April 1st 2023
A month of wind and heavy rain isn’t exactly what we needed for a days fishing on the 1st, it will hopefully keep the river full for the coming season. The last two days have seen even heavier rain and the Frome was full and coloured. My only hope of casting a fly was to visit the Piddle Valley and fish our Southover beat.
Even the river here was high and coloured, but not enough I thought to stop me fishing. Armed with a small nymph and lots of hope, I ventured over to the lower wooded stretch. The rain started again and my enthusiasm started to drain away, but one little trout took my nymph, my 2023 season had started.
When I reached blue/green bridge it brightened up a little, time to switch to a dry fly and had three rises to it. Not a bad mornings fishing, two trout and a few rises along the way.
On my way home I stopped to look at the Frome, it was high, not as coloured as earlier, but with clouds of newly hatched grannom – if the rain holds off I think the Frome will be fishable in a couple of days and the Piddle & Cerne will at their best.
Just received a report from a member fishing the Upper Water, three on the nymph, no surface activity seen, plenty of hatching grannom.
River Piddle Brown Trout
Celandine
River Frome & Grannom
Leave a Reply
The Club
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.
4 Comments
I clearly should have kept moving past Affpuddle – a very light hatch with no movement and no interest in nymphs. Well done!
Great pictures John, glad you started your season with some action. I was in the Piddle valley today and the water looked in fine form.
Thanks Simon and today I suspect it will fish well 🙂
Thanks Richard, Southover is a little shallower, which I suspect helped me.