Fishing venues in Leicestershire

Numerous opportunities for fishing

The delightful and historic county of Leicestershire offers numerous options for coarse and game fishing with its main river, the River Soar, a tributary of the River Trent, as well as the River Wreake and Sence offering a variety of fishing. Then there’s the Ashby Canal and the Grand Union Canals plus a host of day-ticket commercial coarse and game fisheries and stretches of river, lakes and canals which are run by local angling clubs.

Leicestershire offers plenty of day ticket coarse fisheries

Whether it’s a pleasant day’s pleasure fishing or hunting down specimen carp, there’s plenty of opportunities for coarse fishing in Leicestershire with coarse fisheries near all the county’s major urban centres.

Peat bog to pretty pools

First developed over 30 years ago on the site of a spring-fed peat bog, Peatling Pools is a pretty five pool venue offering a range of pleasure fishing for anglers of all ages and abilities plus two new pools – Plough and Harrow – which are reserved for club matches. Across the road from the entrance to Peatling Pools are the Peatling Match Lakes which form part of the same complex.

Whetstone Gorse Fishery at Countesthorpe has two attractive pools, a carp pool and a mixed fish lake. The venue offers carp to over 20lbs and was stocked a few years ago with barbel. Another pretty venue is Dave’s Pool at Temple Farm at Wolvey near Hinckley which has nice carp to just over 30lbs.

From potato field to fishery

In 1995, international match angler Roy Marlow decided that a potato field in a village on the outskirts of Leicester would make a great fishery. With help from friends and a donation from The National Lottery, Roy developed the 36-acre Mallory Park Fisheries which today is acknowledged by some as one of the best venues in the county. Another major site is the 100-acre Frisby Water Park which consists of two mature gravel pits of 36 acres and 16 acres as well as a stretch of the River Wreake. The waters hold specimen carp as well as silver fish.

Trout fishing in local reservoirs

Although there is a limited amount of trout stream fishing in Leicestershire, most of the county’s game fishing is centred on the county’s main reservoirs.

Offering fly and lure fishing for trout and pike, Cropston Angling controls the fishing on the 100-acre Cropston Reservoir just three miles north of Leicester and is a site of Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI ). Run as a not-for-profit membership only fishery, the fishing is from bank or boat with several levels of membership tailored to suit anglers’ requirements and budget. Cropston’s trout fishing season runs from April 1 until October 31. Members are allowed to fish for pike with fly during the trout season and conventional pike fishing techniques in winter. It is a private site with no other boating activities and its own dedicated parking areas at points around the reservoir. Several points on the bankside are close to the car parks making them suitable for disabled and elderly anglers.

Situated 10 miles from Leicester and four miles from the M1 motorway, Thornton Reservoir is a 75 acre picturesque fly fishery offering fishing from its banks, boats and float tubes. It is run by the same people who manage fishing at the 400-acre Eyebrook Reservoir Fly Fishery which borders the counties of Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire and the famous Draycote Reservoir fly fishery in neighbouring Warwickshire.

There’s plenty of angling clubs in Leicestershire

There are many angling clubs in Leicestershire which offer a variety of fishing on rivers, lakes and canals. The Broome Angling Society has more than 14 waters and provides membership of Leicester and District Amalgamated Society of Anglers whilst the Greenhill Angling Club has a number of waters in the south Leicester area which offer fishing in some truly beautiful peaceful locations including lakes in Thurlaston, Cosby and Fortway Fishery at Stoney Stanton.

The Loughborough Soar Angling Society controls a wide variety of river and canal fisheries between Barrow Upon Soar and Kegworth in Leicestershire including many stretches of the River Soar as well as lengths of the Grand Union Canal, Zouch Canal, Kegworth Canal and a couple of lakes. The Asfordby and Melton Society of Anglers have stretches of the River Wreake as well as the Club Lake at Lakeview Fisheries and the Ashby Angling Club offers season ticket holders exclusive access to 10 venues in the Ashby and Coalville area. These are just a few of the many clubs available.

Leicestershire County Council Parks

Leicester County Council offers day ticket fishing on several of their parks as well as season tickets for residents who live in the county. These tickets allow local anglers to fish waters not available to Day Ticket holders including Watermead Park in Leicester and Snibston Grange where two lakes are available.

There’s plenty of fishing tackle shops in Leicestershire

As is to be expected from a county well endowed with anglers and fisheries, there are plenty of tackle shops in Leicestershire with nearly all the major towns being well supported. These include not only Leicester itself but Wigston, Melton Mowbray, Oakham, Earl Shilton, Mountsorrel, Ashby de la Zouch, Ibstock, Oadby, Coalville and Hinckley.