Fulling Mill – Upper Beat

Fulling Mill's Upper Beat lies on the River Itchen at Easton, in the Itchen Valley a few miles north of Winchester, and takes a maximum of three rods across two distinct kinds of water. The main river here is straightforward by chalk stream standards, with easier casting and generous bank space to work from, a good place to find fish rising steadily to a dry fly without fighting the bank for room.

The carrier is a different proposition. It's narrower, more overgrown, and the wild trout and grayling that live in it are used to being left alone. This isn't water for a first cast at the target. It asks for a slow approach, a long look before you move, and a fly presented with real care. A smaller rod is genuinely useful for keeping your profile low, but you'll still need to be able to cast a long line, since the cover that protects the fish from view also keeps you well back from them.

This is a dry-fly beat for the most part, with a nymph allowed after June once fish are holding close to the bottom. Mayfly weeks draw the most interest, and the medium difficulty rating is no accident: the carrier especially rewards anglers who already know how to read a small, clear stream rather than muscle through it. A 9ft 4wt, a 9ft 3wt, or an 8'6" 3wt will cover most of what the beat asks of you.