Very often, fishermen speak of the chub as a capricious and very shy fish, which is quite difficult to catch. But it is not so. A fisherman who knows all the weaknesses of the chub well will be able to catch him without much difficulty. The easiest way to catch this fish in late spring, the main thing is to know where and what to catch the chub in May.
Features of the Chub
The chub is a rather large, strong and beautiful inhabitant of freshwater rivers in Europe. The most outstanding individuals of this species reach a length of about 80 cm and weigh more than 8 kg. Fish is semi-predatory; its diet includes benthic mollusks, insects, larvae, caterpillars and midges located in the upper layers of water, as well as algae, which have grown on snags, and tina.
The body of the fish has an elongated cylindrical shape, which allows it to swim at a tremendous speed, even with rapid flow. Its habitat is medium and small sized rivers with fast flowing water. It can be both plain and mountain ponds. For the chub, a fast flow and a sandy or rocky bottom are preferred. It is most often found in rivers with rapids, rifts and channel turns. This fish loves to hunt under cliffs or shores, with trees or shrubs hanging over the water, from which caterpillars, midges or other prey often fall. He loves the chub in early May to be supported by May bugs, which just at that time begin their departure.
This fish is very wary of the presence of people, so when fishing it is undesirable to make noise or use catchy gear. This will scare away the fish and you will not get the desired catch.
Choosing a place for fishing
As already mentioned, the chub is a very shy and distrustful fish with excellent eyesight. Seeing the fisherman, he prefers to leave, despite the alluring nozzles. Therefore, it is better to catch it off the coast, where there are trees and bushes for which you can hide. In the absence of such shelters, it is advisable to be located near the river so that the sun is not behind you: the bright rays illuminating your silhouette will tell the chub about your presence. If the fish does not notice anything suspicious, she will safely swallow the bait.
It is also worth considering that the chub loves places with a fast current and often lives in valleys, river bends, and channels between islands. Especially this fish loves places where currents meet, where water is most saturated with oxygen. But if you fish on a large river, then it is worth remembering that the chub prefers the outback, located near the shore, with calmly flowing water.
Since chub spawning occurs at the end of April, in early May, after a week's rest from spawning, the fish begins to eat, which makes fishing much easier for fishermen. But despite the fish’s pickiness in food, you need to know exactly what to catch the chub in May, and what gear is best used.
How to catch a chub with a fishing rod?
Great chub tackle - float fishing rod. The rod should be very powerful, because the fish are desperately fighting for their freedom, and if you manage to pick up an individual weighing 2-3 kg, then a weak rod will not withstand the onslaught. The fishing line can be 0.18 mm thick. Since the spring river after a full flood is full of different hooks, be sure to use a leash. Depending on the attachments and bait used, select the appropriate hook (7-12).
Equipping gear for the chub, use floats that allow you to fix the structure with fairly fast currents. They should not be heavy and exceed a weight of 10 g, since splashing can scare the fish, and there will be no catch. The capacity of the float depends on the depth at which fishing is planned.
If fishing takes place in shallow water, you can use a nod instead of a float. The Mormon summer fishing rod has one difficulty: since the fish pecks very carefully, this is not always possible to recognize.
Chub spinning
In May, a chub is caught on a spinning rod, which can be anything you like, if only it has a small weight. Its length can be from 2 to 3.5 m (depending on the size of the pond on which you will catch the chub), and the test is 10-30 g. A longer spinning rod makes it possible to maneuver, leading the bait downstream, and allows you to bypass various obstacles. Also, the chosen spinning should be convenient to throw light baits over a long distance.
It is best to equip a spinning spinless reel. It is preferable to use a spool of medium capacity, which will fit from 100 m to 150 m of monofilament, having a diameter of from 0.18 mm to 023 mm. When using, you need to remember about its extensibility, so you need to hook the fish after pulling the fishing line. If you use a braided line, then its diameter should be minimal - up to 0.11 mm. When using the wicker, the signal that the fish has sat down will be a pretty strong blow.
Spinning is the most suitable fishing gear for fishing. Since the chub at the end of May is often located on river bends, it is very convenient to catch it by going a certain distance from the coast, closer to the feeding place. The water during this period is quite warm, and the fisherman will be able to combine swimming with fishing. You can use special equipment to avoid getting wet.
How to catch a chub on a donka?
Donka is also a great chub tackle. It is especially good to use it when fishing in early May. To tackle you will need a good hard fishing rod that can withstand a large load: after all, the chub can be quite large, and a weak fishing rod simply can not withstand the pressure when fishing. There is an opinion that due to the hard fishing rod a bite will not be visible. But this problem can be easily solved using conventional signaling devices. Also good is the donka for the chub, which has a special tip that will help to easily see the bite.
Better to choose a reel to match the rod. It must be powerful and fit in size. Also, it should be quite comfortable, which will allow you to prey out, possibly, large fish. Fishing line for tackle is better to take with a diameter of about 0.25 mm, and a leash - about 0.2 mm, length up to 60 cm.
Since fishing in the chub in May takes place in places with a stone bottom with driftwood settled after the high water, it is better to use a flat sinker for the donkey. It passes well between stones and various obstacles, which will avoid hooks. Such a sinker will fix the snap, while allowing the leash to move freely, which is extremely useful when catching a chub.
Lure
Good fishing for the chub in May is possible with the right use of bait. It can be in the form of glued balls or loose. For balls, it is better to use maggots or their larvae and peck everything with special glue. If the chub is at a depth, then it is worth adding a little gravel to the balls, which will allow them to reach the bottom. You should not use too many live maggots, they will destroy the balls and float up.
As you know, the chub loves specific smells, so adding bone meal or blood to the bait will greatly increase its effectiveness, which will lure the fish to the right place.
It is very good to use bait made from cereals. It’s easy to cook. You will need:
- barley - 2 glasses;
- millet - 1 glass;
- cake - 3 tbsp. spoons;
- salt and sugar to taste.
To prepare the cereals, mix and pour 1 to 2 with water. Cook until the water has completely disappeared. Make sure that the porridge does not burn: the smell can scare away the fish. After cooling, rusks and bone meal are added to the porridge as a flavoring.
How to catch on a may bug?
In May, the chub on the May beetle is well caught. But this period does not last very long, therefore it is advisable to use the fish’s weakness to the insect on time.
After the flight of the May beetle with its capture, there are no problems: the beetles swarm near the trees. They can be easily caught on the fly with a butterfly net. They need to be stacked in a container having openings for free air circulation. To bait a bug on a hook, you need to pierce the back with a sting between the wings so that it comes out of the abdomen. Such baiting will not allow the chub to feast on the bitten part of the beetle. The sting should be outside.
Since the chub prefers drowning bugs, the bait should be systematically re-cast. This will improve the bite.
In the spring, the chub pecks well at the May beetle for about a week, just after the insect leaves. Then he begins to sort out the bait. Therefore, it is so important not to miss the right moment.
The best bait for catching a chub
Since the chub can be called omnivorous, bait can be very diverse. After the flood, when the water has not yet been completely purified, the chub is well caught on worms. He also does not disdain bait in the form of giblets, liver, slices of sausage or sausages, pieces of fish or laid meat, maggots and mollusks. Processed cheese can serve as bait, various insects and their larvae, frogs. It is good to use as a bait of leeches. Particular attention should be paid to grasshoppers, which are also a treat for the chub.
If you have not yet decided what to catch a chub in May, you can use vegetable bait. Good for this boiled potatoes, peas or pearl barley. Chub is also caught for bread, in particular for crust. Some fishermen argue that sometimes the fish simply ignores the best bait, choosing a crust of white bread.
When catching a chub, one must take into account that although he is omnivorous, his preferences can change quickly, and it is impossible to determine exactly what he will like at a certain moment. Going fishing, it is better to take several types of bait with you. It also happens that in one place the fish will nibble well on maggots, and in another - choose barley. To determine what the chub is best caught on, you can systematically throw a variety of bait.
What wobblers are better to use when catching a chub in May?
Many fishermen, puzzled by what to catch a chub in May, tend to choose wobblers. Their diversity allows you to choose the most suitable species. In May, it is very effective to use Salmo Tiny. This is a small wobbler made in the form of a beetle. He is very attracted to a white predator, not indifferent to insects. The chub pecks especially well in May on wobblers of this type during the flight of May bugs, when they are the main diet of the chub. Since such wobblers can be sinking or floating, it is better to choose the first option: the chub prefers sinking bugs.
A chub is caught in spring on Smith Camion SR lures. Chubs just go crazy seeing him. Even a not very active fish often rushes at him. Thanks to the balls located inside, when you hit the water surface, the wobbler makes a sound that attracts fish. He captivates the lobed with his swirling game. Replacing native bevelless hooks with classic ones will significantly reduce the number of unsuccessful hooks.
It’s nice to use ZipBaits Rigge 35F wobblers to catch a white predator. It is very good to use when fishing on rifts or in other places with a rapid current. The bait can be thrown over fairly impressive distances, despite the small size. The wiring of this wobbler can be uniform or jerk-aggressive.
There are many other fairly effective wobblers. To decide which one is best for you, you should ask local fishermen or chat with fishing masters in fishing forums. They will advise you exactly the bait that worked well during their fishing.
Time of day for fishing
Fishing for the chub in May coincides with the zhor, so the fish is quite active throughout the daylight hours. As soon as the first rays of the sun begin to warm water, an active movement of fish appears, which can last all day. Most likely, the fishing efficiency of this white predator depends on the weather. The chub is best caught in sunny, calm weather. A light breeze blowing from the shore also has a positive effect. Fish, in anticipation of deflated insects, begins a more active movement.
Some fishermen mistakenly believe that in very hot weather the forefoot will cease to peck. But they are wrong. On such days, the fish simply changes the place of feeding, and when casting in different areas, you can still find a place where the bite will be quite intense. Well caught fish at sunset.
As for night fishing, it can also be pretty good. But it is worth considering that the limited viewing should be compensated by the fisherman's instinct.
Chub is a strong fighter!
The chub is a very strong fish, and until the last fights in the water, just not to fall into the hands of a fisherman. Even ashore you need to be careful with this predator, especially when removing the hook. A dodgy fish can return it to you, and your fishing will end with a visit to the surgeon.
After catching the fish, it is better to keep it in a net located in the water. Do not wear it, making yourself overweight.
Given all the recommendations given, even a novice fisherman will be able to master fishing for a white predator. Fishing for the chub in May will allow you to replenish your collection with a wonderful trophy in the form of a big-chested one. The main thing is to believe in yourself and know all the habits of this fish.