| European chub | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| 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 in Europe.
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The distribution comprises Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iran, Italy, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom.[1]
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.[2]
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.