Laverstock Fishery

A three rod stretch of the Wiltshire Bourne running upstream on the true right bank from Laverstock Road to the A30 London Road, on the eastern edge of Salisbury. Park along the lane off Laverstock Road that leads to the allotments, or further along towards Laverstock Sports and Social Club if you can find a space. The signing in book is near the pedestrian footbridge past the club’s pitches.

This is a premium wild fishery holding both trout and grayling, but the grayling are the reason it exists, and the reason its opening times follow the coarse season rather than the trout one. There are fish of a lifetime in the Bourne here, and they are not always shy about letting you know it, though catching one after it has seen you is another matter. The water possibly holds a new club record; the current one stands at 2lb 4.5oz.

You can fish it from the bank but wading opens up a lot more. It is not difficult wading, though there are deeper holes to watch for and exit points get harder to find when winter levels are up. Stealth is everything. Water that looks empty turns into a mass of activity the moment a shoal of grayling scatters away from a clumsy first step. Look, look again, and take your time.

It is a long beat and takes a while to cover properly. Fish can be had throughout, though the stretch upstream of the pedestrian bridge has a reputation as the most productive. Casting is awkward in places and a rod of eight feet or under will be easier, but do not fish too light at the tippet or you will lose the fish you came for. Nymphs work, peeping caddis with a short orange tag in particular, but the dry fly gives more pleasure. On cold days after the first frosts a size 20 black gnat or similar small dark dry can tempt very good fish.