River Test · access
Hampshire, England, United Kingdom · United Kingdom
- StockbridgeThe most famous village on the river; several beats and a fishing museum.
- Testwood / NurslingThe lower river, with a public footpath along the west bank for watching fish.
- Whitchurch / OvertonUpper beats near the source; smaller water and more technical fishing.
Licence and rules
Licence and rules. An Environment Agency rod licence is required for anyone 13 and older, and it is separate from the day ticket — you need both. Day tickets on the Test run from a handful of beats and typically include a rod-share arrangement; most beats limit the number of rods and require a booking days in advance. Brown trout are catch-and-release on nearly all beats; a limited grayling harvest is allowed in winter on some.
Season
Brown trout from 3 April to 30 September; grayling over the winter on some beats
Flow
200–400 cfs, extraordinarily stable because the source is a chalk aquifer
Chalk streams rise from the ground, not from the sky, so the Test's flow responds to rainfall over a period of weeks rather than days. A wet winter gives strong, cool summer flows; a dry one leaves the river low, warm and weedy by August, and the beats may close early on welfare grounds. Check the Environment Agency gauge at Chilbolton if you want to know what you are walking into.