River Cerne
Charminster
Charminster is a fishing beat on the River Cerne. Syndicate members only. Membership is the main route on, but it is worth asking, as many clubs keep guest or taster days open.
How to book
Fishing details
Charminster at a glance
- Rods
- –
- Difficulty
- Expert (4/5)
- Length
- –
- Water type
- main river
Fishing methods
Fly methods
Charminster is The Little Syndicate’s beat on the River Cerne, a chalk-stream tributary that joins the Frome at Dorchester in Dorset, one of five beats spread across the syndicate's Frome, Piddle and Cerne waters. The beat splits into two distinct halves: the lower stretch is fished wading, tight under trees, while the upper half opens out into meadow.
The beat holds Brown Trout, Grayling, wild and unstocked, and every fish goes back. Trout run from April to mid-October, with grayling from mid-June through to mid-March. The change in character from one half to the other, enclosed and tree-lined below, open and airy above, gives the beat more variety than its modest size would suggest.
It's syndicate water only, capped at 25 anglers a season, with no day ticket, booked through John Aplin. Worth knowing about if you want a taste of the Cerne, a smaller and much less written-about chalk stream than its famous neighbour.
Stocking and fish species
Rules and policies
Where Charminster is
The beat's boundary, with parking where we have it.
50.74137, -2.45713
The river
River
A Dorset chalk stream of 10 miles, the River Cerne rises in the chalk of the Dorset Downs at Minterne Magna, springing up in the gap between High Stoy and Dogbury Hill. From there it runs south through Cerne Abbas and Charminster before joining the River Frome at Dorchester, one of the smaller tributaries feeding that…
Flies for this beat
Expected in October on the River Cerne
Typical months from the river’s hatch calendar, which applies along its whole length rather than to this beat. Not a live report.
Caperer
Sedge · #10-12
Kite's Imperial
Dry fly · #14-16
Daddy Long Legs
Terrestrial · #10-12
Sawyer's Killer Bug
Nymph · #12-16
The year ahead
Full calendarEvery hatch on the River Cerne and the months it usually runs.
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FAQ
Charminster FAQs
Practical questions anglers ask before fishing Charminster, from tickets to tactics.
