The Brook - 09.02.13

I left the house with sleet coming down, I don't usually fish in the rain but not managing to go fishing the previous weekend because of flu. With the Avon levels back to normal (according to the EA website) I went for a few hours at Hampton Lucy Brook.

I was armed with my usual Chub set-up which is a 10ft Pro-Logic specialist rod, MAP in-line feeder with liquidised bread and a small size 12 hook with bread discs on a Korum 15" quickstop hair rig. The River was higher than I expected, coloured and flowing at a decent pace. I settled in to the first swim which was an area of slack water in-between two sunken trees. The ground was saturated and the mud claggy underfoot, so not exactly an easy peg to fish.

Chub love bread and there is no mistaking a Chub bite when they devour the fluffy white offering, you just cannot miss them. The bread discs swell in the water and hide the hook. It's a great way of presenting a bait. Within 5 minutes I had the first bite and turned out to be my biggest Chub of the season so far, not a huge one for most anglers but it went 4lb 6oz on the scales. Really long and fat a proper chunky fish.

A great start, usually I move swims and return after the swim has settled but I re-baited and fished the downstream snag instead, again didn't wait long for a bite and another Chub was netted. A smaller one this time but still a tad over 4lb, 4lb seems to be the average size Avon chub I catch and they do fight well at this size, you certainly know you have a fish on the end of your line.

With the swim disturbed I moved upstream towards the weir and after trying a couple of places without a bite I settled in to this swim, again didn't have to wait long before the rod wrapped around and I was in to another Chub. I felt bigger than the previous Chub but it managed to run in the main flow of the river so was current assisted, with the rod properly bent double it was a decent fight but was eventually netted. Again a tad over 4lb.

I tried a few more swims and headed back the car, the first swim I caught the two chub in wasn't forthcoming with further bites so I tried a downstream swim which I've caught Barbel from before. This time I switched to a fat lobworm on the hook.

Within minutes the lobworm was getting interest from small fish and I didn't have to wait long till the rod violently rattled and I was in to another Chub. Only a small one this time and in stunning mint condition. 4 nice Chub In three hours I'm glad I made the effort to fish, an enjoyable morning.