On the downstream end of the ‘horseshoe’, there are narrow boat moorings on the opposite side of the river, stretching right up beyond the bend. These are holding areas for chub and bream, and on the right day produce excellent catches.

The remainder of the river pegs on this marsh can all produce excellent catches of chub or bream.

Best baits for chub are meat, lobworms, caster or maggot, best baits for bream, red-worm and/or caster, or maggot. Most chub fall to straight lead or block-end feeder, with groundbait feeder for the bream, with bream (to 5 lb) predominating during the warmer months, after which chub (to 5 lb+) dominate catches. This is also an excellent stretch for catching roach (to 1lb+), skimmers, perch, gudgeon and bleak, throughout the whole of the season. It can respond to pole, waggler or stick float tactics, loose feeding caster, maggot or hemp, with same on the hook. Sometimes groundbait introduced at the start of a session can prove productive.

9 lb Zander taken in Autumn 2006 from 'The Horseshoe' 

 During the winter months there is excellent sport to be had with pike, which run well into double figures in size.  During Autumn 2006 a zander weighing 9 lb was landed, so fishing for these may also prove worthwhile.  An 8 lb barbel was landed by another angler around the same time, and during 2009 several barbel 'doubles' have been caught.

LEVAS would welcome enquiries from anyone wishing to join the Bailiffing Team covering this stretch of water.

Directions

• From M1, J24, take the A6 towards Kegworth and Leicester.
• Take the first turn left (signed Kingston, Sutton Bonington).
• Continue until you pass pub on left and reach bridges over river Soar and canalised stretch.
• Cross the bridges and park in car park on left (near to canal lock gates).
• Do not park on road side.
• On foot from car park, turn left towards bridge and cross the road.
• For the upstream stretch, pass through gate on left, just before bridge over ‘canal’. After 40m of canal you reach the river, and the LEVAS stretch continues upstream to the weir.
• For the ‘horseshoe’, cross the canal bridge and enter marsh through next gate (on left). The LEVAS water is the whole of this marsh (from the canal bridge on your left, in a large horseshoe, to the river bridge on your right. 

This is an extremely attractive, and arguably the most prolific, stretch of the River Soar, offering members very contrasting and excellent sport. The stretch is divided by a weir. Above it the river is deep (2½ to 3m) and slow moving, whilst below it there is the weir-pool, shallow runs, bends and lots of character.

The stretch above the weir (known as ‘the Deeps’) is rarely fished because access is difficult due to overgrown bank-side vegetation.

However, for anyone prepared to make the effort, there is a huge shoal of large bream present on this stretch that can offer superb sport. It also holds carp, pike, perch, roach, gudgeon, bleak and chub. Best methods are ground-baited swim feeder, pole or waggler, with worm, caster and maggot most popular baits, with bread a good alternative. 

Although the carp fishing on this stretch is largely undeveloped, it does hold a reasonable stock of the species.  Carp up to 22 lb have been taken, but sport may be hampered by the huge bream shoals that make pre-baiting for the carp a difficult prospect.

Below the weir the river becomes much shallower. The pool itself can provide wonderful sport for barbel and chub, and below the pool there are a number of challenging swims, again with barbel and chub as the main quarries. Although the venue holds large numbers of barbel and chub, other species (roach, bleak, perch, pike and the odd bream) can show, and can respond to a wide variety of methods.

The stretch is developing into wonderful specimen barbel water, and has already produced a number of “doubles”, with individual fish in excess of 13 lbs during 2009. Because the river is heavily weeded, anglers are advised, for the safety of the fish, to use robust tackle when fishing any of the pegs below the weir.

Levas would welcome enquiries from people prepared to join the Bailiffing team that covers this stretch of water. 

Directions

• From M1, J24, take the A453 towards Nottingham. Adjacent to the Power Station, turn right to Ratcliffe-on-Soar, and follow signs to village.
• At village follow sign ‘Church only’. A LEVAS club notice is on the left just past the church.
• Park (carefully) on grass verge before sign. After parking by the Church, members should turn right over the fence into the weir field, and walk down marsh to river