Chalk Stream · Chalk · Hampshire, GB-ENG

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.

Tomorrow · Closed season
Czech Nymph
Forecast · Tomorrow
Closed season
Out of season. Try elsewhere.
90% projected
Today's fly
Czech Nymph
Czech Nymph
Conditions on the water · Tomorrow
Live gauge
Level
Steady
18.60 m
Water temp9.7°C
ClarityClear
Weather4°C
WindN 18 km/h
Pressure1016 hPa
Rain · recent7.8 mm
Rain · ahead4.4 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
Cool — slow
10°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.
Likely species
Stoneflies
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · tomorrowPeak 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 3 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
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
Other water nearby · 5
Moorhen Trout Fishery
2.0 km
Rainbow trout
Meon Springs Fly Fishery
5.0 km
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Franklyns Fish Farm
9.0 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Avington Trout Fishery
13 km
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Chiphall Lake Trout Fishery
13 km
Rainbow trout · Brown 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

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

EA (England) · GB107042016640

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 90%
How the 0 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature98 × 28%27.4
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time55 × 13%7.2
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity65 × 12%7.8
Conditions total= 83
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 tacticsTrout Near Londonaccess guide
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts
At a glance

River Meon is a chalk stream in Hampshire, England. The catchment geology is recorded as chalk, and the water sits at about 60 m above sea level. The river is described as roughly 34 km long. The species listed for this water is brown trout. The trout season is recorded as running from 1 April to 30 September. Best window recorded for anglers: April–June peak hatches; September strong on cooler days. The Meon often warms by July. Core methods listed: dry fly; upstream nymph. Level and flow data for this water is linked from the gauge “East Meon (E11723, upper) + West Meon (E12810) + Wickham (E11703) + Mislingford (E11690) + Titchfield (E11715, lower, near Solent)”. Its Water Framework Directive ecological status is recorded as moderate. Nearby waters in our listings include Moorhen Trout Fishery at 2.0 km, Meon Springs Fly Fishery at 5.0 km and Franklyns Fish Farm at 9.0 km.