Chub on the Cheese

The last of the leaves are falling from the trees and Winter is almost upon us. Today the river looked perfect, about a foot above normal, a nice tinge of brown coloration to the water and not too much debris floating along. I felt confident of catching especially as I was setting my stall out for Chub, not the most difficult of target in these conditions.
Chub love cheese paste, especially old smelly cheese paste and mine smelled terrible being a batch I made last year that had been in and out of the freezer several times. The rig I set up was a simple running ledger to a 4lb hooklink and a size 10 paste hook. Although it was not a warm day the temperature was still quite good for this time of year. Great from an angling perspective but it played havoc with the cheese, it was too soft because it was warm and therefore difficult to keep on the hook. If it did stay on for the cast then there was the mental uncertainty of "is the bait still on the hook?" or am I wasting my time. I worked out that by dipping the paste into the water for 20 seconds before casting it would stay on until it was eaten or I reeled in, pulling the hook through it.
Hitting Chub bites can be a frustrating game, they rattle the tip, they pluck it, they shake it and sometimes they actual show a bite that you can strike at and hit. I had six of those in total, landing five fish up to 4lb 4oz. No 'five pounder' that I would have liked or 'six pounder' that I dream about from the Avon but a good few hours sport.

click here to see my cheese paste recipe