Catching large chub (lobast) with a spinning rod from A to Z

How to equip a spinning rod for chub fishing

Tackle for catching chub should be elegant, sensitive and quite durable. It is advisable to have two spinning rods - an ultralight rod and a universal rod. Use rods of fast or fast-medium action. Ultrafast is not used for targeted chub fishing, as is a slow action rod. An ultra-fast spinning rod is not very catchy on small baits; a slow one will not allow you to fight on equal terms with sharp and strong fish.

For small and medium-sized rivers, a stick with dough up to 10-12 grams is well suited. The reel is matched to the rod.

Based on experience in selecting gear, a reel for chub fishing should have the following parameters:

• good quality spinning reel from Daiwa, Shimano and other top manufacturers;
• smooth running, no jerking;
• ideal laying of fishing line (cord);
• clearly working clutch;
• gear ratio in the region of 4.5-5.2; when working on medium and large rivers, higher speed options in the region of 5.3-5.6 are possible.

Ultralight tackle can be equipped with either a good quality fishing line or an ultra-thin slippery cord with or without a fluorocarbon leader, depending on the fishing conditions, baits and fishing techniques used.

All fittings must be of ideal quality, as discreet and delicate as possible.

The spinner's set of baits includes microwobblers, spinners and spinners, micro and mini silicone baits - vibrotails, twisters, worms, slugs and various “crackers”.

Micro river fishing tactics

When fishing for chub on the Iznair, Biryuchka, Kistendey and Arkadachka rivers, I use the same tactical template, because The fishing conditions are almost identical. The only problem with these rivers is that, although they are overgrown, they are located a step away from the local villages, so there is a lot of pressure here - and you have to rack your brains a little to find the key to the fish.

I usually start fishing in the morning, so the first thing I do is go check the pools.

I catch riffles on the way back because in the morning there are simply no chub here. The fish that occupy shallow water during the day are now also in deep pools.

When the sun begins to warm up, small chubs will scatter along the river. Large chubs are sedentary, and they would never exchange their pool for anything in shallow water. The competition among redfins is very high, so the older brothers always win in the fight for a small defenseless wobbler. For this reason, small fish are caught very rarely in whirlpools, but in shallow water there are more than enough of them. Large pools on micro rivers are rare, and you’ll be lucky if you come across two such places along the way; these are mostly completely shallow waters and shallow holes.

Usually I go upstream, and not vice versa, so as not to scare those fish that are lower. If, for example, I come across promising places, but there are no bites in them, I go ashore and go around these points, and on the way back I make sure to catch them. More often than not, this tactic works.

By the time I fished the pools, the sun was already high, the water began to warm up - and the bighead came out to the riffle. Micro-rifts are always the most interesting fishing because... In case of a bite, the fish is helped by the current, and if a good specimen bites, then you will get a full dose of adrenaline.

Often, when fishing for chub, a radical change of bait works. For example, I’m fishing with a crank, and the chub just pokes at it, but doesn’t “honestly” attack, then I put on a spinner and I definitely get a bite. Chub is a fish of the first casts, and if on the first casts you didn’t catch anything at a promising point, then this indicates two things at once: either the fish is inactive, or you picked the wrong bait. Based on this, draw your own conclusions.

By the end of the fishing trip, more than one kilometer had been covered, and therefore my legs could barely carry me home. In the evening, pleasant fatigue flows through your body, and photographs of beautiful red-finned fish warm your soul. Perhaps this is precisely why it is worth fishing on a micro river.

Spinning rod for chub fishing (rating)

Spinning rod for chub is selected for the season, for the intended reservoirs and bait.

In early spring you can catch a really big big one, so you need to select the appropriate spinning rod. Also during this period, the chub often stands at the bottom and in deep holes, so appropriate baits are needed - medium wobblers, spinners, silicone.

A spinning rod with dough up to 12-15 grams is suitable. At this time, fishing is carried out from the shore, due to the ban on fishing from a boat. It is also often necessary to treat fairway edges and edges under the opposite bank. Therefore, you need a spinning rod that is catchy and sharp, with a length in the range of 2.4-3.2 meters.

For small rivers for catching chub, you can take a more delicate rod. With dough grams up to 10.

Options for different budget opportunities, small and medium-sized rivers:

1. Norstream, 712UL 2.16 m 2-7 g – a budget rod, works well up to the upper limit of the test, and quickly lines up after casting. Catchy and very sensitive. Works with micro jigs, wobblers and small spinners.
2. Favorite Blue Bird 16′ BB-762UL-T, 1.5-8 g is a classic rod for chub fishing. At first glance, it’s a little runny, but in practice it works well against all underwater obstacles and bottom irregularities. Catchy, resistant to fish impacts and hooks.
3. Graphiteleader Bellezza Correntia GLBCS-632UL 1-8.5 g . Short (1.9 meta) stick, very good for a boat.
4. Norstream Areal AR-66L Jaeger (1.98 m; 3-10 g) is an excellent option for small and medium-sized rivers. High-quality spinning rod for catching chub with small and medium wobblers. You can work against the wind, with sailing baits, in heavy and snagy places. Ideal geometry, which allows you to cast without any extra effort. Allows you to work with deep baits.

More powerful blanks for medium and large rivers, when working with large minnow wobblers, crankbaits and shads:

1. St.Croix Avid Series AVS69MLXF 2.10m 3.5-14gr. Elastic, powerful form combined with perfect fittings and assembly. Fits in your hand like a glove. It does not tire you even during active sea fishing and handling large and stormy riffles.
2. Favorite X1 802L 2.44 m 3-12 g is a more budget option. Just right for beginners. The only drawback is that the lower test is not sensitive enough. We recommend using with baits from 4-5 grams.
3. Discovery II DS II-70L (2.13 m; 4-18 g). Works across the entire test range. It works great with both wobblers and spinners. Allows you to get the bait into any “patch”, very well to treat precisely the necessary areas.

Expert opinion

Vladimir Poltoranin

Fisherman - expert

If you have the funds, you should pay attention to rods from the following manufacturers: ST.CROIX, Shimano, G.Loomis, Graphiteleader and other top market brands.

In late spring and summer , chub fishing becomes more active, the fish rises to the surface, hunts in riffles, rapids and along underwater vegetation, roots of fallen trees and bushes, boulders and other obstacles. Therefore, the form must have the appropriate conditions and parameters.

In general, to catch chub at this time you need a high-quality rod, sophisticated and as sensitive as possible. At the same time, we should not forget that the big-lipped predator is known for its sharp bites and stubborn resistance, therefore the chub spinning rod must be reliable and powerful.

At this time, fishing is increasingly carried out by wading. This makes it worth “dancing” when choosing the required stick.

Top series of spinning rods that have proven themselves in practice when catching chub in spring and summer:

• Norstream Area New;
• Graphiteleader Finezza Nuovo;
• St.Croix 16 Legend Elite and others.

The formation for chub is standard - fast, slow-fast, slow (when fishing on clean rivers, where sharp, clear wiring without delays is not needed).

When choosing a length, consider the following conditions:

• Fishing conditions: fishing from the shore - 2.2-3 meters, from a boat 1.8-2.2 meters, in wading, a long spinning rod is often useless, unless the wading is chest-deep, when to fish out you only need a long rod from 2.6 meters (the deeper it is expected wade, the longer the stick is needed).
• The depth and size of the river - the larger the river, the more powerful and longer the stick is needed.
• What kind of bait is supposed to be used for fishing? Most chub lures are in the range of 2-15 grams (wobblers, microjigs, spinners, flies, rigs).
• The test, if we take a universal one, is around 2-10 grams.

For autumn chub fishing, the spinning rods suggested above are suitable.
There are no particular differences when choosing a form. The only point worth considering is that the closer it gets to autumn, the more often fishing occurs from the shore and boat. Wading fishing is no longer so relevant.

Catching chub in snags

Catching chub in snags. When fishing for snags, stand in the long-cast position. Start casting along the shore with the current. Try to place the bait next to the snag. Then fish the upper and lower layers of the reservoir. Wobblers for fishing are suitable with markings SR and SSR for the upper layers and with markings MDR and MD in the lower layers of the reservoir. Control the depth of penetration with the tip of the spinning rod. Then you should make casts through the snag upstream. Such casts can provoke a large chub to attack.

Fishing in an underwater snag. There may also be underwater snags in the reservoir. They are usually located between large surface debris. They can be seen in good sunny weather. This place is very favorable for fishing in search of fish. You need to fish such places using a fan method, upstream. Against the current, cast the bait perpendicular to the shore and slowly move it over the flooded snag. Since the depth in such areas is small, only up to 1 meter, you need to use SSR-class surface baits.

Reels

When fishing for chub, the reel is always matched to the form.

It is necessary to check:

1. balance with form;
2. build quality;
3. smooth ride;
4. clutch operation;
5. The standard size is most often in the region of 1000-2000 according to Shimano, depending on the rod.

Good series (we select the standard size to match the form):

• Daiwa freams;
• Shimano Exage;
• Shimano Twin Power;
• Ryobi Excia;
• Shimano Nasci.

There are many good quality reels on the market now. And many of them are in an affordable price range.

Chub fishing on small rivers. 3 simple but important rules

For many anglers, the chub is considered a mythical fish, which everyone has heard about, many have seen, but only a few have ever caught. All this is because when fishing for chub, many fishermen do not take into account many factors that should be paid attention to before fishing. Most anglers, first of all, believe that to catch this white predator it is enough to buy several wobblers, pick up a couple of spinners and go catch chub in the river. But after several unsuccessful fishing trips, they abandon this matter, and the chub again becomes for them a mythical creature on the level of unicorns and dragons, which everyone knows about, but no one has seen. The chub, in fact, is not a mythical fish that is impossible to catch. The fisherman just needs to take into account the behavior of the predator, be more careful when catching chub and follow a number of rules while fishing.

Fishing lines (braided cords)

Slippery braided cords are most often used.

They have the following advantages compared to monofilament:

1. more durable with a comparable diameter to fishing line;
2. do not wear out as quickly as monofilament (abrasion resistance) - important when fishing in riffles and shallow depths;
3. has no stretchability - allows you to make complex wiring and any animation;
4. casting range – you need to choose a slippery fence;
5. has very good sensitivity - transmits the bite of the most cautious fish;
6. cuts waves and currents, which is especially important when fishing on rifts - the line is blown out by the current in an arc and does not allow for either retrieving or hooking.

We recommend the following options:

• Berkley NanoFil.
• Pontoon 21 Eight Braid.
• Sunline Super Braid.
• Berkley Whiplash.
• Duel PE Super X-Wire 8.
• Stren Sonic Braid.
• YGK G-Soul Upgrade 8.

All cords are time-tested, reliable, and resistant to the external environment. We select the diameter to match the base of the tackle - the blank and the reel.

We recommend using slippery cords with knotless cords. Such knots on slippery braids are the most reliable. We use the smallest sizes.

It is imperative to use (especially in clean, clear water) the thinnest possible fluorocarbon. For example, Sunline SIG-FC.

The Double Grinner, Carrot and others knots are suitable for splicing fluor and braid.

Typical chub sites on a microriver

In July and August, on the micro rivers where I fish (and these are the Iznair, Kiestendeyka, Arkadachka and Biryuchka), aquatic vegetation grows. Algae during this period constitute the main diet of the chub, but this does not mean that the fish completely refuses insects, worms and caddisfly larvae falling into the water. Moreover, in juvenile chubs, predatory instincts are not as pronounced as in their older counterparts.

Large individuals are infrequent visitors to shallow water; they prefer riffles, washed-out banks, deep holes and pools. Now let's talk in more detail about each of these places.

Microroll. It would be incorrect to use the term “riffle” in relation to my micro-rivers, because by “riffle” we mean “a strong current and a vast shallow area with rocky or sandy deposits.” For a micro-river, the word “micro-riffle” is better suited.

It's almost the same thing, but not on such a large scale. The chub comes to the micro-riffle closer to noon. In the morning hours it is better to pay attention to other places. In this area, I most often use medium-depth cranks and heavy-core spinners.

Pool. It is in the pools that you can catch the largest chubs. Usually at the bottom of the pools there are snags - a real home for the redfin. In the morning hours, the fish hides in these snags, and closer to lunch they rise to the surface.

Until the chub reaches the surface, it can be caught using a deep-diving wobbler, but when the sun begins to burn, the bighead loses activity and stands motionless at the surface. In this case, you will not be able to seduce the fish, no matter what tricks you resort to. There is an option to use a small walker, but the effectiveness of such an idea is 50/50.

Pit. Chub are found in the pits both in the morning and at lunchtime. That's why I think this place is the most versatile. Closer to lunch, the chub leaves the pit, and it is important for him to control what happens at the exit from it. Most often, when fishing in pits, I use “micro-oscillators” weighing 2 - 2.5 g and small walkers: in the morning, spinners work great, and when the chub comes out of the pit, it is easier to catch it with a surface bait that imitates an insect that has fallen into the water.

A washed-out bank with overhanging branches. This is a classic chub spot. And even if you didn’t manage to catch a big-headed fish here, don’t doubt that it is here. Most likely, you are doing something wrong. It is very important to move the bait parallel to the washed-out bank. And this is where you need casting accuracy.

Selection of baits

The best universal baits for catching small, medium and large chub:

• Wobblers are probably the most popular bait when fishing for chub. Wobblers with different depths and game activity are used. The most popular forms are crank, fet, shad, and minnow. Sizes from 1.5 to 5-6 cm are the most popular. Which wobbler will work in a given situation depends on the time of year, water transparency, depth and structure of the bottom, and the wiring technique used. Universal chub wobblers include: CrackJack 38 and 48, RedRag 36, FOP 32 and FOP 38 from Pantun 21, ultralight microcrush Cheerful 34SR from the same Pantun 21, Jackall Chubby 38 SR and a deep version depending on the depth, L-minnoy from Yu -zurri, Salmo Tiny, Smith Camion, Megabass Baby Griffon. In terms of colors, we recommend having at least the most popular and working models in several options - light or light with dark inclusions, dark and acidic. The combination of black-orange, white-red, black-red, green and yellow works well.
• Silicone baits , regular and edible. Not the most popular bait for hunting bigmouth. But it can be used and should be used in certain conditions. Size from one to two inches. These can be twisters, worms and slugs, small vibrating tails and crustaceans, as well as imitations of various insects during their flight - dragonflies, grasshoppers, spiders, various surface rubber. Examples - Bait Breath Bj-Bug, IMP level 2; Nymph Berkley Powerbait Micro, Percas Lexxy, Lucky John Hogy Hog, Lucky John Alien Bug 1.5 and the like.
• Spoons - spinners and spinners. Small turntables 00-2 according to the MEPPS classification are used. Popular turntables in various colors from Blue Fox, Мepps, Myran, Maniacs. Micro-oscillators also work very well for chub - various Japanese ones can be obtained at specialized flea markets and on the Internet (Waterland, Nories, Ivyline, Tackle House, RodioCraft and many others - the choice is huge), American Williams, SV Fishing, Kosadaka, the classic Smitt pure. Eye-catching colors and calmer light and dark colors and combinations thereof. Most often they are equipped with a single hook. They work especially well in late summer and autumn.

These “crackers” work well when spinning chub fishing in May-June-July, when various insects come out:

April chub of the small river

The pot-bellied crank wobbler catches perfectly on river rapids.
Photo: Nikolay Lebedev. Small rivers are the first to free themselves from the shackles of ice.

And immediately after the flood, when the water clears, you can successfully catch chub, which is what I actually do.

I pick up a light-class spinning rod, a couple of boxes of bait and a camera to preserve in my memory the unforgettable moments of meeting a beautiful fish.

April is still a difficult month for a spinning player.

The water is not warmed up enough, the fish is capricious, but if you approach the matter wisely, then with a high probability you can count on meeting with a big one.

In this article, I want to share my tricks for chub fishing in April, I’ll talk about which baits are a priority at this time of year and how to properly present them to capricious fish.

The spring behavior pattern of the chub is very different from the summer one.

What is this connected with?

First of all, you need to pay attention to the temperature of the water. In April, the water is just starting to warm up and the fish are not yet actively moving around the reservoir, but are tied to a specific point. It is at the end of May and beginning of June that the forehead will have its real peak of activity.

The temperature is comfortable, insects begin to fall from the trees into the river, and the flight of the cockchafer is considered an Eldorado chub. Now everything is different. The banks are bare, buds are just beginning to bloom on the trees, and the only delicacy for the redfin are small invertebrates that live at the bottom of the river, buried shallowly in the silt.

At lunchtime, schools of redfin fish (usually small individuals) come out into the shallow water following bleak, roach and other small fish. Right now the chub’s predatory instinct is strongly manifested. If in summer it can still feed on algae, now there is simply none, so invertebrates and juvenile white fish become the main objects of hunting.

Large individuals remain in the pools and practically do not leave their places, but at the end of May the giants will rise to the surface and begin to feed on flies and bugs. You stand over a cliff and watch how magnificent fish gracefully parade down there.

In the early morning, the chub is practically inactive, but when the sun rises high and begins to warm up, the chub becomes active and goes hunting. The peak of its activity in April is fleeting. About two hours, maybe a little more. There is practically no evening outing. This is why you shouldn’t go fishing early in the morning: you’ll just waste your time; it’s better if you arrive at the pond at ten or eleven o’clock.

Read the material “The first spring drake”

Weather conditions also make adjustments to the behavior of the chub. For example, in cloudy weather the chub bites very poorly, and if it does react, it is only to bright, provocative baits. This is in the summer, before the rain, even when the sky is overcast with clouds, you can still count on at least some kind of activity, but now everything is different. For fishing you should choose only warm sunny days.

Mostly the chub is found in pools and holes, only at lunchtime it goes to shallow water areas, but now the fish does not make large movements. It is easier for the redfin to control what is happening at the exit from the main point and at a short distance from it than to go far along the shallows in search of food.

In April, the fish are very “smeared” throughout the reservoir and it is quite difficult to find a decent concentration of chub. But even if you find a good hole with an interesting topography and a stranding, this does not mean that you will catch chub from this place one after another. In one place there can be fish with different degrees of activity. It should be noted that small chubs weighing 300–400 grams are always more active than their older brothers, so they will be of the greatest interest to us.

Read the material “Chub on a fishing rod and spinning rod”

After lunch, the activity of the chub decreases and it leaves shallow water areas back to its habitat. The next day, the little thing will run aground again, and our hero will follow it. And here it is necessary to build the right tactics. It is the well-constructed tactical actions, which we will talk about now, that will definitely bring the long-awaited result.

TACTICS

Finding catch points

I start my fishing at about ten o'clock, and here it is worth noting that the river where I constantly fish is well known to me, so I immediately go to promising places, skipping those points where there are simply no chubs. If you have arrived on the river for the first time and the spring chub is an unsolved puzzle for you, then first of all you need to pay attention to finding catchable points.

Since we are fishing on a small river, there should be no problems with choosing the right place. Small rivers are good for getting to know chub because many places that are known to be catchable are visible to the naked eye. Such places provide visual cues in the form of readable relief and other “anomalies” that attract fish.

So what should the chub's place be? First of all, these are pits. As a rule, there is a slight expansion of the river here. In straightened areas, most often there is a flat bottom and no holes, so we immediately skip the straightening. Snags sticking out of the water are also an excellent place for a big-headed fish to stay.

And finally, the whirlpools. They contain the largest individuals, but fishing such a place requires a lot of painstaking work, selection of baits and correct presentation.

Read the material “Catching chub by swimming”

In April, the chub does not come out to the riffle; here you need to look for it only in May during the flight of the cockchafer. On the rapids, the redfin may appear ahead of time only due to an abnormally hot spring. For example, last year in my region the spring was hot, so chub were actively caught on the riffles at the end of April.

To summarize: if the water has warmed up well and the thermometer stays at a high level for about a week, then be sure to fish the riffle, most likely there will be fish here, but if there are constant temperature changes, then it is better to skip such a place.

It’s also not worth casting under overhanging branches: there is nothing on the trees that could attract the attention of fish. This summer, insects fall into the water from the leaves, and the big-headed one constantly monitors the area with overhanging branches. But the washed-out opposite bank is worth fishing. The redfin will definitely be present here, since it is from the shore that something edible can still fall into the water. Moreover, a washed-out shore is a natural anomaly that attracts fish.

And finally, the last place, which is much more difficult to detect, is a cluster of snags. An underwater windbreak is a good home for wary fish. Here it hides from a predator, so the concentration of the bighead at this point is always quite high.

Read the material “Fishing under the dam”

If you don’t waste time fishing in passing empty places that don’t attract chub in any way, this will give you more time to explore an unfamiliar body of water. In a day of active fishing, you can cover a decent distance and get a bunch of bites, but only if you used the right bait in a promising place.

Selection of bait for a specific fishing spot

If you have found a good place, then consider half the work done, all that remains is to choose the right bait. And here the method of analysis and a little logic will help you. The first thing you should take as a rule is that in April the chub is at depth, therefore, you need to use only deep-water baits. At the very beginning of the article, I said that in April the chub feeds on small invertebrates that hide in the mud. It is quite logical to conclude that “deep-sea explorers” are more relevant than their counterparts with less depth.

It is wiser to use baits with less depth only when the fish enters a shallow area or rises in the water layer. But again, everything greatly depends on the weather and water temperature. The emphasis is on fishing holes, washed-out banks, whirlpools, and river bends. And in such places it is most often necessary to use deep-reaching baits.

Agree, it is unreasonable to place a wobbler with a shallow depth in a pool three meters deep. The wobbler will pass high above the fish, and it simply will not react. This is why it is so important to choose a bait that runs in the correct horizon.

Read the material “When the Day Ends”

In April, of the wide variety of chub baits, I use only crank wobblers, micro-oscillators and spinners. What guides me when placing a wobbler or spinner? For me, the main factor is the activity of the fish.

Active fish react to active bait, passive fish prefer a slow-moving object. And, of course, the fishing location also dictates its own rules.

As I already said, each place has its own bait, and now let’s talk in more detail about the baits that I most often use in promising places.

ON OMUT

In most cases, I am sure that there is a large fish in the pool, so I focus all my attention on finding a large chub. And here it is very good to remember the folk wisdom: “The mouth rejoices at a large piece.” Therefore, when fishing for pools, I use large crank wobblers with good depth.

My favorite wobbler is the Smith Super Camion. If you lower the tip of the spinning rod into the water, you can bury this little guy to a good depth. His wide, high-frequency play simply cannot help but provoke an active lobastog.” It is thanks to this wobbler that every season I catch chubs weighing a kilogram or more, which are record-breaking for a small river.

Proper wiring also plays an important role in chub fishing, especially in spring. If in the summer the fish can still forgive a mistake in wiring due to the fact that it is in an active state, then in the spring you can’t count on such a whim. For the Camion wobbler and other cranks, I use the following animation method: I throw the bait under the opposite bank, lower the tip of the spinning rod into the water, bury the bait to the bottom, feel the blade touching the ground and begin to slowly rotate the reel handle, making a short pause after every third revolution.

The back of the wobbler is raised up, and the blade draws the bottom and raises the mud. It is to the turbidity that the fish reacts. If there is a chub in the fishing zone, then it will definitely respond to such wiring.

AT THE WASHED SHORE

In such a place there is no point in using deep-sea wobblers. The depth here, as a rule, is not so great, and fish are attracted only by the relief. This is where small spinners come to my aid. I don’t expect to see a trophy, so I put small pinwheels: 0; 1 and 2. But if we take into account the experience of past years, number one was the most catchy in terms of petal size.

Fishing in such a place is very easy. We cast the bait parallel to the washed-out bank, lower the spinner to the bottom, make a small jerk (the rotating spoon rises) and begin to slowly rotate the reel handle. If I started talking about spinners, then I can’t help but mention the lures of this class, which work best for me.

So this is a Smith Niakis and a Pontoon 21 Synchrony with a fly on the hook. The fly serves as an attractant and also as an aiming point for the chub. According to statistics, there are much more bites on bait whose hook is equipped with a fly. So draw your own conclusions.

ON THE PIT

When fishing in pits, you can use spinners with a heavy core (for example, Smith Niakis), or micro-oscillators. The pits are compact and require the use of small point baits. I consider small oscillating spinners to be such “pointers”. My favorites are Smith Zil in 1.4 and 1.8 grams. Wiring is also extremely simple. We lower the spoon to the bottom, make a toss and slowly rotate the reel handle.

Read the material “Bait for winter spinning”

In April, the water on small rivers is not yet as light as in May. This feature influences the use of a particular color in a certain way. To make it easier to control your bait in low light water conditions, use bright colors. They are clearly visible, and if there is a snag in the way of the bait, you can easily circle it.

You probably noticed that I use only uniform wiring with all types of baits. The fact is that in April the big-headed one does not respond so well to jerky animations. And this kind of wiring, called twitching, is only suitable for elongated wobblers, which are minou wobblers, and I use them only at the beginning of summer. The chaotic, ragged play of a wobbler, animated by jerks, does not attract fish as much, but a uniform one, with pauses, is a universal weapon for the April chub.

ANIMATION TOOL

In small river conditions, a long spinning rod is not needed. A length of 180–190 centimeters is enough to reach all promising places. The emphasis should be on mobility and convenience. With a short rod it is good to move through the thickets, and there are a lot of them on a small river; besides, with a short spinning rod it is possible to make precise, filigree casts, and it is much easier to control the bait with such a tool.

For two years now I have been using a rod from Smith called the Troutin Spin Inter Boron XX. It is light, sending, sensitive, and most importantly - universal, and this quality is simply necessary when we fish with different types of baits.

As you can see, there is nothing complicated in spring chub fishing. It is only important to build the right tactics, choose a suitable bait and a method of animating it, and the big one will definitely not offend you if you do everything correctly.

Nikolay Lebedev July 29, 2021 at 10:41 am

Techniques and tactics of hunting chub with a spinning rod

Catching chub with a spinning rod is a real hunt and a struggle to see who can outwit whom. This is undoubtedly more difficult than catching a pike, but an interesting duel with a smart fish gives an unsurpassed sensation.

Chub is a fish of the river, less often of the stream and bay.

Chub fishing is more effective either from a boat or in a wade. A very sighted and cautious predator often simply does not allow the shore angler to approach the casting line, avoiding possible danger in advance.

When fishing from the shore, you need to make the most of all possible cover and the ability to hide yourself.

On small rivers it is generally easier to catch chub. You can work deep from the shore, masking yourself as much as possible from a cautious opponent. Also, small rivers often allow you to almost wade from bank to bank in search of fish - a kind of variation on fishing from a boat.

Well, and baits - on large rivers it is simply unrealistic to use most working baits for chub.

In such situations, the options are as follows (all are not ideal):

• The most obvious one is to increase the weight of the bait, which means reducing the chances of a bite and coarsening the tackle as a whole.
• Use tricks - spaced-out equipment for silicone, suspenders for wobblers, use spinners with a core, vibrators made of thick metal. In general, each option has a place to be if necessary.
• Using a boat is the best option, but this is not always possible - it is prohibited, there is no watercraft, or there is no way to deliver it to the shore.

In early spring (after the ice melts and until May) it stays near the bottom, near snags, sometimes in middle water. Selects places with low and medium currents. Gradual preparations for spawning are underway.

As the water warms and various insects emerge, the lobster rises to the upper layers of the water, which dictates the fishing strategy. At the same time (late spring, early-mid summer) the chub moves to the riffles. It often “grazes” under the overhanging crowns of trees, hoping to profit from falling insects.

By autumn, it gradually falls into deeper places - into edges, holes, places behind sharp turns of rivers.

Due to different lifestyles at different times of the year, fishing tactics will be different.

Catching chub with a spinning rod in spring

In early spring (March, April, early May), the chub stands near the bottom. With a very early and warm spring, already at the end of April it can begin to gradually rise to high water and higher. Accordingly, it is worth looking for fish in these layers of the reservoir.

The chub stays near the coastal edge, on deep slopes, at the roots of fallen trees and bushes. He loves to “graze” in windbreaks and thorn-breakers. In such a situation, it is good to use pinpoint throws at the intended attack points. Good wiring for demolition along littered trees and deep edges.

Upstream casts are good for upstream fishing. This type of wiring is especially effective for floating (and neutrally buoyant) deep-water and medium-depth wobblers. A cast is made upstream, and the winding of the cord is selected at such a moment as to drive the wobbler under the water in the required zone - this is more natural and tasty for the chub.

Examples:

• Yo-Zuri Dino Crank 8.5 g, – classic, uniform, twitching, stretching;
• Smith D Incite is an interesting wobbler that works well for chub, ide, and white fish;
• Duel Hardcore Shad 60SP 60mm 6.5g – suspender, instant penetration, very clear feed;
• Jackall Panicra DR 33 mm 3.6g – a good flying baby, depth up to two meters;
• Jackall DD Chubby 38 is a classic.

Chabiks generally work on chub all season long. You just need to choose the depth of water, buoyancy, and color.

Heavy driven spoons, spinners with a core, and spaced jig rigs also work well.

In spring, the water is cloudy, and various pungent and contrasting colors are used. Lemon, light green, orange, Mat Tiger, combinations thereof.

In May, the May beetle emerges. Good and active fishing for a live insect or its imitation by throwing it under trees - willow, poplar, willow.

Summer fishing for chub, spinning

In late spring and summer, chub most often stay on the surface or in the surface layer. At this time, you need to use bait with appropriate depth. Surface and mid-depth wobblers, special silicone baits, oscillating spinners and spinners without weight.

It’s good to fish at this time on a drifting boat, throwing bait under overhanging branches of trees and bushes. Chub and ide stand there in ambush, collecting fallen insects from the trees. On small and medium-sized rivers, it is worth going along the shallow bank, casting either at right angles to the steep bank, or slightly “upstream”. It all depends on the bait and the depth of the fish.

We are looking for niches and potholes in the banks, spots with differences in depth, sudden changes in currents, rifts, places where rivers and bays meet - all these are supposed sites for the handsome big-faced fish.

Wobblers:

• CrackJack 38 and 48;
• RedRag 36;
• Strike Pro Midge;
• Strike Pro Baby;
• Kosadaka Roger surf and Ion XS;
• FOP 32 and 38;
• Cheerful 34SR;
• Jackall Chubby 38 SR, L-minnoy;
• Salmo Tiny;
• Smith Camion in shallow and mid-water variations.

Turntables from Mepps, Muran, Bluefox in bright colors.

Various weighted flies and micro-spinners on ultralight tackle work very well.

Autumn spinning fishing for chub

Autumn spinning fishing for chub is not much different from early spring. The chub again rolls into deeper holes, onto the edges, looking for places of shelter.

The difference is that smaller chub still hang out in the summer camps. And also that the water at this time is clear and the fish are more careful and careful. It is quite difficult to catch it, but the techniques are the same as in summer and autumn in a combination of techniques. You also need to experiment with colors, wiring, and presentation of baits.

Spinning fishing for bass in winter

Spinning fishing involves fishing in open water. What is possible in open water in winter - abnormally warm winters are now not uncommon, open water zones are also possible at wastewater discharge points, hydroelectric power stations, and dams.

Of course, winter is not the best time for spinning in general, and chub fishing in particular. But this is possible if you have a great love for active fishing.

In winter, you need to look for places with deep water and underwater shelters. With minimal or no current.

The chub in winter does not reveal its presence in any way and this is another difficulty. We have to process large areas of water without a clear chance of success. The baits used are shad wobblers, minnows, and crankbaits. The wiring is slow and sluggish, uniform. You can use silicone with a large amount of attractant, since in cold water some of the properties of tasty rubber are lost.

It is worth noting that the chub is a fish for which the success of hunting depends more on the experience of the fisherman than on the tackle. It is the ability to outwit a smart fish, to find an approach to it in various conditions, that ensures the ultimate success/failure of fishing. The right tool in the hands of a skilled fisherman and knowledge of the habits of the fish increase the chances.

DIY chub bait

It would seem that the easiest way is to make an oscillating spoon for catching chub. But it’s not always possible to guess with the bending angle and stamping depth. Therefore, it is better to make a simple rotating spoon. If the petal has started, then it will definitely be working. What do you need to make a rotating lure for chub fishing with your own hands?

Read: Lures for chub

Firstly, the future petal of the spinner of the required size should be cut from a simple sheet of tin. After this, it should be placed in a teaspoon and processed with a hammer. This is how the desired petal shape is achieved. After this manipulation, a small hole should be drilled in the upper part of the petal. The easiest way is to make a rotating spoon according to the In-line scheme. In this case, there is simply no bow that attaches the petal to the axis. The petal is immediately put on the axis of the spinner. The core can be a simple lead olive or any other oblong-shaped sinker. You can also wind copper wire around the spinner axis. But it is better to use steel wire as the axis itself. In addition, you need to add a couple of beads between the core and the petal itself. Only in this case will the petal of the spinner rotate well. After all the elements are put on the axle, you should add another small tee at the rear, bend the wire to make a ring and turn the tee several times in relation to the body of the spinner. This way the ring will be closed. The same manipulation should be done in the front part of the spoon, but there is no need to put on a tee here. That's all!

If you have made all the elements of a rotating spoon and assembled them correctly, then the bait will certainly bring you a trophy chub. And the pleasure from fishing with a bait you made yourself will be much greater than if you just bought a rotating spoon in a store!

Tackle

Many spinning anglers prefer to fish on small rivers with UL gear. An ultra-light spinning rod gives a lot of emotions, aesthetics, and a certain “caste”, but you can’t always feel confident with it on a pond. A stick with a dough of up to 4-5 g, a weak fishing line in cramped conditions of streams sometimes does not allow success in the fight against a decent trophy. The presence of underwater vegetation, snags, and coastal bushes always hinders the fisherman and helps the fish emerge victorious in the battle and... die. A one-kilogram chub or the ubiquitous pike can easily dive somewhere into underwater roots, twist the line around the shoots and easily tear it off - the lines in modern ultralight are very thin. A spinner or an expensive wobbler (which in itself is a shame) remains in the fish’s mouth after it breaks, the consequences are obvious. Using deliberately rough gear is also not the case. The time of thick fishing lines and powerful spinning rods on small rivers is long gone. In my opinion, it’s worth choosing a short, relatively stiff, powerful rod, with a real test somewhere up to 12 g. It will be able to stop the rush of fast-moving fish weighing up to one and a half kilograms. And this happens quite often. Over time, as you gain experience, you can switch to thinner gear. In forested and overgrown areas, the optimal length of the rod will be in the range of 1.6-2.1 m. For small reaches and riffles, for example, if the river is an alternation of small flowing ponds connected by small streams, a longer spinning rod (up to 2.7 m), and a little softer.

The reel must meet literally a couple of basic requirements. The first and most important thing is high-quality and even winding of the fishing line, so that the thinnest modern braids (why not monofilament - below) never get tangled even when fishing with weightless baits that do not provide normal tension when reeling. Secondly, compact size and weight (within reason) - no more than 260-280 g, for ideal control of gear and performing jewelry wiring. All other design advantages (the presence of a “yellow” titanium nitride roller and side, instant anti-reverse, spare spool, beautiful inscription on the side, etc.) are not so important, and their presence will never save if the inertia-free “meat grinder” does not comply (we We hope that among you there are no people who want to use “mults” on streams?) to the first two requirements.

Modern braided fishing lines are gradually beginning to replace classic monofilament lines, even in the type of fishing that we are going for. If a couple of years ago, the already few fans of monofilament found dozens of reasons for postponing the transition to cords, and some of them could even be agreed with, but now monofilament cannot withstand competition in any of the parameters, even in price. The cost of inexpensive cords has dropped so much that it will soon equal the cost of high-quality fishing lines. The main and main advantage of braided cords over the “elastic band of panties” (that’s what you want to call the line after fishing with braid) is excellent sensitivity and, as a result, complete control over the tackle, wiring and fish. The quality of the cords currently available on our market is quite good, there is almost no outright obscenity. The main criterion by which you should choose your braid is its thickness. The thinner the better. It’s still not possible to “go too far” in thinness; the thickness must be controlled visually, since it is not possible to take measurements with a regular micrometer. Choose the roundest fishing lines. This parameter can be easily checked by rolling the lace between two fingers. For example, the popularly loved Power Pro braided fishing line has thick and medium diameters that are round, while the thin diameters we need are almost flat. Fishing with such a fishing line is inconvenient. It gets more tangled and flies poorly when casting. In practice, such well-known cords as Salmo Bride Elite 0.10-0.12 mm, Unitika 0.04-0.06, thin diameter Pro Jig and other “Japanese”, both “clean” and already unwound, work very well. Europe. The Land of the Rising Sun is now ahead of the rest in terms of thin “threads”.

It is highly undesirable to use metal leashes. The “forehead” is too wary of any unnecessary detail in the gear. For the same reason, fasteners are also undesirable. Lures are changed frequently, using carabiners is very convenient, but you have to be careful and tie a new knot every time. Good, by the way, prevention of breakages. After all, at the same time a small piece of worn out braiding is removed.

Lures

In modern lightweight spinning rods, wobblers have come to the fore. If some time ago these bulky lures were used by individual fans and particularly advanced athletes, now even beginning chub hunters have caught up and are “packing up” not only with the rotating spoons that are common in such fishing, but also with the latest models of wobblers. A big role here was played not only by the active popularization of these baits in the fishing press, but also by their phenomenal catchability. The optimal size of wobblers for catching chub on small rivers does not exceed 40 mm.

It is generally accepted that pot-bellied, spherical fats and cranks with a high-frequency action are most suitable for catching chubs. This is true, but it is worth mentioning some models of wobblers similar in type to minnows, with more passive natural vibrations, which are not only not inferior to “pot-bellies” in catchability, but sometimes even surpass them. First of all, it is worth noting the Tiny Fry 38 mm from Jackal Brothers. This light little minnow has already made a lot of noise among the perch fishermen. Of course - an excellent game both on twitching and on uniform wiring gives good results. This wobbler also produces a positive effect on the chub and arouses genuine interest immediately after splashdown - the splash is too natural. The well-known Zip Baits Rigge 35 mm, as well as its diving modification Rigge Deep 35 mm, catches fish well. Interested in chubs, especially large ones, and the 50mm Stoop MR from Duel. This wobbler has excellent flight characteristics and good catchability on a “stop&go” retrieve.

Of the more familiar, pot-bellied wobblers, almost all models from well-known manufacturers, and even some nameless Chinese crafts, work for chub. The active play of various fats is very similar and is very popular with fish, who do not always see the difference between brands and the “basement”. The only disadvantage of cheap wobblers is that if one of them worked well for you, but was lost, it will be very difficult to find exactly the same one. There are no normal catalogs, the quality of production varies greatly from batch to batch, and even within the same batch, baits can have very different properties. By the way, even very well-known manufacturers sin with the latter, often after transferring production to China. Once we put five identical wobblers from a serious Japanese company into a bucket of water. Two floated like a cork, one parallel to the surface of the water, the other with its tail down. Two sank like stones, plummeting to the bottom, and the fifth hung suspended suspended in the water, reminiscent of a submarine. Each of these wobblers was declared to float. Each one cost almost ten euros.

You cannot trust anyone; be sure to test newly purchased models and do not hesitate to return them to the store if they are defective. Be especially meticulous in checking the operation of the long-distance casting system (if this model has one) - all these sliding balls, cylinders and weights in the body of the bait. This can be done right in the store by sharply shaking the wobbler with your hand. If something inside sticks too much, on the contrary, does not hold on or is tightly fixed (but should slide) - feel free to return the bait to the seller.

We consider the Smith Camion SR to be the most successful chub wobbler for small rivers. With it you can collect “working” fish even in completely “clogged” places. For accurate and relatively long-distance casts, the Rapala Countdown 30 mm flies like a bullet. The small “swimming beetle” River2Sea works well over thickets of underwater vegetation. It was not possible to catch the Yo-Zuri L-minnow 44 mm, popular on the Volga, and its smaller version, 33 mm long, on small rivers. But another hit of large reservoirs - Salmo Hornet gave results on streams. The smallest models should be used.

It is better to replace barbless hooks on some models of Japanese wobblers with ordinary ones, since in the cramped conditions of overgrown small rivers the fisherman is not able to fully control the tackle when fishing, and an overly powerful rod cannot always provide constant tension on the fishing line. The hook can easily fall out of the soft tissues of the fish’s mouth. By the way, under normal conditions and on slower-acting rods, such hooks hold fish just fine. The number of escapes is no more than with regular barb hooks.

Well, now a little about other baits. The Volga “killer of all fish” 3-gram Kastmaster works poorly, and the microjig, often attacked by chub on large rivers, is not at all suitable on forest streams. Rotating spoons, which are losing popularity, work, but in other types of fishing they are now far from playing a leading role. The size of the spinners is not the smallest, but not gigantic either; more often you have to use sizes from No. 0 to No. 2. Of the great variety of models, we would put Mepps's Black Fury Comets in first place. Blue Fox Vibrax Mid Depth No. 1 spinners in “poisonous” tones, with a fluorescent fly on the tee, are no worse. Similar to Mepps Black Fury are their bright, flashy, contrasting colors. By the way, the chub also respects such colors among wobblers.

Myran Wipp spinners No. 2-3, also with flies on a hook, have also proven themselves to be the best. It seems that flies are actually useful in chub fishing, otherwise they usually contribute more to the rusting of tees...