Revenge of the Chubs?

E

Eric

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Sep 12, 2006
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Hello Everyone,

I lurk on this site pretty much everyday and only post once and a while. I was fishing the upper section of the Brandywine DHALO yesterday afternoon from about 5:30 untill 8:00 pm. it was pretty shallow. I didn't get any trout but managed to land about 8 Chubs/ Fallfish and a Sunfish using a BHPT, throwing upstream and letting it drift down and across. Is there anything you guys do as far as technique to stay away from the chubs? Or is just kinda luck of the draw as far as what's going to hit? I guess really what I am asking is, is there any specific techniques you use to target only trout? I had a blast, but not getting a single trout left me a bit "empty" feeling,

thanks in advance!
 
On one stream I used to fish when I was in college, anytime I put on a nymph I would easily catch 5 chubs to every 1 trout I caught. It was pretty much just what was in the stream. I normally fished streamers as much as I could so I could avoid those darn things. However, once the trout became weary of the streamers then I just had to work my way through the chubs to get the trout.
 
That's a pretty good question.
Some of my favorite streams have quite a few fall fish in them, and always manage to catch a few of them.
I have learned a few things about them over the years though.
They tend to hang out in slower water - I can't recall catching any in riffles
They also usually have a more slow, gentle rise -unlike the forceful, deliberate rise of a trout. But I have caught a few that were rising with a big splash.
I have noticed that they seem to have they're certain part of a stream section that they hang out in, and hold there year after year, and I know to avoid that spot.
On my favorite honey holes, I pretty much know now - after years of fishing there - which spots the trout will be in.
 
A few weeks ago I fished a stretch of the Yellow Breeches in Cumberland County and had a great day, bringing to hand about 20 trout and 5 or so fall fish. There was a grannom hatch and later some hendricksons. Last night I fished the same stretch. Saw few rishing fish and worked hard to catch them. I ended the evening with about 50 fall fish, mostly tiny and a few larger ones. The largest was in faster water, and was rising somewhat steadily. Was sure it was a trout (of which I caught but one!).

So, why the change? Was it the rain of a few days ago, the very hot day, different hatch (still had grannoms, but now some sulphurs instead of the hendricksons), water level (actually slightly lower than last time I fished here)? I fished dry flies, and used various droppers as well.

I conclude that the trout were not feeding? Not much of a conclusion since I dont know why. I did have a few hard hits on the dropper when placed tight against a shrub covered bank.

Oh well...anyone else to vernture an explanation?

Jim
 
I don't know how to avoid them, but I do know that there have been days when I was glad to just catch a chub!
 
Eric,

I was fishing the exact spot you were at the same time yesterday. I too caught tons of chubs and a few sunfish on a BH hare's ear.

I asked about chubs and trout in another post, and it seems the conclusion is that typically, if the chubs are biting, the trout aren't there. Personally, I have never cought a trout in the same area that I was catching chubs, and have noticed that I am catching chubs in slow, deep water. If you don't like chubs try fishing limestoners and other spring fed streams, cause chubs tend to hang around in freestones.
 
Dude, I have often caught chubs and trout in the same place, and have often seen them in the same place. But you're right that the chubs usually stick to the less trouty areas, the slow and maybe warmer water.
 
When the chubs get out of hand, I usually stalk the banks and sight fish for cruising trout. I often don't even bother with the head of the pool (it's full of chubs and I can't get to the trout), but instead sight fish the tail of the pool with midge pupae, soft hackles, and neutrally bouyant nymphs.

When all else fails, I remember that they are on average about 1/2" bigger than some of the brookies that I've hiked five miles to catch.
 
thedude1534 wrote:

I asked about chubs and trout in another post, and it seems the conclusion is that typically, if the chubs are biting, the trout aren't there. Personally, I have never cought a trout in the same area that I was catching chubs, and have noticed that I am catching chubs in slow, deep water. If you don't like chubs try fishing limestoners and other spring fed streams, cause chubs tend to hang around in freestones..
Click to expand...


Last night I was fishing a pool that had chubs all over the surface. I fished nymphs because the trout just weren't coming up and I caught several trout and chubs all from the same pool. I picked up chubs from the riffles and the deep pool of the hole. Also the stream I fished in college which Im sure if I say the name Green Spring, anyone who has fished this stream can say the same. Trout and chubs definitely co-exist and feed at the same times.

Ive even caught chubs and trout from falling springs in the heritage waters in the same pools in the same day on the same fly. I even designed a fly to imitate these chubs that has become my go to fly on this stream. So even limestoners won't always keep you away from them totally.
 
Hey All,

Thanks for the response!

I think I will just keep doing what I am doing and be happy catching something! judging the responses, it seems most of us have been knee deep in chubs from time to time.

Dude,

Was that you at the big pool on the Brandywine yesterday at about 5:45? if so we nodded a hello to each other as I walked by.
 
I didn't get there till about 6:00. I entered where that small roadside parking area goes into the wooden bridge and a large pool. There were lots of anglers there, so I went a little upstream into some of the riffles. The water wasn't too deep there, so I threw some nymphs around some of the larger rocks and streamside trees . It eventually got really shallow, so I went back downstream and into those pools right by the bridge (most of the other anglers had moved on by that point). This was probably around 7:00 when I got there. I was wearing an orange hat, and since the water was warm, no waders.
 
To me it does not seem likely you will catch any large fish in a pool where you are catching chubs.

Trout eat chubs. I doubt the chubs are hanging out where they are real easy prey. Chubs gotta eat too, but I doubt they will be brazen about it with any large trout around. Wouldn't make sense.

Just some speculation.
 
for the record:

I have caught fallfish up to 18" long, and they definitly live side by side with nice size trout. They're silvery in color, and have a snout similar to a sucker. They can also be very ugly - I've caught many that were just full of warts!
I assume that Eric is talking about them - they're everywhere.
Now, I believe there is also a smaller fish - in the minnow family - called a creek chub - more brownish in color. I have caught these in smaller creeks, and yes, whereever they are, I've rarely caught trout
 
Jim wrote:
A few weeks ago I fished a stretch of the Yellow Breeches in Cumberland County and had a great day, bringing to hand about 20 trout and 5 or so fall fish. There was a grannom hatch and later some hendricksons. Last night I fished the same stretch. Saw few rishing fish and worked hard to catch them. I ended the evening with about 50 fall fish, mostly tiny and a few larger ones. The largest was in faster water, and was rising somewhat steadily. Was sure it was a trout (of which I caught but one!).

So, why the change? Was it the rain of a few days ago, the very hot day, different hatch (still had grannoms, but now some sulphurs instead of the hendricksons), water level (actually slightly lower than last time I fished here)? I fished dry flies, and used various droppers as well.

I conclude that the trout were not feeding? Not much of a conclusion since I dont know why. I did have a few hard hits on the dropper when placed tight against a shrub covered bank.

Oh well...anyone else to vernture an explanation?

Jim
Click to expand...

I'll venture. If you are fishing an open regs area section rather than the C&R section, and if the Breeches has not been stocked again recently, there are almost certainly a whole lot less trout in that section of the creek then there was when you fished it before.

The fallfish were there the whole time, but they were probably inactive when the water was colder and now they've woken up.
 
Dryflyguy,

The fish I caught the other day were silvery with their mouth near the bottom of their snout. They had almost a reddish pink coloring to them. The coloring intensified near their pectoral fins. I didn't see any warts, (and I am glad about that!)
 
here is a link to minnow family of fish in PA.



http://www.fish.state.pa.us/pafish/fishhtms/chap11.htm#creekch
 
shipnfish:

I didn't know that fallfish were also a member of the minnow family - 18" seems pretty big for a minnow!

eric:

What you caught were fallfish - I've seen lots of them with that pinkish cast.
Many fisherman call them chubs
 
Dryfly,

How bout the a 50lb minnow? aka the carp? Now thats a big minnow!!

I've caught "chubs" before that were short fat and had real large scales with red/pink and blue on them. I didn't see them on that page from the PFBC, but I've always wondered what they were. I used to catch a lot of those out of Green Spring in newville.
 
After looking at those pictures and descriptions, I don't think I would be able to tell the difference between a fallfish and a chub. I have caught a number of "chubs" that were in the 10-12" range, and now it looks like they were probably fallfish, based on the size. The coloration that some of you guys are talking about sounds like it may be spawning colors, according to what it says in that PFBC link.
 
I use bigger flies.
 
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