Avington Trout Fishery in Hampshire has three crystal-clear lakes and a carrier stretch of the world-renowned River Itchen chalk stream are Avington Trout Fishery’s trademarks. So too are the fish on offer – superb quality rainbow trout weighing from around 4lb up to double fish –  are stocked into the lakes, while the carrier stream holds wild browns and grayling. And all in the idyllic setting of the Itchen Valley, Hampshire.

Avington Trout Fishery has been established since the late 1960s when they were created by the late, great Sam Holland, a pioneer in the world of stillwater trout fishing. The original lake was a continuous narrow one, but it was so silted up that only a few inches of water existed above the mud.

Sam set about widening, deepening and clearing the lake, dividing it into three smaller lakes totalling nine acres. He also diverted the main flow of the water to prevent silting again, and in the process produced the chalkstream carrier that still runs alongside the lakes.

Today, the lakes are fringed with marginal growth of sedges, flowering rush, yellow iris and marsh marigolds which provide cover for the stalking angler. There is also good shade and cover afforded to the trout and angler by large stands of trees including alder, crack willow, hawthorn and beautiful oak and London planes.

The lakes are stocked every day with high quality triploid rainbows which are all reared on site in the fishery’s own stock ponds. The fishery record rainbow currently stands at 28lb, a fish caught by Paddy Hill in October 2000. From late Spring onwards brown trout are also introduced.

The lakes are chalkstream-fed and the water clarity throughout the season is superb. In fact clear water stalking is possible even on heavily overcast days.

For this reason Avington is also an ideal venue for the beginner or novice angler as they can actually see the fish they are casting to which makes it so much more enjoyable and is a great confidence booster.