Classic Chalk Stream Fishing - Delightful Danicas In Dorset

FRED STEYNBERG dabbles in the gentler side of the art in the cradle of fly fishing.

- Fred Steynberg

 In May this year, a friend who now resides in Exeter in the UK invited me to visit him. Having never been to the UK before, I took up the offer and immediately asked about the possibility of wetting a line on a chalk stream while there. Mario du Preez, also an avid fly angler, made some enquiries and booked us onto two beats on the River Piddle in Dorset, about an hour-and-a-half’s drive from my friend’s home in Exeter. But first, we spent some time in London and I had a chance to pop into the world-renowned Farlows fishing tackle shop in Piccadilly Circus before taking a coach to the famous university town in Devon. Following a few days of sightseeing in Exeter, Mario and I packed our fishing gear and set off along the scenic route to Dorset county. This rural countryside is a patchwork of pastoral farmlands intersected by narrow roads which are flanked by high, clipped hedges. Rabbits scurry for cover beneath the hedges, while above, wild pheasants roost. The old homesteads are built right on the edge of the road, reminiscent of scenes in Agatha Christie’s crime novels. Centuries old cathedrals proudly stand as timeless landmarks in almost every village and display the workmanship of gifted old stonemasons who probably lie buried in their courtyards.

We stopped in at Richard and Sally Slocock’s farm (called Lawrences Farm) on the edge of the village of Tolpuddle to pick up our beat permits and get directions. Richard is a well-known fly angler in the UK and was a long-serving chairman of the Wild Trout Trust. He was also a founder member of REFFIS, the fly fishing guide accreditation school, and he trained, instructed and qualified many aspiring fly guides and casting instructors. The Slococks own a couple of cottages on their property that they rent out to anglers and visitors. Richard manages and allocates fishing waters under the name of Wessex Fly Fishing.