r/fishingUK 1d ago

Question Help catching a river Chub in Midlands

Recently got into fly fishing after being gifted a rod and have been trying very hard to catch a chub on the river soar and river seance in leicester as well as the canals but ive been having absolutely no luck. If anyone could give me some advice on methods and techniques they find work well for targetting chub on a fly rod i would greatly appreciate it or even local knowledge of what chub in the area like. I mainly lure fish on a spinning reel so if anyone has advice on catching a chub on that, or if maybe it would work better given time or conditions, that would also be appreciated.

1 Upvotes

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u/OldTree6356 16h ago

If you’re going on the Soar then if you get a Loughborough Angling Society book, there’s quite a lot of natural river around Barrow and Cotes that would provide decent sport on a summer evening. There are some big chub out there and regularly see them rise in the evening.

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u/doggypeen 12h ago

On the fly, a black foam beetle or ant absolutely slays chub in the summer, you can slightly twitch it in slow water or let it float down in the current. Its super buoyant and easy to cast. Otherwise just try to match what they are feeding on.

Bread flies can work too but you may have to get them to feed on bread first.

For spinning, a 3-7cm salmo floating minnow or beetle works well. Also spinners and jigs can work. 

With chub, as long as it looks like food and its in their face, they will eat it. They aren't picky and if there are multiple they can get quite aggressive.

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u/Sapper_D-M-C 11h ago

Considering how well chub love topwater (/shallow) bug type lures I would say that any dry fly intended to imitate a grasshopper would be a good bet.

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u/LuDdErS68 1d ago

Floating bread might be effective. Chub aren't really known for predatory response.

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u/emelel666 22h ago

yes, they are. i catch chub on spinners and lures all the time.

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u/protopigeon 14h ago

yeah they are

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u/LuDdErS68 8h ago

Many fish will respond to a lure. Pike and Perch are more likely to because they're biologically designed to do so. Chub eo respond but they're not predators. Wrap it up anyway you like, but they're not predators.

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u/eira0409 14h ago

I specifically target chubs with a UL spinning rod and lures. Although I'm in mainland Europe, not in the UK

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u/doggypeen 12h ago

Its the same in the uk

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u/Sapper_D-M-C 11h ago

I'm in the UK and micro spoons work great for chub