Charlie Ferns caught this magnificent 5lb 7oz chub off the surface with bread on his local River Eden.

“I turned up to the swim and threw some bread in to find the rough area where the chub were located. I do this most sessions as the Eden is a muddy river,” he explained.

“Every 30 seconds I would throw a small piece of bread. The chub started viciously attacking the bread 30 yards downstream, which is unusual because most of the time they just nip at the bread. This made me think it would be worth giving it a crack on the surface.

“I tied my Drennan Super Specialist size 6 hook on to 5lb main line with a John Wilson Avon Quiver and slowly paid line out. After around 15 yards the line seemed to catch the drift and float towards snags and away from the chub. I tried again three times but the same issue arose.

“I was starting to give up hope when my dad suggested I should tie a stick to the line, like an old fashioned controller float. So, once again I flicked out the bread, this time with a stick attached to the line, and was able to get the bread in the exactly the same area that my feed was being taken by the chub. Then, the chub smashed the bait and after a long fight I netted it!”

A great YouTube video from the session can be watched here.