It's been a hard few weeks on the canal, there's been much better anglers than me struggling down there so I've been grateful to fall back on the knowledge gained during the winter and early spring when the water was clear and I did some fish spotting. Today it had some colour so I hoped to get a few more bites and a bit more variety.
I headed straight for the perch swim hoping to get a stripey or two forsaking setting up in the secret chub swim, In doing so I also headed past the second secret chub swim and skipped past the 'not so' secret chub swim (ok I didn't skip, that would look weird) A mile later I'm set up with the cold wind on my back and in the shade. First cast it's typical I get a small chub not a perch but I'm not complaining, I then had a decent perch so it looked like it could be a good day as I waited for the sun to come round and warm me up.
However it went dead, I tried on the deck but nothing showed and going shallow again saw the odd bleak, the perch weren't playing ball, neither were any roach so I snuck along to secret chub swim version 3.0. After a bit of feeding my float dips and it's a chub, a proper one too and it's going like stink. I hold fast and 'walk' it away from the snags, get it into open water and after far too many more runs slip the net under a chunky canal chevin. It drew an audience of what looked like a veterans version of the Tour de Hertfordshire who paused their cycle along the towpath to watch, like many who are always curious to see a fish landed, this made a change from dog walkers and families.
At 4lb 6oz it was a cracking fish and once again the chub save the day, I love the way the chub fill out when they get above 4lb and this one bent my size 18 slightly, no doubt during the hit and hold process. After I slipped the battle scared beast back I returned the bend of the hook to it's original angle gently with forceps, something I often do as when done correctly the hook is usually just as strong. I looked at my phone to see if it was lunchtime, it wasn't quite so there was time for another cast.
Despite feeling hungry, once more I find myself crouching along, creeping, all creaky joint ninja. I gently cast the float amongst the feed and I'm in again. I repeat the hit and hold process walking the fish away from trouble or trying to as this one was well on the limit, it must have been so close to the snags, I eventually get it in open water and it then tries to run under my feet before taking off to the middle, I'm conscious that my hook could bend once more and it made several more lunges, before I slid the strange looking chub over the net, what a brute, it looked slightly bigger and it was, just 1oz under 5lb
This chub was even more of an urban brawler, blind in one eye and covered in lice on the head (naturally I photographed it's good side) and despite these ailments it was strong, I don't know if it's the time of year or the extra fresh water from last nights rain but I'm not sure I've ever had chub fight as well as these two canal chub, even on fast rivers, oh and for the record the hook held well and didn't bend at all. I had to have a bite to eat after that one, the sun was finally on me and it was a really great end to the morning.
After lunch things go slow following a boat but after a few more bleak I'm into another good chub, however this time I get beaten fair and square, I thought the hook had bent this time but it was a snap off out in the middle just when I had the initiative or at least thought I did, but this chub must have found another snag as I was in a slightly different position and goes to show the fine lines (pardon the pun) of getting these chub in. Perhaps this one was bigger as it felt just as heavy or maybe just badder, I'll never know but it whets the appetite for the next installment of Chub Wars as I know they sure have some force.
It was soon time to pack up as the bleak showed in numbers almost as if they knew that one eyed bruiser chub wasn't going to hassle them for their pocket money. A black cloud blocked the warmth from the sun and I walked briskly home staying one step away from the forecast rain, of course a heavy shower got me just before I got through the door but it didn't dampen the spirits, I was too busy hailing those chub to worry about a hailstorm after all it was a good morning's fishing.
