Chalk Stream · Chalk · Hampshire

River Itchen

River Itchen venue image
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Hampshire's other great chalk stream — arguably even more technically demanding than the Test.

Species

A proper day on the water

Low and clear — careful approach country. Stay small, stay accurate.

75% confidence in this read
Water temperature for brown trout
Cool — slow
10°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
Why this score · for brown trout
  • Temperature9428% weight
  • Flow6022% weight
  • Clarity9518% weight
  • Feeding Time5013% weight
  • Pressure807% weight
  • Prey Activity5012% weight
Conditions
Level
Dry recently
No gauge reading
Water temp
9.7°C
Estimated
Clarity
Clear
Air temp
9°C
Wind
SW 17 km/h
Gentle breeze
Pressure
1009 hPa
Rain · 48h
0.1 mm
No meaningful rain
Rain · ahead
7.5 mm
Light rain · next 48h

Live readings — water temperature is an estimate where the gauge does not record it.

How to fish it · for brown trout
When
Trout from mid-April on most beats — earlier than the Test estate water. The BWO evening rise from June onwards is the Itchen's signature. Caenis at dusk in summer is fiendish; accept defeat gracefully.
Where
Narrower, shallower, even clearer than the Test. Fish hold tight to the banks where the cover is. Carriers respond particularly well to nymph fishing.
Method
Dry fly first when fish are rising — match the size precisely, the Itchen trout reject anything off. Skues's water; nymph is equal partner. Sight-nymph to a visible fish and watch for the white wink of the take.
Kit
9 ft #3 or #4 — lighter than the Test for the narrower water. Floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 5x or 6x tippet. Polarised glasses essential.
Why this works
Good conditions. Clarity is favourable (95), Prey activity is weakest (50).
Through the year
0–3 scale · May highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
1
Grayling seasonSeason
2
2
1
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
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.

Gallery · 1
  1. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Directions
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About this water

Hampshire's other great chalk stream — arguably even more technically demanding than the Test. Narrower, shallower, and even clearer in places. The Abbots Barton water at Winchester is legendary. Prolific olive and mayfly hatches. G.E.M. Skues developed nymph fishing here, challenging the dry-fly-only orthodoxy. Superb grayling in winter. Salmon run the lower river.

Under the surface

The Itchen is smaller and tighter than its Test sibling — roughly 42 km from three chalk-spring sources around New Cheriton, Tichborne and Alresford down to Southampton Water, with the Alre and Candover Brook joining at Alresford to form the main stem. Average gradient is around 0.2%, giving a slightly crisper pool-riffle character than the Test through Itchen Abbas, Abbots Barton, Winchester and Twyford. Substrate is clean flint gravel on Cretaceous chalk throughout, with well-developed riffle heads, deep outer-bank glides and extensive Ranunculus cover that anchors the bed into long-lived structure. Baseflow from the chalk aquifer makes up the overwhelming majority of discharge, so flows are gin-clear outside the biggest events and the bed is effectively immobile year on year. The river is designated a Special Area of Conservation along much of its length. Margin silt pockets between weed beds are the main underfoot risk.

Wading: Silt pockets between Ranunculus weed beds

  • Chalk
  • Unconfined
  • Pool riffle
  • Glide
Seasons & zones
  • Trout3 April → 31 October
  • Grayling16 June → 14 March

Salmon: Negligible (2026) — Shares the Test/Itchen chalk stream stock — fewer than 200 fish across the combined system in 2024. Conservation-critical. Not a salmon fishing destination.

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