Fallfish are always fun

[TimB]

Embrace the chub!

 

[salmonoid]

For the chub/fallfish haters - think of the babies as serving as potential food for the trouts. Enough of them might push a 29" brown over the hump to 30"... I share the feeling of disappointment at times, when I hook into a nice fish on a small stream, I catch enough of a glimpse of it to think it is a trout, and then I end up with a horny nosed chub staring back at me. And other times, they don't bother me so much. It's really only when my expectation is that what I hooked is a trout and it isn't that I'm disappointed. I'm sure if I targeted them, it would be a fun pursuit. But I've never managed to diversify beyond trout.

 

[dc410]

laszlo wrote:
I totally disagree with all of this chub loving, when I have a fish on the line and then find out it's a chub, I'm really bummed out. I'm expecting a beautiful trout and what I bring to hand is a ugly horney headed croaking pathetic fish. I then proceed to curse at it while I release it.

There is plenty of room on this forum to engage in many "beautiful trout" threads. Most of my time is spent in this mode as well. I feel there is also a great opportunity for flyfishermen to engage and share experiences fishing for some of the species of fish in PA that don't get much respect ...... like the mighty fallfish.

 

[Swattie87]

mario66pens wrote:
Whats the difference between the fall fish and the creek chub? How do you identify?

They're both members of the Minnow family. Fallfish grow to be much larger than Creek Chubs...If you have a fish over 10" or so, it's much more likely it's a Fallfish than Creek Chub. Fallfish in general have a more scaly appearance and a bright, flashy silver color. Creek Chubs usually have a dull black stripe down their side and don't have the flashy, reflective appearance. You can find them in the same streams, but generally Fallfish are found in faster, more Trout like lies where Creek Chubs are usually trying to avoid the current.

 

[Swattie87]

I agree they're not the prettiest fish out there, but when I want beauty I'll fish for little freestone Brookies and Browns. When I want to feel some tug and get walked up and down a run or pool a couple times...the Fallfish will out pull the Trout of equal mass any day.

 

[TimB]

This topic has me looking through my fishporn collection for my best chub "hero" photos. Here's one that slammed a Miyawaki Beach Popper. This pattern is designed specifically for searun cutthroat trout in Puget Sound. Chubs like em too.

 

[TimB]

Here's one from the famous Chub Pool below Middle Dam on the Rapid River in Maine. It took a size 16 soft hackle. The locals were horrified that we took photos. Embrace the chub!

ps. I'm not making this up. It really is called the Chub Pool...

 

[Stenonema]

Flyfish1998, Check the fly tying forum for the rubber legs thread. Dc410, The Holsclag Hackle fly is a first rate bass fly, I tie mine to large for a good mega chub fly. If you want to go that route, I suggest putting rubber legs on a Clouser Darter. If I was more energetic I would post some pictures of the pattern. I like brown or olive. I have also had good luck with chartreause. Whatever for the body Diamond braid is kind of cool. Pair of rubber legs behind dumbells and calf tail wing w/ a little flash. You get the picture. Deadly. Smaller, slimmer profile that the Hackle fly. Better Low clear water fly for bass than the Hackle fly. Slower drop on the hop.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Silver trout they are man. With that said it's fun to go ugly. In college we would have called it going Chubbing.
Interesting side note. I was fishing for fallfish when I caught my first trout on a dry fly of my own design. I was 12. We haven't discussed it here yet but, Fallfish are excellent surface feeders and however you catch them they do take some skill to catch.
No Shame in being a Chubber.

 

[Stenonema]

Yes, Embrace the Chub. I like it. That's a shirt. Great pic. Alot of poop? Bigger the chub, bigger the poop. Baritone voice.

 

[TimB]

Here's a Penns Creek Beauty from the first or second PAFF Jamboree in 2001? Caught in the same pool, with the same fly as the brown trout in the Fly Fishing Jamboree photo album.

For some strange reason Dave K. omitted the chub photo but kept the trout pic when he moved the old Jamboree photos from the old PAFF site to the new one several years back. The chub is definitely a prettier fish.

Embrace the chub.

 

[dc410]

Tim B,

Now that's what I am talking about! Nice fish. Here is one I took up on the Little Schuylkill just above Port Clinton. It took a size 4 Chartruese/White Clouser Minnow. It's no wonder they put up a good fight, just look at that rudder. I'm am with ya, embrace the chub!

 

[Stenonema]

Wow, That's a native. Love the blue fins.

 

[pro4mance]

beeber2 caught the biggest chub I've ever seen. Theres a pic on page 6 of the Catskill Jam Final chapter thread in the meetup section

 

[Stenonema]

I can't figure how to get my picture loaded.

 

[dc410]

Stenonema,

Your talking to a computer idiot here. But, your problem may be with the size of the photo you are trying to load. I use a photo manager program with my computer. You may need to edit your photo and choose a web compatible format to size the photo before trying to upload it to your post. I don't know if any of this makes sense to you, I'm sure someone else with more knowledge than me will chime in. I just want to see the picture of your big pathetic croaking chub! He He He !!!

dc

 

[flyfish1998]

Fallfish can be annoying during the rest of the season when I'm targeting bass, carp, trout ,ect. but during winter when nearly everything is gone, fallfish can be a great substitute until spring rolls around. Just how I think about it.

Embrace the Chub! (During winter) lol

 

[Night_Stalker]

Zack kewl vid. I am posting 2 fallfish caught about a mile upstream from your adventure. One was 18" and the other (2 pics) was 19" and had recently been chomped by a muskie (my guess). It stunk.

 

[dc410]

C'mon Night_Stalker you could have easily stretched that one to a 20 incher. I definitely would have believed it. Nice fish! I knew there would be some big ole Fallfish pix floating around out there. The cool part is there are probably guys out there right now trying to top yours. The toothy critter guys are probably trying to figure out what weight rod they need to throw their new 19" muskie fly. :lol: This has been a really cool thread.

 

[wgmiller]

I'll willingly target a lot of species, but honestly, fallfish ain't of 'em! They do put up a decent fight, but I can do without the snorting, sliminess, and other undesirable qualities they possess. I'll keep considering them an 'incidental' catch while targeting other species! 🙂

 

[flyfish1998]

Those are some fat fallfish! I just got home from school and those pictures inspired me to go out and do a little fishing before it gets dark! Yes dc410, I am one of those guys out on the stream right now trying to top his! haha