Leuciscus cephalus - Chub

Phylum: Chordata - Class: Actinopterygii - Order: Cypriniformes - Family: Cyprinidae

Young chub are sometimes mistakenly identified as roach, but as they mature the difference becomes more noticeable: chub are much more cylindrical and robust in structure, and they usually grow a lot bigger than roach.

In Britain a chub can reach 10lb in weight, and very occasionally they come close to twice that size on the mainland of Europe. The British rod-caught record chub weighed 9lb 5oz; it was caught by Mr Andy Maker from a stillwater in southern England in 2007.

Chub are plentiful in the rivers of eastern Wales, and in particular the rivers Wye, Dee and upper Severn; they are also very plentiful on most English rivers.

Chub usually spawn in May. A large female (up to 12 years old) can lay 100,000 eggs. They are sometimes found in lakes (where they have been stocked, of course!), but they can breed only in flowing water.

Young chub feed on aquatic invertebrates, notably the nymphs of insects. The adults are aggressive predators and feed on young fish. As well as traditional worm, maggot, bread and cheese baits, chub specialists sometimes use slugs as bait to lure specimen fish. In summer, chub will also rise quite readily to a dry fly.