Beginner's Chalk‑Stream Daybox
Stockbridge beat, River Test: six flies to tempt Test brownies.
Upper Test carriers run clear and shallow in May and June; risers favour glassy glides over weedbeds and the angler's first cast often decides the day. A 9ft #4 rod with a floating line fishes the fish, not the leader.
Six essential dries and nymphs (sizes 14–18): Olive Upright (16) for Baetis dead‑drifts; Yellow Owl (14) for Ephemera emergers; Pinkie (18) for Caenis evening rises; CDC Shuttlecock (16) as the general surface option; Hare's Ear Nymph (14) for deep pool lifts; GR Heisen (16) for induced takes. Pack two of each on Fulling Mill or Partridge hooks, and store in foam.
Tippet and knots
Leader choices for a 9ft fast‑action 4wt such as Guideline or Hardy: Rising fish use 6X (0.13mm, 4lb) with a 9ft leader for drag‑free 20–30ft presentations. Windy beats move to 5X (0.15mm, 5lb) to turn over flies. Nymphing deeper carriers uses 4X (0.18mm, 6.5lb) with a 12ft total leader and a short sink tip. Fluorocarbon like Fulling Mill Excalibur keeps invisibility in gin‑clear water.
Three quick knots for changing flows: Improved Clinch — five wraps and back through the loop, ideal for calm hatch changes. Surgeon's Loop — double the tippet, two twists, pull, fast tippet‑to‑tippet joins for windy swaps. Non‑Slip Mono Loop — five wraps through a big loop, perfect for a nymph dropper hinge to swing a Hare's Ear in 3ft glides.
Stalk from the bank, left upstream from Keepers Bridge, watch two minutes before the first cast, then make that upstream mend. A glassy Test riffle, trout sipping olives, and the rod tip giving a clean, sudden quiver.
Recommended: lightweight fly rod