Active NAtion

THE WOODMILL SALMON POOL IS AN IDYLLIC AND SECLUDED FISHING VENUE

The river Itchen meanders gracefully from its source in upper Hampshire, through Winchester to its completion in Southampton water and is designated as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) under the Habitats Directive with Atlantic Salmon as a listed species.  As such this special place needs treating with special care and attention.

Our Salmon Pool sits where the tidal and non-tidal stretches of the river Itchen meet and dates back more than 1,000 years!

SALMON & SEA TROUT

DAY FISHING

£185

 

 

The salmon fishing season runs from 1st May until the 30th September and is catch and release only. Our day fishing is £185 per day for up to 3 rods so bring along your friends and make a day of it. Times for day salmon fishing is 07:00 - 19:00.

NIGHT FISHING

£265

 

 

Night time sea trout fishing is our most popular fishing time. The season runs from 1st May-31st October and is catch and release only. Night time fishing costs £265 per night for up to 3 rods and there must be a minimum of 2 people fishing. The night fishing times are from 20.00-07.00 (19.00-07.00 during September and October).

BASS

£30

 

 

The bass fishing season runs from 1st October until the 31st March and is catch and release only.

Our day fishing is £30 per day per rod so bring along your friends and make a day of it. Please note that booking 'one person' is booking for one rod, and does not provide exclusive use of the pool.

ROD LICENSE

Any angler aged 12 or over, fishing for salmon, trout, freshwater fish or eels in England (except the River Tweed), Wales, or the Border Esk and its tributaries in Scotland, MUST have a valid Environment Agency rod license.

THE FAQ'S

Our fishing bookings formally open at 00:01 on set date each calendar year.

To book dates, you need to book online by using the pink ‘Book Now’ button at the bottom of this page. If you are unable to book online, please contact our friendly bookings team.

You will be notified via email which dates you have booked.

Once your payment has been received you will be sent confirmation of your booking, a Woodmill Fishing Permit, the code to the combination locks and Catch and Return Forms.

Please note:

In line with the booking conditions you can request to move or cancel your booking up to 14 days prior to the booking date. All efforts will be made to accommodate movement requests however this will be based on availability.

Payment can be made by via bank transfer if booking in personal only. All online bookings require a debit/credit card and we no not accept cheques.

Woodmill is a busy Outdoor Activities Centre and you can expect customers to come and go between 7am to 10pm. During the summer Woodmill is used by schools and groups who camp on the main field. Party leaders are made aware that fishing happens on site.

Upon on arrival, you can park near to the Salmon Pool entrance. During event days, the Active Nation team may ask you move your vehicle.

You will be issued with a gate code to the Salmon Pool which you will need to keep confidential.

The disabled toilet within Stoneham Lodge is left open for use during your visit. If a camping group are staying on the main field, we politely ask you to stick to the main path and avoid making noise when using the toilet or accessing your vehicles.

Woodmill is a non smoking site. Please ensure all litter is removed when you leave.

Active Nation operates a mandatory catch and release policy in order to conserve fish stocks and you are required to immediately release any salmon, trout, bass or eels caught back to the river.

Rod licence holders are legally required to make a catch return for salmon and sea trout.

To help monitor the impact of fishing at Woodmill we require you to complete a catch return form which has been supplied. Please make sure this data matches your national catch return.

Our fishing rules are based on the latest guidance and the Environment Agency’s South East Region bylaws.  Anyone failing to comply with these byelaws could face prosecution and receive a significant fine.  You are required to ensure all individuals comply with the following;

Applies to all fishers:

– No more than three anglers can fish at the same time during the period of the hire and no angler shall use more than one rod at a time.

– All fishers must not use any device intended to hook a fish automatically.

– All fish must be returned immediately without delay.

– All foul-hooked and “unclean” fish shall be immediately returned to the water without delay.

– All fishers must not use any form of lead weight attached to a fishing line other than those of 0.06grams, or less (commonly called dust shot No. 8), or of more than 28.35 grams (heavier than1 oz). ‘Lead weight’ does not include lead incorporated into a weighted line, swim-feeder or fishing fly or lure

– Any net must be a fine mesh design.

– No flying C’s are permitted.

Salmon fishing rules:

– You will only fish for salmon with fly, lure and only using a single barbless hook.

– When fishing for salmon before 16 June, you may only use artificial fly or artificial lure.

– Woodmill is adopting the EA advice on avoiding fishing for salmon in temperatures above 20 degrees, to reduce catch and release mortality in hot weather.

Sea trout fishing rules:

– When fishing for sea trout in June July and August only fly shall be used on a single barbless hook. When fishing for Sea Trout in September and October only fly or spinner may be used and must be used on one barbless hook.

Each individual angler is required to obtain a valid Rod License during the period of the hire.

Our Active Nation team conduct spot inspections throughout the year to ensure anglers are fishing in harmony with our rules, have the necessary permits and licenses and are conducting themselves in a suitable manner.

In addition, bailiffs for the Environment Agency are granted open access to conduct their own inspections and anyone found behaving outside of the rules will be reported immediately.

You are asked to co-operate with our team and Environment Agency Bailiffs and anyone refusing to cooperate or found to be in breach of our rules will be asked to leave and will not be entitled any refund. Any breach of our rules could result in a lifetime ban.