What you're looking at
The chub (Squalius cephalus) is the river angler's friend — a long, brassy, broad-mouthed cyprinid that takes almost anything thrown at it. Most rivers in England and Wales hold chub; many Scottish lowland rivers too.
Key features
- Body: Long, cylindrical, only mildly compressed — torpedo profile, not slab-sided.
- Mouth: Disproportionately large, with thick, fleshy white-pink lips — a "bucket" mouth.
- Scales: Large, dark-edged, giving a netted appearance. Brassy-gold flanks, dark back, white belly.
- Fins: Anal fin convex (rounded out); dorsal slightly concave. Pelvic and anal fins tinged orange-red.
- Tail: Slightly forked, dark.
- Size: Most chub 0.5–2 kg; specimen at 3 kg; UK record over 4 kg.
Confusion species
- Dace: Much smaller, slimmer, concave anal fin (not convex), small mouth.
- Big roach: Deeper body, red eye, small terminal mouth — easy to separate up close, harder at distance.
Where to find them
Pacy water with cover — undercut banks, fallen trees, weed rafts, bridge piers. Chub feed all year and are often the best winter target on a river. They eat anything: bread crust, cheese paste, slugs, small fish, mayfly nymphs. Wary in clear summer water — stalk close, fish small.