European chub

For European chubs other than this particular species, see Squalius.

European Chub
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Actinopterygii Order: Cypriniformes Family: Cyprinidae Genus: Squalius Species: S. cephalus
Binomial name
Squalius cephalus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms
Leuciscus cephalus (Linnaeus, 1758)

The European Chub (Squalius cephalus), sometimes called the round chub, fat chub, chevin, pollard or simply "the" chub, is a freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae. It frequents both slow and moderate rivers as well as canals and still waters of various kinds.

Description

Unlike the European chubs, the American chubs have a large head, a large mouth with thick, fleshy lips and a meaty white belly. Size and length vary depending on habitat.^{[citation needed]}

Fishing for chub

German chub catch from the typical environment

European chub are popular with anglers due to their readiness to feed, and thus to be caught, in almost any conditions.

Small chub are freely-biting fish which even inexperienced anglers find easy to catch. As they become larger, however, chub become more wary and are easily spooked by noise or visual disturbance. Consequently, large chub (in excess of 2 kg) are keenly sought by anglers who prefer to target specific fish.

The British angling record for chub was broken in May 2007 when Steve White caught a 4.2 kg (9.2 pound) fish from a southern stillwater on a mainline boilie.^[1]

Tackle

Small chub can be caught readily on light tackle: fly-fishing gear, a lure rod or a float rod, for example. Lines and hooks can be small but baits are often of a relatively large size due to the chub's "greedy" nature.

Larger chub, especially in floodwater conditions, need to be fished with more substantial tackle: a stiff to moderately stiff rod, a strong line, strong hooks and a large bait. Such enhanced equipment is needed due to the chub's predilection for taking cover in underwater snags. They frequently conceal themselves in deep holes or under the roots of trees, etc, and venture out to feed before returning quickly to cover.

As with most species, chub will readily take any natural bait. In addition to natural baits, however, chub are renowned for their voracious appetite and will often be caught on baits as diverse as cheese, sweetcorn, bread, earthworms, and wasp larvae.

Pictures

Head of a European chub

This juvenile can be recognized by the big mouth. The dark net-like pattern is starting to form on the scales.

References

• Leuciscus cephalus (TSN 163581). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved on 11 March 2006.
• "Leuciscus cephalus". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. 3 2006 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2006.