Leicestershire Fishing Venues

Our guide to places to fish in Leicestershire including information on venues, and contact details.

Charnwood Water, nr Loughborough
The big carp from this water have proven difficult to tempt, but those prepared to put in the hours should now start to reap the rewards. Halibut pellets and fish meal boilies are both worth a try, also expect a late appearance from some of the lakes specimen sized tench. The pike population are prepared to chase lures and good sport can be expected with fish into low double figures spoons, soft rubber baits and small jerk baits are all worth a go. For day tickets or information ‘phone the Leisure Centre in Brown’s Lane, Loughborough, on 01509 611080.

C.J’s Fishery, Saddington
All three lakes provide cracking sport with the slightly smaller more obliging fish in Alders Lake consistently producing match weights to three figures. All the usual carp baits are working, but casters, paste or pellets to the far shelf, or up in the water are sure bankers for a good session. Top pegs have been down in the 30s or around the middle of the lake, not necessarily for numbers of fish but for the larger specimens. Pleasure nets on Willow Lake have been excellent and with winning match weights near to the “ton” topped by a super 153lb on red maggots. Fish averaging 5lb but approaching up to 11lb are showing to a multiple of baits including pellet, cat-meat, chum mixers and bread. Best pegs are down the bottom end if the wind is pushing that way or along the wide 20′s bank. For the larger fish it’s best to target the margins late in the day or try and target individual fish on dog biscuits. They are usually obliging. Mallard Lake has been in form with match and pleasure anglers plundering the pasties in nets approaching 50lb. You could sit anywhere on this lake and be guaranteed a bumper catch, one tip is to arrive early as this mixed lake is becoming more popular every week. For the venue latest and match bookings contact Nick Davis on 01162 478101.

Frisby Pits, nr Melton
The usual pegs 1 – 3 and the low 50′s are producing reasonable catches of skimmers with the odd bigger bream to 3 lb showing up. Pole fished hemp has been catching some good nets of roach. Another method well worth trying for the roach is pinkie or big red maggot fished over groundbait. Zander, which run well into doubles here, feed in earnest now with the car park on the road side, pegs 47-52 and the green bank all worth a go. Small dead baits fished into the hours of darkness being the most successful method to try. For season ticket information and match bookings ‘phone Secretary Mike Smith 01664 500586 www.asfordbyandmeltonsocietyofanglers.com or Match Catch 01162 600850, Syston, Melton Carp and Pike Centre 01664 650800.

Fiveways Fishery, Wolvey
This two lake fishery is now owned by Paul and Karen Merchant. It is also a family camping and caravan site. Kestrel is the ‘specimen’ lake and boasts fish over 25lb, including a known mirror of 28lb. All the usual carp baits work here and “floaters” are productive here. Night fishing is allowed on this lake by prior arrangement and there are 40 available pegs. Mallard is for the match and pleasure angler and this 60 peg lake is producing plenty of fish including the newly stocked ‘stockie’ carp.. Hot areas are the pegs where you are able to reach one of the three islands especially at the tackle hut end. There are on-site tackle and bait facilities and also a well run café (bacon butties can even be delivered to your peg). The fishery is open from 7:00am ‘til dusk and for advice and booking telephone 01455 882961 or 07944 685297.

Grand Union Canal, Kilby Bridge to Leicester pleasure
This Wigston AS controlled water is fishing well, with tench catches and bream and roach available for a successful pleasure session, The turning bay down to Kilby Bridge Lock is still offering good sport, with maggot or caster the top baits over groundbait on the long pole being the preferred method. Odd tench are still showing at the Crow Mills section at South Wigston and at the nearby Manor stretch but a switch to hemp will see a few quality red-fins in double figure nets.
Consistent water colour and flow is the key at the “Dog Kennels” at Aylestone and the Twelve arches stretch further downstream. Colour and flow and bream will be the targets and just a ‘tinge’ means the roach will respond. The usual baits, caster, worm, hemp and bread will be the best choice. Contact Adam Nurse for dates, details and the latest news on 07860 112000.

Loughborough Canal
Pegs 1 – 8 between Loughborough deep lock and Belton Road Bridge have been producing skimmer bream to ground bait tactics fished down the main track of the canal, while chub have been caught with caster fished to far bank features. Hemp seed has proved successful at the bottom end of the swing bridge with pegs 18 to 20 being some of the best. The section below Bishops Meadow Lock to the Soar mouth has seen some quality perch and chub showing up, with chopped worm and castor being the successful baits here. For the bigger perch try half a lob worm on the hook. Some big carp have also been spotted and these could be well worth trying for those willing to sit it out on big baits. There are plenty of small fish to go for around the scrapyard through to Millers bridge but in the colder weather these fish will start to migrate towards the pegs in the town centre. For more information ‘phone Bennett’s of Mountsorrel on 01162 302818.

Mill-on-the-Soar, Broughton Astley
The fishing is consistent at this mixed fishery, with plenty of bream and roach to be caught from every peg with carp showing in most areas. Bags approaching 60lb are winning the matches here and with different pegs requiring different approaches the locals are really being tested in there decision making, a quick chat to venue owner Fletch revealed that the pegs round the island seem to hold more carp than the open water pegs and are best approached with standard carp methods, bomb and halibut pellet or inline method feeder. He also let on that if you fancy a mixed beg head for the early pegs where plenty of bream and odd larger carp, up to 20lb, are usually obliging on long pole and pellet or inline method feeder. For details on the Tuesday and Saturday opens ring Fletch on 01455 285924.

Nanpanton Reservoir, Nr. Loughborough
Fishing can be mixed here, with lots of carp cruising in the surface layers but all of them wary of taking surface fished baits. Cooler weather should see sport improving with the fish feeding on the bottom, there is now a good chance of catching fish into double figures with a good chance of a 20 amongst them. Fishmeal boilies being the baits to try. For those wanting a days sport with roach and perch try fishing casters or maggots just over the marginal weeds with waggler or pole. Day tickets for this pretty water are available from Bennetts on 01162 302818.

Peatling Pools, Peatling Parva
The fish are feeding confidently on the match lakes with the pole line becoming productive in warmer weather. The fish still aren’t feeding with a vengeance tight in the margins but a well presented bait at around five meters should see a few fish in your net at the end of the day. Top weights on both lakes are all over the ton with plenty of backing weights, best baits include pellet, corn and meat but never forget bread which is probably the best but also the most overlooked bait on these two prolific lakes. Sport on the pleasure lakes is always reliable if not spectacular with bags of roach and catches of skimmers to 50lb being reported. These lakes must boast some of the best silver fish fishing in Leicestershire. Baits for the silvers include pellets, casters and maggots all fished on the drop on either pole or waggler, while the carp are falling to corn or meat in the margins or a feeder fished out towards the center of the lake.! Contact number for match bookings or venue latest is 01162 478222.

River Soar
Despite running low and clear the natural river from the Osier beds at Barrow on Soar down to the Eleven Arches and Little Meadow is fishing reasonably well especially on the swims with a little extra flow. Hemp fished on light rigs is accounting for some quality roach and chopped worm fished close to features is also producing catches of perch. Barbel anglers have found action hard to come by during daylight so it is well worth fishing the first few hours of darkness for a chance of a bite or two, with halibut pellets or boilies the most likely baits. Lures fished on the shallower stretches should now see some action from pike in the 3-8 lb range. For the bigger fish try the deeper navigable stretches at Barrow, Sutton Bonnington or Kegworth with legered or float fished dead baits. On a negative note, floating Penny-wort is now causing problems at Mountsorel and Barrow deeps. This fast growing weed has made many pegs un-fishable. For up-to-date information ‘phone Bennett’s of Mountsorrel on 01162 302818.

River Wreake
Roving tactics with natural baits is the way to go for chub up to 4 lb. Downstream of Brooksby road bridge and Thrussington are well worth a try, as is the Crows section behind Frisby pit where cheese paste has been the successful bait. Systonby should now be coming into form for the bigger roach – caster or bread flake should prove successful and pegs 24 – 26 are still liable to produce a tench or two, this species has also put in an appearance on the Red Lodge section. Lots of other areas on the river are still very weedy and difficult to fish but as it dies off the fishing should improve. For Wreake AC season ticket information ‘phone Bobby Grycuk on 01162 839 103 or Asfordby and Melton, Mike Smith on 01664 500586.

Spring Grange Fishery, Beeby
The “Specimen” lake is now back to its best form and the bigger fish now seem to be prepared to have a go. Well presented baits over a few freebies are sure to score while the weather stays mild. The bottom mixed-fish lake is still giving great sport with roach, bream, tench and small carp falling to maggot, corn pellet and meat. Hot food is available and if you book in advance, you can even reserve your favorite swim. Night fishing can be arranged here but advanced is booking is required. Contact John on 01162 595648 or 07714 454666 for the latest venue news.