A tale of two chub

Called out on a report of someone jumping the gun and fishing with their family in the glorious 15th. They had decamped before I got there. Worth  a walk though. River has a little more water within it. More bream ganging up with the chub. Proper plump across the shoulders bream at that.

No early start pass for me so it was nearly 8.30 before I had a bait in the water. I was way up in Jasper Farqhuart country so it was no suprise the float stabbed away at the end of the eddy on the first run through with double cumin and smoked paprika reds on a #16 under a 5bb Drennan Avon and a very well behaved triploid put the Drennan Waggler Rod and pin combo through it's paces. Deeply spotted with a belly like Kerrygold butter and troubling 2lb I guessed. However, as I drew it to the net the Drennan Supplex 2.5lb hooklink simply parted. Over badged, over priced tossery? Being the sporting chap that I am I tried to keep away from any of Jasper's well heeled but sexless brethren but a stream of tiny dacelets  meant a change was in order.

Stopped off at Dangling Indirect for some worms and a new pair of Polaroids and back a bit further down opting for the oxygenated water of the mill races. 4.4 Floatfish straight through now to the #16 and straight away a bright little roach and then on in pretty much a bite a chuck, mostly slightly bigger dace.

A couple of wildie brownies, not quite pan sized escaped the mat photo in their haste to  avoid the butter and wild herbs (actually it is catch and release on this ticket so they were safe) and as the sun broke through the clouds, voles danced  and thick moist slabs of friut cake and Earl Grey were served for a gentleman's luncheon a chub was on. Clean, fresh and almost mint conditioned. Probably because the rigours of spwaning and otters were a few seasons away yet. Definitely not one for the DesTaylor pose. A chub none the less. (One of my targets ticked Dyl, in my passive aggressive non-competitve way).

I'd reached the bottom of my first pint of maggots., Back to the car for the second pint or break out the dendrobenas? Worms it was, 6lb straight through to a #6 Drennan wide gaped specimen hook and a 3SSG pinched on. Passing lorry driver stopped to pump me for info on the barbel stocks but my ham fisted gumby attempts to cast  soon had him retreating muttering about noddies and waste of a corking swim as he worked his way the first 8 of his gears up the narrow street. Plan worked then...

A masterful swing out into the faster water and bumping through a lovely stab, stab pull on the 1oz push in tip and something completely different put a decent bend into the Discovery RVS Lite 1.25tc Avon, thumping heavily in the flow. Took a while to see a long, brassy flank in the water, long enough not to want to loose it. Once the big white lips came to the surface I knew it was mine and into the onion bag it went. 

My ghillie and photographer quickly established it had recently spawned with a polapsed vent. Even so a long framed fish and in very reasonable condition too. We thought a biggish 5?

A long fish, a solid 6 in it's winter prime but today a very pleasing 5.13. I'll see you about March time again please..

I left my ghillie to it having returned  the favour with a piccie of a nice dace. Happy days.