A short Evenlode chubbing session

There was another frost overnight, the fourth day in row. The question is: would the local chub be used to it now? The weather improved during the morning and I was tempted out just after lunchtime for a short session, choosing a stretch of my local River Evenlode.

My plan was to try to fish in line with a recent Tony Miles chubbing article. I usual fish flake rather than crust here (in part in the hope of accidentally catching one of the large roach in the stretch) but today it would be crust. I baited 5 or 6 swims over a 200 yard stretch and the plan would be to move between each, staying for 30 mins in each

Over the last year, this stretch of the Evenlode has really changed - and not just that it is painfully low at the moment. The main big change is that the huge willow has fallen into the river at my favourite deep bend, creating a river wide raft. This swim would remain my banker swim for the day. I slowly worked my way down the long glide just past where the river rejoins a side stream. In the past this has produced the odd 5lb chub, but nothing today. Then a short stop in the deep bend swim, but nothing in 10 mins and so a rebait and a move down to a new spot round the next bend. This looked perfect but turned out to be much too shallow in the current conditions.

Eventually I persuade a chub to take my crust bait from deep bend - not a huge fish, 3-08. Most fish I have caught from this spot have been over 4lbs. But there is actually ice in the margins of the river, so perhaps conditions are still against me. The forecast is much better for the next few days. Milder weather, no frosts, maybe some rain. So I need to arrange a trip for the next few days to take advantage of this.