River Dun · Holbury Lakes Trout Fishery
Willow Lake
Willow Lake is a fishing beat on the River Dun at Holbury Lakes Trout Fishery. Day tickets from £55.
Pricing and season
Indicative prices only. This calendar does not show whether a beat is bookable or already booked out, and other prices may apply. Always confirm availability and the final price with the booking provider before you travel.
Price calendar
Day tickets
Season & syndicate rods
Fishing details
Willow Lake at a glance
- Rods
- –
- Difficulty
- Expert (4/5)
- Length
- –
- Water type
- stillwater
Fishing methods
Fly methods
Willow Lake is the second smallest of Holbury Lakes Trout Fishery’s four waters, at about three quarters of an acre, and sits furthest from the car park. Tree cover lines most of the bank, which is exactly what gives the lake its name and its reputation as the most demanding of the four.
Depths vary from a metre and a half to four metres, and the overhanging branches call for a different approach to the more open lakes nearby: longer, finer leaders and small to tiny dry flies, down to a size 22, fished with an accurate, controlled cast rather than a long line. Wet fly, dry fly and nymph are all permitted here, the same rules as the other lakes and wider than the fly-only, dry-and-nymph water on the fishery’s River Dun stretch next door.
Rainbow trout and blue trout are stocked across all four lakes. Tickets are sold by the fish, two, three or four at a time, catch and kill rather than catch and release, and every fish kept has to be weighed and recorded in the return book, nil returns included.
Tickets start from £150.
Stocking and fish species
Rules and policies
Fishing rules for Willow Lake
Only fly fishing is allowed, one single hook, maximum size 8. Wet fly, dry fly and nymph may all be used on the lakes. On the lakes it is catch and kill only, and once you reach your ticket’s fish limit you must stop fishing, though you can buy another ticket. All fish caught must be weighed and recorded in the return book, nil returns included. No wading or swimming, no litter, radios or animals. One non-fishing guest per angler, and every angler needs a landing net and a priest. A current Environment Agency rod licence is required on the day. Gates open at 8.30am; if you arrive early, park on the village green rather than Holbury Lane.
Amenities
Where Willow Lake is
The beat's boundary, with parking where we have it.
51.04080, -1.58324
The fishery and river
River
A compact chalk stream in the Test Valley, the River Dun rises near the villages of East and West Grimstead in Wiltshire and flows roughly 11 miles eastward before joining the River Test near KimbridgeDun. Depending on winter rainfall, the river rises between East and West Grimstead and flows almost due east to meet…
Flies for this beat
Expected in October on the River Dun
Typical months from the river’s hatch calendar, which applies along its whole length rather than to this beat. Not a live report.
Caperer
Sedge · #10-12
Kite's Imperial
Dry fly · #14-16
Daddy Long Legs
Terrestrial · #10-12
Sawyer's Killer Bug
Nymph · #12-16
The year ahead
Full calendarEvery hatch on the River Dun and the months it usually runs.
We get a small commission if you buy through these links, and it costs you nothing extra. If the calendar has been useful and you feel like supporting an independent site, buying your flies this way is an easy way to do it.
Similar beats on the River Dun
FishingBeats is an independent guide with no affiliation to the fisheries we list. Listings are editorial and unpaid, and are not supplied or approved by the fishery. See our listings policy. Listing details are compiled by FishingBeats and may change or contain mistakes. Some services, such as tuition, ghillies, or accommodation, may only apply to certain packages and not to standard day tickets. Always confirm pricing, fishing details, and what is included directly with the beat before you book. Spotted something wrong? Email hello@fishingbeats.com and we will correct it.
FAQ
Willow Lake FAQs
Practical questions anglers ask before fishing Willow Lake, from tickets to tactics.
