The Leconfield Fly Fishing Club is a private members’ club formed in 1970. The club is a partnership between the members and the Leconfield Estate. The club members fish in one of the most private and exclusive locations in the South of England close to the market town of Petworth and the South Downs. Members have exclusive use of several lakes and three miles of the River Rother within the 14,000 acre Leconfield Estate. The lakes and river are within parts of the Leconfield Estate to which the public has no access.
The majority of the lakes are stocked with hard fighting rainbow trout. Two of the lakes are stocked with free rising brown trout and also have a resident head of wild browns.
The river is stocked with brown trout to supplement the population of wild fish. The stock fish are reared locally and are introduced throughout the season. There is a good mayfly hatch and the water meadows alongside the river are home to a varied population of terrestrial and aquatic insects. The river also has runs of sea trout.
Catch and release is permitted on the lakes and the river. This gives members the option to return stocked fish. Barbless hooks must be used and the fish carefully returned to the water. Catch and release will be monitored during the season and if there are fish fatalities or the water temperature is too high, it may be suspended.
The season on the lakes runs from March to the end of October. Each year the club committee and the Leconfield Estate decide whether to extend the season to the end of November dependent on the weather conditions.
The lakes, the river and the surroundings are beautifully maintained by a full time Keeper. There is ample car parking and fishing huts for recording and weighing your catch. About 4,500 trout are stocked annually, throughout the season, with an average weight of 2 ½ lbs with some larger fish. The club runs ‘bring a new member’ fishing days when guests can try the waters for themselves and have a barbecue lunch. It is also an opportunity for members to meet and swap fishing stories.
To make an appointment to view the club’s facilities or to request further information, please contact either the Estate Office or the Keeper:
The Estate Office, Petworth, GU28 0DU
telephone: 01798 342502
email: lfc@leconfield.net
Leconfield Fly Fishing Club 