19/03/2025 - Three Enjoyable Days On The Soar

Tam Miller who has just retired after 36 years in the Scott’s guards, arrived after a two hour drive from the West Midlands arriving at my home spot on 0600 hrs as he told me he, after loading all my gear we set off for the long drive to Loughborough, where we met up with another very good friend Mark Sarul in the Butter Market café in Mountsorrel, after breakfast, it was off to Waitrose for some milk and King prawns, then off to the river, the stretch we chose was deserted of anglers, just how I like to find it, we could rove about trying many swims, though did think we might struggle over the next three days with an easterly wind with a low water temperature of 40 degrees. After getting loaded up with tackle and brewing gear, I made the long walk across the fields then put down my gear down on the bank.

Mark chose a spot where he had fished in the past, Tam chose a swim well upstream after seeing where Tam and Mark would start off. I then walked the length trying to think where to start. I eventually went downstream of Mark. Having chosen my swim from past experience also my knowledge of the area. I baited two small areas with a brown and white crumb mix, one with one with chopped worms enclosed in the mix, the other with crumb and broken prawns , with some loosely scattered prawns. The icy cold east wind didn’t give me a lot of confidence, along with the very low river, but we had come to fish and it was just another challenge. After putting together a float rod matched with a centre pin reel loaded with 4lb bs line, I attached a float stop o the line then chose a red tipped Porcupine sliding float that Micky Erends had made for me taking one SSG shot, after tying on a size 8 barbless hook, I placed the shot about ten inches up the line from the hook, After spending about ten minutes casting around the area to find if one spot was deeper than another, I come to the conclusion it was all roughly the same. Having settled in, I adjusted the float stop so the bait would be well on the bottom, then baited with a lobworm with a plastic gentles holding the worm in place. With a gentle cast I dropped the float a foot or so in front of some dead reeds some twenty feet downstream.

A Good Fish On The First Cast

After no more than five minutes the float moved slowing out into the stream, “That a bite” I thought as I made a strike, the tip pulled down, as line was taken off the reel, to the fishes advantage the river was pushing through for right to left very fast. It felt it was a good fish, “How lucky can I get with a hooked fish within minutes of casting out” As I glanced upstream, I spotted Mark coming in my direction, who soon got his phone out to take some photographs. After an interesting and at times exciting in trying to get line on the reel and the fish closer to the net. After a few more minutes I got my first look at the fish, “Thinking that’s a good four pounder. Soon I had the fish in the net. Out with the scales, I hooked on the weigh bag then adjusting the scales to zero. I then removed the fish from the net to the weigh bag then hooked it on the scales, as I watched the needle go round it stopped at 4lb 14 ounces then settled at 4lb 13 ounces. Mark agreed with me on the weight. After a quick photograph where sadly I got two many fingers in the way. We then watched it swim off strongly. That was the only bite I got all day, even though I tried several other swims with a variety of bait and set ups, I never had a sign of a bite. Mark towards the end of the session had not had a bite, I suggested with the low water temperature he should try a bit of crust on a short link. With ten minutes he had a good fish on, within a minute it was off, on checking the line we could see it was a bite off. Tam meanwhile spent some time spinning, losing a fish. So ended our first day.

A Good Base To Stay

Tam had booked accommodation with a twin room at the Quorn Country Hotel, Leicester road, Quorn Loughborough LE12 8BB Telephone 01509415050. The twin room was very warm, clean and comfortable which included breakfast. I can certainly recommend this place if your fishing the River Soar also for OAP’s a membership card will only cost you £25-00 a year. Day Two On The Soar Today Tuesday 11th March after a good breakfast, we arrived in the club car park around 0830 hrs , soon followed by Mark with his usual friendly greeting “Morning chaps” with a big smile on his face. After sorting out our gear including brewing kit, life wouldn’t be bearable without a fresh brew, even more so in the very icy cold conditions.

Before we moved off I presented my number 2 of 50 crystal tankard to Mark as I know he will value this item, also he is a lot younger than I am. On the river bank Tam chose to fish a well known chub swim, Mark fished one of my old swims, while I went off to fish the swim I had fished the day before. Soon Mark had a 3lb plus bream fishing liquidised bread in a small feeder, with bread flake on the hook, sadly his only fish of the day. I started off float fishing lobworm quickly catching two perch one around the pound mark the other slightly bigger by a few ounces. Later I had a chub about a pound then nothing for about two hours, it was time to go roving with bread, cheese paste and lobworms. Having put away my float rod, I tackled up with a soft Avon action rod matched with a small fixed spool reel with a float stop on the line then a size 4 barbless hook. All the rest of my gear apart from a small bag, seat landing net and rod rest was put back in the car. I reckon I must have walked a thousands yards downstream, often having to push through thick reeds, brambles, climbing under a fence with just a few inches of clearance etc, stopping at various spots to put in some mashed bread or cheese paste. Having reached the bottom boundary, I picked out a spot where some tree branches were trailing in the water, it was also where the flow was very slow, with a water temperature of 40 degrees F I chose to fish a small bit of crust on a short link. I had one small chub about a pound, then moved on back upstream fishing a five more spots for about no more than between ten and fifteen minutes.

Hawthorn Bush Swim

Eventually I arrived at the Hawthorn Bush swim, an area where once before I’d hooked a very good chub while fishing with Mark, but sadly it ended up in the roots of the Hawthorn bush, that fish was hooked on cheese paste. As I walked down stream I put in half a dozen pieces of cheese paste in the swim in the hope the chub still used this are of river. Sitting well back from the river I put my low chair in quietly then laid out my bits and pieces, as I was on a sloping bank, I pushed one of my bank sticks firmly in the bank then hooked the handle of my tackle bag over the bank stick to stop it rolling down the bank into the river. A Nice Chub Baiting with a walnut size piece of cheese paste I adjusted the weight of the plasticine to take in account of the paste, then made a cast downstream I sat holding the rod, it was quite pleasant when the sun appeared, despite the icy cold wind. Every now and again a pair of Teal appeared, on spotting me they went skywards like to fighter aircraft. A pair of partridges, flew across the river from the opposite bank, not the red legged partridges, which are originally from France in the 17th Century during my time in this swim, I had spotted five Kingfishers but they could have been a pair zipping up and down the river. After about an hour the rod tip was pulled round savagely, lifting the rod I felt they weight of a decent fish, often the clutch had to give line, after several minutes I started to gain some line back on the reel, as the fish got closer to the net I slightly adjust the clutch on the reel, it was a good move as when the fish spotted the net it seemed as if it had found a lot more energy, thankfully the clutch gave some line, it was also doing a lot of head shaking. Eventually I was able to draw the fish over the net, it weighed 3lb 12 ounces, after a quick picture I walked well upstream to release the chub.

I called Tam and Mark on my result. I then ended the session with another chub about 3lbs. All the walking and searching had paid off. Back at the car I sorted out the untidy mess so it looked a lot more tidy. Mark had already left and Tam was walking across the field. The good news was that Tam had caught 3 pike. Back at the hotel after getting showered and ready to go out , Tam had sorted out The White Horse Inn at Quorn, it was an excellent choice, the place was very lean warm and bright with no loud music, which allowed guest to talk to one another. Tam chose Fish and Chips, I hose the Chowder as a starter, with pie of the day. We both reckon the food was first class. It was a good place to eat that Tam had chosen.

Wednesday we all once again met up around 0830hrs, it was another cold day with north easterly wind with sleet showers forecast. Today we left all the brewing gear back at the car, Mark and Tam were fishing the top beat, I was going down to my Hawthorn Bush swim, before I left yesterday, I put in about twenty bait size pieces of cheese paste. I used the same tackle and set up as yesterday afternoon, it was so cold today I even had the hood of my coat pulled over my hat, Within fifteen minutes I had my first good take and missed it, a few minutes later I again missed another good bite. I then sat holding the rod occasionally shivering it was so cold, even dressed in thermal base layer, a thick shirt, tweed waistcoat, a fluffy jacket then a heavy duty coat. I was also on a high bank with no shelter, Some twenty minutes later I had a good pull, striking I felt a good weight on the end, it was a hard fighting fish, eventually it was in the net a chub around 3lbs, with a hail storm directly in my face, I decided I wasn’t going to open my coat to take out my camera for a picture of another 3lb chub, also my fingers were icy cold. Taking out the hook I lowered the fish back in the water up stream. In the next two hours I had four more chub all of similar size, but at times I just wanted to go back to the car for some warmth, but no way was I going to give up, when there were fish to be caught. I then had no sign of interest over the next half an hour, I laid the rod in the rest to try and get some warmth into my fingers. Fifteen minutes or so late I had a good bite again missed as it was in the rest. In all I had eight good bites three missed when not holding the rod five chub all of similar size when I did hold the rod. In the end I went back to the car for a brew which was most welcome, it was a big thank you to Mark who saved the day with a small gas cylinder as mine had run out. We all agreed it had been a great three days despite the icy cold conditions and a very low river, in fact I have never know the river so low. We all packed up a bit early as Tam had to take me back to Lancashire then he had to return to the West Midlands. I can’t wait for the next time.

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