Dorset Streams – Chalkstream Fly Fishing

Chalkstream fly fishing on the lesser known Dorset Streams offer a wonderful fly fishing experience, with notable rivers such as the Frome, Piddle and Allen, along with plethora of winterbournes and streams, provide a rich habitat for wild brown trout and grayling. The lower river also sees reasonable runs of salmon and sea trout.

Challenging and rewarding fly fishing

To walk along these babbling waters of the Dorset Streams is to pass through the pages of a Thomas Hardy novel. Recent river work has gone a long way to restoring these rivers to an almost self-sustaining wild habitat, perfect for wild brown trout and grayling to flourish.

The chalkstream fly fishing on the Dorset streams can be challenging, but the rewards are great. As a result these waters can produce very large wild trout and grayling. With flourishing water quality the river life is abundant and fly hatches occur consistently through the year including a strong mayfly appearance in early June.

The smaller streams fish best in the early part of the season before the ranunculus weed beds reach their full summer growth. During the height of summer the River Frome can be a delightful place to fish. The long evenings see good hatches of olives and sedges that can have brown trout rising well into the darkness.

Over recent years, chalkstream fly fishing on the Dorset streams has had a growing reputation as one of the best rivers in the country to target big grayling. Through the late summer and autumn this is primarily sight nymphing. In the winter times methods turn more to deep nymphing techniques.

PERFECT FOR LONG WEEKENDS AND OVERNIGHT STAYS

Unlike the River Test, Fly Fishing on the Dorset streams is further away from London, although still easily reached whether you drive, fly or get the train.

For those looking for longer stays in the area, we can combine different chalkstream fly fishing beats on the various Dorset streams. There are numerous accommodation options suitable for all types of stay, from self-catering cottages and small B&Bs to full Country House Hotels.