Leckford Beat 14

Beat 14 offers main river fishing on both banks plus a carrier on the left-hand bank, running from the cattle bridge at the bottom of Beat 12 down to the boundary with the Houghton Club just behind the footbridge, with Longstock village forming the backdrop on the right bank and the South Moors water meadows opening out to the left. At around 500 yards of double-bank water plus a small carrier, it is one of the more generous allocations on the estate — open, manageable water that suits anglers still building their chalk stream experience.

The beat sits within almost 500 acres of water meadows and reed beds, all part of the Test Valley SSSI, giving a genuinely varied environment in which to cast a dry fly to estate-reared rainbow and blue trout alongside grayling. Fishing is fly only — dry fly and nymph — across a season running 1 May to 15 October. May brings the first mayfly hatch of the year alongside other up-wings and terrestrials, while June sees blue-winged olives and medium olives coming through. A healthy population of freshwater shrimp means nymph fishing with a shrimp imitation can be particularly effective when fish are not visibly rising. Grayling provide a useful second target through the back end of the season into October.

A 9 ft 5-weight is the standard chalk stream outfit, though on the narrower carrier a lighter 7 ft rod is perfectly suited. Up to two rods can fish the beat simultaneously. Day rod prices run from £260 in the main season, rising to £320 during the mayfly period. All fish are stocked with trout hatched and grown on the Leckford Estate itself. A fishing hut, toilets, and on-site accommodation are available, and four full-time river keepers maintain the fishery and are on hand to give visiting anglers the full chalk stream experience.