The Brook - 17.02.13

The Ricoh in Coventry isn't my usual haunt on a Saturday but there was a two day fishing show on. I wanted to visit the Baitzone stand to stock up on their hemp and corn mix. I was there at 9.00am and had left by 10.30am. I renewed my Leamington Anglers Association book and had a quick chat with Roger Booth of http://rytoncarp.blogspot.co.uk/ who was manning the stand.

With the local rivers up and with the current river season on the countdown I wanted to try and catch myself a decent Chub. I've said before in my experience of the local rivers I fish the Avon holds the biggest Chub and the majority I catch are over 4lb. With the water coloured, up and cold I had festering cheese paste as bait with an inline MAP feeder filled with liquidised bread.

The MAP inline feeder is a great bit of kit and I've done well with it recently. I use a size 6 swivel and the feeder is free running along the line which minimises the resistance the fish feel. I hair rig a small bit of cork and the cheese paste is moulded around that. The hook is free to rotate and certainly helps presentation, for both hook and bait.

The river was a good metre up from last week and bites were difficult to come by, it's a great little stretch though and I've fished it plenty of times knowing that you have to find the fish. When it's cold a roving approach is the only way and sat on one spot if the fish are not there in your swim, 4 hours later they won't be either. I tend to fish a swim for twenty minutes and then move if I haven't had a bite.

The swim above is a classic Chub swim, downstream cover on the inside bank and out of the main flow of the river. The feeder is cast and it drifts under the overhanging branches. A few sharp knocks on the tip I knew it wouldn't be long till the tip wrapped round. A clonking bite that I couldn't miss and I was fighting a decent Chub. With the rod bend double I had to get it out of the snags and in to the main flow. A decent fight and with the flow felt twice as big as it was. I eventually netted it and it weighed 4lb 9oz's, the only fish of the day but well worth the venture out.

I've only been using a centrpin for a few months and I can honestly say I love it, just feels like you have more control over the fish, a bit like hydraulic power steering verses electric power steering on a car, there is just more feel and just feels right. I'm not sure they would suit my Barbel fishing as I like the control a clutch gives but for Chub it's great. When the close season is upon us I'm going to use one on my float set-up too, should be ideal for that especially if fishing in the margins.

The weather is meant to be dry this week and with the levels settling down I might try Offchurch and the river Leam for a change.