Old Station Beat

Old Station Beat is a restored 450-metre length of main River Test on Bossington Estate, situated immediately below the hallowed Houghton Club water near the village of Houghton in Hampshire. Following an ambitious habitat restoration programme carried out in collaboration with the Environment Agency, the beat was transformed from an over-wide, over-deep channel into a free-flowing chalk stream, and today offers a varied mix of runs, riffles and pools on a single bank. Up to twelve rods can fish the beat across the season, which runs from mid-April to mid-October.

The beat is at its best during the Mayfly and offers a plentiful mix of stocked and wild fish throughout the season. Stocked brown trout run from two pounds upwards, with wild trout and the occasional grayling also present. In April, look for Large Dark Olive, Grannom Caddis and Hawthorn on the surface; May brings the first Mayfly hatch of the year alongside other upwings and terrestrials, while June sees Blue-Winged Olive and Medium Olives come through. Dry fly and nymph are the primary methods, and the beat is rated suitable for beginners — a good choice for an angler new to chalk stream fishing who wants to learn the basics of presentation and reading water on the Test. All fishing is catch and release.

GAIA- and AAPGAI-qualified instructors are available for one-to-one or group tuition covering fly-fishing fieldcraft and casting, and guided days can also be arranged to accompany you on the river, particularly useful for a novice angler. A good supply of high-quality tackle, clothing, sunglasses and flies is available to hire on the day. Catering runs from picnic hampers supplied by a local deli through to full corporate lunches, with options available through the Estate office. Day rod prices are £328 across all periods of the season.