Now that the summer heat has past, it was time to fish the Upper Water. The river has been refreshed from the previous weeks flash floods, these have cleansed the gravels, ready for the winter spawning trout and salmon.
It was good to see a few rises at the tail of the first run and wasn’t long before a small trout took my size 18 GRHE. But I should have checked the surface film before selecting my fly, there were a good few black gnats drifting down. I switched my fly to a small black fuzzy one and the trout were really up for this one.
The deeper faster runs I tied on a small shrimp pattern and continued to catch some beautiful wild browns, nothing over 10″, but good to see so many juvenile trout.
Walking back across the field to the car, I noticed a good few Autumn Mayfly, aka daddy-long-legs. If you do decide to head out before the end of the season, make sure you have a few of these in your fly box.
Autumn fishing can be difficult, but also rewarding when things go right and you’ll never know it you don’t go.
PS> where has all the Himalayan Balsam gone, yes there are still patches, but not the huge swathes that occurred a few years ago?
Hungry Trout – GRHE with a dash of orange
Sparkling Gravel
Battle Worn Shrimp
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 12 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.
The Angling Trust's guidance for anglers during this second lockdown. Fish safely, locally and respect the ‘rule of two’ during lockdown Click Here :-- Advice for Individual Anglers
Price £50 per ticket per day or three days for £100
Day Tickets are only available during the trout season and only on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays & Bank Holidays. (season 1st April – 14th October)
The Police have made it quite clear that poaching is a crime in progress covered by the 1968 Theft Act. Members should always call 999 to report it and not phone the keeper. Without a report the police will not be aware of the extent of a problem.
If possible note or photo vehicles.
Stress if you are vulnerable/elderly or at risk of intimidation..
In order to give the call handler an accurate location they recommend putting the “what3words” app on your smartphone. Click here…
Angling’s representative body, the Angling Trust, has a web site for anglers to record sightings of cormorants, goosanders and mergansers throughout the UK: www.cormorantwatch.com The site is easy to use and will gather vital data to help persuade government of the need for action to protect fisheries.
Invasive plants and animals can carry diseases that kill fish, block waterways and banks, interfering with fishing. They can be small and hard to spot, so are easily spread on damp clothing and equipment.
Protect the environment and fishing you enjoy, by keeping your kit free of invasive plants and animals.
To find out more please visit
the NNSS Website