Chalk stream Fishing

Wherwell Priory is one on the most idyllic country estates in Hampshire’s famous River Test valley, where the river flows through a tranquil parkland setting.

The resident river keeper, Terry Snellgrove, with close to forty years on the River Test takes great pride to maintain the Park and Priory beats using the time honoured skills for a clear flowing river, over bright gravel beds with blankets of waving ranunculus weed from which trout and fly life thrive.

A great variety of fishing on this very long beat, double bank along its entire length with the right bank prepared for easy bank fishing. Start from the bottom where the river is not deep, but wide and fast. You are overlooked by the village houses on the opposite bank but they have no fishing rights.

At The Mill there is a deep, turbulent hatch pool and beyond that the garden section that is only fished by wading. Above Church Lane you return to your fishing hut, a quaint little wooden hut right beside the river under the shade of a chestnut tree.

The beat itself is the same length as Park, again double bank the whole way but without any houses and fished from a combination of left and right bank, plus a wading section. Start from the downstream end with fast, deep runs that in turn become a shaded glide up to the productive double hatch pool.

Above the hatches is a long straight section that is really good for sight casting to the holding fish. The final section is again shaded by the opposite bank trees and is perfect to fish from the bank or wading.

April 27-May 12

£263 per rod

May 13-June 9(min 3 rods)

£357 per rod

June 10-July 31

£263 per rod

August 1-October 13

£227 per rod

The Parsonage is one of the original Fishing Breaks beats, dating back over twenty years. It is a unique combination of the main River Test with a long carrier, all within the beautiful setting of woodland and water meadows.

The main river is wide with a combination of long glides, deep pools and some shallow sections. There is a good wild trout population supplemented by regular stocking plus plenty of grayling and the occasional sea trout and salmon towards the end of the season. The carrier, recently extensively restored, is far more intimate fishing and the perfect place to break out a smaller rod.

The beat is ideal for up to four Rods or larger parties. There is an excellent Fishing Cabin overlooking the river and plenty of parking.

May 1-12

£175 per Rod

May 13-June 10

£295 per Rod

June 11- July 31

£205 per Rod

The Middleton Estate is in Longparish, one of the loveliest villages in the Test valley and probably the largest section of the River Test still in one family ownership. Running to many thousands of acres and with many miles of river there are two delightful beats on the Estate from which to choose.

The Home Beat as the name suggests was, in days gone by, the beat reserved for the Wills family. Indeed legend had it that the river keeper was instructed to fly a flag from the roof on the Turbine Fishing Hut when the hatch was on to save a wasted trip from the main house to the river!

The banks of the Home Beat are easily navigated, the back cast is open in most places and over half the beat may be fished from the left or right bank. There is a terrific mill race that comes under the Turbine Barn that holds many good fish in the turbulent, deep water.

Home Beat Rods have exclusive use of the Turbine Fishing Hut and good car parking is within a few yards. This beat is ideal for one or two Rods or for a party of 4-5 Rods if combined with the Half Water.

The Half Water is one of our longest single beats on the River Test, coming in at just over a mile in length. It is certainly not as manicured as the Home beat, but therein lies the secret of its success.

Extensively restored over recent winters, this is a beat that has a bit of everything: slow sections, fast sections, deep holding sections, hatch pools. Parts of the beat run through the water meadows, some parts are shaded by trees. There is a good head of wild fish, supplemented by careful stocking.

May 1-12

£260 per Rod

May 13-June 9

£325 per Rod

August 1-September 30

£199 per Rod

You will rarely find a more beautiful spot than this beat on the River Dever, an upper tributary of the Test where the four and a half miles of unspoilt chalk stream fishing is always crystal clear.

It holds a special place in my affection because it was one of my first ever pieces of fishing, which we having lovingly cared for over the past twenty years. If sight fishing over bright gravel beds, picking out your fish with a dry fly between the waving tails of weed is your thing, then this is the place to head for.

Like all the beats, Beat 1 is double bank along its entire length, but with only one bank prepared. Starting upstream of the old mill this is the narrowest of the beats. Fish from the left bank until the halfway point where you cross to the opposite bank, so good for left handers.

Two cracking hatch pools and a rarely fished section beyond the disused railway viaduct. Share the Mill Cabin with Beat 2.

There is plenty of variety on this beat, which runs through open water meadows and shaded wooded sections. Left hand bank (looking upstream) for the entire length.

Starting out at Keepers Bridge it is classic chalkstream that then turns into a slower, deeper section along Grayling Alley culminating in the famous Ash Tree pool. Beyond that the Tank Crossing is a banker as is the Mill race just short of the cabin. Share the Mill Cabin with Beat 1.

This is the beat that has the quirky Buckingham Palace fishing cabin and is the beat with the highest proportion of wild fish. Make your way along the back track through the woods to reach the bottom of the beat at Venice Bridge without disturbing a single fish.

Fish from the right bank to get the very best from the Venice Bridge pool at the start, then return to the left for the remainder of the beat. Plenty of wide, fast and shallow sections, interspersed with pools and impoundments that have scoured out pools.

If you want guaranteed protection from the weather, be it bright sun or wind, Beat 4 is perfect running through woodland from top to bottom. This beat has the greatest depth of the four and has a very slightly slower pace that suits the larger fish.

Start from the Dever Castle cabin and work your way up the left bank until you reach the beat end at Venice Bridge. The final section to the bridge has some fantastic undercuts. Not a good beat for a left hander.

April 22-May 12

£185 per Rod

May 13-June 9 (min 2 rods)

£319 per Rod

August 1-October 13

£185 per Rod

October 14-November 30

£87 per Rod

The higher one ventures up the River Test system, the better the hatches, the clearer the water and the wilder the fish. There is no better way of summing up the fishing at Whitchurch Fulling Mill.

Fulling Mill is one of those rare places where you can get up so close to feeding fish that you can sometimes almost pick them up in your hand. The water clarity and the abundance of food are exceptional, where the fish are always on the look out for food.

The beat breaks down into three sections; two wading and one bank plus three hatch pools and one mill race that hold trophy fish. A two time winner in the River Test One Fly, this beat will often produce a day of a lifetime.

April 29-May 12

£203 per rod

May 13-June 9

£283 per rod

June 10-July 31

£225 per rod

August 1-September 30

£196 per rod

Main, Oakley & Rectory Beats

Mottisfont Abbey is quite simply the birthplace of modern day fly fishing. It is the very place where F M Halford, the man who can truly be said to have done more that any other to establish dry fly fishing as a sport in itself, fished at the height of his fame.

The famous Oakley Hut, where Halford spent all the summers of the early twentieth century until his death in 1914, stands today almost exactly as it was in his day. The photographs in the Hut taken at that time show the river and fishing barely changed today to the way it was then which makes you truly feel you are following in the footsteps of a fishing great.

The Mottisfont Estate comprises of three beautiful beats on the River Test: the Oakley, Rectory and Main. Each is suitable for two Rods and the three may be combined for a small party. The River Dun beat is available by special request.

October 15 – November 30

£95 per Rod

December 1 – 31

£75 per Rod

Wallop Brook is a tributary of the River Test which offers a variety of challenges for anyone who likes to seek out truly wild trout fishing.

This is a small stream that requires stealth and patience that will be rewarded when one of the fish shows itself by pecking away at the surface. Otherwise it is very much a case of gentle, accurate casts to probe the likely holding spots.

The beat flows through the water meadows of Nether Wallop. This is an all catch and release beat , that is included at no extra cost with any tuition, course, group or family booking at Nether Wallop Mill.

Kimbridge Meadows is a tranquil collection of carriers that snake around woodland and water meadows beside the River Test between Stockbridge and Romsey.

Beautifully kept by the river keeper, Steve Brown, there is nearly a mile of water to cover, stocked with some of the largest brown, rainbow and blue trout you are ever likely to encounter in the Test valley.

Ideal for one to four Rods or a party of six, the Meadows is a relaxing and easy beat with excellent facilities.

Price includes VAT

Sometimes our river owners do not wish to have the full details and location of their fishing displayed on the web site, so the private label listing is required.

At this particular River Test location there are three beats for up to four Rods in total. Two beats are on the main river, one of which is suitable for wading if you so wish. The third beat is a lovely carrier ideal for stalking.

There is a full time keeper, easy parking and an excellent fishing cabin with a veranda on the rivers’ edge.

April 26-May 12

£400 per Rod

May 13–June 9

£500 per Rod

June 10–July 31

£400 per Rod

August 1-September 30

£350 per Rod

SCHOOL FARM River Dun (Test tributary)

The River Dun is one of the most substantial of the River Test tributaries, rising above Lockerley and joining the main river at Mottisfont. The School Farm beat lies at about the mid-point, gently snaking through the lightly wooded valley and holding fish along its entire length.
 
School Farm is one of the most immaculately maintained estates in the river valley, with five star facilities for the fisherman. The beat is very well stocked with both browns and rainbows, the fishing offering a variety of glides, weirs and a hatch pool in a peaceful setting.

April 22-May 12

£279 per Rod

May 13-June 9

£363 per Rod

June 10-July 31

£297 per Rod

August 1-October 13

£236 per Rod

The River Dun is one of the most important of the River Test tributaries, rising above Lockerley and joining the main river at Mottisfont Abbey. A recent Environment Agency fish survey rated it the best trout nursery in the Test catchment with four generations in a fifty yard stretch of our Dunbridge beat.

Dunbridge is a little bit of chalkstream heaven, immaculately maintained with great fishing for one Rod or two friends. There are deep pools, fast riffles and plenty of shaded cover from the opposite bank that encourage fish to rise throughout the day. The river holds wild trout, grayling plus some really very large fish. Of all our beats this is one that regularly gets an evening rise.

If you are looking for a beat where you can stumble out of your bed and be on the river in moments this is the place to be. The Mill Arms is just 500 yards from the river and offers comfortable rooms as does the self catering Riverside Cottage. If you don’t have a car, the train station in Dunbridge village connects to London in around two hours.

April 20 -May 12

£185 per Rod

May 13-June 9

£315 per Rod

June 10-July 31

£225 per Rod

August 1-October 13

£185 per Rod

The Broadlands Estate is one of the most famous names in fishing, renowned the world over for the River Test flowing through the estate that was the home of Earl Mountbatten of Burma. The unique Nissen Hut, a welcome retreat for all Broadlands anglers, is lined with photographs and fish, trophies of visits by royalty, diplomats and film stars.

This is a fine section of the River Test; wide, fast, varied and open, renowned for big brown trout, sea trout and the occasional salmon. There are three beats on the main River Test and two beats on the long carriers all carefully looked after by the resident keeper, Jon Hall.

The main river beats take up to three Rods and each of the two carriers two Rods each. On some days it is possible to combine fishing on both for a small party so you may swap between the beats at will.

Set in the heart of the Hampshire, the gin clear chalkstream waters of the River Anton are a delight for any river angler.

The Upper Clatford beat is the perfect opportunity for classic sight fishing with the dry fly. A tributary of the River Test the Anton has a natural head of brown trout and large grayling, which are supplemented by carefully selected locally reared brown trout.

Mostly fished from the bank, the beat does however have a wading section from the weir to the top boundary. Please note this is dry fly only until the end of July and restricted to two Rod bookings. There is a fishing hut and parking.

May 1- May 12

£156 for 2 Rods

May 13-June 9

£198 for 2 Rods

June 10-September 30

£156 for 2 Rods

The River Blackwater runs though Hampshire and Wiltshire. It is a tributary of the River Test. The river rises just to the east of the Wiltshire village of Redlynch, near Salisbury. It then flows east across the county boundary into Hampshire. Here it flows north of the village of Wellow and Wigley before joining the Test between Totton and Redbridge.

Since buying Woodington Fishery five years ago the owner, John Hardeley, has done a huge restoration job on the river. Previously it was dark, heavily wooded and the banks inaccessible. But now it is very open, well stocked and has our lowest Difficulty rating. Early season it is good for brown trout and grayling with a run of sea trout from June onwards.

The beat is extremely long at a shade under a mile, so plenty of space for one, two or a party of three Rods. There is plenty of variety to keep your interest as typically you will have a shallow section, deep pool and then a bend as you work upstream. The bank is kept well trimmed, with little to obstruct a back cast. New Zealand style (dry fly with a small nymph tied off the bend of the floating fly) or Czech nymphing highly recommended.

April 3-October 15

£59 per Rod

Grayling October 16-March 15

£37 per Rod