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RiverDay ticket

Sowley, Fiddleford Pool and Trail Bridge downstream to Wesper Brook

A cracking middle-Stour stretch running from Sowley through Fiddleford Mill Pool, past Trail Bridge and down to Wesper Brook. Proper varied water too — deep pool fishing, winter roach shoals and mobile chub work lower down.

Run by Sturminster and Hinton Angling Association · checked 6 Oct 2026 · boundaries only partly described by the club

The lowdown

  • Fiddleford Mill Pool is the headline bit, but don’t expect endless pegs. There are relatively few swims, with the deepest water tucked along the upstream wall and left-hand bank.
  • The pool drops to roughly 14–16 feet in places. Steep banks can get properly slippery in winter, so a long-handled landing net is a bob-on bit of kit.
  • Keep an eye on the turbine on the far right bank. It can alter the water height and even flip the current direction quickly — worth watching before settling in.
  • Sowley is generally deep, averaging about 10 feet at both ends, with a few swims touching 14 feet. Chub, roach, rudd, perch and pike make up the main interest.
  • After floods, larger bream may turn up on Sowley. A bit of colour and extra water could make this section especially interesting.
  • Below Fiddleford Pool, both banks can be fished. The river is around 6 feet deep before it starts to deepen again around Trail Bridge.
  • Trail Bridge is a proper winter feature, with roach shoaling over the shallows. The deeper water nearby also pulls in pike and perch, so pack a few options.
  • Below the bridge, the left bank fishes down to Wesper Brook. The right bank towards Hammoon is available too, but it’s a long hoof from Fiddleford.
  • The lower section is mostly shallower with some deeper swims. It suits mobile chub fishing with a quiver tip — keep moving, find the crease and look for fish on the munch.
  • Dog walkers commonly use the left bank beside the pool, so give them room. Access is through Fiddleford Manor car park, with an uneven single-track approach that needs careful driving.

Methods: There’s plenty to go at: work the deeper pool and Sowley with feeder or float tackle, keep an eye out for winter roach around Trail Bridge, then go mobile with a quiver tip for lower-section chub.

Access & tickets

Day ticket

Association River Stour venues; buy before fishing online or from listed outlets.

£10 (as listed 6 Oct 2026 — check before you go)

Weekly ticket

Association River Stour venues; buy before fishing online or from listed outlets.

£20 (as listed 6 Oct 2026 — check before you go)

Day tickets can be bought online through the Sturminster and Hinton Angling Association website or from listed outlets. Outlet purchases require cash, and tickets must be sorted before you start fishing.

Fish the club names

bream, carp, chub, roach, pike, perch, rudd, tench

Key rules

  • Tickets must be purchased before fishing.
  • No tickets are issued on the bank.
  • Outlet-bought tickets require cash.
  • Park considerately.
  • Drive carefully on the uneven single-track approach road.

Coarse fishing on English rivers is closed from 15 March to 15 June inclusive. That's the law for coarse fish on rivers — it's not a club rule, and game-fishing seasons work differently.

GOV.UK — Freshwater rod fishing rules: when and where you can fish

River level

River level integration coming for this stretch.

Where it is

Pins mark the access postcode each club gives, not the bank itself. Exact boundary map: see rights holder.

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