Chalk Stream · Chalk · Hampshire

River Meon

River Meon — River Meon, near Exton

The Meon is the smallest of Hampshire's chalk streams — just 21 miles from East Meon to the Solent at Titchfield.

Marginal · Brown Trout
CDC F-Fly · 18-20
Marginallive now
Slow going — pick your moments
River temperature is the limiting factor today, not the flow. Fish dawn or dusk if you go at all, and handle everything with extra care.
80% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.83 mDropping in the last 6h
  • Water temp20.4°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
CDC F-Fly
CDC F-Fly18-20
Upstream dry, on top
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.83 m
Dropping in the last 6h
Water temp20.4°C
ClarityClear
Weather30°C
WindNW 12 km/h
Pressure1015 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead3.9 mm

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

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Warm — slow
20°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Brown Trout
When
Nymphing can work through most of the day.
Where
Cover mixed depths.
Method
Start with tight-line nymphs and adjust if fish rise or drift higher.
Kit
9 ft #4 rod, floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 4–5 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Water at 20.4°C — above the brown trout caution line (18°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 4 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 3 with Pro.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

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
Brown Trout 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.
  • Private syndicate / estate
  • Some Wild Trout Trust restoration beats with structured access
  • Strict dry-fly / barbless / upstream rules on most beats.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Cooler water nearby · 1
Water here around 20°C — probably warm enough to stress Brown Trout . These are likely cooler.
Meon Springs Fly Fishery
5.0 km
~19°C
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Gallery · 2
  1. River Meon — River Meon, near Exton
    River Meon, near Exton
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

The Meon is the smallest of Hampshire's chalk streams — just 21 miles from East Meon to the Solent at Titchfield. Pure chalk water through the South Downs National Park, with significant Wild Trout Trust restoration on multiple beats and flow restoration after historic over-abstraction. Wild brown trout dominate; grayling absent. Small, intimate, technical fishing on private syndicate and estate water with limited day-ticket access.

  • Chalk
The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 80%
How the 25 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature20 × 28%5.6
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time80 × 13%10.4
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity64 × 12%7.7
Limiting factor: Water temperature (20.4°C) is outside Brown Trout's preferred range (10–16°C)= 64
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 10–16 °C ideal band — would lift the score and ease welfare.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 April → 30 September
Related guides
Fly Fishing Near Southamptonfeatured in this city guideChalkstream Playbookchalk stream tacticsTrout Near Londonaccess guide
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts