I cannot believe but it has been over one year since I have added to my blog – very lazy indeed. However, due to work commitments it really has been that long since I have managed to cast a line.

A break in work contracts sees me making a dash to a river – the Dorset Stour. I have made many trips to the Stour over the years to find it always in flood, and at times actually in the surrounding fields; but not this trip.

I’d arranged to met a friend at one of the mills that align the Stour, but like an idiot, I was actually at the wrong one. Non-the-less I fished on. Trying my luck at first in the actual mill pool, but plagued by ignorant dog walkers leaving their dogs off the lead and trampling all over my bait and tackle made me move on. Around one mile walk up stream I found a barbed wire fence with relative easy access over to the river bank. Here I would not find any intrusion. I was still in earshot of the numerous idiots shouting of their beloved animals with some of the most weirdest names. Anyway, those now did not bother me.

Setting up a twelve foot float rod, I struggled to find the depth of the swim and concluded it was far deeper than twelve foot. Setting the float around ten foot produced no action. shortening the float changed the situation somewhat. I found that fish were lying around eight foot (although I am positive the big ones would have been deeper).

Finding numerous Roach, Dace and a couple of decent sized Perch was sublime especially in this October weather. I don’t ever recall, but I could hear the grass hoppers chirping away in the long grass, but this is October, what a day!