Upper Winkton, River Avon (Hampshire), Dorset

The lowdown

• The two large weir pools are the headline features. They give you a clear starting point when weighing up where to fish, rather than treating Upper Winkton as one uniform bit of river.
• Between the weirs, things slow down and deepen up. That’s a different proposition from the pools, so choose your approach around the water in front of you rather than sticking stubbornly to one setup.
• There’s proper barbel and chub potential: reported catches include barbel exceeding 16lb and chub exceeding 7lb. Those are reported fish, mind — not a promise that every session ends with a bent rod.
• Fancy some winter float fishing? The bank opposite the White House is specifically noted for winter roach and dace catches. Reported roach exceed 3lb, while dace reach 1lb — cracking fish to aim for.
• Pike exceeding 25lb have been reported, and large river carp are present too. Bream, brown trout, eels, grayling and perch add variety; salmon and sea trout are also listed as present.
• The club describes this section as fishable during wider Avon Valley flooding. That’s a useful distinction, though it isn’t a blanket green light to tackle any conditions — keep your decisions sensible around high water.
• Maintained paths handle access, with parking in the club car park or layby. Toilets are listed too. There’s a club lock fitted, so get the access arrangements sorted before heading down.
• Plan around daylight and seasonal opening. Entry starts an hour before sunrise and exit is required two hours after sunset; night fishing is prohibited, and the venue isn’t open all year.

Methods: Trotting is worth considering for the winter roach and dace opposite the White House; a feeder is another option for working the deeper water between the weirs. For coarse-fish and pike lure fishing, leave spinners, spoons and Devon minnows at home — they’re prohibited.

Access & tickets

Arrange membership or an eligible guest ticket through Christchurch Angling Club; annual membership runs for 365 days from joining. Buy holiday membership before entering, and follow the current guest-ticket page’s one-guest limit rather than the venue table’s two.

Fish the club names

barbel, chub, roach, pike, carp, bream, trout, eel, perch

Key rules

• Maximum two rods.
• Night fishing is prohibited.
• Entry and exit are limited to one hour before sunrise through to two hours after sunset.
• Dogs are prohibited.
• Braided mainline is permitted.
• Spinners, spoons and Devon minnows are prohibited when lure-fishing for coarse fish and pike.
• The venue is not open all year.
• No day tickets; coarse-fishing guest tickets exclude Upper Winkton.

River level

Where it is