Chubbing on the Lea with Fred Davis

This year I promised myself a bash at the river lea chub on the crown fishery after targetting and catching chub to 6lb 8oz last year, it would be nice to get a seven or even an 8lb + chub and yes there are one or two specimens that are that big in the river, when I first fished the lea I was told to pick a boat or a tree and just fish across, nothing has changed, however I must add that there are three main methods that produce the chub or should I say on some days a lone chub, wag and mag or maggot feeder and red maggots being "THE" bait, or a roving aproach is employed by some anglers using Flake on the hook and liquidised in the feeder, I use a small black cap maggot feeder and catapult a few freebies over the top, bites are extremely infrequent and 4 or 5 fish is a very good day, last year I bumped into to Steve Fenton who fishes the bread and roves from swim to swim says you have a 50% chance of catching a chub over 5lb although his mate Lenny in simpsons tackle has yet to capture a five, Dickie Carr recently had a good 5lb fish and a few 7lb fish have reputidily come out, all my fish are weighed on proper brand new match scales zeroed before weighing so I know the true weight, In the photograph are 4 chub and they went 5lb 8oz , 5lb 8oz 5lb and one smaller chub of 3lb 8oz. this was my first visit to the river this year and all caught on double red maggot to a size 20 super spade hook black cap feeder and ultima power match 0.16 hook length and 8lb Power match main line, these are big powerful fish and I am gunned up as if I was carp match fishing, the bites I have found are virtually unmissable, how some anglers miss bites is beyond me, however I do have a drennan float stop above the feeder by around 4 inches which helps to set the hook and create a bolt rig.What I would also say is that the waggler has to be the most productive method, however it is tricky to fish as the pull in the middle of the river can be quite strong on occasion which means that you have to recast and mend the line, it's also a confidence thing and I will have to switch to the wag once I have had a seven because then it's job done and who knows maybe the catch rate will improve but for the mo it's the tried and tested tip.