My stretch

[Homer Simpson]

I moved home in November and am now a 15 minute easy bike ride from a fairly remote bit of the GU.
I have been there today to fish. First time I have wet a line since October .
It's a glorious spot and I can fish from a meadow on the opposite side from the tow path so whist I can see passers by I am completely undisturbed.
The one downside was, I never had a hint of a bite in three hours !

[Catfish.017]

That's the thing with canals, the fish tend to be very nomadic and often favour the stretches where bait is going in regularly. I suggest you pre bait several spots in your chosen area over a few days. This should hopefully draw a few fish in. It has worked for me on a fairly barren stretch of the Coventry Canal. One or two of my swims are now producing modest returns with two or three days between baiting. Tight lines.

[Homer Simpson]

Before Covid, I used to fish stretches near the town with easy parking, so they were popular, sometimes it was a fish a chuck.
I doubt my new stretch sees any bait going in for months on end.

So I need to pre bait.
First I need a new saddle for my bike, it’s a while since I used it and the seat was like sitting on a knife just ordered a comfort seat from Amazon.

[Gobio Gobio]

I love the GU canal, I spent decades fishing it. I had to be in central London today and noticed how crystal clear the Harrow Road GU was. It was cleaner than I remember it years back when I fished it, no obvious trolleys per say and didn't look too bad. I hope the narrow boats start moving about to get some colou back into it, that and some lock action would do the water and fish loads of good.

[Mark99]

Being remote could mean the black plague have had a field day. Also check it's not been dewatered recently for a breach or lock gate failure. If you want to share the length (I understand you may not want to) I can check as I belong to numrous canal navigation forums and get CART notices being a narrowboat owner.

[Homer Simpson]

Being remote could mean the black plague have had a field day. Also check it's not been dewatered recently for a breach or lock gate failure. If you want to share the length (I understand you may not want to) I can check as I belong to numrous canal navigation forums and get CART notices being a narrowboat owner.

I think if I were a fish, I would decide that there’s no point in hanging around the stretch as there’s no food going in. Once my bike seat arrives, I will start a bit of baiting up.
The spot is Woodthorpe bridge, just downstream from pillings lock. Between Loughborough and barrow on soar.

[Mark99]

I'm not aware of any recent dewatering there. It's a long pound especially as the nearest lock (Pillings Lock) is a flood lock which in normal river levels has both sets of gates open (upper and lower gates - confuses some people) meaning the fish are not trapped in the pound and can come in and out of the canalised section from the river Soar.

In addition you have the Pilling Lock marina as a "nursery" (that will be rammed with fish).

There was a lock repair at Loughborough Lock a few years back but that affected the northern section above your section. They used IIRC a system of local stop planks so no full pound dewatering above your section.

[Homer Simpson]

Mark,

The section you have in red is probuably the best canal bit in the area. Winter Match weights are often 20 lbs . I don't fish matches but it's a club water and that was after the work they did on it.
But...... I have stopped fishing there since covid as it is very busy with walkers.

[Mark99]

Loughborough Lock - temporary "stop plank" metal dam (saves dewatering the pound to sort out the damaged upper lock gates). 2014. Photo Richard T.

[Mark99]

Mark,

The section you have in red is probuably the best canal bit in the area. Winter Match weights are often 20 lbs . I don't fish matches but it's a club water and that was after the work they did on it.
But...... I have stopped fishing there since covid as it is very busy with walkers.

Oh ok - interesting. Being urban perhaps the black death have kept away.

Your section has so much potential. Got to be worth prebaiting. If you pass Pillings Lock in summer, spring, you will notice both sets of gates are fully open - boat just motors straight through. They are only closed (and probably locked) at high water levels to stop Loughborough flooding. It means there is no barrier to fish migration from Soar to canal and visa versa.