River guide
River Test in Hampshire
5 checked stretches so far — day tickets, club waters and guest tickets, each checked against the club's own pages.
The lowdown
The River Test is a chalk stream running through Hampshire, and the holder identifies it as an SSSI. Its clear, steady character is closely tied to technical dry-fly fishing, with presentation and a quiet approach well rewarded.
Around Kimbridge, the fishing is managed as a mixture of river and carrier water, with the Meadow Fishery’s four streams offering plenty of bank to explore. Trout, wild brown trout, salmon and sea trout are named in the estate’s river-management information.
Close season reminder
Coarse fishing on English rivers is closed from 15 March to 15 June inclusive. That's the law for coarse fish on rivers — it's not a club rule, and game-fishing seasons work differently.
GOV.UK — Freshwater rod fishing rules: when and where you can fishStretches
5 of 5 checked stretches. No rankings — we don't know which is "best" on your day, and neither does anyone else.
Kimbridge Meadow Fishery
River Test · Day ticket
Kimbridge Meadow Fishery is a cracking day-ticket bit of the middle River Test near Romsey. Four connected streams, 2.17 miles of fishable bank and proper purist upstream dry-fly fishing — with plenty of room to roam.
Checked 12 Oct 2026
Glorious Game Private Estate River Test
River Test · Day ticket
A proper private-estate slice of the River Test, with around half a mile of gin-clear, single-bank fly water north of Stockbridge. It’s set up for stalking and sight-casting to brown trout and grayling, with a tranquil feel and easy access.
Checked 12 Oct 2026
Leckford Estate River Test Beat 1 (Mayfly Beat)
River Test · Day ticket or season rod
Leckford Estate’s Mayfly Beat is Beat 1 on the River Test near Stockbridge and Fullerton. You get double-bank main-river fishing, plus a single-bank carrier and access to part of the River Anton.
Checked 12 Oct 2026
Bossington Home Beat, River Test
River Test · Day ticket
Bossington Home Beat is the estate’s iconic, most famous stretch on the River Test. A proper chalk-stream beat with varied water, a Victorian thatched hut and downstream views — sounds pretty special.
Checked 12 Oct 2026
River Test (Romsey)
River Test · Members only
A clear chalk-stream reach of the River Test near Romsey, run jointly by Test Valley Angling Club and Southampton Piscatorial Society. It’s a members-only stretch, booked in advance, with just three tickets available each day.
Checked 12 Oct 2026
Pins mark the access postcode each club gives, not the bank itself. Exact boundary map: see rights holder.
Access & tickets
Standard day ticket
Kimbridge Estate / Kimbridge on the Test
Up to four individual rods; includes VAT.
£125 per rod including VAT (as listed 12/10/2026)
Covers: Kimbridge Meadow Fishery
Exclusive private-group booking
Kimbridge Estate / Kimbridge on the Test
Allows up to six rods.
Covers: Kimbridge Meadow Fishery
Optional tackle hire
Kimbridge Estate / Kimbridge on the Test
Available per person.
£20 per person (as listed 12/10/2026)
Covers: Kimbridge Meadow Fishery
Day ticket
Glorious Game Sporting Co.
Fly fishing day on the private-estate River Test; maximum two rods per beat.
from £280 per rod (as listed 12/10/2026)
Covers: Glorious Game Private Estate River Test
Standard river day ticket
Leckford Estate
River day rod, per rod per day
£260 per rod per day (as listed 12/10/2026)
Covers: Leckford Estate River Test Beat 1 (Mayfly Beat)
Peak-season river day ticket
Leckford Estate
Peak-season river day rod, per rod per day
£315 per rod per day (as listed 12/10/2026)
Covers: Leckford Estate River Test Beat 1 (Mayfly Beat)
River season rods
Leckford Estate
Full-season or half-season rod
£4,950 per rod per season / £2,600 per rod per season (as listed 12/10/2026)
Covers: Leckford Estate River Test Beat 1 (Mayfly Beat)
2026 standard day-rod pass — 13 April to 14 May
Bossington Estate
Day rod; normally minimum booking of two rods per beat.
£328 per rod (as listed 12/10/2026)
Covers: Bossington Home Beat, River Test
2026 standard day-rod pass — 15 May to 12 June
Bossington Estate
Day rod; normally minimum booking of two rods per beat.
£398 per rod (as listed 12/10/2026)
Covers: Bossington Home Beat, River Test
2026 standard day-rod pass — 13 June to 11 October
Bossington Estate
Day rod; normally minimum booking of two rods per beat.
£328 per rod (as listed 12/10/2026)
Covers: Bossington Home Beat, River Test
2026 adult membership
Test Valley Angling Club and Southampton Piscatorial Society
Test Valley Angling Club membership
£130 (as listed 12/10/2026)
Covers: River Test (Romsey)
2026 adult entrance fee
Test Valley Angling Club and Southampton Piscatorial Society
For new members
£20 (as listed 12/10/2026)
Covers: River Test (Romsey)
2026 OAP membership
Test Valley Angling Club and Southampton Piscatorial Society
OAP membership
£100 (as listed 12/10/2026)
Covers: River Test (Romsey)
Species
We only tag a stretch with a fish when the club names it. Some clubs name fish across all their water rather than stretch by stretch — those are flagged on the card.
| Stretch | Carp | Roach | Pike | Perch | Trout | Chub | Eel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kimbridge Meadow Fishery | ●* | ||||||
| Glorious Game Private Estate River Test | ● | ||||||
| Leckford Estate River Test Beat 1 (Mayfly Beat) | ●* | ||||||
| Bossington Home Beat, River Test | ●* | ||||||
| River Test (Romsey) | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● |
● named by the club for this stretch · ●* named across the club's waters · blank = not named (not "absent").
Rules — who runs what
Kimbridge Estate / Kimbridge on the Test
Individual anglers and groups can book fishing days on any available date during the season. The standard day ticket is £125 per rod including VAT; exclusive private-group bookings allow up to six rods.
Glorious Game Sporting Co.
Fishing is available to book as a day on the River Test through Glorious Game Sporting Co. Day-ticket prices start from £280 per rod; hamper lunches or on-bank catering can be arranged by prior arrangement.
Leckford Estate
Leckford Estate offers river day rods through its online booking system. Season rods are also published, with full-season and half-season options.
Bossington Estate
Day-rod passes are booked through the Bossington Estate Office. There is normally a minimum booking of two rods per beat; the published pricing sheet does not list a Home Beat exception for single rods.
Test Valley Angling Club and Southampton Piscatorial Society
You need to be a member and book the River Test date in advance. Bookings require your member number and date of birth, then a combination-lock code is issued for the booked angler.
Club pageFished the river recently?
Pick the stretch you fished and add a 20-second update there — one stretch at a time keeps it useful.
Each stretch page lists its own key rules. You'll need an Environment Agency rod licence on all of them.
River levels
Measured readings straight from the Environment Agency. These are the nearest gauges we've matched — not readings from the stretches themselves.
Measured — Environment Agency
Oxlease gauge
Nearest EA gauge we've matched — it isn't on this stretch, so levels on your peg will differ.
Loading latest reading…
We don't publish an "ideal level" — nobody can promise one. Flood water is dangerous: if it's up and coloured, stay well back from the edge. Open River Ready
Measured — Environment Agency
Stockbridge Side gauge
Nearest EA gauge we've matched — it isn't on this stretch, so levels on your peg will differ.
Loading latest reading…
We don't publish an "ideal level" — nobody can promise one. Flood water is dangerous: if it's up and coloured, stay well back from the edge. Open River Ready
Measured — Environment Agency
Chilbolton Main gauge
Nearest EA gauge we've matched — it isn't on this stretch, so levels on your peg will differ.
Loading latest reading…
We don't publish an "ideal level" — nobody can promise one. Flood water is dangerous: if it's up and coloured, stay well back from the edge. Open River Ready
Tips & reports
Our take (editorial, not club advice): on any decent-sized river, a lead that holds bottom without dragging is half the battle — go up in weight before you go up in bait. A bit of extra colour after rain often brings barbel and bream closer in, but a fast-rising, debris-filled river is dangerous; if in doubt, don't. Weather tools built for still lakes don't translate neatly to rivers, so we haven't bolted a lake-style weather score on here.
No angler reports on these stretches yet — we'll only show real ones once our moderated river reports are live.
Where this comes from · checked 12 Oct 2026
- GOV.UK — Freshwater rod fishing rules: when and where you can fish
- Kimbridge Estate / Kimbridge on the Test — home (kimbridgeonthetest.com)
- Glorious Game Sporting Co. — private estate river test (gloriousgame.com)
- Leckford Estate — home (leckfordestate.co.uk)
- Bossington Estate — home (bossingtonestate.com)
- Test Valley Angling Club and Southampton Piscatorial Society — river test 2 2 (tvacspsangling.com)
Rules, prices and ticket availability change — the rights holder's own page always wins.