Warwickshire Avon – Penicillium and Pharyngeals - Pt.1

2 years ago I made a job lot of cheese paste, it’s not even been in the freezer, as some of it has been in an air tight container since that faithful day….

The layer of mould matches its malodour, it properly stinks….

I’ve refined my static Chub rig over the last four years since my 20 year angling layoff when I stumbled upon, DJ’ing, nightclubs, lad’s holidays and women and their wet things.

It’s simple but effective…

The pungent cheese paste is moulded around a 10mm cork ball which is secured via a bayonet to an off the shelf 15” hook link. The loop of the hooklink is attached to a quick-change bead which provides a buffer for the running cage feeder which is filled with liquidised bread.

The quick change bead is ideal as I can swop from some cheese to a big lump of bread and a larger hook in seconds.

It’s a rig that has banked me hundreds of Chub up to 4lb 13oz.

A 5lb Chub is the biggest Monkey on my back and I’m determined to put the end to it this winter with sessions planned in familiar venues and some new ones too. I could travel to give me a better chance, but a 5lber from a local river stretch water is what I want.

The river looked great when I got bankside, a nice flow to it and far coloured than its been of late so ideal for a pungent bait. As usual I fish I rove around and give it 20 minutes in each swim then move on. After the fifth or six swim without even a rattle on the tip I was getting desperate. Very very unusual indeed as I would expect to have banked one by now.

There was lots of waiting

Now one swim that looked ideal had 6ft thick dead stingers in the way, so only one thing for it. With the rod held high I trudged a path through to the swim. I then had to clear them away from the water too as they were preventing me from dropping in a bait.

The river narrows and the water quick but the swim between two large overhanging and dropping trees mean that the swim is almost static, a little tricky as I would have to bully the fish, but what Chub wouldn’t like it here. After making a right racket clearing the swim I decided to give it the last hour. Not much happened for 40 minutes or so but then wham a huge bite and a fish was on. The rod was bent double and the fish was snag bound, but some decent side strain and eventually it popped it’s head out in to the mouth of the swim and was netted.

With nowhere to rest the fish I had to retrace my steps and find some softer ground, it was a potential 5lber as it was really long but it had such a hollow stomach, I didn’t even bother weighing it, I guessed at a few oz’s over 4lb. The water is still pretty mild so maybe they haven't got their heads down to properly feed yet.

With the windy now properly gusty and the light rain starting it was time to call it a day, far harder than I could imagined as usually I manage 3 or 4 Chub a session. Oh well there is always next week.