Chalk stream Fishing

WHERWELL PRIORY

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, takes great care to maintain the Park & 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 & fly life thrive.

The fishing comprises of just over 1.5 miles of double bank river, divided into two beats named The Park and The Priory. All of the fishing is from the bank, though there are some short sections that may be waded. Each beat has a comfortable Fishing Cabin.

Day Rods

Prices include VAT charged at 17.5%

THE PARSONAGE

The Parsonage is a prime beat of the River Test between Stockbridge & Romsey, sometimes referred to as "middle Test".

The beat, which runs through over a hundred acres of secluded woodland & water meadows, comprises of nearly 3/4 of a mile of main river & over a mile of carrier.

Having the freedom to fish both the carrier & main river gives plenty of variety.

The Parsonage has a very comfortable Fishing Cabin beside the river, with car parking adjacent.

Prices include VAT charged at 17.5%.

BULLINGTON MANOR (UPPER TEST)

You will rarely find a more beautiful spot than this beat on the River Dever, an upper arm of the Test.

The four & half miles of unspoilt chalk stream fishing is always crystal clear, making it perfect for sight fishing & stalking.

Bullington Manor is divided into four double bank beats, each up to a mile in length.

There is an early season hawthorn hatch & heavy mayfly hatch, with good evening rises during the summer.

Min. booking 2 Rods May 12-June 8. Prices include VAT charged at 17.5%.

WHITCHURCH FULLING MILL

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

This is a true stalking paradise where the wild fish seem to peck away on the surface all day long, with a great variety of holding spots, pools and riffles.

The upper section is best fished by wading. The lower section from the bank, with a Mill race that has some monsters lurking in the tail water.

No VAT added to these prices.

MOTTISFONT ABBEY

The Mottisfont Abbey Estate has three magnificent beats on the River Test and a delightful stretch of the River Dun, immediately above its confluence with the Test.

All four are managed by the National Trust with the goal of providing the highest quality chalkstream fishing in a natural setting, providing the bankside and aquatic habitat to support the growing populations of wild fish, and promoting the eco-system in which all native flora and fauna can thrive. Each beat is perfect for two rods & has a private, picturesque and practical fishing hut.

The wide River Test sweeps in stately fashion down the Main Beat whilst the Rectory Stream is as pretty a piece of fishing as you will find anywhere in the world. But hold your breath for the Oakley Stream, a part of the living history of dry fly fishing and every bit as magical today. The River Dun Beat has an exquisite meandering stretch of riffles and pools through water meadows above the hut and below it, a quiet glide through woodland to a spectacular weir pool at the bottom.

The fishing comprises of three beats, each of which accommodates two Rods.

Mottisfont Abbey - River Test beats

Mottisfont Abbey - River Dun beats

Min. booking 2 Rods until August 1. Prices include VAT charged at 17.5%.

NINE MILE WATER (WALLOP BROOK)

Wallop Brook is established as the premier wild trout tributary of the River Test.

The Nine Mile Water beat was rarely fished in the 1990's and has been much improved since we took it on in 1999.

This is an exceptionally long beat for just one or two Rods.

It is 1.7 miles of double bank fishing, that flows through meadows and woodland and best fished by a combination of stalking and easy wading. This is an all catch and release beat.

Prices include VAT charged at 17.5%.

THE GREYHOUND - River Test Carrier

This is as close to fishing the famous Houghton Club water as most of us will ever come, as The Greyhound abuts the prestigious Bends beat.

The fishing is ideal for one or two Rods, with plenty of sizeable browns on this well known Test carrier, double bank along it's entire length.

With the Greyhound bar & restaurant at hand, it has never been so easy to quench your thirst between casts!

Prices include VAT charged at 17.5%.

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 & rainbows, the fishing offering a variety of glides, weirs & a hatch pool in a peaceful setting.
 
The fishing is available for two or three Rods a day or small corporate parties.

Third rod pro-rata. Prices include VAT charged at 17.5%.

DUNBRIDGE - River Dun (Test tributary)

NEWS The length of the beat has been nearly doubled since the end of last season with the addition of an extra ½ mile of fishing that has been extensively restored over the winter.

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 Dunbridge beat lies just below School Farm and is a beautiful stretch with deep pools, fast runs & lazy back eddies under the trees of the opposite bank.

If you are looking for a beat where you can stumble out of your bed & be on the river, this is the place to be. The Mill Arms is just 300 yards from the river and offers comfortable rooms. Riverside Cottage offers self-catering accommodation.

If you don’t have a car, the train station at Dunbridge village (well more of a halt really) connects to London in around two hours.

The fishing is available for one or two Rods.

Prices include VAT charged at 17.5%.

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