DREAM DRAW ON THE GRAND UNION CANAL
It’s a peg packed with perch and chub
THE ‘lock peg’ on the swing bridge stretch of the Grand Union Canal at Loughborough is one of the UK canal circuit’s finest.
Winners of winter open matches often come from this peg right next to the lock above Belton road bridge.
Fish seem to be present all year round, and when there is no match on, pleasure anglers can fish it on a day ticket. WHY? The peg has features galore including the lock itself, a concrete bank, an overhanging bush and lots of width. There are lots of perch to 3lb, and the bush and lock inlet hide chub to over 4lb which probably got into this stretch via the nearby River Soar or from Wood Brook. HOW? Angling Times recently visited the cut here to shoot a feature with Shakespeare Superteam captain Darren Massey, who bagged up on quality perch and chub. For the perch he fished tight to the concrete bank about 14.5m across on the pole, kick-starting his swim with just two lobbies and 10 dendras chopped into a mush with a small handful of casters added.
For the chub Darren fished into the lock cutting, targeting the far-bank bush with a dibber float.
“To get the chub feeding I would feed the swim in the same way as for the perch but then fire a few casters over the top every 10 to 15 minutes” he said.
Rig-wise, you don’t want to fish too light, as the fish run big in here. A 4x14 dibber with 0.14mm line fished straight through is about right. CONTACT: Bennetts Angling, 0116 2302818 PRICES: £5 from local tackle shops in advance, Loughborough Soar AS LOCATION: Grand Union Canal, Belton Road, West Extension, Loughborough, LE11 5XH RULES: No night fishing