THE CHUB - Leuciscus cephalus
The chub is dark brown on the back,with golden brown sides and lighter belly,and the anal and pelvic fins being orange. Although found in some still waters,it thrives in the running water and steady flow of lowland and middle reach rivers.
With over hanging trees, under water weeds, reeds, rafts of debris and under cut banks.These are all essential to the chubs habitat.
The chub also likes to bask in the sun on a hot summers day. But they are spooked easily when approached so a stealthy approach is needed when stalking this species.
The chub is omnivorous meaning,that they feed on other fish, insects and vegetable mater like weeds and berries,and can often be found under an over hanging bush or tree gorging itself on the berries. They do not have teeth in their mouths like you and I.
They have a pair of large pharyngeal teeth, these are crushing pads located at the back of the throat, and can crush just about any food that the chub might eat. The chub normally spawns between April and June depending on water temperature,when the adults move up stream to shallow gravely runs,were the eggs are laid up to 100,000 in number, and fertilised over gravel and weeds on the river bed.The young fry hatch about nine days later.
When after consuming there yolk sack,they will then feed in shoals on microscopic organisms, till the shoal is big enough to feed on larger aquatic insects and fish. Then even when they are adult,will still shoal. It is only the largest of fish that break away from shoaling to become solitary. A specimen chub is considerd to be 5lb plus.
