# How to catch creek chubs in winter months??



## ButtaYak (Mar 2, 2015)

How to catch creek chubs in winter months??

Anyone have a go-to strategy for getting chubs to bite when temps are down??...I enjoy catching them with a small hook and rod setup...think little worms would work well?? Anyones opinion would help...Thanks guys and gals


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## westbranchbob (Jan 1, 2011)

Tiny ice jig with a maggot under a small float...in the slower holes close to cover...they will hit.


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## ButtaYak (Mar 2, 2015)

westbranchbob said:


> Tiny ice jig with a maggot under a small float...in the slower holes close to cover...they will hit.


good stuff, thanks


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## garhtr (Jan 12, 2009)

I catch many on small trout nymphs, sizes down to 16 or18. They seem to prefer black in my area, use just enough spit shot to take it slowly to the bottom.
Good luck and Good fishing !


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## c. j. stone (Sep 24, 2006)

Pinmins and maggot should work well. I also catch a lot in the middle section of the Chagrin usually while drifting a fly or small jig tipped w/ a maggot for steelies(Many more chubs than steelies!)


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## buckeyebowman (Feb 24, 2012)

garhtr said:


> I catch many on small trout nymphs, sizes down to 16 or18. They seem to prefer black in my area, use just enough spit shot to take it slowly to the bottom.
> Good luck and Good fishing !
> View attachment 200046


Good tip! When fly fishing western PA (primarily Slippery Rock and Neshannock creeks), I catch so many creek chubs it isn't even funny. Any generic nymphs will do, primarily Hare's Ear and Pheasant Tail nymphs. The Hare's Ear is a kind of a "catch all" nymph. It suggests all kinds of things. The Pheasant Tail uses a lot of peacock herl, so more green than brown. A good one to have in your arsenal. Don't know what it is about peacock herl, but sometimes it will pull fish when nothing else will.


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## creekcrawler (Oct 5, 2004)

You could always order some teeny, tiny Tenkara hooks and tip them with a little tiny bit of anything, shrimp, bacon, maggot. Did it in my creek behind the house with an ice rod just so I can say I got a fish in the backyard.
In colder temps, they will be holed up in the deeper, slower pools, btw.


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## westbranchbob (Jan 1, 2011)

As an added note...theses are prime baits for spring fishing. I use them under large pole floats...way more energetic than a regular minnow.


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## GULPisgreat (Mar 17, 2009)

ButtaYak said:


> How to catch creek chubs in winter months??
> 
> Anyone have a go-to strategy for getting chubs to bite when temps are down??...I enjoy catching them with a small hook and rod setup...think little worms would work well?? Anyones opinion would help...Thanks guys and gals


Crappie tubes, Crappie sized jig heads. Try tiny sized gulp minnows. Send me a pm. Maybe we can get together and I'll show you some spots and tips.


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## Northern (May 6, 2008)

I've fly fished a creek by my place that can theoretically get a steel head run. Tried twice in the last couple weeks with small egg patterns (~#12) and caught plenty of chubs! Which I really don't mind much as I grew up fishing for chubs as well ;-). As garhtr said above small nymphs of any kind work great as well. As far as spin fishing goes my favorite for cold water chubs is a black or white 1.5" or 2" mister twister grub on a 1/24 oz or 1/32 oz jig. Tiny tubes as well. If there is a temporary warm spell, the smallest rooster tail you can find will often catch the largest chubs in the creek!
Have fun!


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## Tritonyounggun (May 4, 2015)

Growing up in cricks I would catch them with a little piece of bread rolled into a ball and put on hook but have seen people catching on little chunks or worm we used to catch them in minnow trap with bread also


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## JohnJH (Feb 3, 2015)

Gulp wax worms on pinmins floated through deep holes near the bottom is what I've been doing


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## Bassbully 52 (Feb 25, 2014)

I had a friend who used to eat them. Anyone ever eat them? I know people who used to eat suckers from the same creeks...so.


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## Skippy (Dec 2, 2009)

Never cooked any up but have put a number threw the smoker. Gut and pull the gills then pin the belly open with a toothpick. Hardest part is once you start taste testing them there's nothing left to finish smoking.
I just use a small hook, splitshot and a tiny piece of worm for bait.


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## Doboy (Oct 13, 2008)

Thanks Skippy,,, so they are GOOD EAT'N?
And, many years ago, an Old-timer told me that he use'ta deep fry 'em just like smelt.??????
Would somebody please try that, & tell use how it goes! lol I could catch a million of them things.
Like younggun said, 4# flouro, small steelhead float, #14-16 hook & a 1/4" piece of red worm. Beaver Creek is our Eastern place to go!


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## Bassbully 52 (Feb 25, 2014)

My old friend was French and he said they were very popular to eat in his country I also had a friend in High school who ate them. We had a creek with allot of 8-9" chubs so they had some meat on them.


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## fishing pole (May 2, 2004)

I goggled it. Apparently they are good to eat and can get quite big in certain areas


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## baitguy (Dec 17, 2013)

1/32/ 1/64 1/80 jigs tipped w/a piece of worm / maggot etc. on an ice fishing rod, tight lined or under a small bobber


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## ezbite (May 25, 2006)

i use them for bait. i use a wire cylinder minnow trap (the kind with a small hole on both ends) with some dog food in mesh wired to the inside. find a little creek, leave it in overnight. word of warning, if you plan on using them for bait and want ot keep them alive in a bucket or aquarium, make sure you cover it. i remember catching some last spring and i forgot to cover the aquarium and all (7 or 8) were dead on the basement floor the next day. they like to jump...


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## baitguy (Dec 17, 2013)

ez, you got the jumping thing right ... I have an aquarium I store bait in, I threw a few of them in there w/o a lid, the minnows and crayfish never jumped out, but several of those rascals were on my garage floor the next morning


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