Warwickshire Avon - The Untrodden Pt.16

So the 5lb Untrodden chub hunt continues with another short after work session to try and winkle out a chub that is over that magic barrier. Ok I've caught bigger chub on the Warwickshire Avon with the biggest being 6lb 2 ounces not far from here, but there is something special about ticking off that milestone capture on a relatively un-fished stretch. 

It's still nippy out there with water temperatures still below 6 degrees, and as someone who accidently cut a 1.5inch tramline in the side of my head and now sporting a No.1, that thermal hat was definitely needed 🌃. Now the chub is a most handsome fish with its red-tinged fins, large scales, dark brown on the back, lighter brown on the flanks and a dead white belly, oh and who could forget the bronzed gills plates. 

I like the build of chub best though, those hefty shoulders and tapering rounded body simply shout power and speed as you look at him.

Now in days gone by, you will put a chub back into the water without a second thought. There is no temptation to keep it for the pot, apparently they taste like blotting paper and tin-tacks cooked in rancid margarine. 

In Britain today coarse fishers return their catch. This is not surprising, you see apart from the increase in popularity and resulting pressure on water space, tastes have changed with changing social conditions.

Besides many these days rely on convenience and many wouldn't fancy, or have time for, dressing pike or skinning eels; all the fish you need are easy to cook and readily available in the local supermarket. Nevertheless, many fishes seldom seen the marketplace are valuable as food, indeed less affluent societies they would be eaten with brisk and cheerful readiness.

At the moment though, the chub are safe down at the Untrodden 😁, even if the further expected tax hikes from Rachel from Accounts are going to kick in. we are thankfully blessed with Zander in the Shires, they are literally chalk and cheese where food palates are concerned. Chub the Spam, Zander the dry aged galician blond.

Anyway to the fishing, a well planned military operation this, you see I'll bait one, two, three, four, FIVE swims with some liquidised bread and then fish them in to dusk and in to dark to try and winkle out a decent Chub. 

So walk to the top of the stretch, make my way down baiting the swims and then work my way back up. If a chub is there they show themselves rather quickly, so 15 minutes biteless ?, it's time to move on.  

They are tactics that do seem to work and confidence is the key isn't it. So that's why for this session despite making up another batch of continuing festering cheesepaste, it was back out with the ever reliable bread, and try and put that plan into action. 

The plan wasn't going very well though because swim after swim that quiver didn't move an inch. The colour looked perfect for a bite and yet the fish were having other ideas. Dusk is usually when the fish come out from their hidey-holes so I settled in a swim that usually that gives a bite, but dusk came and went and the quiver now illuminated with torch light didn't jump in to life like I wanted it too.

Bites usually come quick if there is a fish in the swim so I gave it another fifteen minutes and headed up the stretch to fish those swims that were primed at the start of the session. I get impatient during these short smash and grab sessions and 

I had a curfew to leave which was 6.50pm and that came around much quicker than I thought and another 3 swims covered without even a nibble whatsoever. I changed to meat for the last twenty minutes but even that was untouched by the piscine brethren.

A moving bait has been doing the business for me and others and with the weekend on the way maybe that is the way to avoid a blank. A blank is rare on this stretch to be fair, oh well, on to the next one !!