Fly Fishing on the River Lambourn

Donnington Grove

Donnington Grove offers just under two-thirds of a mile of single-bank chalk stream fishing on the River Lambourn, near the village of Donnington in Berkshire. The Lambourn is a classic chalk stream — small and fast-flowing, and this beat reflects that character: powered entirely from chalk springs, which produces exceptionally clear water and year-round stable temperatures. The river's flow regime remains near-natural in form, not being significantly modified by groundwater abstraction — a rarity among southern chalk streams that keeps the water quality and aquatic life in excellent condition. The Lambourn sits in the top 10% for England and Wales for the number of macroinvertebrate families recorded, which underpins the quality of hatches throughout the season. The river supports one of the best and most productive fisheries for brown trout in the area, with natural populations of grayling also present. Stocking is light, so the fish are predominantly wild and accordingly wary — this beat is rated legend difficulty, and while the nutrient-rich water allows trout and grayling to grow to large sizes, the clarity makes them hard to tempt. Dry fly and nymph are the only permitted methods. The hawthorn hatch happens around the end of April, with the mayfly running from mid-May to the end of the second week in June — reflected in the dedicated Mayfly Season day rod at £124. In the second half of the season, small flies delicately fished are the key. Grayling fishing extends the season well into winter at £63 per rod. Wading is permitted, which is often essential on this intimate stream. A fishing hut and toilets are on site.

Bagnor Fishery

Bagnor Fishery sits on the River Lambourn near the village of Bagnor, just north of Newbury in west Berkshire. The fishery comprises just over 3,000 metres of double-bank fishing on a classic chalk stream — small and fast-flowing, typical of an upstream English waterway. The river is powered entirely from chalk springs, producing exceptionally clear water and year-round stable temperatures. The estate stretch is split into beats and offers a rural, narrow chalk stream setting well suited to fly fishing. The Lambourn supports one of the most productive fisheries for wild brown trout in the area, with natural populations of grayling also present. The river ranks in the top 10% for England and Wales for the number of macroinvertebrate families recorded — a strong foundation for consistent hatches throughout the season. Expect hawthorn early on, followed by a mayfly hatch, then a mixture of olives, sedges and terrestrials later in the year. Fishing is by upstream dry fly and Skues-style nymph only; no weighted nymphs of any type are permitted. The clear water and sight-fishing nature of the beat make it accessible to beginners while still demanding careful presentation. The fishery is open from 1 April to 1 November. The fishery is open six days a week — closed on Wednesdays for maintenance — and limited wading is permitted within four feet of the bank. On-site amenities include a heated fishing hut with facilities to make drinks, a dedicated car park, and toilet facilities. Newbury station offers a 40-minute rail link to London Paddington, making this a practical day-trip option for anglers travelling from the capital.

Weston Farm Middle Beat

Weston Farm Middle Beat covers a little over a third of a mile of the in , running from the footbridge at the top of the lower beat up to Elton Lane. The downstream end has good gradient and clean gravel, and two hatch pools are the set pieces of the beat. The first, the mill hatch pool, holds adult trout well, with overhead cover from the trees around it, and a fish pass lets fish move up and down past the mill structure. Above the mill the river slows and backs up, impounded by the structure itself. A line of woody flow deflectors, installed under an old Environment Agency habitat project, still earns its keep, breaking up the flow and adding variation in depth. Further up, the Elton Lane hatch pool is bigger again, with a riffle at its tail that offers good spawning habitat. The old fishing hut sits on the bank beside it. Bank management tells its own story on this beat. The fishery’s own bank is left with a thick fringe, giving cover and holding the soil together. Across the river, where a neighbouring garden runs down to the water, the bank is mown lawn over hard revetment. The contrast between the two banks is worth a look on the way past.

Weston Farm Lower Beat

Weston Farm Lower Beat runs about a quarter of a mile of the in , from the footbridge marking the boundary with Welford Park up to the footbridge below the mill. It’s the most mixed of the three beats on the fishery, and the character changes more than once along its length. The downstream end is slow and uniform, impounded water, most likely the effect of the weir and cascade just below at Welford Park. A weed rack across the channel pinches the flow, and the increased pace keeps the gravel underneath it clean. Below the Newbury Road bridge the impoundment eases off and gives way to proper riffle, with redds cut into it. Above the bridge, the left bank is deliberately left uncut: it holds habitat for the Desmoulin’s whorl snail, a rare and protected species. Higher up, the beat passes a perched mill leat with a sluice, then a stretch that was dredged in the past and is now over-wide, over-deep and canal-like. It’s the weakest water on the beat, more a corridor than good trout habitat, and restoring it properly is a long-term aim for the fishery rather than something already done. The beat finishes well: the final run past Marsh Cottage up to the footbridge has a clean gravel bed under healthy growth of crowfoot, starwort and water parsnip.

Weston Farm Upper Beat

Weston Farm Upper Beat is a little under half a mile of the in , running from Elton Lane up to the fishery’s boundary near East Shefford. It’s the best of the three beats, and the one furthest along the road the whole fishery is travelling: it has never been stocked, and is fished as a wild water. An unmanaged meadow buffers the bank for most of its length, and the light touch shows in the river itself: good gradient, plenty of variation in channel form and depth, loose clean gravel, and strong growth of crowfoot, starwort and water parsnip. It’s the kind of water that rewards a quiet, patient approach over a big fly box. A wild, unstocked beat like this needs rest between rods to keep fishing well, so treat that as part of what the day offers rather than a complaint: expect it to fish best when it has been left alone for a while, and to be hard work the day after a good angler has already worked through it.

River Lambourn

Weston Farm Fishery

Weston Farm Fishery sits on the River Lambourn at the village of Weston, in the parish of Welford between Great Shefford and Welford in . The fishery is split into 3 beats, lower, middle and upper, running from the boundary with Welford Park up through Elton Lane to the edge of East Shefford. Until 2021 the fishing here was let to a third-party day-ticket operation. Since then Weston Farm has managed it in-hand, and the direction of travel has been consistent: fewer rods, less pressure, and less stocking in favour of wild fish. The upper beat has already gone all the way down that road: it has never been stocked and is fished as a wild fishery. The stated intention is to keep scaling the stocking back on the other two. The river rises in the Berkshire Downs and carries both Site of Special Scientific Interest and Special Area of Conservation status for its plant and invertebrate life. It also has something genuinely unusual for a chalk stream: a near-natural flow regime, with no significant demand for abstraction from the aquifer in the upper catchment. Fishing is for .