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.