Fishing in Kent

By Alex Clayton · Updated 23 October 2026

The quickest way to a fish in Kent is usually a day-ticket lake, not a river. Most river banks here are club water, so you need a membership or a club ticket before you can cast.

Fishing in Kent covers four kinds of water: club rivers such as the Medway and Great Stour, day-ticket coarse and carp lakes, Bewl Water for trout and predators, and the sea from Sheerness round to Dungeness. Each has its own access and its own rules.

For freshwater you need an Environment Agency rod licence from age 13. Sea fishing needs none (prices and details are in the rules section below).

This guide to Kent fishing runs in order: a water chooser, the lakes, the rivers, trout and pike, the sea, then the rules. For other counties, see more UK fishing regions.

Where to Fish in Kent: Choosing Between Rivers, Lakes, Reservoir and Coast

Turning up at a Kent river in May with a coarse rod is a common mistake. Rivers, streams and drains are closed to coarse fishing from 15 March to 15 June inclusive, so the calendar picks your water before the venue does.

Water type	Main species	Access	Season notes	Go to section
Club rivers (Medway, Eden, Teise, Beult, Great Stour)	Barbel, chub, roach, dace, bream	Club membership or club ticket	Coarse close season 15 Mar to 15 Jun	River fishing
Day-ticket lakes (Monk Lakes, Combebank, Sam’s Lakes, Mote Park)	Carp, catfish, mixed coarse	Book or buy per venue	No river close season; listed SSSI stillwaters close 15 Mar to 15 Jun	Kent fishing lakes
Bewl Water	Trout (fly only from the bank), pike and perch	Bookable with the venue	Separate predator season	Trout and pike
Sea	Bass, thornback ray, smooth hound, grey mullet, cod	No rod licence; check access per mark	Bass rules apply	Sea fishing

Beginners and families get the easiest start on a day-ticket lake. Mote Park and Sam’s Lakes both have fishing platforms. River anglers should sort a club ticket well ahead: one club’s membership book was full when checked.

In winter, the coast fishes and Bewl’s predator season opens on 31 October.

If you have one free day and no club ticket, book a lake.

Kent Fishing Lakes: Day-Ticket Carp and Coarse Venues

At Monk Lakes in Marden, keepnets are banned outside matches and every hook must be barbless. Turn up with the wrong rig box and your session is over before it starts.

House rules on fishing lakes in Kent differ from one gate to the next, so read each venue’s rules page before you load the car.

Monk Lakes, Marden

Monk Lakes has seven lakes plus a stretch of river, according to the venue. Mallard (5 acres) holds carp and catfish, with carp to 45lb (20.4kg). Bridges covers 16 acres, Puma covers 10 acres with carp to 30lb, and there are four match lakes. The river holds carp, roach, bream and pike.

The rules: barbless hooks only, no live bait or spinning, no keepnets except in matches, no sacking of carp, and a landing net is required. Prices are on the venue’s own price list, so check them before you travel.

Combebank Fisheries, Darenth Valley

Combe Bank Lake covers about 7 acres with 20 swims, and the venue gives its carp record as 38lb. Old School Pond is a smaller water of 1 acre and 7 swims.

Bookings are online only, so you cannot turn up on spec. You also need an EA rod licence.

Sam’s Lakes and Mote Park, near Maidstone

Visit Maidstone lists Sam’s Lakes as two lakes of about three acres between Headcorn and Smarden, and describes it as family friendly. Mote Park is council-run water in Maidstone with fishing platforms. Check the current Mote Park permit price and rules with Maidstone Borough Council, and Sam’s Lakes’ prices with the fishery, before you go.

Other Kent day-ticket fisheries

Other commercial venues turn up in Kent listings, including Cackle Hill, Hawkhurst Farm, Elphicks and Claygate. Stock, prices and night-fishing rules were not confirmed for any of them, so ask each fishery directly.

Whichever lake you pick, pack a landing net and an unhooking mat, and carry barbless hooks or crush your barbs. Assume live bait is banned unless the venue says otherwise. The national byelaw only allows live bait taken from the same water, and both Monk Lakes and Bewl Water ban it outright.

Best for: carp anglers, and beginners who want facilities and a fish or two. Skip if: you want wild river fish.

Check with the fishery before you travel.

River Fishing in Kent: The Medway, Great Stour and Club Waters

Why do so many visitors to Kent end up on a lake when the county has the Medway, the Great Stour and their tributaries? Because most of that river is club water, and the first job is finding a club with space, not finding a swim.

Who controls the banks

Much of the Medway, Eden, Teise and Beult is fished by angling clubs. Clubs listed for Kent waters include:

Royal Tunbridge Wells Angling Society
Tonbridge and District AFPS
Bromley and District AS
Dartford and District AS
Maidstone Victory AS
Linton AS
Cranbrook and District AC

That list comes from a directory, not the clubs themselves, so check membership and any day-ticket options with each club. A few free stretches are reported in Kent listings, but none could be confirmed. Check with a club or the Environment Agency before you fish any bank.

Upper Medway: a club example

The Royal Tunbridge Wells Angling Society fishes over 7 miles of river plus some stillwaters, including the Medway at Ashurst and Fordcombe. The upper river holds barbel, chub, roach, dace and carp.

The club advises barbless hooks and sturdy tackle, because barbel and chub there are strong fish in snaggy water. It also warns that the banks at Fordcombe can be dangerous in winter. The club reports a habitat and stocking programme run with the EA, with 500 barbel and 500 chub a year for three years from December 2016.

When checked in October 2026, its membership book was full and closed to new applicants, so confirm before you apply.

River rules you must know

The Medway and Great Stour sit in the EA’s Southern byelaw area, while the Darent and Cray fall under the Thames area. The coarse close season is the same in both: 15 March to 15 June inclusive on rivers, streams and drains.

The Medway and the Kent Stour are also salmon-protected rivers. Any salmon you hook must be released immediately with the least possible injury.

For swims, access and seasons on the main river, see our River Medway fishing guide.

The verdict: river fishing in Kent rewards anglers who plan a season ahead, not a weekend ahead.

Trout and Pike in Kent: Bewl Water and the Trout Rivers

If you want pike or perch in Kent, the date matters more than the venue. Bewl Water’s predator season runs only from 31 October 2026 to 22 February 2027.

Bewl Water

Bank fishing at Bewl is fly only, and livebaiting is banned. Tickets, boats and the full rules are in our Bewl Water guide.

River trout

The Chilham Estate is listed for brown trout on the Great Stour near Canterbury, and the Teise Anglers and Conservation Society runs fly fishing on the Teise. Check access and prices with the estate or club before you travel.

Trout rules

In the Southern byelaw area, the brown and rainbow trout close season on rivers, streams and drains runs from 1 November to 2 April. There is no close season for rainbow trout on stillwaters. Minimum size is 23cm for trout and 38cm for migratory trout. The national byelaws allow 1 rod for trout on rivers and 2 on lakes and ponds.

Quick comparison: Bewl, which the venue calls the largest reservoir in the South East, suits a bookable day. A club river beat suits anglers after wild brown trout.

Sea Fishing in Kent: Species, Shore Marks and the 2026 Bass Rules

A 40cm bass caught in February still goes back in Kent, twice over. It is under the 42cm minimum size, and February falls in the catch-and-release period.

What you can catch

Kent & Essex IFCA lists bass, thornback ray, smooth hound, grey mullet and cod as the species anglers target on this coast. Cod are the classic winter target. The same IFCA covers the Essex shore, so its byelaws apply if you head over to fishing in Essex.

Shore and pier marks

Marks named for the Kent coast include:

Dungeness and Denge Marsh
Sandwich Bay
Sheerness
Whitstable
Herne Bay (beach and pier)
Dover Admiralty Pier
Ramsgate pier and harbour
Deal pier
Folkestone pier

Access, opening hours and any fees for piers and harbour walls change, so check with the operator or harbour authority before you travel. Our Dungeness guide covers range firing checks and access, and our Kent coast sea fishing marks page goes mark by mark.

Bass rules for 2026

GOV.UK’s 2026 guidance sets the recreational bass rules:

1 February to 31 March: catch and release only, by rod and line or handline
Rest of the year: up to 3 bass per angler per day
Minimum size: 42cm

Extra restrictions can apply in bass nursery areas, so call Kent & Essex IFCA on 01843 585310 before you keep any fish. Bait collection rules and minimum sizes for other species are on the IFCA website. For the wider picture, see our bass fishing regulations guide.

You do not need an EA rod licence to fish the sea.

If you want a winter session without a club ticket, start with a beach or pier mark and check access the day before.

Rod Licences, Close Seasons and Byelaws for Kent Anglers

The river close season does not stop at rivers in Kent. Listed SSSI stillwaters, including the Walland Marsh stretch of the Royal Military Canal, close on the same dates.

Licence: an EA rod licence is needed for freshwater from age 13, including private fisheries, and is free for ages 13 to 16. A 12-month trout and coarse licence (2 rods) costs £36.80, a 1-day licence £7.30. Prices change each April; see our fishing licence guide.
Close season: 15 March to 15 June inclusive on rivers, streams, drains and listed SSSI stillwaters. Kent examples include Dungeness, Stodmarsh, Sevenoaks Gravel Pits and The Swale. The canal stretch runs TQ933227 to TQ991320; check it with the EA. See our fishing seasons guide.
National byelaws: up to 4 coarse rods within 3m of each other, never unattended. Keepnets at least 2m long, no knotted or metal mesh.

Fisheries and clubs can add rules on top, but the byelaws still apply.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a fishing licence in Kent?

Yes for freshwater, from age 13. It is free for 13 to 16 year olds and £36.80 for a 12-month trout and coarse licence. Sea fishing needs no licence. Buy online from GOV.UK before your first session, and see the rules section above.

Can you fish the River Medway for free?

Mostly not. The Medway is largely club water. Free stretches are reported but none were confirmed, so check with a local club or the Environment Agency first. See the river section above.

When is the close season in Kent?

15 March to 15 June inclusive on rivers, streams and drains, and on listed SSSI stillwaters. Most commercial lakes stay open through it, but some Kent stillwaters are SSSIs, so check with the fishery or the EA.

Can I fish Kent lakes at night?

It depends on the venue. None of the lakes on this page were confirmed for night fishing, so ask the fishery when you book and confirm any rules on bivvies and rod numbers. Our night fishing rules guide covers the basics.