A Guide To Fishing In Kent
Looking for excellent fishing venues? Ever tried fishing in Kent? If not, you’re in for a pleasant surprise.

The Orpington and District Angling Association offers a broad range of still water lakes as well as some beautiful stretches of river fishing, including 7 miles of the River Medway and Eden near Tunbridge and five mature gravel pits set in 40 acres of nature reserve in Ruxley near Orpington.

Then there’s the Holmesdale Angling and Conservation Society with its mature 70-acre former gravel pit positively leaping with pike to 31 lbs, common and mirror carp to the mid-twenties, and brutishly healthy tench, perch and eels. The society’s Montreal Park sports two lakes covering approximately 2 acres, both of which have been extensively re-stocked in the last two years and are now shimmering with crucians, roach, rudd, perch, tench and skimmers.

Another reason to try fishing in Kent comes in the form of the sixty-year-old Alders Fishing Club, with its three lakes and two generous stretches of river. It controls a three-quarter mile strip of the River Beult at Staplehurst and a quarter mile length of the River Medway at Golden Green near Tonbridge. Bleak, bream, chub, perch and roach can all be drawn from the Medway, and all of these plus some tench from the Beult. You can fish the lakes for the whole twelve months of the year, but the rivers follow the standard Environmental Agency close season.

If you make your way over to Turnbridge Wells, you’ll discover another strong reason to try fishing in Kent: Frant Lakes at Bells Yew Green near the picturesque village of Frant boasts eight gleaming lakes set in the most sumptuous and sedate Kent countryside.

The ‘Car Park Lakes’ (Lakes 3 and 4) are separated by a causeway and wooden bridge and they’re the largest on the site. Even though the fish can swim freely between the lakes through the water under the bridge, for some mysterious reason they tend not to, sticking to the side of the lake they’re most familiar with! The Car Park Lakes hold carp to 22 lbs and, if you’ve never been to Frant before, these are the premier lakes in the complex: you’ll catch all the species available in the other lakes here. Whilst Lake 5 (‘The Waterfall’) is one of the smaller waters at Frant, it’s so densely stocked with fish that you’ll bag a satisfying haul effortlessly.

It’s ideal for beginners and children. Lake 2 (‘The Stumps’) is relatively shallow at 1 metre or so, and it stocks the ‘pretty’ fish like golden orfe and koi derivatives, whereas Lakes 1 and 6 (‘The Skirmish’) are the two match lakes, hosting a good head of silver fish and carp to 20 lbs (if you’re fortunate, you’ll find a gorgeous jet black carp in Lake 1).

Finally Lakes 7 and 8 are the specimen lakes, holding the biggest carp in the complex. They’re set on their own, away from the other six lakes, with the River Teise running beside both – if you fancy a little ‘real’ fishing for wild fish, this is your chance.

There are many more excellent venues in the county – Kent is positively studded with superb angling sites and well worth a visit

If This Article
Has inspired you to go fishing you might want to look at our fishing lakes in the UK Click Here or alternatively return to Anglers Fishing Guide Homepage