I'm Nicolas, thirty, Anglo-German, and a fly fisherman since boyhood on the Enborne, a small stream in north Berkshire where I learned the craft. Chalk streams came later, and they've held my attention ever since. Along the way I kept running into the same wall: scattered information, dead links, no clear picture of what water was actually available or what it cost. FishingBeats is the thing I wanted to exist and didn't. A free directory of England's chalk stream beats, open to anyone, with no booking commission and no agenda beyond filling that gap.
Articles by Nicolas Charlton
Chalkstreams
Why Chalk Streams Are Clear, Cold and Full of Fish
Why chalk streams run clear, hold their temperature all year and fish the way they do, from the aquifer up. England holds 85% of the world's chalk streams.
Guides
What a £100 chalk stream day actually gets you
A cheaper chalk stream day is not a worse river. It is a less famous one, often less heavily stocked, and that is mostly the whole difference.
Guides
Where to find affordable chalk stream fishing
A mayfly day on the middle Test earns its price. But the same clear water, the same insects, and the same quality of fish are available for well under £100 on the smaller rivers, at the season edges.
Guides
Affordable fishing on the River Test
The Test is the river people picture when they picture expensive chalk stream fishing. At the top end, that picture is fair. But nine beats on the river itself carry a trout-season day rate below £200
Locations
Dog-friendly fishing beats on the River Test
Not every chalk stream beat welcomes dogs. On the River Test, 28+ do - from the upper chalk reaches at Whitchurch to the lower beats at Broadlands. Here's what's available.
Guides
Fishing chalk streams in the heat
After the hottest June day on record and with flows below normal across the south, plenty of anglers are wondering whether to fish at all. A few simple habits cover you when you're not sure.
Locations
Wild-only chalk stream beats for the purist
Locations
Beginner-friendly chalk stream beats to start with
You don't need years behind the rod to fish a chalk stream. These six beats, one on each of the south's best-known rivers, are forgiving places to book a first day.
News
Why I Built FishingBeats
A free, open directory of England's chalk stream fishing beats, and the honest story of why it needed to exist.
