Dawn report: River Test below Stockbridge
River Test below Stockbridge: dawn seams and soft‑hackles
River Test below Stockbridge is producing brown trout in the faster seams and tailouts this morning, with clear first-light rises and tight lies behind submerged structure. Dry fly is the ticket at first light; as the sun lifts, soft-hackle and small nymphs take over where trout slip under the film.
Where to look: slack seams alongside the main glide, edges of carrier streams and the faster water behind willow roots and gravel collars. Grayling appear in quieter tails while some beats still hold stocked browns and rainbows—but wild brown trout dominate the rise lanes.
What locals are using
Beats operate upstream fly only; several stretches open upstream nymphing from 1 August. Tackle leans delicate: short, delicate leaders and a fine 3.7 lb tippet for tiny weighted nymphs. Hook size no greater than 10 and natural imitations—olives, caddis and terrestrials—match the hatch.
Presentation matters: cast upstream, mend to slow the fly over seams, and switch from a pale dun dry to a sparse hare's ear-style nymph or a sparse soft-hackle when surface activity dies. Expect windows—tight and changeable—around first light and again mid-morning in shallow tailouts.
Water clarity varies by beat after recent pollution reports, so pick runs with good oxygen and a clean gravel bed; an upstream olive that drifts true will draw trout out of the chalk-dark current this dawn.