The River Frome

[Andyman]

Just returned from a three week motor home tour of Devon and Dorset, really surprised at how busy everywhere was with campsites pretty full and difficult to get decent pitches at short notice.
Took with me some basic tackle just in case.
On the way home decided to stop of near Bradford on Avon to see my son and his family, not seen the Grandkids for some time. The campsite was a rustic place but decent facilities and had the River Frome running through it. Not a river I know so last evening I decided to take a rod and investigate. Found a nice looking swim with a overhanging tree just downstream which looked very fishy. Baited up with flavoured sweetcorn and spread a few free offerings around the edge of the current in a nice little crease, about 8 feet from the bank. Plumbing had found a depth of just over four feet so float set I was about to cast but was interrupted by a couple of wild swimmers from the swimming club 200 metres downstream. They swam back as soon as they saw me and I now had the swim to myself.
Second cast resulted in a long and lean chub of 2 lb 9 oz, fought well and tried to make the sunken fence post to my left. This was followed by a couple of chub around the 1- 1.5 lb mark but the last cast brought a really hard fighting fish of 3 lb 14 oz to the net. This one made to tree roots in its first run but I managed to free it with some brute force.
Just over an hour fishing had resulted in nearly 10 Lb of chub. Quite unexpected
Does anyone here fish the Frome? I understand it is a good grayling river further downstream.

[Wallyboy Rob]

The free tidal stretch at Wareham is noted for large Grayling and Roach along with good sized Pike.... It's on my to do list

[DaceAce]

You were on the Somerset Frome which joins the Bristol Avon just below Bradford on Avon not the chalk stream Dorset Frome which flows into Poole Harbour just below Wareham. I can't remember the last grayling I caught on the tidal Frome below Wareham but probably 20 years ago, There are some further upstream on the game fishing stretches, some of which open for coarse fishing in the winter through local clubs. Similarly the pike don't like the tidal water either.

[Dave Burr]

I used to fish the Frome at Farliegh HUngerford Andyman. It was great for roach (some big one's too), dace, chub, perch, bream and a few barbel that are now all gone (otters). Never saw or heard of grayling though.

[Andyman]

So the Dorset Frome is a different river. Did not realise that.
The spot I fished was less than a mile from Farleigh Hungerford. There was a Riverside footpath to the castle.

[Olly]

The Dorset Frome - is very different! A salmon & sea trout river with tickets costing a fortune.
Winter coarse permits - November to February - are available but rare! Mostly in the lower reaches.

Wareham is a tidal town with a small stretch of free fishing that has produced some roach over the years. Farther upstream is Dorchester with a very long waiting list for Dorchester Fishing Club! Salmon/sea trout/brown trout waters.

(Just to confuse - there is a Dorchester town and angling club on the Thames.)

[Catfish.017]

The free tidal stretch at Wareham is noted for large Grayling and Roach along with good sized Pike.... It's on my to do list

There are some huge Roach in the 'free' tidal stretch and the best place to catch them is on what the locals call The Quay, basically a carpark immediately downstream of the main road bridge. You also have to be aware of the Four Tides a Day phenomena I think unique to Poole harbour. It had me scratching my head on my first visit! A visit to the tackle shop just up the road soon put me straight. If it's still open it's worth a visit to see the photos of some immense Roach. I only managed one in three visits but it was a 2/1/2 pounder so well worth waiting for on an afternoon when the Frome was over its banks up at Dorchester but just brimming on the Quay. I didn't have a clue what the state of the tide was at the time, with all the extra water I don't think it mattered that day!

[Phil Arnott]

I've fished the Frome at Wareham for thin-lipped mullet. The last time I fished there I had three thin-lips, two bass and two pike. There was a guy fishing nearby catching roach and dace. Here's me with a thin-lip.

[DaceAce]

I've fished the Frome at Wareham for thin-lipped mullet. The last time I fished there I had three thin-lips, two bass and two pike. There was a guy fishing nearby catching roach and dace. Here's me with a thin-lip.

As I misspent my youth in Wareham it's interesting that you can now spin down there are you certainly couldn't for many years, and with bailiffs on site pretty much all the time there was no chance of getting away with it but I haven't actually seen life in that boathouse for at least a decade though I suspect they do venture out into the Harbour. The biggest pike I ever saw in the Frome apart from a dead 30lber in Dave Swallow's freezer awaiting setting up was an enormous one just above the bridge which was taking mullet on a very low tide.

[Phil Arnott]

If you are using a small baited spinner, as I did, it was obvious you were after the mullet and not migratory fish so nobody objected.

I'm pretty sure Mike Ladle, who probably still fishes the Frome, had a lure caught 30lb pike.

A superb river the Frome I wish it was on my doorstep.