Fishing Report: Chub - the Fish That Defeated ME! [Drava River]

Not every fishing trip is successful and today I want to share such experience. And this time, it happened with a fish I know well. So, lets start from the very beginning.

Childhood story coming up! When I was a kid, about 7 years old, we were going to "Pekrski Potok". It is a creek near the place I lived at. And there was chub – fish that really lighten up our childhood imagination.

We were barely equipped with anything. A piece of Styrofoam or wood, and 10 meters of nylon that my father gave me wrapped around it. Little hook at the end and that was it! Action time!

Of course, we also needed fishing lures...

Even then we knew that chub is a fish that loves grasshoppers, and we caught them by ourselves to use as bait. They were, and still are, a great bait - we caught many chubs because of them! Crickets are good too!

After those adventures, I must admit I have not held a chub in my hands for years. Those memories made me try it again and test my luck in a bit bigger water this time. The Drava River.

Are you Wondering How it Was?

Unfortunately, I had to admit defeat - but more on that a little later ...

This elusive fish requires a bit more effort than you would expect.

I decided that I need to survive winter somehow and while waiting for great spring fishing days, I should go out on the water.

I had the choice of fishing for pike, which is caught by many at this time, or to choose a fish that is caught by only a few!

Immediately, my mind drifted back to my childhood days and the decision was made - chub, the fish of my youth.

I decided to use my ultra-light gear and necessary baits! Sounds fun and easy!

Equipment

For this adventure I have chosen my favorite fishing rod - ultra-light Cormoran rod for spinning. It is 210 cm long, but you can use rods up to 270 cm for chub (it would be recommended).

Everything depends, of course, on what kind of terrain you will be moving on, and what is around you so that in the end you are able to cast your lures.

Since the rod still had nylon from the summer when I was fishing on Šolta Island in Croatia, it had to be replaced.

I took JAXON nylon, 0.20 mm thick, 9 kg test. Many chub anglers recommend nylon up to 0.25mm, but given the test strength of the chosen one, I don't think anything more was needed.

Lures

So, now the most important part - which lures to choose?

Sppiners, wobblers, and soft plastics – this is the way to go!

Chub is a fish that is not very picky about baits. You can catch it on worms or grasshoppers, like we did when we were young, or on some of the artificial baits, like many anglers do in winter, including myself.

To choose the perfect one, I read many recommendations online and checked what anglers have to say about it.

The situation is as follows - the best artificial lure for chub fishing is definitely the spinners (like Rapala) followed by wobblers, but of course you can also fish them with soft plastics. Last option works a bit less in winter.

What did I choose? I took four spinners, sizes 0 to 3. As I said, chub is a fish that is not very picky. That means you can use any larger spinners, even size 5. If the chub will be in the feeding mood, you will catch it at any of these sizes.

Among the best spinners, I include those from Rapala, Mepps, Comet, Blue Fox, and Savagear. Any other you can find can also work of course. Everyone makes their own final decision based on experience!

Along with spinners, I took a few wobblers with me too. Selection in Trofeja – my favorite tackle store in Slovenia, was really huge, and I asked Dejan – a friend of mine and a store owner for advice. He immediately advised Goldy wobblers! Interesting shapes, striking looks, and they also have the MAX VIBRA label - perfect for chub fishing!

What sizes did I choose? According to the advice and according to my rod, which "allows" a weight of 1-9g, I chose wobblers weighing between 3-5g, and are extremely small in size (only a few centimeters).

If the rod allows you to do so, you can also choose slightly larger wobblers, even up to 8 cm . And when it comes to colors, pick whatever your heart wants. Neutral, natural colors work very well, as well as vivid, fluoro colors. Take your time and find the one fish can’t resist. Of course, always take into account clarity of the water and choose accordingly.

I mentioned soft plastics above. Unfortunately, I read so many positive reviews about spinners and wobblers that I didn't decide to get any of soft plastics. Maybe they are worth using when nothing else works!

Location

In order to avoid “shooting blanks”, I decided to do a little research on where it would be best place to go chub fishing and I was advised to choose between the river Pesnica and river Drava in Malečnik. The decision was made, I chose the Drava!

Chub is a fish you have to find and be patient with it.

After I got everything necessary for chub fishing in terms of gear, I started to research where to look for it, how to find it, and finally how to catch it.

My father was the one I turned for help, as many years ago he was "at home" on the Drava River. He had it in the palm of his hand, and I seriously think he knew local Chub fish by name haha!

But that was once many years ago and today, things are much different...

But anyway, he quickly reminded me where and how we caught chub in Pesnica many years ago. Right behind a small waterfall, where the water was calmer and deeper. Of course, he didn't forget to mention the story of how he and his uncle landed chub one after another right next to the shore, among the bushes, where the moving water came to a stop.

Hmm, that's what the others say too about chub fishing. Great! I thought …

Behaviour

Chub is a fish like all others. This means that on cold days it tries to get as much food as possible with as little energy as possible. This is the reason that it definitely does not make sense to look for it in fast waters, where it would have to swim a lot. It is recommended to look for it in backwaters, behind stumps, rocks or islets where the water almost stops or goes from shallow rapids to calmer depths.

But when to look for it and when will chub take your bait?

The best time to fish for chub is early in the morning or just before dusk - but don't neglect the SUN factor!

When sun is at its strongest somewhere between 12-2pm in the winter, the chub can move from a completely dormant state to active feeding. Such moments should be taken advantage of.

But BEWARE - chub is a fish you can't be too slow for. What does that mean in terms of technique?

Technique

When you throw your lure into the water, reel it in as slowly as possible. For one turn of the size 1000 reel, you can easily spend a few seconds. Of course, in order for such fishing to be successful, it is ESSENTIAL to use quality lures, i.e., those that provide maximum VIBRATION.

If you can`t offer this presentation to chub, you will be unsuccessful!

How my Adventure Ended? [I Was DEFEATED!]

Despite the fact that I knew all these tips (more tips and tricks you can find here!), which you just learned, I left Drava with a partly bitter aftertaste!

Chub, the fish that DEFEATED me!

Yes, it happens. That day I left home without a fish!

Once I casted, the reel "played" a bit, the fish flew 10m to the right, then 5m to the left, everything stopped, and the spinner almost flew into my head. When it comes to fish fighting action, that was unfortunately all of it.

What did I do wrong? Maybe I was on the water at the wrong time? Maybe the lures weren't right? Or maybe I reeled in too fast? It doesn't matter now.

Conclusion

The pleasure I experienced on Drava River was priceless. I enjoyed the sounds of the river, I enjoyed jumping on the rocks, I enjoyed searching for fish, and the whole day was great!

All this led me to chub fishing only in a long-sleeved shirt, without a jacket, without gloves and without a hat! At some moment I forgot about everything, even the cold! The temperature was 7 degrees Celsius below zero in the morning. Phew! But all that's okay, this day brought me back to my childhood.

Where are those moments when we were still young, when no one knew what a computer was, and when my mother yelled at me because my sneakers and pants were all wet from when I fell in the stream – and I fell almost every day! Those were the days!

To read more about excellent fishing days, take a look at my other fishing reports!