at least a fish.
Soon I came across a larger fish and it took the hopper with gusto.
The problem I faced to land the fish was once again the steep bank and my silly trout net.
I slid halfway into the water and could land the fish … but I could net get back onto land.
The steep muddy bank just gave way so all I could do was to wade to the nearby bridge and
crawl up to the shore.

I spotted many chub and managed to loose two big fish in the process.
And again I suffered from that early strike syndrome jerking the fly out of the chub’s mouth.
Many times chub would inspect the fly first before gulping it slowly down and then
anxiety would get the better of me.

The last spot of the day was at the feeder stream where the shallow section in front of weir
boasted hordes of chub including two big ones.
I tossed the hopper near one of the big fish and it came cruising for the fly.
This time I waited but too long as I allowed it to spit the fly out before I could strike.

The banks at the last spot where fully overgrown so you could hardly walk let alone spot
the potholes made by the rat population.
I made it a couple feet upstream when I spotted once again a big chub.
The bankside vegetation shielded me so the chub did not see me coming and nailed the hopper
as it landed on the water.
The nearby gauge station boasted a nice stairway down to the water so I could land the fish easily.
All in all a good day for chub hunting.

Germany 18-0-2022

19 June 2022 admin

With predicted exceptionally hot weather and the low level of the stream I choose to go after chub on Saturday, ideal weather for that species.
I checked out some spots along the way and spotted a few of the bigger fish.
The shallow wide section of the feeder was my target area and when I arrived there plenty of fish where hovering around.

Fly of choice was a big mayfly pattern which would either scare off fish or be attacked instantly.
The shallow water was tricky, algae had formed and reached the surface prevented free movement of the fly line.
After a while I got a good hit from one of the smaller chub on the fly.
The bigger chub however would not look at the fly.

I walked a bit upstream and it was tough, stinging nettles man high … you could hardly move forward. There was a rather large pike lying motionless in the water and I tried to get it to hit a streamer.
The pike was not interested and shot off to be never seen again.
The upstream section was completely overgrown unfishable for dry fly fishing.

I checked out a section downstream and noticed a few fish but the high banks and high grass
made casting almost impossible.
It was now midday with about 88F and bright sunshine.
The heat was getting to me and I needed a break in the shade.

The next spot was again overgrown and now one bank had been fenced to hold some ponies.
Again totally overgrown banks so just reaching the water was hell in that heat.
I found one open spot and one big chub and boy it went for the mayfly.
But just as it was about to gulp the fly in I struck … too early.
The fly came out and the chub ran off. With little wind and bright sunshine I had to run for cover again and luckily a shade tree was nearby.

One final spot was near a bridge where I recently had success, it was empty of fish though.
The only thing to do was to check out the pub.
The old location was nearest but as I passed it I figured the limited menu and higher prices warranted a longer trip to the new location.

So when I finally arrived at the new location I wondered why the outside dining area was vacant.
That was not a good sign, it either meant the place was closed or a private party was held.
I spotted the landlord an noticed the decoration in one area pointed to a private party.
Turned out most of the staff had fell to covid and a skeleton staff was present to host a wedding party.
Luck had it that I was allowed in and after a couple of cold ones I actually able to get something to eat also, all on the house … despite the slow fishing a good day.

Germany 18-07-2021

19 July 2021 admin

With summer in full swing and harvesting going on the best time for chub fishing is near.
If only the weather would be more stable things would be easier.

Mission big chub was a fail once again as I messed up the only chance at a big fish.
Although some of the banks where finally mowed the high and murky water prevented me from spotting any fish.
A few small ones went for the hopper anyway though.

I had three shots at one big chub. In the first and second cast the fish would follow the fly but hesitated to grab it.
At the third shot I launched the hopper with a splash in the water and the fish followed and tried to take the fly.
Tried as I lost my cool like usual and struck to early … will the hurting never stop…
But we will try again with mayflies, hoppers and the odd crane fly imitations.

Anyways a nice day to be out and about.

Germany, 10&11-07-2021

12 July 2021 admin

Last Saturday was predicted a 100 percent rain day by the weather guru’s.
It actually stayed dry all day and I even got a tan in the end.
Once again I tried to fool the chub and even had some new weapons in my armory.
Besides the large abstract hoppers I usually fished I decided to try a more natural and
smaller pattern hoping to fool the wary fish.

It was tough again to even get to the water which was btw very murky.
This summer is completely different than last one, unstable weather with a
constant supply of water.
The water just was not as clear as last summer.

I tried some of the known spots and noticed a few fish in the murky water.
The first reaction to the new hopper where promising as it was instantly attacked.
After a few missed bites and one hooked it went quiet … fish gone.
The other spot on the main stream remained fishless.

Next stop the feed, it was clear and had fish in it.
Also big ones but I only nailed one slightly larger fish.
The problem here was the extreme shallow water, dumping a hopper usually meant
all the fish took off.
Noticed one pike in the water but without the proper streamer it was no use trying,
lots of weed in the water with no real depth to make a long retrieve.

With the fish not cooperating I did some sightseeing and took the long road to the pub.
Went for the double cheeseburger this time.

On Sunday I tried the home stretch hoping to find a trout but I hardly found any fish.
The squirmy yielded a small dace from one of the pools and that was it,
The only thing hitting the squirmy where the gudgeons, small bottom feeders that
constantly grabbed the tail section of the squirmy,

I tried some other places but the water was shallow, found a few small dace and
fished a small dun pattern to get some bites.
The pub visit was early as I had hoped that I would find fish surface feeding
in the nearby village.
Alas the surface waters where void of feeding fish, a small pink Perdigon yielded one
roach and that was it.

A cloudy day with some of the clouds looking like thunder heads, it stayed dry though.
Maybe it is time to visit some of the spots that are more off track in order to find fish.

Germany 03-07-2021

4 July 2021 admin

Another hot weekend day thus again on the quest for a big chub.
This time I tried again at the home waters but I had difficulty finding fish.
Again the banks still overgrown so there was hardly an open space to
find to reach the water.

The feeder stream had visible fish and indeed some of the big boys.
The big mayfly did not work so I downsized to a crane fly pattern.
The cranefly did work as long as it hit the water, free drifting and the fish
showed no interest.
I got two of the smaller fish relatively fast,

I spotted again a pike along the bank, it had seen me first though and
retreated to deeper water.
Further upstream I noticed the big chub and I made a good cast near
them without scaring any fish.
One came up and nailed the fly, I battled the fish successfully but just
before I could net it the fish got off.

Back on the main river I battled the long grass and countless horse flies
to find any fish.
It was really hot and access to the water was virtually impossible due
to the tall grass.
I spotted a few fish moving but not the stationary feeding fish I wanted.
In the mean time the storks where circling overhead, a sign of summer.

I tried the feeder stream on the way back but in the late afternoon all
activity ceased.
Last stop off course the pub, as the clouds gathered and rain and thunder
where predicted I opted to sit inside.

As starters I ordered the Manta platte, a curry sausage with fries.
Next was the salad with baked feta cheese.
Skipped the desert as I was stuffed.
The beer garden had plenty of visitors, amongst them pagans who
ordered the strawberry beer .. beer with strawberry sirup and strawberries
(lady drink).
I made a picture of it otherwise you would not believe what savagery goes
on at this side of the pond.

Germany 19+20.06.2021

22 June 2021 admin

On Saturday I once again went after the chub, there was more activity and I
had shots at two good fish.
The first big chub had no interest whatsoever for the mayfly I was throwing.
The second big chub was in a school amongst small fish at a feeder just
behind some rocks.

The strong current made a good presentation virtually impossible so I
opted to fish with a heavier streamer.
The streamer landed behind the rock and a big chub plus a small one
raced forward to intercept the streamer.
The small chub was first and nailed the fly.

At other spots I saw fish but could not get them to take the fly.
In the afternoon the heat got to me and I went to the main stream
upriver in the forest.
The shade made it more comfortable to fish.
I had two ferocious attacks on the mayfly by a trout but the fish
missed both and did not return later.

The next day I opted to go after the trout but the weather had turned
as a front with rain, wind and lower temperatures passed overnight.
The stream was up and murky but still good enough to fish.
I opted to fish the squirmy and had many hits from the small gudgeons
that where pretty active in the increased flow.

I hooked a good trout but after a long battle it threw the hook before
I could put the net into action.
Nymphing did not work that well so fished a small blue dun pattern with
a foam post and caught several small dace.

I tried the spot where I lost the trout earlier later in the day.
After many fruitless casts with the squirmy and the mayfly I tied on a
heavy perdigon nymph.
Heavy was the way to go as the fly went deep and yielded an attack of
a trout, a different one than the one I had seen earlier.

Before I left for home I tried to get the first trout out of the pool that I
had lost earlier that day.
I decided to fish a small weighted conehead streamer and to my surprise
the trout I was looking for chased the fly a few times.
The fish did not commit so I called it quits and went to the pub for
dinner.