“The sun was out and the river was up, with a bit of colour to it. I headed to a stretch of the Colne that holds some big chub and started in the spot where I caught by previous PB. It’s an area that ‘screams’ chub, where the main flow passes by a big fallen tree which creates a big slack on the far side.”
Setting up a light quiver tip rod with a little running bomb on 6lb line, Tom pinched some bread flake around a size 6 hook and introduced some liquidised feed.
“I cast to the far side, into the slack, but after about six minutes I got itchy feet and was about to recast. As soon as I put my hand on the butt of the rod, the tip started twitching, and I struck and hooked a fish. It moved into the main flow and I didn’t think it was very big, then it continued to the right and snagged me up.”
After a few minutes of back and forth, Tom managed to free the fish, and when it came out, he saw the huge belly of a big bronze chub. “I was in disbelief – I netted it and couldn’t get over how big it was,” he revealed. “I weighed the fish and realised I had skipped both the 6lb and 7lb clubs! “This is what I love about fishing rivers – they never cease to amaze me.”
Well done Tom!