I was umming and ahhing whether or not to wet a line post a rather large Sunday roast, but I was only a small glass of wine down and I'd have only fallen asleep on the sofa anyway, so the car was loaded with a few bits and pieces and I was off down the Avon.
Like the majority of anglers, if a fishing fix is needed there isn't a fat lot you can do apart from going fishing, otherwise a few hours later if I'd have not gone, I'd be kicking myself, wondering why the heck I didn't.
It was in my head so I needed to go, anyway something a little different for this session, you see, as I'd fish sections of lamprey in some deeper swims I'd discovered in the driving stretch of convenience.
There was a threat of rain all day and it was quite windy but to be honest I only planned to fish a couple of hours max and I was more than happy with one fish.
I have caught chub on lamprey before so not a bait I was unfamiliar and after I fed two swims with bread and followed the white wafters down the river 100 or so yards without them being taken by Chub, a bite on lamprey within 5 minutes, I'd made the right choice.
One of the changes that made a huge difference in fishing static baits for chub was to use as light a quiver tip I could get away with.
In this case a 1 ounce glass tip and not only are the bites registered with a rather large movement of the tip but the chub seem to pull at the bait first to check for any resistance and if they are confident there isn't an angler on the end, they properly nail it.
The key is to leave the rod well alone until those plucks, pulls and twitches turn in to a full on fish on affair.
The first fish after an initial powerful run decided quite quick that he wasn't up for a scrap and it was in the the net quicker than a big chub like this usually is.
A really long fish that was rather slender but it went exactly 5lb's on the scales, a lovely fish indeed that I'd love to catch in the winter when its filled out its rather large frame.
I got the inch section of lamprey out again in the same place which was between some reeds and an over hanging tree.
Another bite came within ten minutes and again a nice chub succumbed to the bloody offering. Not quite as big this one but a 4lber all day long and was well worth the trip out.
So lamprey, give it a go, then again, these are chub, as Nic from Avon Angling UK said, "such, gut buckets !!!!" there isn't much they won't eat, or will give it a go once at least.
Couple of cracking chub there Mick , good work.
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