Fishing the River Medway

By Alex Clayton · Updated 23 October 2026

Search for Medway fishing and you mostly get a bare list of club names or a page about lakes. Neither tells you how the river works or how to get on it legally.

River Medway fishing is mainly club-controlled coarse fishing on the non-tidal river above Allington Lock, with chub and barbel the headline species on the upper river.

This guide covers the river’s layout, the species (including Medway chub and bream), who controls the banks, the rod licence and close season, and when floods stop play. For other waters, see our UK river fishing guides.

River Medway at a Glance: Upper River, Maidstone Reaches and the Tidal Limit at Allington

The Medway changes character completely at a single lock. According to GOV.UK’s River Medway guidance for boaters, the river is tidal downstream of Allington Lock and non-tidal above it, and the navigation has 10 locks.

Above Allington, three broad reaches matter to an angler:

Reach	Character	Notes
Upper river (Ashurst and Fordcombe, near Tunbridge Wells)	Snaggy water holding strong fish	Royal Tunbridge Wells Angling Society club water
Middle river (Yalding to Allington)	Locked navigation through Maidstone	Check with the controlling club for access
Below Allington Lock	Tidal estuary	Different conditions; check Environment Agency byelaws

The club that fishes the upper river describes it as snaggy, with strong fish and difficult banks. Through the middle reaches, Visit Maidstone describes the banks from Allington to Yalding as popular, and singles out Teston Country Park and the Maidstone town centre banks for easy parking.

That is a tourism page, not a ticket listing, so use it for orientation only. If you are new to river Medway fishing, start above Allington and leave the tidal water until you have local knowledge.

River Medway Fish Species and Where to Find Them

On the upper Medway, which fish you catch depends on which side of one weir you sit. The Royal Tunbridge Wells Angling Society (RTWAS) says barbel and chub dominate below Ashurst weir, while above it you will find carp, chub, roach and dace.

Further downstream, the Environment Agency stocked about 1,000 tagged barbel and chub near Barming in 2015 and asked anglers to report any tagged fish they caught (GOV.UK press release). Read that as a dated stocking record, not a measure of what swims there today.

Species	Where on the Medway (sourced)	Best time of year (general UK river guidance)
Barbel	Below Ashurst weir (RTWAS); Barming stocking (EA, 2015)	Summer and autumn, from 16 June
Chub	Both sides of Ashurst weir (RTWAS); Barming stocking (EA, 2015)	All season, and a reliable winter fish
Roach and dace	Above Ashurst weir (RTWAS)	Autumn and winter
Carp	Above Ashurst weir (RTWAS)	Summer

Medway Bream

No club or official source names Medway bream hotspots. Standard river bream watercraft still applies: look for the slower, deeper, wider swims, fish a steady feeder or float line over groundbait, and concentrate on dawn and dusk.

On Windermere I’ve found bream respond to a steady, accurate feeder line more than a scattered one. Ask the controlling club which stretches hold bream.

For a first Medway target, chub are the safer bet. The club records them on both sides of Ashurst weir and they feed through the winter, while bream need local knowledge to find.

Medway Chub and Barbel: Fishing the Upper River

Losing a strong fish to a snag is the classic upper Medway blank. Medway chub and barbel live in tight, snaggy water, and light tackle gives them every chance to reach cover.

RTWAS has over 7 miles of river, including the Ashurst and Fordcombe stretches. On its own site, the club describes the river as snaggy with strong fish and advises barbless hooks. It also describes Fordcombe as a former British record barbel venue.

Tackle for this kind of river, based on standard UK practice:

Rod: a barbel or Avon-style rod with enough backbone to turn a fish away from snags.
Mainline: around 10 to 12lb breaking strain for barbel, 6 to 8lb for chub.
Hooks: barbless, as the club advises.
Landing gear: a large landing net and an unhooking mat.

For bait, luncheon meat and pellets are the standard barbel choices, with bread flake and cheese paste the classic winter chub baits.

RTWAS also warns that some banks are steep and slippery in winter, and suggests a rope and a dog spike where there are no steps. Membership is through the club, so apply directly and check its current rules. For a comparable southern chub and barbel river, see our Dorset Stour fishing guide.

Best for: anglers who want small-river chub and barbel and are happy to work for a swim. Skip if: you want an easy-access, stand-up bank.

Who Controls the Medway: Clubs, Day Tickets and Permits

One phone call or email to the right club saves a wasted trip. Much of the Medway is controlled by angling clubs, and the fisheries.co.uk Kent directory lists these as holding water on the river:

Royal Tunbridge Wells Angling Society
Tonbridge and District Angling and Fish Preservation Society
Bromley and District Angling Society
Dartford and District Angling Society
Maidstone Victory Angling Society
Linton Angling Society
Cranbrook and District Angling Club
Upper Medway Fly Fishers, upstream, for trout

That is a directory listing, not a confirmed current record. Only the RTWAS waters (Ashurst and Fordcombe, over 7 miles) are confirmed from the club’s own site.

Day tickets are harder to pin down. Visit Maidstone calls Teston and the town centre banks popular, but no current day-ticket source turned up during research for this guide. Ask the controlling club, or Kent County Council for Teston Bridge Country Park, whether tickets are sold and where.

This guide names no stretch of the Medway as free. If someone tells you of one, confirm it with the landowner or club before you fish.

To join a club, start with its website or ask in a tackle shop in Maidstone or Tonbridge. A club permit does not replace your Environment Agency rod licence, covered in the rules section below. For more waters across the county, see our guide to fishing in Kent.

Join the club that controls the reach you want before the season opens, and check with the club or fishery before you travel.

River Medway Fishing Rules: Licence, Close Season and Byelaws

A club book does not make you legal. You still need an Environment Agency rod licence if you are 13 or over, including on club water and private lakes (GOV.UK).

A trout and coarse licence for up to 2 rods costs £7.30 for 1 day, £14.70 for 8 days or £36.80 for 12 months, and is free for juniors aged 13 to 16 (GOV.UK, checked October 2026). Prices can change, so confirm on GOV.UK before you buy, or see our fishing licence guide.

Rule	What it means on the Medway	Source authority
Rod licence	Needed from age 13, alongside any club permit	Environment Agency
Coarse close season	No coarse fishing 15 March to 15 June	Environment Agency
Local byelaws	Tackle, size and season rules by area	Environment Agency; Kent and Essex IFCA (estuary)

The coarse close season covers every river in England (GOV.UK), so the Medway reopens on 16 June. Most enclosed stillwaters and canals are exempt, and close-season trout anglers in South-east England are limited to artificial fly. See our fishing seasons guide.

Tidal Medway byelaws were not confirmed for this guide, so below Allington check the Environment Agency’s byelaws and the Kent and Essex IFCA.

Medway River Levels, Floods and Bank Safety

Anglers discussing the river online point to floodwater from upstream as the main thing that ruins Medway sessions, with fishing effectively over until the river clears.

Check the river level on the GOV.UK river and sea levels service before you set off. A river that is falling and fining down after a flood can fish well for chub and barbel, but a rising, coloured one is usually a wasted trip.

RTWAS warns of steep, slippery upper river banks in winter, so fish with a partner and keep off undercut edges.

Frequently asked questions

Can you fish the River Medway for free?

Not reliably. Most of the river is club water and no free stretch could be verified. Check with the club or landowner first, and you always need an Environment Agency rod licence.

When is the close season on the River Medway?

The coarse close season runs from 15 March to 15 June inclusive, reopening on 16 June. See the rules section above for licence and byelaw detail.

Is the River Medway tidal?

Yes, below Allington Lock. Above it the river is non-tidal, and that is where most coarse fishing happens. Check Environment Agency and Kent and Essex IFCA rules before fishing tidal water.

What fish are in the River Medway?

The local club records chub, barbel, roach, dace and carp on the upper river, and bream are also reported. Chub and barbel are the headline fish; see the species section above.

What other rivers are like the Medway?

Other UK rivers we cover include the River Nene, the River Welland and the River Usk. Each has its own guide in our rivers section.