Teffont Fishing Club

The word Nadder is said to be derived from two Celtic words nydd, to twist or wind, and dwr, meaning water - literally ’winding water’. The old Saxon word nadra, was used to describe the adder or viper, both of which are apt descriptions of the characteristics of our river.

The Nadder is the odd one out of the five rivers that meet in Salisbury. Although very close to the Wylye, this river cannot be considered a chalk stream although in parts it displays many of the characteristics.

It rises in Greensand very close to the Donheads near Shaftesbury and is quickly joined by the Sem at Wardour, west of Tisbury.

It then meanders down the valley with some large oxbow bends through pastoral sheep meadows and old country estates, including Wilton House, the home of the Earl of Pembroke. In the manicured gardens the river flows beneath the magnificent Palladian Bridge before being joined by the river Wylye just outside the park walls and eventually joining the Avon near the cathedral in Salisbury.

The celebrated fly fisherman G.E.M Skues spent some of his last days on the Nadder just on the outskirts of Wilton and writes of “The Iron Lattice Bridge” where he would examine the flies caught in the cobwebs between the lattices.

There are four beats in total, largely accessible on both banks over four miles. These beats are all relatively narrow, so long casts are not necessary but the river meanders along its path creating interest and the perfect hiding place for Trout. We consider ourselves to have a well-managed fishery with a good number of Trout and Grayling which usually seem to rise to the Dry.

The river has a healthy and diverse population of invertebrates with fly hatches throughout the season. The Nadder is a particularly good as an early season river with good hatches of Grannom.

The main event is always the Mayfly which can be spectacularly good even after heavy rain and poor river visibility conditions. Later in the season, the early morning and evening sedges give the best chance of excellent sport. The Mayfly hatch has been particularly good over the last few seasons and they can usually be seen hatching well into July.