Fishing the River Kennet

By Alex Clayton · Updated 23 October 2026

The Kennet is a chalk river of about 45 miles (72 km), rising at Swallowhead Spring near Silbury Hill in Wiltshire and joining the Thames at Reading. River Kennet fishing means trout and grayling in the upper reaches, then chub, roach, dace, pike and barbel further down. Barbel are where the river’s reputation and the clubs’ own beat notes start to disagree.

The bigger hurdle is access. Very little of the Kennet is open to the casual visitor: most coarse fishing runs through clubs such as Newbury AA and Reading & District AA, and the upper river is private, keepered trout water.

Below: what the river holds, the named club beats, which tickets exist, and the close season, licence and Thames byelaws.

Between 1718 and 1723 the lower Kennet from Reading to Newbury was made navigable, and that stretch now forms part of the Kennet and Avon Canal, run by the Canal & River Trust. So “the Kennet” can mean a gin-clear chalk stream or a boat channel.

The river splits into three fisheries:

Upper river (Marlborough to Hungerford and beyond): chalk stream with beds of water crowfoot and keepered trout fishing. The Og joins at Marlborough and the Dun at Hungerford.
Middle river (Newbury to Aldermaston): mixed coarse and trout water, where most club beats sit. Flows range from strong at Hambridge to broad, deep and powerful at Aldermaston.
Lower river and navigation (towards Reading): river and canal sections woven together; the Woolhampton club beat is described as “improved river navigation”.

From Marlborough to Woolhampton the river is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest, so keep off soft margins and leave the weed beds alone. Our guide to other UK rivers worth fishing covers the wider picture.

What Fish the Kennet Holds: Chub, Barbel, Roach, Dace, Grayling and Trout

Is the Kennet still a barbel river? Newbury AA’s own beat notes give a mixed answer. Hambridge once produced mid-sized barbel but they are now few and far between, and Brimpton sees only very occasional fish. Aldermaston, the club’s broad, deep downstream stretch, still holds some good barbel for anglers prepared to put the hours in.

Kennet barbel are real but beat-dependent. The everyday strength is the mixed bag.

Species	Where to look	Notes
Chub	Hambridge, Speen Moors, Brimpton	Speen Moors is noted for them
Barbel	Deeper lower water such as Aldermaston	Few at Hambridge, very occasional at Brimpton
Roach and dace	Hambridge (the mainstay), silvers at Brimpton and Aldermaston	Newbury AA recommends a trotted loafer float at Hambridge
Grayling and brown trout	Hambridge holds both; many trout at Speen; upper river	Upper river is primarily fly water
Pike	Speen Moors holds some large pike	Club pike season applies (see the rules section)
Perch, roach, bream	Newbury Town stretch of the K&A Canal	Light pole or waggler water

Kennet chub feature on three of the club’s four river beats. For a busy day, trot for roach, dace and chub. If you want barbel, pick a deep lower beat such as Aldermaston and expect to work for them. For another southern barbel and chub river, see the Bristol Avon, or read our barbel species guide.

Where to Fish the Kennet: Club Waters and Named Beats

You can drive along the Kennet for miles and not know whose bank you are looking at. Almost all of it is club or private water, often unsignposted. These are the beats the clubs themselves describe.

Beat	Controlled by	Character	Main species
Hambridge (River Kennet)	Newbury AA	About 400 yards, south bank only, strong flow	Roach, dace, chub, grayling, brown trout
Speen Moors	Newbury AA	Access difficult, parts overgrown	Chub, some large pike, many trout
Brimpton	Newbury AA	Crayfish drawn to static baits	Silvers, dace, trout, chub, very occasional barbel
Aldermaston	Newbury AA	About 1 mile, broad, deep and powerful; the club’s furthest downstream river stretch	Silvers, trout, some good barbel
Woolhampton	Twyford & District FC (shared with British Airways Clubs AS)	About 750m either side of Wickham Knight Bridge No 30 to the Salmon Cut; parking at Hillfoot Farm, Bath Road, RG7 5RH	Not listed by the club

At Hambridge, the section between Hambridge Lane bridge and Palletts car park belongs to the Civil Service Angling Society, which Newbury AA members can fish on exchange. The Civil Service AS also lists K&A Canal water at Woolhampton, Midgham and Kintbury.

Further downstream, Reading & District AA owns or leases about 25 miles across the Kennet, Thames, Loddon and K&A Canal, plus 14 lakes.

Upstream, the Hungerford Town and Manor fishery is fished by commoners on set fishing days (Monday, Thursday and Saturday) and otherwise by syndicate rods across three syndicates: Main River Kennet, Hungerford Marsh and Freeman’s Marsh. The Chilton Estate has more than 5,000 yards of keepered dry-fly water for about 30 rods. Neither is open to visiting anglers on a ticket.

Leases, beat boundaries and rules change, so check with the club before you travel.

River Kennet Day Tickets and Club Membership: What You Can Actually Buy

Search for a Kennet day ticket and most of what comes back is members-only water. Newbury AA lists no general day ticket for non-members, only guest tickets, which leaves three routes:

Newbury AA membership. The club year runs 16 June to 15 June. Senior membership is £95, pensioner or disabled concession £60, junior (12 to 16) £10, pensioners aged 76 and over £25, and under 12s free. A venue key is £10; renew through the Clubmate app.
A member’s guest ticket. A Newbury AA member can bring one paying guest per day: £10 for 12 hours or £15 for 24 hours, from Thatcham Angling (the tackle shop on Sagecroft Road, Thatcham) or through Clubmate.
Reading & District AA’s non-member day permit. RDAA lists a river and canal day ticket for non-members, but no price was shown when we checked, so confirm it on the RDAA permits page. RDAA annual permits run to 31 March.

Newbury AA members also get free Civil Service AS exchange permits for Hambridge, Fidlers Waters near Bulls Lock and the K&A at Kintbury, capped at 5 members a day.

Regulars round Newbury should join Newbury AA; one-day visitors should use RDAA’s permit or go as a member’s guest. Prices change each season, so check with the club before you buy.

Close Seasons, Licences and Byelaws on the Kennet

Most of the Kennet and Avon Canal is open all year, but from the River Kennet confluence at Kintbury down to Reading it keeps the 15 March to 15 June close season, according to the Environment Agency’s South East byelaws and the Canal & River Trust.

The river itself sits in the Environment Agency’s Thames byelaw area:

Rule	What applies	Authority
Coarse close season (river)	15 March to 15 June	GOV.UK (Thames byelaw area)
K&A Canal, Kintbury to Reading	Coarse close season applies	GOV.UK, Canal & River Trust
River trout close season	1 October to 31 March, brown and rainbow trout	GOV.UK
Trout during the coarse close season	Artificial fly or lure only (or a minnow from the same water caught in an EA-authorised trap)	GOV.UK
Trout size limit	No trout under 25cm taken	GOV.UK
Tackle	No gorge bait, max 3 hooks per rod and line, no self-hooking devices, weigh fish near the point of capture	GOV.UK

You need an Environment Agency rod licence from age 13 (free for 13 to 16 year olds). A 1-day licence is £7.30 and a 12-month 2-rod trout and coarse licence is £36.80. Prices change each April, so check GOV.UK first, and see our fishing seasons guide for national dates.

Club rules sit on top. On Newbury AA water, pike fishing runs only from 1 October to 15 March, with a wire trace of at least 450mm and no livebait. Barbed hooks up to size 12 are allowed on rivers and canals, night lines are banned, an unhooking mat is required and bait is capped at 4kg per angler. Other clubs differ, so read the rulebook first.

Methods, Seasons and the Crayfish Problem

Static bait coming back bare? Suspect crayfish before fish. The Kennet’s crayfish are now mostly non-native American signals, and Newbury AA warns about them at Speen, Brimpton and Aldermaston. Keep the bait moving or make it tough:

Trotting: Newbury AA says a loafer float trotted at Hambridge gives mixed catches of roach, dace and chub, and a moving bait spends less time on the bottom. See our trotting guide.
Static fishing: soft baits get stripped; use a boilie or other hard hookbait, as the club suggests for Aldermaston.
Canal: pole or waggler on light tackle, with maggot, caster, worm and sweetcorn in summer and bread punch in winter.

The river opens to coarse fishing on 16 June, pike follow on 1 October on Newbury AA water, and river trout close after 30 September. Check the Environment Agency river level readings on GOV.UK before you travel, especially after heavy rain.

Trotting skills carry straight over to the River Lee and the Great Ouse.

For more river guides, see the River Cam and the River Eden.

Frequently asked questions

Can you get a day ticket on the River Kennet?

Yes, through some clubs. Reading & District AA lists a non-member river and canal day permit, so check the current price with RDAA. Newbury AA has no general day ticket, but a member can bring one paying guest for £10 (12 hours) or £15 (24 hours). Check the club before you travel.

When is the close season on the River Kennet?

The coarse close season runs from 15 March to 15 June on the river, and on the Kennet and Avon Canal from Kintbury down to Reading. The river trout close season runs from 1 October to 31 March. Both come from the Environment Agency's South East byelaws on GOV.UK.

Is the River Kennet good for barbel?

It depends on the beat. Newbury AA reports barbel are now few at Hambridge and only occasional at Brimpton, while Aldermaston still holds some good fish for anglers who put the hours in. Chub, roach and dace are the more dependable targets.

Do I need a rod licence to fish the Kennet?

Yes, from age 13. A junior licence for 13 to 16 year olds is free, a 1-day licence is £7.30 and a 12-month 2-rod licence is £36.80. Check GOV.UK, because prices change each April. You also need the club's permit or membership for the bank you fish.