Any creek chub experts?

[Coyote_guy]

I have finally found a creek chub spot! A small hole in a creek about the size of a pickup. Have walked up and down the creek within 100yds of where I'm catching them and haven't gotten so much as a bite, but the hole is still holding fish. I have taken roughly 25-30 chubs out of the spot. The creek during a regular season would most likely drain into a small river but with the dry conditions we've had it is no longer connected to the river.

My question for the experts..Does it pay to not over fish my little hole in hopes of them making it through the winter? I'm thinking they'll freeze out though. My guess is their hole is 3' deep max but most of the creek, is now only maybe 1' deep. If the general consensus is that they'll freeze out, I'll gladly keep catching them in hopes that the hole is replenished come spring.

 

[risingsun]

I will come and look at it for you.

 

[CatDaddy]

I will come and look at it for you.

Yes, this ^^^. You need a few experts to really come look at it and assess. I'm volunteering to help YOU.

I know this wasn't helpful but I couldn't resist. Seems to me that you should get what you can out of it and it'll replenish once the water gets higher next spring.

 

[risingsun]

If you catch them and don't know how to care for them and keep them alive for a long period of time, your better off leaving them there. They are fickle sonsabitches to keep.

 

[Rowdie]

It all depends how good of a system you have to keep them alive at home. Keep as many as you can keep alive. The hole will replenish eventually. I'd have to know more about the creek to say more. Traps work good, are you trapping or hooking?

 

[svnmag]

If someone wants to invest in ME and the infrastructure we could do well: PM to become a Chub Mark Cuban without communist sympathy.

The "industry" would take a few years. Immediate inventory not a problem from the Hills.

That is all.

 

[Coyote_guy]

If you catch them and don't know how to care for them and keep them alive for a long period of time, your better off leaving them there. They are fickle sonsabitches to keep.

Got a 100gal stock tank and a pond pump/5gal bucket bio filter. Keeping them in my folk's shop on the side that is kept chilly for storing produce. Got any pointers for keeping them alive and well?

 

[Coyote_guy]

It all depends how good of a system you have to keep them alive at home. Keep as many as you can keep alive. The hole will replenish eventually. I'd have to know more about the creek to say more. Traps work good, are you trapping or hooking?

I'm hooking. The little rascals are darn fun to catch!

 

[Rowdie]

If that creek is spring fed I'd only take as many as I can keep alive easy. BTW traps work good too.

 

[dschaible]

make sure to acclimate them to the new water temperature or they will all die, make sure to cover the stock tank or they will all jump out. dont feed them to keep waste down.

 

[Rowdie]

I'm hooking. The little rascals are darn fun to catch!

There's actually a state record for them.

 

[AaronJ]

I have a small fortune invested in these little a$$holes.

A 300 gallon stock tank, 4 stone bubbler, chiller, 2 circulation pumps (1 for external filter and 1 for chiller) and kio pond filter. I have it covered with carbon mesh screen. Even with all of this I can still get the "ick" traveling through the herd. I can keep em alive for about 2-3 months with no ick. Feed 1x-week (koi pellets, leeches, and crawler chunks). This is about my 3rd or 4th setup. I have killed a couple thousand over the last 6 or so years before coming to my current setup.

As for the initial question.... I'd clean that hole out of chubs. They will not survive the winter in a hole that shallow. You would likely not be able to keep em for long without a good setup though.

Get a JT Panhandler rod from Cardinal outdoors and catch em all hook and line. Nearly as much fun as a day of hunting Walleye.

 

[Rowdie]

I used to have a 150 g stock tank with a filters and a good aerator. I've found it's easiest to just keep them in a minnow bucket with and aerator stuck in the bucket kept in an old fridge. If you have room for an old fridge that's the best and easiest option IMO. I just have a spare 5 g bucket of water that I've let set outside for a few days and switch buckets every few days.

 

[Coyote_guy]

I have a small fortune invested in these little a$$holes.

A 300 gallon stock tank, 4 stone bubbler, chiller, 2 circulation pumps (1 for external filter and 1 for chiller) and kio pond filter. I have it covered with carbon mesh screen. Even with all of this I can still get the "ick" traveling through the herd. I can keep em alive for about 2-3 months with no ick. Feed 1x-week (koi pellets, leeches, and crawler chunks). This is about my 3rd or 4th setup. I have killed a couple thousand over the last 6 or so years before coming to my current setup.

As for the initial question.... I'd clean that hole out of chubs. They will not survive the winter in a hole that shallow. You would likely not be able to keep em for long without a good setup though.

Get a JT Panhandler rod from Cardinal outdoors and catch em all hook and line. Nearly as much fun as a day of hunting Walleye.

What is the advantage of the koi food vs. Gold fish crumbles ? Currently keeping my fish on the side of the shop that's in the 40s for temp throughout the winter. Chiller still necessary?

It would be a blast to catch them on a ultralight rod! I ended up getting a 17' cane pole. Area I'm fishing has fairly heavy cattails along the bank so getting them out without getting hung up is difficult. So far the cane pole has been working great, although one doesn't get to experience much of a fight.

 

[AaronJ]

No specific reason for Koi food vs other. What I bought just works as far as pellet size and not gumming up pumps or filters.

40s should be fine , if not a bit on the "too cool" side. My chiller only gets the water temp down to 58 in the heat of the summer on the south side of my house. Not needed during the fall, winter, or early spring.

Most of my spots the chubs are trap shy. I have learned to truly enjoy the ultralight rod catching of these guys. I have thought of a cane pole for many of my spots that I wish I could reach out farther. Like winter perch, 5-10 feet either direction can land you on a mother load of chubs.

 

[MSA]

I wrote a massive article years ago detailing everything you need to know about creek chubs, it was posted on a couple pro walleye anglers web pages and on here somewhere, maybe the old fishingbuddy, if you can find it, its got everything you need to know in it.