Going in circles for chub!

I've spent a good 35 years catching all manner of sized chub but always found it difficult to catch bigger fish or too often than not actually hit chub bites! 

We all know the saying in the barbel community 'Don't strike at chub bites' as they often end up with no fish and more often than not destroy your chance of bagging a barbel. 

Well, I spent many years researching how chub feed and watching them in clear water on the Hants Avon, Wye, Stour and the Bristol Avon. Because of the way they feed throughout the water table with their front facing mouth, bites are mostly a very quick pull then absolutely nothing! Unlike the average barbel bite which is nothing short of the rod going in if the clutch isn't set! The reason in the different bite being the way barbel feed. 

Their mouths are down turned and once they take the bait in and turn in the flow, they're invariably hooked. Unlike their cousins who rob the bait and piss off without so much as a thankyou! This I felt made my angling tough as I wanted to target bigger chub over night on the river but I didn't want to have to sit up in a chair all night watching a pair of isotopes and praying I'd be awake enough to hit the single bite chances I may get. 

I know it's untraditional and some may call it unsporting but I want to catch fish....time is not my friend and living a long way from any of the above mentioned favourite venues, I need to be fishing to the best of my ability with the best fish catching end tackle I can use! I've played around with tons of contraptions and rigs, hooks, leads, feeders etc and I've come to one last final rig and approach which for the best part nails every single fish! 

It allows me to set up on a river overnight with my lightweight bed chair and actually get some sleep during the session knowing I will still hook the majority of the bites I get. 

So, how do I do it? Simple.....After locating a spot I want to fish, may require a weed rake on some venues during summer. I get a pair of rods set up with 12lb main line on and a soft braided hook link like Drennan braid in 8lb gravel brown. 

On the hook link I tie a knotless knot set up to a size 6-10 Mustad Demon Circle hook. The gap between the shank of the hook and the hook bait needs to be as tight as possible. The chub find it almost impossible to eject the circle hook! I remove the barbs to ensure safe unhooking. I then use a hybrid Korda lead clip with my desired weight clipped on and a small PVA bag of pellets to ensure a tangle free rig placement in the swim. 

The video above shows a great swim I have targeted in the past with extremely clear water and fantastic possibilities to target specific fish close in under the rod tip with single rod tactics and the circle hook approach which gives epic takes when fished so close in! If you watch closely you'll see a big old fish come through the swim near the end of the video. I later went on to land the fish at 6lb 5oz.

When you fish with circles it's really important to remember that striking isn't required! Sit on your hands and wait for the bites to develop on their own. This can at times be a tough thing to do when the rod tips bouncing around all over the place but trust me when I say wait for the clutch to go! And it will! 

The bites are now just a screaming take like that of a carp or barbel. Be warned! This tactic has been my go to for 4 seasons now and I have taken some fantastic fish on it. 

27 chub over 6lbs and 3 over 7lbs have all fallen for the tactic using a combo of either boilie or  sweetcorn hook bait in just a couple of seasons. It may be a little bit unusual or not so sporting as more traditional approaches but it does give amazing results and lets be honest.....the captures are what we go out for!