Chalk Stream · Chalk · Hampshire

River Anton

Photo of River Anton

The Anton is one of Hampshire's most highly-regarded chalk-stream tributaries of the Test — running 13 miles from Anton Pond near Andover through the famous Fullerton fishery to the Test confluence.

Poor · Grayling
Hot-spot Perdigon · sizes_14_18
Poorlive now
Not the day for it
River dropping into shape after a lift. Not much stacked in your favour today. Worth an hour if you are nearby, not worth the special trip.
80% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.03 mDropping after lift
  • Water temp17.1°C
  • ClarityUnfishableColouring up
Today's fly
Hot-spot Perdigon
Hot-spot Perdigonsizes_14_18
off-peak month · matches water height · all-rounder · regional default
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.03 m
Dropping after lift
Water temp17.1°C
ClarityUnfishable
Weather19°C
WindN 18 km/h
Pressure1017 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

The nearest gauge doesn't record temperatures, so we've estimated it — defer to the river keeper's advice.

Water temperature for Grayling
Warm — slow
17°C est.ideal 4–14°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Grayling
When
Midday window — grayling feed best from late morning into early afternoon.
Where
Work runs and glides — grayling shoal in the bottom third of the water column.
Method
Tight-line nymph the bottom third with weighted patterns.
Kit
10 ft #3 rod, floating line, long leader to 4 lb fluoro for nymphs.
Why this works
Water at 17.1°C — above the grayling caution line (17°C). Fish dawn or dusk only. Land it fast, wet hands, no air shots.
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 2 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 2 with Pro.

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Evidence
Survey-backed · regionalHigh confidence

Backed by regional invertebrate surveys; no sampling on this exact reach yet.

Through the year
0–3 scale · August highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
1
Brown SedgeHatch
2
3
2
Freshwater ShrimpHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Blue Winged OliveHatch
2
3
3
3
3
2
Mayfly (Green Drake)Hatch
2
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Grayling fly box

The heartland of English dry fly fishing. Upstream dry fly and emerger presentation dominates. Nymphing restricted or discouraged on many beats. Gin-clear alkaline water, prolific weed growth, educated wild brown trout. Precise imitation and delicate presentation are paramount.

Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Predominantly private water
  • Fullerton fishery via syndicate/hotel access
  • Strict barbless / dry-fly-upstream-only protocols on most beats.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Water here around 17°C. Nothing cooler within range — carry a thermometer.
Gallery · 2
  1. Photo of River Anton
    River Anton — image via Wikipedia (River Anton)
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

The Anton is one of Hampshire's most highly-regarded chalk-stream tributaries of the Test — running 13 miles from Anton Pond near Andover through the famous Fullerton fishery to the Test confluence. Pure chalk water of exceptional clarity with strong olive hatches and prolific weed growth. Wild and stocked brown trout plus grayling. Almost entirely private syndicate water; Fullerton beats sometimes available to guests via the Test Valley fishery hotel structure.

  • Chalk
The full read · show the working · for Grayling · confidence 80%
How the 20 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature23 × 28%6.4
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity10 × 18%1.8
Feeding Time60 × 13%7.8
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity54 × 12%6.5
Limiting factor: Water is unfishable — too coloured for Grayling= 46
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitysurvey-backed invertebrate datasurvey
What would change the calculation
Cooler water — back toward the 4–14 °C ideal band — would lift the score and ease welfare.
A drop and clear would lift the flow and clarity scores.
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 April → 30 September
Related guides
Fly Fishing Near Southamptonfeatured in this city guideChalkstream Playbookchalk stream tacticsGrayling Playbookgrayling tactics
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts