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Smeaton’s Lakes — River Trent section

Smeaton’s Lakes has a proper little River Trent offering at Great North Road, Newark, with seven dedicated river pegs. It’s a day or night ticket venue, and the Trent section is promoted especially for barbel and chub.

Run by Smeaton’s Lakes · checked 13 Oct 2026

River level

Measured — Environment Agency

North Muskham gauge

Nearest EA gauge we've matched — it isn't on this stretch, so levels on your peg will differ.

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We don't publish an "ideal level" — nobody can promise one. Flood water is dangerous: if it's up and coloured, stay well back from the edge. Open River Ready

The lowdown

  • This is a mixed venue covering around 90 acres of lakes and parkland, with the River Trent adding a very different challenge from the stillwaters.
  • There are seven dedicated fishing pegs on the river. Not loads, so getting organised before you go is a bob-on idea.
  • River pegs are available for day fishing and night fishing, but pre-booking is required or highly advisable. Don’t just turn up and hope for the best.
  • The open season runs from June to March. That gives you a decent window to have a go, with the river changing character as the months roll on.
  • The venue particularly promotes barbel and chub for this Trent section. Proper river targets, whether you fancy feeder work or a more mobile approach.
  • The river offers changing conditions, so expect a different challenge from the lakes. Keep an eye on the water and be ready to adjust your approach.
  • With only seven pegs, each swim is worth having a good look at. Find the pace and features in front of you, then fish to what the river is showing rather than forcing it.
  • There’s ample on-site parking for visitors, and the supplied postcode is NG23 6ED. Handy for getting parked up without a load of faff.
  • The wider site also includes Reed Lake, Burrows Lake, Willows Lake, Binghams Lake and Finger Ponds, so there’s plenty going on beyond the river.
  • It’s a venue with clear, sensible controls: barbless hooks only, no live bait or nuts, no keep nets, and no unattended rods. Under-18s can’t night fish unless accompanied by an adult.
  • We're not sure on ticket prices for this one — check with the club or local regulations before you leave.

Methods: For the Trent, barbel and chub are the headline fish. Feeder fishing or a mobile, water-reading approach are the obvious ways to tackle a changing river, while the right swim and conditions will do plenty of the talking.

Access & tickets

River Trent day fishing

Day fishing available from June to March. Pre-booking required or highly advisable.

River Trent night fishing

Night fishing available from June to March. Pre-booking required or highly advisable.

Pre-booking is required or highly advisable for River Trent pegs. Contact Smeaton’s Lakes on 07450 669 047 for fishing queries and current ticket arrangements.

Fish the club names

barbel, chub

Key rules

  • A valid Environment Agency rod licence must be carried at all times.
  • Barbless hooks only.
  • Live bait is not allowed.
  • Nuts are not allowed.
  • Keep nets are not allowed.
  • Maximum of two rods.
  • Rods must not be left unattended.
  • Littering and fires are prohibited.

Coarse fishing on English rivers is closed from 15 March to 15 June inclusive. That's the law for coarse fish on rivers — it's not a club rule, and game-fishing seasons work differently.

GOV.UK — Freshwater rod fishing rules: when and where you can fish

Where it is

Pins mark the access postcode each club gives, not the bank itself. Exact boundary map: see rights holder.

Community reported

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