Dorset Stour - waters available

[DaceAce]

I have been trying to put together a comprehensive list of venues on the Stour for a Facebook group but it's generally useful; please let me know of corrections. Almost all information from club websites or fishing guides:

Dorset Stour starting at top end. This is not comprehensive and the non-club stretches are generally NOT available! In many instances a club has one bank only.
Clubs with holdings:
Gillingham DAA
Sturminster & Hinton DAA
Warminster AC
Blandford DAC
Dorchester DAS
Ringwood DAA
Red Spinner AS
Christchurch AC

Waters:
Above Gillingham – Not known
Gillingham – short stretch in the town controlled by the council that is free fishing
Gillingham area down to Marnhull – some stretches are controlled by Gillingham DAA including waters at Common Mead, Eccliffe, Harpitts, Highbridge Mill, West Stour, Stour Provost, Trill Bridge down to the outskirts of Marnhull (Catholic Church).
Just above King Mill area – Warminster AC
Above Cutt Mill down to just above Hammoon Bridge – Sturminster & Hinton DAA
Haywards Bridge (Shillingstone) down to Hanford School/Farm – Dorchester DAS
Hanford to Havelins (upstream of Stourpaine – north bank) – Ringwood DAA
Just above and below Durweston – Blandford DAC
Durweston Mill Island – Wimborne AC
Below Durweston Bridge to Nutford (including France Farm) – Blandford DAC
Above Blandford Town Bridge (Deer Park/Crown Meadow) – Blandford DAC
Below Blandford Town Bridge (North bank) down to old railway bridge – free fishing
Below Blandford Town Bridge (South bank) to below Blandford Bypass – Ringwood DAA but Blandford DAC and Wareham DAS members can also fish this water
Charlton Marshall - Wimborne AC have two very short stretches
Spetisbury Island – syndicate
Below Spetisbury Bridge (north bank) to White Mill at Sturminster Marshall via Shapwick – Test Valley AC
Below White Mill to Eyemead – Red Spinner AS
Above and below Julians Bridge – south bank down to Merley – Wimborne AC
Below Julians Bridge – north bank to Canford Bridge – Christchurch AC
Above and below Canford Bridge – south bank, one field above and below – Christchurch AC
Below Canford Bridge from Dream Boats to Wimborne bypass, north bank only – council owned
From old railway embankment at Wimborne downstream on south bank to Canford School and north bank from Wimborne bypass down to end of first field below Canford Weir – Wimborne AC
Second field down, north bank down to Canford Bottom – Christchurch AC
Hampreston – about two miles north bank – Ringwood DAA
Christchurch AC also have a short stretch below the RDAA stretch at Highmead though inaccessible.
Longham Waterworks controlled by waterworks – some clubs have access.
Below Longham Bridge – south bank to just below weir where Millhams Stream enters – BCP free fishing.
North bank below Longham Bridge – Dudsbury Golf Club – Christchurch AC
South bank below Millhams Stream down towards Ensbury Bridge – Christchurch AC
North bank above and just a short field below Ensbury Bridge – Christchurch AC
North bank Parley down to Bounds Farm where it meets Throop Boundary – Ringwood DAA
South bank Brecon Close/Muscliff down to Throop boundary– about two miles – BCP free fishing.
Throop/Holdenhurst – both banks down to Iford Bridge – Throop Fishery – Ringwood DAA
Below Iford Bridge, Tuckton, Wick and right down well into the harbour – SW Water/Ringwood DAA

[Cane]

Very useful. There should be more lists like this available. Locations where fishing is free are hard to discover.

[Barbelbonce]

Very useful. There should be more lists like this available.

I fully agree, Cane.
But it needs the local knowledge, contacts and willingness of individuals to put the work in to generate such comprehensive lists.
Lists such as this are very useful and very rare.
A big Thank You to Mark for leading by example. I hope others will follow his lead.
Mike

[DaceAce]

I have been trying to put together a comprehensive list of venues on the Stour for a Facebook group but it's generally useful; please let me know of corrections. Almost all information from club websites or fishing guides:

Dorset Stour starting at top end. This is not comprehensive and the non-club stretches are generally NOT available! In many instances a club has one bank only.
Clubs with holdings:
Gillingham DAA
Sturminster & Hinton DAA
Warminster AC
Blandford DAC
Dorchester DAS
Ringwood DAA
Christchurch AC

Waters:
Above Gillingham – Not known
Gillingham – short stretch in the town controlled by the council that is free fishing
Gillingham area down to Marnhull – some stretches are controlled by Gillingham DAA including waters at Common Mead, Eccliffe, Harpitts, Highbridge Mill, West Stour, Stour Provost, Trill Bridge down to the outskirts of Marnhull (Catholic Church).
Just above King Mill area – Warminster AC
Above Cutt Mill down to just above Hammoon Bridge – Sturminster & Hinton DAA
Haywards Bridge (Shillingstone) down to Hanford School/Farm – Dorchester DAS
Hanford to Havelins (upstream of Stourpaine – north bank) – Ringwood DAA
Just above and below Durweston – Blandford DAC
Durweston Mill Island – Wimborne AC
Below Durweston Bridge to Nutford (including France Farm) – Blandford DAC
Above Blandford Town Bridge (Deer Park/Crown Meadow) – Blandford DAC
Below Blandford Town Bridge (North bank) down to old railway bridge – free fishing
Below Blandford Town Bridge (South bank) to below Blandford Bypass – Ringwood DAA but Blandford DAC and Wareham DAS members can also fish this water
Charlton Marshall - Wimborne AC have two very short stretches
Spetisbury Island – syndicate
Below Spetisbury Bridge (north bank) to White Mill at Sturminster Marshall via Shapwick – Test Valley AC
Above and below Julians Bridge – south bank down to Merley – Wimborne AC
Below Julians Bridge – north bank to Canford Bridge – Christchurch AC
Above and below Canford Bridge – south bank, one field above and below – Christchurch AC
Below Canford Bridge from Dream Boats to Wimborne bypass, north bank only – council owned
From old railway embankment at Wimborne downstream on south bank to Canford School and north bank from Wimborne bypass down to end of first field below Canford Weir – Wimborne AC
Second field down, north bank down to Canford Bottom – Christchurch AC
Hampreston – about two miles north bank – Ringwood DAA
Christchurch AC also have a short stretch below the RDAA stretch at Highmead though inaccessible.
Longham Waterworks controlled by waterworks – some clubs have access.
Below Longham Bridge – south bank to just below weir where Millhams Stream enters – BCP free fishing.
North bank below Longham Bridge – Dudsbury Golf Club – Christchurch AC
South bank below Millhams Stream down towards Ensbury Bridge – Christchurch AC
North bank above and just a short field below Ensbury Bridge – Christchurch AC
North bank Parley down to Bounds Farm where it meets Throop Boundary – Ringwood DAA
South bank Brecon Close/Muscliff down to Throop boundary– about two miles – BCP free fishing.
Throop/Holdenhurst – both banks down to Iford Bridge – Throop Fishery – Ringwood DAA
Below Iford Bridge, Tuckton, Wick and right down well into the harbour – SW Water/Ringwood DAA

Revised to remove reference to Red Spinner AS as they no longer have water on the Stour.

[Mr B]

I have copied and saved this post.
I am often in Dorset visiting family and friends and often think about a days angling on the Dorset Stour.
Last time I fished it was around 40 years ago around Blandford way??? Not sure now.. it was a lovely stretch of the river.
Thanks for the hard work you have put into this post.

Mr B

[DaceAce]

Glad it's appreciated. At times I'm not sure that some of the club actually know what their waters are.

In the 70s my Wareham club used to fish home and away against Dorchester DAS and we noticed that over the years they seemed to be pegging further and further downstream on the Stour near Child Okeford. One year I won from the downstream peg and a week later DDAS had a club match on the same water only to be turfed off by Sturminster as it seemed Dorchester's water 'creep' amounted to about half a mile and that they were poaching!

[RBTraditional]

Glad it's appreciated. At times I'm not sure that some of the club actually know what their waters are.

In the 70s my Wareham club used to fish home and away against Dorchester DAS and we noticed that over the years they seemed to be pegging further and further downstream on the Stour near Child Okeford. One year I won from the downstream peg and a week later DDAS had a club match on the same water only to be turfed off by Sturminster as it seemed Dorchester's water 'creep' amounted to about half a mile and that they were poaching!

That’s hilarious Mark….
I echo others thanks for your efforts, very useful indeed. Looking through some of the different club websites it would appear that memberships are reasonably priced…..

[DaceAce]

There is now a similar list for the Hampshire Avon - see the Avon forum.

[CraigM]

My thanks as well .

Planning to fish the free stretch at the Nature Reserve , Muscliff on Saturday morning. Will be my first foray on the Stour since my teenage years in the mid 70s.