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Tag: Chub

Germany 20-09-2020

Germany 20-09-2020

Another sunny day was upon us so again back to the chub hot spots.
As it had not rained for ages the water in the stream was extremely
low and almost stagnant.
I did not manage to spot any large fish or many fish to be precise.

With the sun low in the sky I had again problems just seeing fish.
The many bow waves in the shallow water indicated to me that
the fish had none of such problems.

I finally spotted a collection of fish near a brigde.
The reaction to a dry fly landing in the water was not what I was hoping for.
The fish scattered with even the larger ones running scared.

Switched to a squirmy brought a small chub to surface and later on
a small sedge did the same.
The fish which I did not where totally uninterested in any flies I
offered them.
Hopefully some rain will fall soon to get some action started.

Germany 19-09-2020

Germany 19-09-2020

A bright sunny day just beckoned for chub fishing.
An early start was out of the question as it was fall and the morning
temperatures where quite low.
The first spot I visited boasted some chub and I had the first fish quite
early on.

A little walk along the stream revealed a very big chub in the middle
of the stream hovering in the surface.
I managed to put the fly right in front of the fish without scaring it
as I usually do.
The chub moved slowly towards the fly and tried to gulp it down.

Tried because yours truly was again to quick on the strike and yanked
the fly out of reach of the fish.
The fish submerged to be never seen again.
A trip to a feeder stream yielded chub nr. 2 of the day and later finally
the largest one of the day measuring 40cm.

Fishing was tough, quite some wind from the east and also a sun low
in the sky that made spotting fish very difficult for me.
Alas the fish had less problems seeing me … they ran …

Germany 06-09-2020

Germany 06-09-2020

I left for the stream just as the sun was appearing in the sky.
The weather forecast was questionable but early morning started with patches of fog and a clear sky.

Fall was here, crisp mornings with fog and still the possibility of warm afternoons.
With the sun low in the sky I could not really have a good look in the water and thus had difficulty with spotting fish.
I scared the fish off before I could make casts with only on one occasion a fish that took a look at the large dry fly twice before rejecting it.

With time the sun came higher but also clouds appeared and the wind picked up messing up my chances for sight fishing.
A small sedge yielded a small chub so at least I did not blank.
The spot I fished was clearly not yielded any fish so I headed to a feeder stream where surprisingly the fish where absent.

With some luck I got two larger fish but still not the size I wanted, fish in the 40 to 50cm range.
It was late afternoon when I tried my last spot which frankly had not been good to me this season.
Again the lack of sunshine made spotting fish virtually impossible with the fish seeing me first and running for cover.

I was lucky that I spotted the orange fins of a large chub upstream from me close to the bank, I noticed in fact two large chub.
I could not place the large mayfly under the bank from my position but I did manage to toss the fly near to the fish.

The fly was close enough to make both fish turn and one of them gobbled up the mayfly without any hesitation.
I kept my cool and struck at the right moment resulting in the landing of 
an 48cm long chub on the 4-weight.

Germany 30-08-2020

Germany 30-08-2020

I wondered if moving to the chub section on a day with fog and thick clouds would be a wise move.
On the other hand the low water at the upper reaches of the stream seemed equally a waste of time.

I arrived at the chub haunts and had difficulty spotting fish.
With some luck I managed to catch one chub near the bank who
failed to spot me.
I dropped the fly over the edge of the plants on the shore and got
an instant hookup.

Other fish I spotted ignored my fly all together, to smart to be
fooled by my attempts.
I witnessed the rare sight of an eel moving in the surface and if my
mayfly had not been stuck in the shrubs I would have tossed it in
front of the fish.

When the cloud cover lifted somewhat blue skies appeared, the
sun made it easier to spot fish.
I still struggled to sneak on to the chub which where in ample supply.
Plenty of opportunities but wary fish as expected in a small stream
with low water.

Before I caught fish nr. 2 I had some heart stopping moments when a
big chub hovered under the mayfly I tried to zip it in only to refuse
at the last moment.
I refrained from prematurely striking so I had the chance to target the
other chub nearby that swam upstream.
One cast near that fish was enough to entice a strike.

Time passed quickly and just before I decided to quit I made a second
pass at the fish I had scared off earlier.
Again the bank side vegetation obscured me from the fish and a cast
near the bank yielded fish nr. 3 of the day.

With three fish on the mayfly my day was made and so it was time
for a pub visit.
With temperatures on the low side a vest was required to enjoy the outside dining.
Fall is definitely around the corner.