Chalk Stream · Chalk · Hampshire, GB-ENG

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.

Today · About as good as it gets
Czech Nymph
Forecast · Today
About as good as it gets
On the feed top to bottom — start on the rises with a dry, drop a nymph if they stay down.
90% projected
Today's fly
Czech Nymph
Czech Nymph
Conditions on the water · Today
Live gauge
Level
Steady
56.59 m
Water temp9.6°C
ClarityClear
Weather3°C
WindN 13 km/h
Pressure1016 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead4.0 mm

The nearest gauge is at Andover Town Mill. It doesn't record temperatures, so we've estimated it — defer to the river keeper's advice.

Water temperature for Grayling
Ideal
10°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
Good — water temperature is working for you, but time of day is the limiting factor today. Grayling feeds actively in cold water — peak winter sport.
Likely species
Stoneflies
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 12pm

12pm(now) — Autumn Olive

Stage: On emergersApproach: Emerger or dryActivity: 52%
Also:Autumn Needle Fly35%Black Midge30%
Peak emergence window5 food groups active

Peak activity at 12pm — Autumn Olive (Autumn Olive, Peak emergence window)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 4 guilds as a supporter.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 3 as a supporter.

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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 · November highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
1
Mayfly (Green Drake)Hatch
2
2
Freshwater ShrimpHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
CapererHatch
2
3
3
2
Brown SedgeHatch
2
3
3
3
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
Other water nearby · 5
Dever Springs
4.0 km
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Dever Springs
4.0 km
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
River Test
5.0 km
75
Brown trout · Grayling
Sutton Springs Fishing at Testwood
5.0 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
John O Gaunt's Fishery
8.0 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
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

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
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Moderate
Water quality details
  • Dissolved oxygen: High
  • Ammonia (Phys-Chem): High
  • pH: High
  • Phosphate: High
  • Temperature: High

EA (England) · GB107042022780

The full read · show the working · for Grayling · confidence 55%
How the 75 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity85 × 18%15.3
Feeding Time10 × 13%1.3
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity56 × 12%6.7
Conditions total= 75
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitysurvey-backed invertebrate datasurvey
What would change the calculation
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 guideChalkstream Playbookchalk stream tacticsGrayling Playbookgrayling tactics
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts
At a glance

River Anton is a chalk stream in Hampshire, England. Its recorded elevation is about 71 m above sea level and the catchment geology is chalk. The river is described as roughly 21 km long. Our data lists brown trout and grayling here. The trout season is recorded as running from 1 April to 30 September. Best window recorded for anglers: April–June for olive hatches; classic mayfly week late May / early June; September excellent on cool days. Core methods listed: dry fly; upstream nymph. Level and flow data for this water is linked from the gauge “Andover Town Mill (E13860, upper) + Fullerton Side (E13961) + Fullerton Main (E13950) — confluence with Test at Fullerton”. Its Water Framework Directive ecological status is recorded as moderate. Nearby waters in our listings include Dever Springs at 4.0 km, Dever Springs at 4.0 km and River Test at 5.0 km.