Welcome to Advnture, the new home of AnglersMail.co.uk
Looking for the best chub baits around? A LOT of anglers target chub in the winter months when they start packing on the weight and filling out. And whether you’ve just got a couple of hours to spare or a full day session booked, you’re in with a chance (providing your river’s not chocolate-coloured with 4 ft of extra water).
A river that’s fining down with a steady or rising water temperature and a tinge of colour is best. The beauty of this method is that you don’t need much tackle or bait. A simple running link leger with around 6 lb line straight through or to a 4 lb hook length and river feeder rod will suffice.
- How to plan a fishing trip: all you need to know before you go
- Best fishing spots: how to find the perfect place to go fishing
- The best fishing line: tried and tested favorites for every scenario
In an ideal world, if you can walk the length of water you are intending to fish and drop some freebie hookbaits into the swims you like the look of to get a few fish sniffing around, so much the better.
So what about best chub baits? Here’s my top choice for roving, especially if you can stay on a bit into dark, touch-legering or with an isotope on your quivertip.
Best chub baits: Lobworm
The humble lobworm is one of the best chub baits out there, in my view.
Slipped onto a size 8 or 10 hook and flicked out to splash and settle under a weed raft, or on the edge of a ‘crease’ in the flow.
Expect a very quick bite if a chub is lurking. You could try flicking some broken bits of worm in beforehand too. You might just nail a big perch.
Best chub baits: Cheese paste
Chub love cheese paste, especially after dark.
Mould it around the hook, with just the hook point free, or use a ‘bait cage’ on the hair as shown. Prime swims in advance with half a dozen small pieces to get some scent down.
You can try boosting it with garlic or even tuna for more punch.
Best chub baits: Bread flake
I recommend bread flake or its partner, popped up bread crust as chub love them both. Try feeding a bit or mashed bread into the swim first to get them looking for it, before flicking out your hookbait.
A highly visible bait, a great texture and it’s cheap. Chub can be tempted on a big mouthful, too, so don’t be shy in the portion size.
You can try dipping some of your hookbait in krill flavouring as an extra flavour boost.
Best chub baits: Prawns
Boasting a great flavour leak off, prawns in all their forms have a great texture and, again, are highly visible.
Buy the shell-on prawns and peel them on the bank to ensure you have the most flavoursome hookbaits.
Break and feed half a dozen pieces into your swim before going in with a hookbait if possible.
My best chub bait tip!
Be ready, chub are one of those species that can pounce on a bait before it’s even settled – first cast! If you are too casual, you can easily miss your only chance in a ‘new swim’.
So many bites are missed because anglers are just adjusting their front ’rest or just closing the lid on their bait box when the quivertip suddenly pulls round – and then drops back.
