Fly Fishing on the River Alre

A compact Hampshire chalk stream, the River Alre rises from chalk springs near Bishop's Sutton and runs west for 4 miles through the upper Itchen valley before joining the Candover Brook and Cheriton Stream to form the main River Itchen near Itchen Stoke and Ovington. The river carries a shallow gravel bed and fast-flowing water, fed year-round by chalk springs. Along its course it passes through Bishop's Sutton, runs alongside the watercress beds at Western Court Farm, and flows north of New Alresford, where it separates that town from Old Alresford and passes beneath two historic mills: Arle Mill and the Fulling Mill, the latter a 13th-century structure used for removing oils from wool. North-east of Alresford, one channel runs through Old Alresford Pond, a 12th-century stew pond originally dug to provide fish for the Bishop of Winchester, now designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The Itchen and its tributaries, including the River Alre, are also designated as a Special Area of Conservation.

The River Alre at Bishop's Sutton is a small chalk stream trout fishery holding . Unlike the Candover Brook, the Alre does not carry a grayling population, which was introduced into the upper Itchen comparatively recently. The water is clear enough that fish are easily spooked, so careful wading and precise upstream presentation are essential. Dry fly is the primary method throughout the season. The hawthorn hatch arrives in late April, the mayfly from mid-May to early June, and summer brings a variety of caddis, olives, and terrestrials. Brown trout use gravel riffles for spawning and deeper glides for holding, sustained by the chalk-fed hydrology, while invertebrates including mayflies and cased caddisflies form the primary food source. The trout season runs broadly from April to early October.

Conservation work on the River Alre has focused on habitat restoration, building on the Wild Trout Trust's 2009 advisory visit at Bishop's Sutton, which identified opportunities to improve fish passage, sediment flushing, and marginal planting. Access to this water is genuinely limited: FishingBeats currently lists 1 beat on the river, with 0 fishery available. Fishing the Alre puts an angler at the very headwaters of one of Hampshire's most celebrated chalk stream systems, a short river with considerable history behind it.