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.

Tomorrow · A proper day on the water
Pink Shrimp
Forecast · Tomorrow
A proper day on the water
A proper day for it. Work the seams with an upstream nymph, switch to the dry when they show.
65% projected
Today's fly
Pink Shrimp
Pink Shrimp
Conditions on the water · Tomorrow
Live gauge
Level
Rising
56.60 m
Lifting fast
Water temp11.5°C
ClarityVery coloured
Weather10°C
WindN 27 km/h
Pressure1007 hPa
Rain · recent26.3 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 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
12°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.
Likely species
Stoneflies
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · tomorrowPeak at 6pm

12pm(now) — Daddy Long Legs

Stage: On emergersApproach: Emerger or dryActivity: 28%
Also:Autumn Olive28%Autumn Needle Fly23%
Weather boost8 food groups active

Peak activity at 6pm — Caperer (Caperer, Weather boost)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

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

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 3 as a supporter.

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 · October 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
River Test
5.0 km
80
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
Amport Trout Fishery
9.0 km
Rainbow 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

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
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 75%
How the 79 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity85 × 18%15.3
Feeding Time20 × 13%2.6
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity79 × 12%9.5
Conditions total= 79
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 city guideChalkstream Playbookchalk stream tacticsGrayling Playbookgrayling tactics
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts