Hi there,

Just wondered if anyone had any advice for fishing canals or stillwaters for chub?

I get a lot of lovely chub on nymphs and dries though the summer and autumn, but what about when you're freezing your nadgers off in the middle of winter? I'm guessing fishing very slowly might do the trick, but any tactics; fly colours for lethargic fish, knowledge of chub behaviour in cold weather - anything would be greatly appreciated.

Basically I want to get a few of these, but in more challenging conditions:

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I had some success last winter on a small (14 - 18) weighted PTN fished under an indicator (size 12 para Adams). Bead heads worked for the smaller chub, but really drab flies with no sparkle at all seemed to do better for the bigger ones.

It seems they need to be fished extremely slowly (or even static), as close to the bottom as possible. And they may only be 'on' for half an hour or so - which, oddly, often seems to be at dusk.

The takes are painfully subtle.

Your man is Skateboard Dave - he posted a series of very good threads on this last winter.

Breadflake or luncheon meat

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Thanks for the replies.
Matt - Suspended fly under an indicator sounds like a plan for stillwater.
If there's a window in this crappy weather I'll try and get out.

I'll have another look at Skateboard Dave's posts as well. He hasn't been on for a while. I've just done a search. I think I've read all these in the past. I'm sure he's got everything covered, but I don't remember reading much about stillwaters other than a passing reference. I'll have to experiment I think.
I just need to find some fish, and on a stillwater they might be shoaled up in a deep hole, so covering the water, and fishing really slow. That's now the plan.

Thanks Jeff, you're probably right, but I like to slog away with a fly even when it seems hopeless...

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I often catch chub by spinning, I wonder if lures would be a good fly fishing option?

I was *convinced* that lures would work - all logic suggests they should. But I've only ever managed one, on a black bu*ger.

Looking back at Skateboard Dave's posts from last year suggests that they do - small, very heavily weighted tadpoles on jig hooks.

I've caught masses on tungsten bead damsels I tie up (my chub specials) - dull green and brown with rubber legs and a decent length marabou tail on a sz 10 heavy hook. They do love a bit of marabou. I've had them on long black tadpoles (with chainring eyes - great jig motion), and nymphs of various sizes and weights. I've seen them caught on white flashy beadhead seatrout flies (marabou again)- all sorts seem to work. They're quite predatory in stillwater and will bow-wave behind a nymph and hit it really hard. A lot of takes also come on the drop.
My best fishing has been when they're taking dries though. I had well over 30 fish in a day (many in the 1.5 to 2.5lb range) on dries in the summer. They were keen! There were some sedges coming off, but I started switching to all sorts of different dry flies - they just ate every dry I put in front of them. Great fun, and a day to tide you through the bleak midwinter...

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I know what you mean! On my local small river, fly fishing is unfortunately next to useless for them. Not so much because of the superior attractiveness of real food compared to an artificial fly, but because you can flick a bait quietly in whilst hidden in the undergrowth, but any attempt to waft a fly rod and line around and the chub bolt from sight I could have some success on the fly rod on a bigger river I fish, but again, its more suited to bait fishing than fly fishing and during winter at least I'd sooner adopt the tactic most likely to get me a decent fish or two. If I could get them on the dry fly (in summer), that would be lot more tempting, but although I know its possible, I have very very rarely seen chub take anything off the top in either of the rivers I fish

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The river I fished last year (cam in central cambridge) had *extremely* educated chub, and vanished at the first hint of a rod. It was amazing to watch - walk along the foot path with dog walkers, cyclists etc with the rod still in the tube, no reaction. Take rod out of tube and assemble - fish vanish.

Casting from well back helped, or from around the side of moored boats etc.

I think they're worth peresevering for on dries if they're up in the water - it seems fairly easy to induce them to take even if they're not rising. Timing the strike - now that's a whole different problem!

I've had similar wariness from trout. OK, trout are very shy anyway, but not so much from above. A little stretch a mate and I fish had some nice trout under a high road bridge. The method we devised was simple - to present the fly from above - with no leader or line on the surface. Worked every time. We caught some lovely trout and grayling on dry flies, with whoever wasn't fishing nipping down and netting the fish. Then gradually over the course of the last 2 years or so we started to have problems - when we rigged up on the bridge and started letting the line out - the trout immediately started whizzing all over the pool in panic - we had obviously educated them. No-one else fishes there, certainly from the bridge. So we only have ourselves to blame!

On the stillwater I fish the chub aren't too shy (forget what you read in the magazines about stillwater chub!). You can get quite close, sometimes wading you can spot a fish and cast to it. They're not huge, but they're lean and powerful and they love a dry fly. If you're river fishing and have cruising chub within range they'll have a look at a dry as well.

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