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.
Homington Meadows
A three rod stretch of the Ebble off the road between Odstock and Homington, reached from a small gravel layby on the north side. The returns and signing in book are just inside the field gate to the left, and the fishery itself is fenced and padlocked. Walk straight across the meadow to find it. This is almost a mile of meandering Ebble, thought to be the purest chalk stream in the catchment, surrounded by water meadows on every side. It is the Chalke valley at its best. A footpath crosses it at one point but otherwise it is very secluded. The Ebble here is big enough to hold a reasonable flow through the summer months, which not all of it is. It is maintained as a wild fishery. The fishing bank is regularly mown and trimmed and the other left wild with plenty of cover. Trout and grayling are found in good numbers and the fishery returns good rod averages. The water is generally crystal clear so a stealthy approach is needed, and members are asked to practise catch and release to preserve the wild stock. The fishing is a series of faster runs and deeper pools, upstream nymph and dry fly through both the trout and grayling seasons.
Longbridge Fishery
A two rod stretch of the Ebble just east of Broad Chalke, in one of south Wiltshire’s quieter valleys. Park at the roadside close to the bridge at the bottom of the beat and you will find the return books and disc board just inside the field gate. The Ebble is one of the smaller tributaries of the Avon, joining it at Bodenham, and this is typical chalk stream habitat: clear water, clean gravels and waving beds of weed the fish disappear into. The beat holds a good head of wild trout and grayling, so catch and release is advised. Some surprisingly good fish are found at the top of the beat where the water is more varied and there are deeper pools. The lower water is fringed with pollarded willow, which gives the angler some cover. This is light tackle water where observation and concealment decide the day rather than casting. Rainbow trout turn up occasionally, escapees from trout farms, and the club asks that these are removed if caught.
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.
FAQ
River Ebble FAQs
Common questions about fishing the River Ebble, from day tickets and seasons to what to expect on the bank.
