Chalk Stream · Chalk · Dorset

River Piddle

A weir on the River Piddle chalk stream near Trigon Farm, Dorset, with clear water flowing over the structure surrounded by rural countryside.
Marginal · Brown Trout
Black Gnat · 16-20
Marginallive now
Slow going — pick your moments
River temperature is the limiting factor today, not the flow. Fish dawn or dusk if you go at all, and handle everything with extra care.
80% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.16 mLast reading 3h ago
  • Water temp20.3°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Black Gnat
Black Gnat16-20
Upstream dry, on top
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.16 m
Last reading 3h ago
Water temp20.3°C
ClarityClear
Weather29°C
WindS 13 km/h
Pressure1020 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

Live readings — water temperature is an estimate where the gauge does not record it.

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Warm — slow
20°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Brown Trout
When
Nymphing can work through most of the day.
Where
Cover mixed depths.
Method
Start with tight-line nymphs and adjust if fish rise or drift higher.
Kit
9 ft #4 rod, floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 4–5 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Water at 20.3°C — above the brown trout caution line (18°C). Fish dawn or dusk only. Land it fast, wet hands, no air shots.
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 6pm

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 11 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds with Pro.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 3 with Pro.

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Evidence
Survey-backed · regionalHigh confidence

Backed by regional invertebrate surveys; no sampling on this exact reach yet.

Through the year
0–3 scale · August highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
1
Grayling seasonSeason
2
2
1
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
Brown SedgeHatch
2
3
2
Freshwater ShrimpHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Blue Winged OliveHatch
2
3
3
3
3
2
Mayfly (Green Drake)Hatch
2
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Brown Trout fly box
Local classics: Pheasant Tail Nymph·CDC Olive·Iron Blue Dun
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Cooler water nearby · 1
Water here around 20°C — probably warm enough to stress Brown Trout . These are likely cooler.
Damerham Trout Fisheries
33 km
~20°C
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Gallery · 2
  1. A weir on the River Piddle chalk stream near Trigon Farm, Dorset, with clear water flowing over the structure surrounded by rural countryside.
    The River Piddle near Trigon Farm, a chalk stream weir close to Wareham, Dorset.
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 80%
How the 26 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature21 × 28%5.9
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time60 × 13%7.8
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity64 × 12%7.7
Limiting factor: Water temperature (20.3°C) is outside Brown Trout's preferred range (10–16°C)= 62
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitysurvey-backed invertebrate datasurvey
What would change the calculation
Cooler water — back toward the 10–16 °C ideal band — would lift the score and ease welfare.
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 April → 15 October
  • Grayling 16 June → 14 March

    Statutory window is 16 June – 14 March. Mostly private syndicate water — treat October to February as a provisional working default and confirm with the beat.

    Typically fished 1 October → 28 February.

    Prime sport 1 October → 28 February

Related guides
Chalkstream Playbookchalk stream tacticsTrout Near Londonaccess guideEuro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts
Clubs & associations