The english chalkstreams are the holy grail of trout fly fishing, so it is no surprise there are many great fishing guides in England. Not only do the chalkstreams offer world-class trout fishing in the England, they are the very birthplace of fly fishing itself. The chalkstreams are the crucible where upstream dry fly fishing and nymphing were forged.
The crystal-clear waters, bright gravels and wild trout that define these chalkstreams mean that fly fishing here demands a level of finesse unmatched in any other discipline of the sport. Combined with an intimate understanding of chalkstream entomology and watercraft, upstream dry fly fishing on the chalkstreams is truly an art form.
Learning these skills might only takes days. But to refine your techniques it takes years, and perhaps even a lifetime to master. Most good fishing guides will tell you that you will never stop learning, and it's true! So enthralling is the journey that many fishing guides and river keepers have devoted their entire lives to fishing and working on the chalkstreams of England.
When you book with Wilde Trout, your fishing guide will come fully equipped with all the tackle, equipment, and flies you'll need for your trip, but beyond that they will possess an encyclopedic knowledge of everything the chalkstreams have to offer: from the insect life, to the behaviour of wild brown trout.
Whether you are sight fishing on a tiny headwater stream, or casting a long line over the sweeping River Test, your fishing guide will be by your side to point you in the direction of the rising trout and to celebrate with you when you have successfully coaxed your quarry to the net. When the hatches are heavy and you need us the least, your fishing guide will make an amiable companion to join you on your day. Most importantly, we know all the best local pubs for a pint of bitter and a bite to eat!
It is for all these reasons and many more that we recommend taking a fishing guide on your trip to the chalkstreams whether you are a seasoned chalkstream veteran, or a complete beginner discovering this extraordinary way of life for the first time.
You can book a guide to join you on any day throughout the season. Simply click the button below to check availability and book online.
We have assembled a team of friendly, knowledgeable and fully qualified fishing guides to help you make the most of your trip to the chalkstreams.
Between us we have fished all of these iconic rivers and have a wealth of knowledge to share with our guests. On the day of your trip, we will come fully equipped with all the tackle, equipment and flies, plus waders if required.
We can meet you at the river, collect you from your accommodation, or pick you up from the train station, whichever is most convenient. Teas, coffees and light refreshments are included and for lunch you can enjoy a riverside picnic or if you prefer your guide can take you to the local pub.
To learn more about our guided services, you can check availability and book online or if you would prefer to chat through your plans, please don't hesitate to get in touch.
We are delighted to be able to guide across an extensive portfolio of chalkstream beats in Hampshire, Wiltshire, Berkshire, Dorset and beyond.
Here is a far from exhaustive list of some of our favourite fishing beats on the chalkstreams. We have many more that are not listed on our website so do please get in touch today to discuss your plans around taking a fishing guide and building a bespoke fishing itinerary.
Fish in the footsteps of FM Halford, at the Oakley, Rectory and Dun beats along the hallowed river banks of the world famous River Test. Welcome to the birthplace of fly fishing itself, Mottisfont Abbey.
Great Oaks stand scattered across the water meadows, and as you drive down towards the river, the fields either side of the track are dotted with sheep and cattle grazing throughout the grassland. It is the kind of old-money setting that oozes quintessential English countryside.
In July and August, the blindingly vibrant purple loosestrife chequers the riverbank, and all around you are heady smells of watercress, meadowsweet and hemp agrimony. Beneath the water, swathes of ranunculus and ribbon weeds riffle gently in the flow. It truly is beautiful.
With private and exclusive use of over 5 miles of the River Kennet and a myriad of carrier streams, this is some the best fly fishing available anywhere in the United Kingdom.
Single rods are available up to groups of six, with larger groups and corporate events available on request. Welcome to the best kept secret on the chalkstreams, the Wilderness.
For many happy years this has been one of the best-run fly fishing syndicates in Hampshire, with completely exclusive access to some of the finest and most prestigious water on the main River Test and her adjacent carrier streams.
The Wherwell Estate offers some of the most sought-after upstream dry fly fishing anywhere on the chalkstreams. This fine collection of beats on the middle-upper part of the River Test has unbeatable sight fishing for large trout in crystal clear water, blissfully secluded in rural Hampshire. We are delighted to offer guided experiences here throughout the season.
Welcome to one of the most famous collections of beats anywhere on the River Test. Bossington ticks all the boxes for traditional English chalkstream fly fishing. Immaculately kept riverbanks, terrific fly life and large trout!
These are some of the best known beats on the River Test. With an enormous collection of main river and carrier streams, the Leckford Estate is one of our favourite places to guide on the chalkstreams.
Perfectly sandwiched between the Mayfly Pub at Fullerton, and the fly fishing capital of Stockbridge, the Leckford Estate lies in the heartland of fly fishing the world over.
Beautifully kept by the lovely people at Orvis, this famous beat on the River Test is the perfect place to learn how to fish on the chalkstreams.
Its sweeping glides hold a generous stock of large trout and grayling. The beat is available for guided rods and large groups, and the spacious fishing lodge is the best location for a riverside banquet.
Another fine beat in the Orvis collection, Timsbury 5 commands a terrific stretch of the famous main River Test, plus an adjacent carrier stream.
The river here is slow and meandering and the trout rise lazily for their evening meal. The beat is available for guided rods and large groups, the cabin is fully equipped with tea and coffee making facilities and there is plenty of outdoor seating for a riverside lunch.
Welcome to the Orvis outpost at Abbots Worthy on the River Itchen. Nestled at the edge of the South Downs National Park, in the headwaters of the famous River Itchen, this wild little beat is teeming with brown trout and grayling, big and small.
This beat of the main River Test is a great place to learn how to fly fish on the chalkstreams. Cared for by the lovely people at Timsbury Fishing, this stretch is charactered by wide open glides and deep pools. It is generously stocked with large trout and grayling and enjoys terrific fly life.
The upper River Avon boasts sublime wild fishing for trout and grayling. Best fished from the waders, this little beat at Manningford is the perfect place to brush up on your wild fishing techniques, fishing small dry flies into likely-looking pools.
It offers an intimate, up-close and personal style of fly fishing that is truly unique to the headwaters of our precious chalkstreams.
I have spent many happy years as a fly fishing guide, riverkeeper, and fishing agent on the English chalkstreams, and I am delighted to offer private guided fly fishing trips in my home county of Hampshire and all across the southern chalkstreams.
Having fished almost all of these iconic rivers I can recommend the beats where you will find the most enjoyment, be it the immaculately maintained main River Test, or the wild and intimate headwater streams, whether you are a seasoned chalkstream angler or just discovering chalkstream fly fishing for the first time.
On the day of your trip, I will come fully equipped with all the tackle, equipment and flies, plus waders if required. I can meet you at the river, collect you from your accommodation, or pick you up from the train station, whichever is most convenient. Teas, coffees and light refreshments are included and for lunch you can enjoy a riverside picnic or I if you prefer I can take you to the local pub.
To learn more about my services and book a guided chalkstream fly fishing trip, please get in touch. I hope a special fishing trip is about to begin.
We have assembled a team of friendly, knowledgeable and fully qualified fishing guides to help you make the most of your trip to the chalkstreams.
Between us we have fished all of these iconic rivers and have a wealth of knowledge to share with our guests. On the day of your trip, we will come fully equipped with all the tackle, equipment and flies, plus waders if required.
We can meet you at the river, collect you from your accommodation, or pick you up from the train station, whichever is most convenient. Teas, coffees and light refreshments are included and for lunch you can enjoy a riverside picnic or if you prefer your guide can take you to the local pub.
To learn more about our guided services, you can check availability and book online or if you would prefer to chat through your plans, please don't hesitate to get in touch.
I have spent many happy years as a fly fishing guide, riverkeeper, and fishing agent on the English chalkstreams, and I am delighted to offer private guided fly fishing trips in my home county of Hampshire and all across the southern chalkstreams.
Having fished almost all of these iconic rivers I can recommend the beats where you will find the most enjoyment, be it the immaculately maintained main River Test, or the wild and intimate headwater streams, whether you are a seasoned chalkstream angler or just discovering chalkstream fly fishing for the first time.
On the day of your trip, I will come fully equipped with all the tackle, equipment and flies, plus waders if required. I can meet you at the river, collect you from your accommodation, or pick you up from the train station, whichever is most convenient. Teas, coffees and light refreshments are included and for lunch you can enjoy a riverside picnic or I if you prefer I can take you to the local pub.
To learn more about my services and book a guided chalkstream fly fishing trip, please get in touch. I hope a special fishing trip is about to begin.
We have assembled a team of friendly, knowledgeable and fully qualified fishing guides to help you make the most of your trip to the chalkstreams.
Between us we have fished all of these iconic rivers and have a wealth of knowledge to share with our guests. On the day of your trip, we will come fully equipped with all the tackle, equipment and flies, plus waders if required.
We can meet you at the river, collect you from your accommodation, or pick you up from the train station, whichever is most convenient. Teas, coffees and light refreshments are included and for lunch you can enjoy a riverside picnic or if you prefer your guide can take you to the local pub.
To learn more about our guided services, you can check availability and book online or if you would prefer to chat through your plans, please don't hesitate to get in touch.
Charter the chalkstreams in style with our bespoke chalkstream tackle packs, fully equipped with everything you need to get fishing on the chalkstreams delivered direct to your fishing cabin door.
Find out more about our chalkstream tackle packs, and check out our delightful range of kingfisher hampers also available for collection and delivery.
We’ve teamed up with the fabulous people at the Greyhound on the Test and Wilds Events in Stockbridge to offer scrumptious picnic hampers for hungry fly fishers exploring the Hampshire chalkstreams.
Give the gift of fly fishing with our bespoke gift vouchers, redeemable against any of our chalkstream fly fishing and guiding experiences.
We will send you a full booking confirmation by email, along with any maps, directions, travel arrangements, and arrival instructions required, plus the contact information for your Guide.
Our guides will come equipped with all the tackle, equipment and flies required at no extra cost.
We suggest bringing a picnic or if you prefer, we can take you to the local pub. For something special, our delightful range of riverside hampers are also available to preorder.
The million dollar question! Of course it depends on the season, but generally we suggest a good mix of dry flies and nymphs in the S14 – S16 range. Your fishing guide will come with all the flies required for your day, but if you would like to bring your own, our boxes will always feature a generous pinch of Blue Winged Olives, Parachute Adams’, Sawyers Pheasant Tail Nymphs, and Peeping Caddis.
Your fishing guide will come fully equipped with all the tackle and equipment required, but if you have your heart set on using your own, we suggest a rod in the 3 to 5 weight range, paired with an arbor reel, and a floating fly line. It is also wise to carry a pouch of tapered leaders in the 9ft to 12ft / 4x to 6x range to cover all basis.
Gratuity is not obligatory, but always very much appreciated. As a guideline, 10% to 15% of your guide fee is a good starting point.
Sadly, we cannot cancel or postpone your booking under any circumstances. However, if you are unable to attend your day, please let us know at your earliest convenience and we will endeavour to resell the booking for you. If we are successful, you will be eligible for a credit to the full value of your booking, valid for 24 months.
