By Thomas R. Dempsey, M.D. CCI.
I recently had the opportunity to fish the Chalk Streams in the U.K. What an experience. If you want to talk about pomp and circumstance this is the place to go. Included is an itinerary of what we did which is pretty much self-explanatory. For the real purists, this is dry-fly fishing only, fishing upstream (not downstream) and using light tackle like 4 weight rods and 7x tippet. All the streams and rivers in the U.K. are private and you must have guides that have access to these areas or belong to a club that has access to these beats. Just about all the trout caught are wild with brilliant colors. We were lucky to fish all 3 of these iconic trout streams with perfect weather. The banks are manicured with a 6-foot path cut on a weekly basis, leaving about 6 feet of brush between the path and the river or stream. Most of these chalk streams are anywhere from 20 to 60 feet wide and crystal clear so that you can see the fish easily. You can fish these trout streams with a tuxedo for the area you are fishing is so manicured you don’t have to get wet or muddy. All the guides are excellent and know their stuff from one end to the other. They have a tremendous amount of patience that goes along with their enormous knowledge of how to fish these streams. Just experiencing the beautiful beats and driving the landscape around the U.K. is worth the trip. Take a look at the itinerary below and the pictures enclosed.
Click to view Chalkstream itenary 2025
