Longham is a stretch of the Dorset Stour situated on the outskirts of Poole. It offers around one and half miles free fishing along the single bank, which is great as it borders the famous Throop fishery and like Thrrop it contains a good head of specimen fish.
The area can get very busy as it one of the few areas of free fishing on this part of the Stour but it is well worth a visit.
Longham holds a variety of species such as Roach, Bream, Dace, Perch and Pike but it is the stretches large Chub and Barbel that draw most of the visiting anglers. The largest Barbel reported to be caught this season is 15lb. I am led to believe that the best swims are off of the high bank opposite the pub. The favoured approach is to fish a straight lead with a pva bag of free offerings with a Pellet or mini boilie on the hook. A feeder with maggots or hemp and corn also works well.
Longham is probably better known for its large Chub although it is during the winter months that see the best sport. Longham holds a good head of large Chub in the 4-6lb range with some real specimens up to 8lb being caught each season. Longham is visited each year by some of the UK's top anglers such as Chris Holley and Phil Smith and others who are aware of the stretches potential. Most of the swims hold Chub but it seems to be from the highbank down to the weir that produce the best results. The men in the know say the best method is to fish a stickfloat against the willows on the farbank using maggots on the hook, but to get the best results you will need plenty of free offerings, it is not unusual to get through 4-6 pints of maggots in a session. A good alternative is bread with mashed bread as feed. Bread also works well when fished on a feeder set-up.
Longham also holds big Pike up to 20lb plus which are usually found in the end swims as are the bigger Roach which go to 2lb plus. Longham is a free stretch open to all but please insure you only fish during the River open season and make sure you have a valid Rod licence
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