River Test · Leckford Estate Fishing
Leckford Beat 12
Leckford Beat 12 is a fishing beat on the River Test at Leckford Estate Fishing. Day tickets from £260.
Pricing and season
Indicative prices only. This calendar does not show whether a beat is bookable or already booked out, and other prices may apply. Always confirm availability and the final price with the booking provider before you travel.
Price calendar
How Leckford Beat 12 compares on the River Test
Typical, lowest and highest full-day rod, from 50 beats with published day rates
Day tickets on the River Test run from £55 to £388. The typical full-day rate is around £260, peaking in May.
Compare with other riversFishing details
Leckford Beat 12 at a glance
- Rods
- 1 – 2
- Difficulty
- Beginner (1/5)
- Length
- –
- Water type
- main river
Fishing methods
Fly methods
Beat 12 offers double-bank main river fishing plus access to a carrier (the Kettle Ditch) on the middle River Test at Leckford Estate in Hampshire, running downstream from the road bridge past the main hatches to the cattle bridge at the top of Beat 14, with the carrier fishable from the lower boundary up to the fish farm fence. The estate sits on the middle Test, north of Stockbridge, with Leckford village to the east and Longstock to the west, a well-managed stretch of chalk stream that suits one or two rods fishing together without feeling crowded.
The road bridge pool holds some large trout, though they can be selective, while downstream the old hatch structures create a very deep pool behind the sill and a corresponding one on the new hatch system, both worth working carefully with a dry fly or nymph. The Test's clear, nutrient-rich chalk stream waters provide the perfect home for rainbow and brown trout, as well as grayling, and the estate moderately stocks its own estate-reared fish alongside resident wild fish. Flies for the Test include olives, caddis, and terrestrials alongside a reliable mayfly hatch, while nymphing with a freshwater shrimp imitation fished close to the bottom is consistently effective. The season runs 1 June to 15 October, with the early weeks offering Blue Winged Olive and Medium Olive hatches, and October bringing some excellent fishing as cooling temperatures prompt trout into an aggressive feed before spawning.
Rated suitable for beginners, the beat is forgiving in terms of bank access and water character. A 9ft 5-weight is the baseline rod for the main river, though a lighter outfit works well on the Kettle Ditch carrier. A fishing hut sits on the right-hand bank near the bottom of the beat, with toilet facilities and estate accommodation available for those making a longer stay. Day rods are priced at £260 in the main season, rising to £320 during the mayfly period, Leckford being one of the earliest pioneers of the artificial mayfly and a cherished fishing destination for generations.
Stocking and fish species
Rules and policies
Amenities
Where Leckford Beat 12 is
The beat's boundary, with parking where we have it.
51.12870, -1.48812
The fishery and river
River
Rising at Ashe, near Overton, the River Test runs for 40 miles through Hampshire, flowing south through Whitchurch, Longparish, and Wherwell before the Rivers Dever and Anton join the main channel near Chilbolton. For much of its length the Test is not one river but an amalgam of main channel, mill leats, carriers,…
Flies for this beat
Expected in October on the River Test
Typical months from the river’s hatch calendar, which applies along its whole length rather than to this beat. Not a live report.
Caperer
Sedge · #10-12
Kite's Imperial
Dry fly · #14-16
Daddy Long Legs
Terrestrial · #10-12
Sawyer's Killer Bug
Nymph · #12-16
The year ahead
Full calendarEvery hatch on the River Test and the months it usually runs.
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Similar beats on the River Test
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FAQ
Leckford Beat 12 FAQs
Practical questions anglers ask before fishing Leckford Beat 12, from tickets to tactics.
