Ebbesbourne Wake, Wiltshire to Hampshire Avon at Bodenham · 14 miles
Fly Fishing on the River Ebble
2 beats on the River Ebble sell access by the day.
Where the River Ebble runs
The river's course with every beat and fishery we list on it. Tap a marker for a quick read on price.
Fishing Beats on the River Ebble
2 beats availableBrowse day tickets, syndicate rods, and permit fishing on the River Ebble. Each beat listing includes pricing, species, and booking details.
Clubs and syndicates on the River Ebble
1 clubMembership bodies holding water on the River Ebble. Some sell day tickets alongside membership, others are open to members only, and a few run a waiting list.
About the River Ebble
River Ebble at a glance
- Length
- 14 miles
- Source
- Ebbesbourne Wake, Wiltshire
- Mouth
- Hampshire Avon at Bodenham
- Tributary of
- Hampshire Avon
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Water type
- Chalk stream
Fish species
Anglers on the River Ebble can target brown trout and grayling. Brown trout dominate most chalk stream beats; grayling, sea trout, and salmon appear on certain rivers and seasons.
The River Ebble is the smallest of the four chalk streams that meet the Hampshire Avon around Salisbury, and it is often held to be the purest of them. It rises at Ebbesbourne Wake at the head of the Chalke valley and runs east for around 14 miles through Broad Chalke, Bishopstone and Odstock before joining the Avon at Bodenham, a few miles below the city. It is a genuinely small river, narrow enough to step across in places, with clean gravels, heavy beds of ranunculus and water clear enough that the fish see you long before you see them.
Fishing the Ebble is stalking rather than covering water. The river holds brown trout, grayling, the trout wild and mostly modest in size, the grayling worth the trip in their own right. A short rod, fine tippet and a long look before the first cast count for more here than distance. The valley is quiet farmland and water meadow throughout, crossed by few roads, and the fishing has stayed almost entirely in club and private hands.
With 2 beats listed on FishingBeats, the Ebble is one of the hardest chalk streams in Wessex to get onto. Salisbury and District Angling Club holds the water at Longbridge near Broad Chalke and at Homington Meadows between Odstock and Homington, both fished by members on a rod limit, both managed wild with catch and release advised.
Hatch Calendar
The River Ebble hosts a sequence of seasonal insect hatches that dictate fly choice through the year.
Expected in October
Typical months for the River Ebble, not a live report. A cold spring or a hot week will shift any of these.
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
Every hatch and the months it usually runs. Darker means a heavier hatch, and the highlighted column follows the month above. Tap a letter to jump to it.
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FAQ
River Ebble FAQs
Common questions about fishing the River Ebble, from day tickets and seasons to what to expect on the bank.
