The Club is a private one, founded in 1877, of approximately sixty-four members and six Town Rod subscribers. The Club's waters consist of about 7 miles of wild brown trout & grayling fishing in the main River Frome, River Cerne and River Piddle, together with attendant carriers and side streams. The waters extend both above and below the town of Dorchester and the Club employs a part-time keeper.
If you have any news or a fishing trip report please email to admin@grhe.co.uk
Latest Post
Big Fish Sightings & Work Party Dates
Firstly as autumn approaches our beloved Frome Valley I have seen a rather encouraging number of three pound plus brown trout on the fin over the last few days while working on both the upper and lower water… These fish are not for the faint hearted and may well require some serious stalking and a huge amount of fly changes before taking….. Good luck!!
Secondly the lovely dedicated guys from the river lab at East Stoke are out tagging the salmon parr on various parts of the Frome over the next week or so, please feel free to stop and have a natter to them about their great work… www.gwct.org.uk/fishing/research/salmon/
DFC winter dates as follows –
Friday 13th October – Tree and flow deflector work, 9am Gasgoyne bridge.
Saturday 14th October – Tree and flow deflector work, 9am Poundbury.
Saturday 11th November – Tree work, 9am Poundbury.
Saturday 2nd December – Tree work, 9am Whitfield Hatches.
Saturday 13th January 2018 – Grayling social and BBQ, 9am Lubbecke Way.
The Club is 140 Years Old
This year we will be celebrating our 140th birthday, the same age as The All England Club Wimbledon Tennis Championship!
This year’s AGM will be followed by an informal dinner topped off with an after dinner speaker, the one and only Mr Charles Jardine, the makings of a most memorable evening I am sure.
We will be organising a raffle for the evening and hope to attract some great prizes, the funds raised will be donated to – Countryside Alliance Organisation Fishing for Schools a fantastic charity that Charles began with the Countryside Alliance Foundation back in 2008.
Your donation of any prizes for this raffle will be very much appreciated, please contact John Aplin 07889 680464 or john@riverworks.co.uk to arrange drop off or collection. I will list the prizes as they come in.
Raffle tickets will be on sale prior to the AGM, also on the big day so please give them a push to family and friends.
The AGM / Dinner will be held on Saturday the 9th of December 2017 (date to be entered in your diaries immediately) at the Wessex Royale Hotel, Dorchester – full AGM details and menu will follow shortly.
Flow Deflectors
The flow deflectors doing their work in the recent rain
Large Tree
A great chunk of Poplar snapped from the top of a tree up on the Cuckoo Pound, this material was used in conjunction with the project we carried out last autumn, we added lots of “LWD” into our existing flow deflectors making them a little bolder than they were.
A great mornings habitat work on our fishing and huge thanks to Bryan, Ian and Robin for their hard work on a scorching hot day!
John Aplin
Big Fish Week
As mayfly season slowly drifts away, I have witnessed two big fish this week and I was lucky enough to catch the first. Lucky that at the end of a long days fishing, I persuaded my tired body to walk back down the river to cover a fish I saw rise to a mayfly dun.
What a fish it was too – a beautiful young fish that was 21 inches (54cm) long, thick and fat, it has been estimated to have been at least 4lb – a stunning way to celebrate my 32nd year fishing the Club’s waters.
While I was chatting to John Aplin & Kev Ackerman down by the river the following day, Trev Stroud telephoned to say he had just landed another big fish. A quick dash down (also bumping into Matt Rosekilly (ex Hon.Treas)) we found Trev with another beautiful fish, this one weighed at 3lb 7oz.
The big fish are still about and feeding on the mayfly – so get out ASAP and catch one yourself….
Shhhhh it’s Started
Today, for the first time in months we had proper rain (at last)…. So Bryan Sennett, Robin Ayles and myself headed to the clubs rather fine new fishing at Affpuddle to trim back a few trees to make wading (with a little care) of the whole beat possible. DONE….
Bryan decided that it could be a good move to bring his trusty “Hardy Smuggler” and a handful of Mayflies… Great plan Mr Chairman, there was a huge hatch of Mayfly and the fish were going bonkers, so in between fuelling the chainsaw Bryan and his net gillie Robin landed over ten Trout and rose probably another twenty… Amazing….
Those rainy muggy days, simply the best fishing days!
So words from Mr Chairman ” I officially declare that the DFC Mayfly season has begun” enjoy ladies and gentlemen…
Yours
Keeper
Three to a dry fly
A pleasant couple of hours on our lovely river this morning resulted in three fish, and of these, the one pictured was by far the best. A beautifully coloured native trout, and although neither weighed nor measured, it was certainly over 14 inches and pretty chunky. I had quite a bit of trouble holding this feisty individual long enough to get some sort of picture with the other hand – and then only got part of it. The two others were of about a pound or so each. These were the only fish I saw rising and all took a dry grannom type pattern happily enough. Strangely my nymph on this occasion found nothing.
Will Bown
Affpuddle Beat – New Stiles
All of the rather lovely fishing at Affpuddle now has much improved access for members, brilliant help from Robin and Bryan.. John Aplin (River Keeper)
Affpuddle Beat
Here are a few snaps taken while fishing the new Affpuddle Beat yesterday – there were grannom & olives hatching, along with a few rising fish. Access to the lower beat is difficult at the moment, but new stiles are on their way.
Please remember the following rules apply to the “Affpuddle Beat”:
1. The fishing is double bank between the Lower and Upper Limits, as shown on the plan. The very bottom section flows through the garden of the Mill House, so please be particularly respectful of the residents if fishing this part. The Mill stream flowing in front of the Mill Cottage is not included in the fishing.
2. The only parking place to be used is shown on the plan, and is restricted to two cars only. If you arrive to find two cars already parked, please move on to other beats ( the Southover Beat of the Piddle is a short distance upstream ).
3. Catch and release only. Please use barbless hooks.
4. No day tickets permitted on this beat, except for guests accompanied by DFC Members.
5. When recording catches, please use the letter “Q” on your catch return card.
6. The meadows adjoining the river have livestock (the farmer is Roger Prideaux). Please ensure to close all gates. No dogs permitted.
7. All other DFC Rules apply as normal.
Rising Trout
Pretty wild trout
New Stiles
Top Hatch
Grannom Hatching
Richard Miller (Honorary Secretary) arrived at the river mid morning yesterday and was lucky enough to witness a enormous hatch of grannom. The first video shows hatching fly & shucks drifting downstream. The second video shows two fish rising and the photograph is of one of the rising fish caught on a grannom emerger pattern.
Link to Dave Collin’s Grannom Pupa Emerger Pattern
Cormorant Watch
Angling’s representative body, the Angling Trust, has launched a new web site for anglers to record sightings of cormorants, goosanders and mergansers throughout the UK: www.cormorantwatch.org The new site is easy to use and will gather vital data to help persuade government of the need for action to protect fisheries. Friends
