Timsbury Beat 4

Beat 4 sits within Timsbury Fishery on the River Test near the village of Timsbury, between Romsey and Stockbridge in Hampshire, accessed via a private road through chalk stream water meadows. This beat covers roughly a third of a mile of main river and includes a stretch of carrier stream — each of the four beats at Timsbury consists of a stretch of the main river and a stretch of the carrier — giving a varied day's fishing across two distinct water types. The banks are maintained to a high standard, with regular mowing and strimming along the banks and weed cutting during the summer, making for easy bank access throughout the season.

The chalk water, combined with careful management of the river's weed beds, creates ideal conditions for brown trout, and the fishing is predominantly upstream dry fly or nymph. The fishery is heavily stocked and well suited to beginners, with a 20-year average of three fish caught per rod per day. The main flies hatching on the River Test in April are the Large Dark Olive, the Grannom Caddis and the Hawthorn; May sees the first mayfly hatch of the year alongside other upwings, while June brings Blue-Winged Olives and Medium Olives. Salmon have been caught on the fishery but are required to be returned. The season runs 31 March to 30 October, with one or two rods per day.

Fishing rotates over the four beats so that a rod fishes the whole fishery every eight weeks. Day rod prices start at £180, with a season rod available at £1,800. The main fishing lodge, constructed in 2017, overlooks the main river and is well equipped with mains electricity, Wi-Fi, a fully fitted kitchen, and a washroom with flushing toilet. A fishing hut is also available on the beat itself. Fly-only rules apply throughout; a 9-foot rod for a 4- or 5-weight line is the standard choice for this kind of chalk stream dry fly and nymph work.