Fishing the River Test

By Alex Clayton · Updated 23 October 2026

The Test is one of England’s best-known chalkstreams, and most of it is closed to the public. You can still book a day on it.

River test fishing is mostly private syndicate water, with very little sold by the day. The way in is a day rod from an estate such as Broadlands, Leckford or Timsbury, a guided day, or a winter coarse and grayling ticket that costs a fraction of a summer trout beat.

This guide covers the upper, middle and lower river, who sells day tickets and what they cost, seasons, rod licence and byelaws, beat rules, flies and mayfly timing, and the cheaper winter fishing.

The River Test at a Glance: Upper, Middle and Lower River

A chalkstream rarely floods and rarely runs dry. Rain soaks into the chalk and comes back out slowly through springs, so the Test stays fishable on days when a spate river such as the River Tyne or the River Dee can be blown out by a flood.

The river is about 64 km (40 miles) long. It rises at Ashe near Overton and reaches the sea at Southampton Water. It is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest covering 438 hectares, notified in 1996. Tributaries include the Dever, Anton, Bourne Rivulet, Dun and Wallop Brook.

Anglers split it into three reaches:

Upper Test: Overton down to Leckford.
Middle Test: the water centred on Stockbridge.
Lower Test: Romsey down to the sea.

The Test is also a web of main river, carriers, side streams and mill channels, so a beat can be main river, a carrier, or both.

The reach also tells you who sells the fishing. Leckford sells beats around Stockbridge, Timsbury sits between Stockbridge and Romsey, and Broadlands covers the lower river at Romsey. Check conditions with the fishery before you travel. For other waters in the county, see the Hampshire fishing guide.

Who Can Fish the Test: Syndicates, Season Rods and Day Rods

Search for a River Test angling club or a free stretch and you will come up empty. Most of the river is private syndicate water, and very little of it is sold by the day.

There are three realistic ways in:

Syndicate and season rods. Broadlands sells season, fortnightly and half rods priced from about £1,100 to £3,300 plus VAT.
Day rods on a named beat. Estates sell fishing by beat and by rod number. Leckford has sixteen beats. Broadlands has five: Grove, Moorcourt, Longbridge, Lee Park, and Rookery & Lord Louis. Timsbury’s Beat 6 takes six rods.
Guided days. Orvis runs a guided mayfly day at Timsbury, with the guide and a briefing included.

This guide found no free or public stretch of the Test and does not name one. If anyone offers you “free” Test fishing, find out who owns the bank before you set up a rod.

The Test & Itchen Association appears on fishery pages because it sets the weed-cutting dates that estates circulate to their rods. None of the day rods in this guide are sold through it, so book with the estate.

For a single day on the river, a day rod is the realistic route. The next section lists who sells them.

River Test Day Tickets and Prices for 2026

The cheapest game day found costs under half the price of a peak estate beat. For trout, budget roughly £130 to £315 a rod for the day. For winter coarse and grayling, about £40.

Every River Test day ticket seller verified for this guide:

Seller and reach	What you get	Price found	River season	Check
Broadlands Estates, lower Test at Romsey	4.5 km through the estate, five beats	2026, per rod + VAT: 3 Apr to 12 May £220; 13 May to 7 Jun £300; 8 Jun to 31 Jul £250; 1 Aug to season end £220	From 3 April	Rules say the season ends 15 Oct, the price list says 16 Oct. Confirm with the estate
Leckford Estate, Stockbridge area	Sixteen beats, online booking	£260 per rod per day, £315 peak	1 May to 15 Oct	Pricing year not stated, and peak dates only show when booking
Timsbury Fishing, between Stockbridge and Romsey	Beat 6, about 1,000 yards of main river and carrier, 6 rods	£130 per person per day, £150 from 1 May to 15 Jun	2 Apr to 30 Sep (game)	Site footer is dated 2014, and 2 April falls inside the byelaw close season, so confirm before booking
Orvis guided mayfly day at Timsbury	Guided day with briefing	£320 including guide	Late May and early June	2026 dates (28 May and 4 June) sold out. Rod licence not included

Before you book a River Test day ticket:

Buy your Environment Agency rod licence.
Check the beat’s season dates, hook-size limit and wading rules.
Book early for May and June, when prices peak.
Add VAT where it is quoted separately, as at Broadlands.

If someone in your party would rather coarse fish, Broadlands’ Longbridge Lakes is a stillwater with a £12.50 day ticket on the 2026/27 list.

Prices and dates change from year to year, so check with the fishery before you travel.

River Test Seasons, Rod Licence and Byelaws

Paying £250 for a beat does not make you legal. You still need an Environment Agency rod licence on private water, and fishing without one can bring a fine of up to £2,500.

The licence covers fishing for salmon, trout, freshwater fish, smelt and eel in England. Under-13s need none, and 13 to 16 year olds get a free junior licence. You also need the owner’s permission, which on the Test means your day rod or permit.

Fees change each April, so check the current price on GOV.UK. The fishing licence guide explains the licence types.

The Test falls under the Environment Agency’s Southern byelaw area, and every byelaw date is inclusive:

Species	Southern byelaw area close season (EA)	Notes
Coarse fish on rivers	15 March to 15 June inclusive	Only trout and sea trout may be fished for during it, with artificial fly or lure
Brown and rainbow trout in rivers	1 November to 2 April	3 April is the first legal day. Estates open on their own dates (see below)
Salmon	3 October to 16 January	Check salmon rules with the fishery and the EA
Migratory trout (sea trout)	1 November to 30 April	Minimum size 38cm
Grayling	Not stated on the byelaw page	Check the byelaws and the fishery

You must not take a trout under 23cm.

Each estate sets its own season inside the byelaw. Leckford fishes 1 May to 15 October and Broadlands opens on 3 April. Timsbury lists its game season as 2 April to 30 September, but that date sits inside the inclusive close season and the site is dated 2014, so confirm the opening day with the fishery. On their bank, their rules apply.

For salmon, check the current rules with the fishery and the Environment Agency. The fishing seasons guide covers close seasons across England.

Chalkstream Rules and Etiquette on the Test

Pack for three rules and you will meet the conditions on the day-rod beats checked for this guide. Fish upstream with a dry fly or nymph, use nothing bigger than a size 10 hook (the limit at Broadlands and Timsbury), and assume no wading unless the beat says otherwise.

Leckford defaults to upstream dry fly. Broadlands allows upstream dry fly and nymph with natural imitations only, and bans lures.

Kill limits differ by estate:

Broadlands: two trout of 14 inches or more per rod per day, then catch and release up to four more. Wild fish go back.
Timsbury: two fish over 10 inches per rod, then catch and release.
Leckford: a bag of 5 trout per day, trout over 13 inches retained, and all non-trout species returned.

Wading is not allowed at Timsbury. At Broadlands it is knee level only, with a buoyancy aid.

Keep low and off the skyline, because trout in clear chalkstream water see movement on the bank. Respect start times: Leckford beats open at 09.00 (Beat 1 at 09.30), and Broadlands fishes dawn to dusk. Log your fish where asked, as at the Longbridge Fishing Hut at Broadlands, and expect weed-cutting dates to be sent round.

Wet your hands, return fish quickly, and read each estate’s rules before you start.

Test Fly Fishing Through the Season: Mayfly, Patterns and Tackle

Why does a Broadlands day rod jump from £220 to £300 in mid-May? The timing points to the mayfly. Leckford says mayfly activity usually runs from late May into June, which lines up with the Broadlands peak band of 13 May to 7 June and Timsbury’s higher price from 1 May to 15 June. The mayfly season guide covers the hatch in more depth.

Test fly fishing follows the hatches. Leckford’s riverkeeper guidance breaks the year down like this:

Season	Hatches	Patterns to carry
Spring	Hawthorn, then mayfly	Mayfly patterns, Iron Blue if fish ignore the mayfly, Pheasant Tail and Hare’s Ear nymphs
Summer	Sedges	Parachute Adams, Grey Wulff size 16, sedge patterns
Autumn	Pale wateries and spurwings as the water cools	Pale watery and spurwing imitations

The heaviest mayfly hatches are often reported from Fullerton down through Leckford, Houghton and Mottisfont, where the silty bed suits the burrowing nymphs.

For Test chalk stream fishing, a rod of around 8 to 9 ft for a 3 to 5 weight floating line is the usual chalkstream choice, with a long tapered leader to turn over a small fly without spooking fish. Keep every fly within the beat’s hook limit, which is size 10 maximum at Broadlands and Timsbury. The dry fly fishing guide covers presentation.

Best for anglers who can put a dry fly over a rising fish. Skip the mayfly weeks if budget matters: Broadlands drops to £250 from 8 June and £220 from 1 August.

Winter Grayling and Coarse Fishing on the River Test

The same river that costs £300 a day in mayfly time has a winter day ticket listed at £40. Timsbury’s coarse ticket runs from 1 October to 14 March on about 2.5 miles of water. The site footer is dated 2014, so confirm the price before booking.

Species include grayling, roach, perch, dace, pike, chub and the occasional barbel. The rules: barbless hooks, no keepnets, no boilies, no wading, and all fish returned.

Timsbury lists two approaches for grayling. On the fly, use induced take or Czech nymph. On the float, long trot with a centrepin and worm or maggot; the trotting guide explains the method, and the grayling fishing guide covers the species. The ticket ends the day before the coarse close season (see the seasons section above). No grayling close season appears on the byelaw page, so check the byelaws and the fishery.

For more winter grayling water, see the River Dove, or try the Test’s neighbour, the River Itchen. The UK river fishing guides list the rest.

	Winter coarse day	Summer trout day
Price found	About £40 (Timsbury, confirm)	£130 to £315
Methods	Trotting, induced take, Czech nymph	Upstream dry fly and nymph
What you can keep	Nothing, all fish returned	Limited trout bag, varies by estate

Frequently asked questions

Can you fish the River Test for free?

No free or public stretch of the River Test was found for this guide. Most of the river is private syndicate water. Check who owns the bank before fishing anywhere on it.

How much does a day on the River Test cost?

A trout day rod costs roughly £130 to £315, with Broadlands quoted plus VAT. A winter coarse ticket at Timsbury is listed at about £40. Prices change each year, so confirm with the fishery before you travel.

Do I need a rod licence to fish the River Test?

Yes. You need an Environment Agency rod licence plus the owner's permission, even on private water. Under-13s need no licence, and juniors aged 13 to 16 get a free one. Check the current price on GOV.UK.

When is the mayfly on the River Test?

Venue sources say the main mayfly activity usually runs from late May into June. Exact timing varies from year to year, and estates charge peak prices across those weeks.

When does the River Test trout season start?

The Environment Agency's Southern byelaw area close season for river trout runs 1 November to 2 April inclusive, so 3 April is the earliest legal day. Each beat then opens on its own date: Broadlands 3 April and Leckford 1 May. Check with the estate before you book.