This was a day I had been looking forward to for a while...a chance to fish the River Test in season and on one of the most famous Estates that line its illustrious and manicured banks. On this occasion I would be restricted to fishing the main carrier but just getting the opportunity to fish an arm of the Test was very special and after a sleepless night I woke up at the crack of dawn aiming to get down there for first light and take advantage of the prime fishing time.

Upon arrival I excitedly tackled up and peered into the clear water of the carrier stream picking out some hefty Brownies. I decided to start with a caddis pattern and sure enough after a couple of casts a large Brownie turned around and almost sucked it off the surface – heart stopping stuff when you can see every move the fish makes! Once the sun began to rise the fishing got considerably harder with the fish frequently spooking despite my best efforts to remain as quiet and stealthy as possible.

At times it was frustrating to see your target shoot off before you had even had a chance to cast a fly to it. Equally so when every offering you put in front of the fish was steadfastly refused! However, none of that served in the slightest to detract from the pristine aquatic environment and bucolic surroundings. By midday I had caught 4 superbly conditioned Brown Trout. At lunch I met up with the river keeper who kindly drove me around the Estate whilst I peppered him with overenthusiastic questions and ogled at the main river which snaked serenely through the grounds.

The afternoon proved to be even more difficult with the light dropping behind me I stood out like a sore thumb. With miles of river still to fish I decided to explore the rest of the carrier dropping into any likely looking spots. Dispite my best attempts the afternoon only yielded one more Brown Trout bringing my sum total to 5 which on reflection I was pretty pleased with. Surprisingly I only saw one Grayling. I had been hoping for a crack at the Test’s renowned large Grayling but I guess that will have to wait until I get an opportunity to fish the main stem. All in all it was a brilliant day fishing on a very special river.