I used to fish for pike when I first joined the Club, but the rule of killing all pike didn’t work for me so I stopped. I’m not sure why I haven’t fished for these toothy critters since, because we can now return them!! After a failed attempt with John Aplin to catch a River Stour pike on the fly, I thought I would have a go on the Club’s water.
I cast the fly into a pool where John had recently seen a pike and it wasn’t long before there was a reaction – dam missed it. No worries, they say that pike will come again and it sure did. This jack pike gave a great fight and I was really pleased to catch my first pike on a fly. This wasn’t the first pike I saw because it was a lot smaller, so after 10 minutes I refished the pool and again he came for the fly. I was attached to this bigger pike for a second or two, enough to realise these are seriously ferocious fish and I would need to buy a bigger landing net!!!
I fished a few other likely looking spots but I failed to find another pike, which I guess is good news for all the trout & grayling!!
Why not give this a try, you will need a 8# or 9# rod because the flies are huge and so can the fish! Flies are easy enough to tie and I just used a 5/0 sea hook, plenty of glitter (raid your Christmas decorations!!) and a lead dumbbell weight – these are 20cm long!! If you don’t tie flies, you can purchase them at Sportarm, Dorchester along with wire traces etc.
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.
Price £60 per ticket per day or three days for £120
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