Celebrating 50 Years of Fishing the Dorset Stour

‪@MarkWintleFishing‬ Although I tried to catch fish from the Stour in 1972 my first proper attempt was in a match in September 1973 at Child Okeford. To celebrate this event I've gone back to a nearby stretch with similar tackle (an Edgar Sealey Contestant rod from 1969 (used an Edgar Sealey Black Arrow in 1973), an ABU 506 from 1972 (used an ABU 505 in 1973) and small balsa float) and the same tactics, a pinch of bread flake on a 16, to recreate the method.
50 years later I catch some nice roach plus a couple of good bonus fish which the old tackle handles well.

[@andrewjackson9603]

Brought back happy memories. I also first fished the river in that area about 1973. Gordon Smallwood used to take me and a few others from the dorchester club. I remember winning a junior match against Wareham sometime around 1973 or 1974. I won with over 6lb of Roach from towards the end of the long straight upstream of the bend above the footbridge at Childe Okeford. I won another senior match this time from below the bridge a year or two later with over 10lbs of Roach. I went for a walk up by the footbridge a year ago. The place was unrecognisable! I gave up match fishing in my early 20s though was reasonably successful at club level. Happy days. 🙂

[@MarkWintleFishing]

I remember the name Gordon Smallwood; my dad knew Stan Strange and Eric Sherwood through work. I vaguely remember interclub junior matches in the mid 70s, though after I'd become a senior in 1973. DDAS water at Child Okeford stopped someway upstream of the foot bridge but over the course of a few years in the 70s DDAS crept downstream so that by the end of the 70s they were fishing almost down to the bridge until a match where S&HAA turned up to fish THEIR water. After that (1981?) the DDAS v WDAS matches were fished downstream of the road bridge. I still have an old Ordnance Survey map with the correct boundaries marked from when DDAS and WDAS had a water-sharing tie-up. I walked right up to the old top boundary in 2013 and it was all very overgrown. In the early 80s the mill leat island just above the footbridge became an otter sanctuary and upstream of that there seems to be a plantation which is around about where I was pegged in 1973. I only had one good result up there, winning from a swim 200 yards BELOW the footbridge, i.e, poaching! I'm still hopeful of someone letting me fish further upriver.

[@andrewjackson9603]

Good luck then in getting up there. Yes I knew Stan ( I think I annoyed him he didn't like me beating him) and Eric. Eric was another excellent kind supportive bloke that took me out a few times. Living in Weymouth there were and still are few Coarse fishing opportunities so they sort of took me under their wing. Mick Wiffin, the old Wessex bailiff, was another one that took to me for some reason. They were happy times. I keep saying I'm going to have a day or two up there at Childe Okeford so perhaps this winter I will.

[@MarkWintleFishing]

I knew Mick Wiffen late 70s/early 80s. I was once chatting to him on Wareham Quay when an angler caught a 2lb out of season seatrout and put it into his basket. Mick told me to watch him whilst he fetched his warrant. Mick returned, opened the basket, scooped out the still alive seatrout and dropped it back in the river with the warning 'Don't let me catch you again!'.

[@andrewjackson9603]

@MarkWintleFishing Yes that sounds like Mick. He used to take great delight in winding up the old dorchester blokes when they were beaten by a 14 year old! No longer with us now sadly. I liked him. He was a typical brusque northerner though!

[@beckett28]

Congrats Mark on your 50th Anniversary fishing trip . At the time my cherished rod was a Sealey Blue Match , loved it and fished it with an Abu 506 . Happy times

[@MarkWintleFishing]

Although I'm very much a fan of modern carbon rods this Sealey rod continues to delight and surprise. The man who owned it had used it very little as I think he was mainly a sea angler. I've had a 13lb carp on it so far. Although my old ABU Mark 6 has a better action it's far heavier.

[@JohnSmith-ro2lg]

Congratulations Mark, a fabulous river to fish, I first fished at Sturminster newton in the summer of 62, fished at the mill, Sam the miller was still full time then so the flow was changing as he diverted the water , caught a few nice chub, got broken up by all the bigger ones, tackle was so much different then , had great roach tench and perch too, fished there for many years, last went before the covid thing, hope to go again,,

[@MarkWintleFishing]

Over a decade ago I fished at Shillingstone one morning in winter and the mill was being worked so the flow changed a number of times during the day, with the level altering. The big roach of old are very scarce now; still the odd big ones on the lower river.

[@daniellarson757]

Hello Mark. Im from Massachusetts. I just discovered your channel. I’m excited to subscribe. I love using the authentic tackle but I haven’t found a good rod yet. I like using the Mitchell 300’s

[@MarkWintleFishing]

The Mitchell 440A is my favourite; in the UK it's known as the Match, and ideal for fine lines of 2 or 3lbs.

[@WolfmanWoody]

I tried out my old Shaky Sigma Match a couple of years ago. Didn't realise how whippy they were, first cast and I lost my float and end rig in the trees on an island. 🤭 Don't understand why you had the problem with the 506. I'm a CF reel fanatic and rarely do I have a problem. It would only happen if I overload the spool.

[@MarkWintleFishing]

I think it was just one of those days; too much slack line and a facing breeze.