The Willows North Muskham

02/11/2026

October 10th was World Mental Health day. Were many of you even aware of that? Most of us are taught to keep that stiff upper lip, get on with life, not show emotion, that there is always someone worse off. But we're all fighting something. And you regularly see and hear us rattling on about how fishing offers fantastic benefits for mental health.

We like going bigger and better though... So for the whole of October, we put our money where our mouths are and ran completely free of charge overnight fishing on the family and friends section to anybody that had already fished with us or has helped look after our space as a massive thank you. We tried to get you away from the hustle and bustle of every day life and spend some time out in nature with your loved ones or enjoying some quiet time alone.

Some of our locals have complained that they've seen tents, bivvies, vans etc, but what we've seen is anglers coming with their partner, kids, siblings, parent, grandparent, friends etc and having a night out in the open, sharing stories, talking about their lives and what is going on with them. I've heard grown adults crying, and luckily more of laughing, but more importantly - *really* talking because that is all they have to fill their time waiting for the bite. I've seen people sharing their tips and tricks, swapping bait with strangers, helping each other out, swapping numbers and agreeing to meet up with their new friend who they didn't even know existed the day before.

So whilst some people want to go on about this huge commercial operation we are supposedly running, we'll keep offering something that money can't provide. Not a single penny crossed paths on the private section but lots of smiles certainly did.

We love the times on the bank talking to you all, having conversations with you that are deeper than you probably tell most people in your life and seeing you with a smile. It's what it is all about. We're so grateful to every single one of you that has spent time with us.

We hope you enjoyed the family and friends pegs! We've loved seeing you guys back, catching up on your lives and giving something back to our very own little community.

Thank you for following all the rules we set out and all of the messages and pictures sent through. It has been great 🐟🎣

02/11/2026

We know it is a boring post but please be mindful of not leaving left over bait at the end of your day on the bank. It attracts rats. It doesn't happen often so we assume it is by accident, we've been extremely lucky with our anglers.

Leftover groundbait, pellet, boilies, sweetcorn, spam, maggots etc can all be frozen. You can also add in some cooked, cheap white rice coloured with a few drops of red food gel to make it look like maggots. Just remember to get it out of the freezer the day before so it doesn't just float off 😂. A bit of molasses is great for a refresher too! Any other tips from you all are more than welcome, we will try anything once, twice if we like it.

If you don't want to freeze it, take it home to bin it, give it to another angler, put it in the river or lake - we don't mind as long as it isn't left on the bank please 😁

Thank you for everyone helping us keep things clean - it is always appreciated 🐟🎣

31/10/2026

We had a great visit from Amanda and Chris who were doing their yearly barbel fish.

Amanda managed to talk to a few of our regulars and add some local insight to her already vast knowledge.

Huge thank you for visiting us, we love the video and the pictures that were being sent through at the time. You were both a pleasure to have on our stretch and the locals loved chatting you guys.

Glad they managed to get you some waders down for the second night though, it was brutally cold. You did fab and really caught the essence of the Trent wholeheartedly. It is a beautiful stretch. 🐟🎣

Also a massive thank you to Ben and the Angling Direct team at Newark for the helpful donation of line disposal tubes earlier this year to help protect the wildlife near us. We know it doesn't stop incidents from other clubs and locations further up but has been very useful for our anglers who have rescued ducks and swans from fish line as they've come downstream. It is massively appreciated and a great addition to the other steps we have in place for the local wildlife 🖤.

🎣 Can Amanda Beat Her Barbel PB on the River Trent? It’s time for...

10/10/2026

John got his PB with this barbel on the river yesterday at 13lb!

And because you've posted it on Swimbooker as a verified catch report and we're in the giveaway mood, you've also netted yourself a free day of fishing.

As will the next 5 people that post their catches as a catch report and the next 5 to leave a review!! 🐟🎣

https://swimbooker.com/fishery/12460

08/10/2026

Andy sent through some great pictures from his visit this week - 3 barbel from pegs 19 and 20. The one pictured was 11lb. We're looking forward to seeing you again next week 🐟🎣

08/10/2026

Lovely Thursday morning treat - our team are feeling super grateful to the Rights of Way team refusing our application for enforced gates to restrict access and stop things like this happening 🙄.

29/09/2026

Anyone that hasn't already made a plan for the invite only event next month, please get in touch if you're interested so I can secure your places!!

20/09/2026

With that smile, we'd call that a success!! Fab catch Lewis, thank you for sharing it 🐟🎣

17/09/2026

It's not just me feeling the blues with the weather, right? Feeling stuck indoors and needing to get outside in nature before the weather really turns? Needing to enjoy those riverbank views on the Trent just a little longer?

If you have already fished with us previously, you want a freebie, with someTHING we don't usually offer, someWHERE we don't usually offer it - drop a comment with one of the following: a fish emoji 🐟, a catch picture from any of pegs, picture of your set up from any of our pegs OR a sunrise/sunset from our land.

I want to give you first refusal on my plan before I make it public knowledge!

🐟🎣

13/09/2026

Thank you for sharing your river catches with us Darren - pegs 10 & 13!
3 Barbel weighing in at 11lb 8, 10lb 11 and 10lb 1. Great angling!