Timsbury Beat 1

Timsbury Beat 1 sits on the River Test in the village of Timsbury, accessed via a private road through acres of chalk stream water meadows at the heart of the golden stretch of the Test below Stockbridge and above Romsey. The beat covers a third of a mile of main river chalk stream and includes a section of carrier, giving anglers a variety of water within a single day. Each beat at Timsbury consists of a stretch of the main river and a stretch of the carrier, and rods rotate across all four beats so that every angler fishes the whole fishery over the course of the season. Up to two rods fish the beat at any one time, keeping the water uncrowded.

The fishery is predominantly a brown trout fishery, stocked with fish carefully selected locally from River Test stock. Itinerant rainbow trout also appear, and later in the season salmon regularly roll in the deeper pools, with a genuine chance of connecting with one or a sea trout. The 20-year average across the fishery is three fish caught per rod per day. Fishing is fly only — upstream dry fly and nymph — and suits beginners well, with heavily stocked water and clear chalk stream visibility making it straightforward to spot and present to rising fish. The season opens in April with Large Dark Olive, Grannom caddis and Hawthorn on the water, before the mayfly arrives from mid-May through to early June, followed by Blue-Winged Olive and Medium Olives through June and into summer.

The season runs 1 April to 31 October, with day rods from £180. Banks are maintained to a high standard, with regular mowing and strimming keeping access clear throughout the season. The main fishing lodge has power, a kitchen area, WC, washing facilities and a large patio overlooking the river; three further huts with picnic tables are positioned around the fishery. Access is through an electrically controlled farm gate, with parking on site.