(Not a chance! Ed)

Seriously, where we have had these problems to a great extent is at Willow Waters, Pocklington near York. The main lake on this venue is a hundred year old flooded clay pit with depths of up to twenty plus feet. In front of the owners, Tim and Denise Slights, house on the water is a long pontoon-type bridge. The carp, with the odd monstrous chub, are continually swimming into the shallows in front of the house from the deeper water on the other side of the pontoon bridge. To do so they have to swim under the pontoon bridge. Fishing is only allowed from the deep water side of the bridge which makes life difficult.We have been regular visitors to the venue since late 1994. On this first trip, we were touring and preparing for a school trip that Virginia was making later in the year. Naturally, I had packed some tackle to do some fishing and we were so impressed with both the fishing and the accommodation that we booked a holiday there for the following Summer.When we returned the next year I saw for the first the monstrous chub that were present. I estimated the best chub that I saw at being well over 81b. The venue had previously produced a 71b 10oz chub in a match.Matt Hayes had fished for the big chub in the Spring and had failed to catch one but he caught a lot of nice carp to over fifteen pounds. Although I tried everything I knew, I also failed to catch one of those big chub. However, like Matt I had plenty of good sized carp. The problem is that this natural water holds a good head of pike and eels that take all the fish baits whilst other chub baits are very popular with carp.Towards the end of that holiday it turned very hot and I spent a lot of time observing the fish on the surface. Most of the bigger chub were spotted near pontoons and bridges. This was going to make life very difficult but I was determined to catch one of those big chub and again booked up for the next year.Fortunately, Virginia had caught the fishing bug when she fished one afternoon with me to catch a carp. In fact she was so keen that the following morning I turned over in bed to find that she had disappeared. Initially I thought that she had got up to make herself a cup of tea but on checking I found that my fishing tackle had also gone missing. This was 4 a.m. so she was really keen! So Virginia too was more than pleased to be returning the following year.By the time we returned, Virginia had gained a lot more fishing experience and was starting to develop into a useful fishing partner. Our best result from “Willow Waters” was 94 carp in a week. The majority were doubles with the best at 201b 4oz. All the fish were caught float fishing with various paste baits in either short morning or evening sessions. We never fished a full day as we went out during the day.Although we had very pleasing results with the carp, we both failed to catch one of those monstrous chub. Any form of fish bait produced either eels or pike.This year, we returned to try out new paste baits. I was keen to try out a paste based on Richworth multiplex boilie mix that had accounted for some good chub last Winter out of the River Kennet. The mix consisted of 50Og of the base mix with 15ml of corn steep liquor. As it was hot, I used water rather than eggs to make the final paste. This was because I believe eggs go off too quickly in hot conditions. However, when I require a stiffer paste that lasts longer on the hook, my preference is to use eggs as the binder.The feed was a pint of trout pellets that I placed in a clear plastic bag together with 10ml of corn steep liquor. The bag is shaken to disperse the flavour and then left to stand so the corn steep liquor is absorbed onto the pellet. I like to leave the mixture over-night to allow plenty of time for absorption. Although I have had success with leaving the corn steep liquor for as little as twenty minutes, these were at times of extreme emergency.As I thought that there was a good chance of picking up a big chub, I was going to fish from the pontoon bridge in front of the house. I realised that my tackle needed to have real stopping power as I would undoubtedly hook some heavy carp as well as any chub that I was fortunate enough to hook. My tackle therefore was a heavy three piece Harrison rod with a test curve of 1lb 10oz coupled with a centre pin loaded with 151b b.s. line. The terminal tackle was a pole float with a size 4 hook tied direct to the main line.Under the circumstances, I thought that the extremely strong and rather crude approach was justified. The Diawia Sensor line not only allowed me to exert extreme pressure to stop the fish but it would also keep much of its strength if rubbed up against the pontoon supports. This could give me a small, if not significant, safety margin.I started on the pontoon bridge early in the morning feeding in three handfuls of the flavoured trout pellet before returning to my bungalow for my early morning cup of tea. Twenty minutes later, I returned to make my first cast over the baited area. My bait was only 2ft from the walk-way in about 5ft of water.After half an hour, the float slowly dipped out of sight. The strike was a reflex action but I followed through to apply maximum pressure to stop the fish diving under the pontoon. The tactic worked but I knew that it was a carp rather than a chub. It felt too heavy to be a chub. The fish was quickly forced out into open water and up to the surface where I could see that it was a nice double figured fully scaled mirror. The fish went into the net first time so there was no need for any “River Dancing” on the boards.The fish was quickly released and the swim re-baited with another handful of pellet before I continued to fish. Within ten minutes I had another bite. Again the fish tried to get under the pontoon but using extreme pressure the fish was forced into clear water. However unlike the first fish, this fish kept making runs trying to get under the pontoon forcing me to stamp on the boards with my “River Dance” routine to scare the fish into open water. The tactic worked. The fish appeared at first glance to be a known fish called “the leather” which is a perfect double figured leather.As I looked closely into the landing net, I could see a few scales. The fish was also much smaller than the “leather”. Virginia looked at the fish as it was unhooked and said “You’ve caught an imitation leather”. We decided on calling the fish the “imitation”.Neither Virginia or I had a bite for the next half hour. Then I saw her rod bent over with a good fish swirling near the surface – but heading quickly towards the boards. I knew what to do and sprung into “River Dance” mode. As soon as I started the fish changed direction to go out into clear water. Although the fish made several other attempts to get under the boards my dancing scared it off every time.Eventually Virginia netted a good upper double figured mirror carp that she quickly followed with another two doubles in the next few casts. (Virginia has certainly come a long way in the last six years and is a very competent angler in her own right.) Then I hooked into a good fish. Applying maximum pressure, the fish was pulled away from the pontoon into open water where it attempted to turn to make another attempt to get back under the boards But Virginia was there playing at Jean Butler of “River Dance” to scare the fish out again! At this stage the fish surfaced and could be clearly seen. It was the “leather”. The fish quickly tired under the pressure. It was netted and its identity confirmed before it was returned. We decided to re-bait the swims before taking a break for a breakfast.We returned for another two hours fishing to end up with 12 carp between us, the majority of which were good doubles. It was then time for lunch at Arthur’s Carvery. If you take a holiday at Pocklington you really must go to Arthur’s as the food is excellent, plentiful and cheap. I do not know how he does it for the money.A few days later, I was walking around the lake when I stopped by the small bridge to the island. I sat back to spend some time looking into the shallow water for any fish swimming under or nearby the bridge. After less than ten minutes what I initially thought were three commons came swimming under the bridge in just over 2ft of water. They picked up a few odd pellets that I had placed in the swim. I got a good look at the fish estimating them between 101b and 171b. As the smallest common came clearly into few, I realised that it was not a carp but the biggest chub that I had ever seen. It must have been really big as I had mistaken it for a double figured common. On rechecking it was certainly a chub whilst the other two fish were common carp.I went back for my heavy float gear, to fish sitting well back out of sight with the same gear that I had used from off the bridge. I then saw a tail of a fish swirling as it went head-down onto my feed. Then my float shot under and I was into a fish that was too heavy to be a chub. It started to head directly for the bridge but I jumped down with my tackle onto the bridge. That scared the fish, and every other living creature away! Applying maximum pressure, I turned the fish and really bullied it into my landing net. It was a nice mid double figured common.Knowing that I had created such a terrific disturbance, I moved off to fish elsewhere, leaving a fresh carpet of bait behind. Although I returned several times there were no signs of any fish in the area.The following morning, I returned to try the same approach again but again caught a carp. This time it was a mirror carp that again was a mid double. The next morning when I returned, I could not believe my luck as there were two fish feeding near the bridge. One was definitely the big chub with a similar sized common carp. Using the same tactics, I very carefully placed my bait close to the chub. The chub did not spook and remained feeding next to my bait. I sat back and waited. A few minutes later, I nearly had a heart attack as my float dived away and I was into a fish that certainly did not have the weight of those earlier carp. As I applied pressure to steer it away from the bridge, I caught a glimpse of the fish to see that the scaling was right. I was thinking that at last I had cracked it and even imagined that it was a new British Record chub. Then I saw it and was gutted. It was a common carp. I weighed it at 91b 14oz and wondered “How big was that chub to appear to be the same size?”. Certainly a possible record.Several other attempts with various paste baits that had all worked well for river chub all failed as carp took the bait in every case. I then decided to rethink my approach trying white bait and other sea baits. Pike and eels appeared from no where to take all of these baits. I even caught a good, double-figured mirror carp on a white bait.I will be back next year to try again for those monstrous Pocklington chub. I will spend more time researching still water chub tactics and discuss the matter with more experienced still water chub anglers to get more ideas. Naturally, I will need to practice my “River Dance” before my return. No doubt if I hook that big chub it will be next to a platform of some description requiring my dancing technique to scare it away from the snag.As an internet fishing magazine, we are hoping to use a lot of digital video in the future. If this is the case viewers might be treated to seeing my “River Dance” on this new media.

(Not a chance! Ed)