River guide
River Medway in Kent
12 checked stretches so far — day tickets, club waters and guest tickets, each checked against the club's own pages.
The lowdown
The Medway through Kent is described by MVAS as a thriving mixed fishery, with the Barming water showing that range nicely. The river can change from broad and deep to narrow and quick, with open and wooded banks, lilies, aquatic growth and reedy cover all in the mix.
Around Barming, bream are generally dominant, while chub, carp and barbel add plenty of interest. The river is closed through the main spring period, reopening on June 16; day-ticket fishing is daylight-only, so it’s a case of picking your swim and making the hours count.
Close season reminder
Coarse fishing on English rivers is closed from 15 March to 15 June inclusive. That's the law for coarse fish on rivers — it's not a club rule, and game-fishing seasons work differently.
GOV.UK — Freshwater rod fishing rules: when and where you can fishStretches
12 of 12 checked stretches. No rankings — we don't know which is "best" on your day, and neither does anyone else.
River Medway: Barming Upstream
River Medway · Day ticket
A cracking Medway stretch from Barming Bridge upstream towards Teston Bridge, with the water stopping at a kissing gate about 300 yards short. It’s MVAS’s prime match venue, mixing broad deep water with quicker, narrower bits and plenty of fishy cover.
Checked 9 Oct 2026
Teston Picnic Park
River Medway · Day ticket
Teston Picnic Park is an MVAS-run River Medway stretch with two very different faces. Below Teston Lock it’s shallow and nippy; above the lock it settles down into deeper, slower water with a good head of roach and bream.
Checked 9 Oct 2026
Yalding to Wateringbury
River Medway · Day ticket or members
A very long Medway stretch running from Yalding towards Wateringbury, with an extended lock cut up top and miles of more natural bank lower down. It’s run by Maidstone Victory Angling Society, with day tickets available in advance or fishing for members.
Species not listed by the club.
Checked 9 Oct 2026
Ashurst stretch of the River Medway
River Medway · Members only
The Ashurst stretch is a proper two-part Medway fishery, running from Ham Farm downstream towards Ashurst railway station. The upper water slows towards the weir, while the deeper weir pool and lower river are more barbel- and chub-focused.
Checked 9 Oct 2026
Chafford Park stretch of the River Medway
River Medway · Members only
Chafford Park is a quiet, slow-moving lower-Medway stretch run by Royal Tunbridge Wells Angling Society. It’s mainly members-only, with a gentle bank profile and a proper match-style feel.
Checked 9 Oct 2026
River Medway Fordcombe
River Medway · Members only
A cracking upper Medway stretch near Fordcombe, run by Rookery Angling Club. Roughly half a mile of rural river, with seven platforms, high banks and some proper deep pools.
Checked 10 Oct 2026
River Medway Barming Downstream
River Medway · Day ticket or members
A handy half-mile Medway stretch from Barming Bridge, with easy car-park access and roughly six swims nearby. It’s proper chub water, with regular 5 lb-plus fish reported, plus bream, roach, the odd barbel and first-class pike fishing.
Checked 10 Oct 2026
River Medway Sportsground, Tonbridge
River Medway · Day ticket or members
A cracking, easy-access Medway stretch right in Tonbridge, with the river splitting around the sportsground into two channels. It’s a member and day-ticket venue, with steady summer roach sport, proper chub and some big surprises tucked away.
Checked 10 Oct 2026
River Medway Above Leigh Barrier — Haysden Country Park to Bailey Bridge
River Medway · Day ticket or members
A cracking bit of Medway above the Leigh Flood Barrier, running from Six Arches Bridge up to Bailey Bridge. The day-ticket water sits by Haysden Lake, with barbel, bream, roach, chub, pike and perch all in the mix.
Checked 10 Oct 2026
River Medway at Leigh
River Medway · Club members or arranged guest ticket
A rural River Medway stretch at Leigh, run and controlled by Maidstone Victory Angling Society. Access is via The Green Lane by Leigh village green, with the water reached beneath the railway bridge.
Species not listed by the club.
Checked 10 Oct 2026
River Medway near Tunbridge Wells
River Medway · Members only or guest ticket
A proper upper-Medway stretch run by Bromley (Kent) & District Angling Society, with a cracking big weir pool and mixed coarse fishing. It’s a members’ water, with guests welcome only when accompanied by a BDAS member.
Checked 10 Oct 2026
East Farleigh Cruising Club stretch, River Medway
River Medway · Day ticket or members
East Farleigh Cruising Club is a proper deep-water Medway stretch above Teston Lock, run and maintained by Maidstone Victory Angling Society. It’s a winter bream water, with pike worth a look too.
Checked 10 Oct 2026
Pins mark the access postcode each club gives, not the bank itself. Exact boundary map: see rights holder.
Access & tickets
Barming day ticket
Maidstone Victory Angling and Medway Preservation Society
Advance purchase required. Valid for the specified date and section, during daylight hours only.
£7.70 (as listed 09/10/2026)
Covers: River Medway: Barming Upstream
Environment Agency rod licence
Maidstone Victory Angling and Medway Preservation Society
Required in addition to the MVAS day ticket.
Covers: River Medway: Barming Upstream
MVAS day ticket
Maidstone Victory Angling and Medway Preservation Society
Teston Bridge Country Park day ticket. Purchase in advance; not available on the river bank. Also available from Maidstone Angling, Sandling Road, Maidstone.
£7 per day (as listed 09/10/2026)
Covers: Teston Picnic Park
EA rod licence
Maidstone Victory Angling and Medway Preservation Society
A valid EA rod licence is required.
Covers: Teston Picnic Park
Day ticket
Maidstone Victory Angling Society
Available when purchased in advance. Not available on the bank. Tickets can also be obtained from Maidstone Angling, Sandling Road, Maidstone.
£7 per day (as listed 09/10/2026)
Covers: Yalding to Wateringbury
Club membership
Maidstone Victory Angling Society
The water is available to Maidstone Victory Angling Society members as part of the Society’s Medway fishing.
Covers: Yalding to Wateringbury
Night fishing for members
Maidstone Victory Angling Society
Members may fish the Medway at night without a separate night-fishing permit.
Covers: Yalding to Wateringbury
Adult membership
Royal Tunbridge Wells Angling Society
RTWAS application information lists adult membership. Current membership is full and closed to new applicants; a waiting list is available. Confirm current prices with RTWAS.
£100 (as listed 09/10/2026)
Covers: Ashurst stretch of the River Medway
Family membership
Royal Tunbridge Wells Angling Society
RTWAS application information lists family membership. Confirm current prices with RTWAS.
£140 (as listed 09/10/2026)
Covers: Ashurst stretch of the River Medway
Junior membership, ages 12–17
Royal Tunbridge Wells Angling Society
RTWAS application information lists juniors aged 12–17 as free. Confirm current arrangements with RTWAS.
free (as listed 09/10/2026)
Covers: Ashurst stretch of the River Medway
RTWAS membership
Royal Tunbridge Wells Angling Society
Chafford Park is listed among Royal Tunbridge Wells Angling Society waters. Membership is currently full, with a waiting list available.
Covers: Chafford Park stretch of the River Medway
Adult male membership
Rookery Angling Club
Rookery Angling Club membership
£86 (as listed 10/10/2026)
Covers: River Medway Fordcombe
Adult female and senior membership
Rookery Angling Club
Rookery Angling Club membership
£63 (as listed 10/10/2026)
Covers: River Medway Fordcombe
Disabled membership
Rookery Angling Club
Rookery Angling Club membership
£46 (as listed 10/10/2026)
Covers: River Medway Fordcombe
Junior membership
Rookery Angling Club
Under-12s
£5 (as listed 10/10/2026)
Covers: River Medway Fordcombe
Junior membership
Rookery Angling Club
Under-18s
£27 (as listed 10/10/2026)
Covers: River Medway Fordcombe
New joining fee
Rookery Angling Club
Listed joining fee
£25 (as listed 10/10/2026)
Covers: River Medway Fordcombe
Advance day ticket
Maidstone Victory Angling and Medway Preservation Society
Must be purchased in advance; not available on the bank.
£7 per day (as listed 10/10/2026)
Covers: River Medway Barming Downstream
MVAS membership
Maidstone Victory Angling and Medway Preservation Society
Members may fish the river at night without a separate night-fishing permit.
Covers: River Medway Barming Downstream
Standard river and lake day ticket
Tonbridge & District Angling & Fish Preservation Society
Valid for one or two rods; obtainable on the bank from society bailiffs.
£10 (as listed 10/10/2026)
Covers: River Medway Sportsground, Tonbridge
Standard day ticket
Tonbridge & District Angling & Fish Preservation Society
For designated day-ticket waters only; maximum two rods. Buy through the society’s Clubmate ticket system.
£10 (as listed 10/10/2026)
Covers: River Medway Above Leigh Barrier — Haysden Country Park to Bailey Bridge
Society membership
Tonbridge & District Angling & Fish Preservation Society
The wider society water is otherwise members-only.
Covers: River Medway Above Leigh Barrier — Haysden Country Park to Bailey Bridge
Gold or Platinum permit
Tonbridge & District Angling & Fish Preservation Society
Required for night fishing.
Covers: River Medway Above Leigh Barrier — Haysden Country Park to Bailey Bridge
River peg booking
Maidstone Victory Angling Society
The club’s general ticket page lists river peg bookings, with a minimum booking of 10 pegs.
£6 per peg; bookings of 20 or more river pegs are £5 each. (as listed 10/10/2026)
Covers: River Medway at Leigh
Guest ticket
Maidstone Victory Angling Society
Available on many waters subject to restrictions. Must be arranged in advance by email, with the required member and guest details.
Covers: River Medway at Leigh
BDAS membership
Bromley (Kent) & District Angling Society
Members’ fishing waters. Membership details and price are not stated in the checked facts.
Covers: River Medway near Tunbridge Wells
BDAS member guest ticket
Bromley (Kent) & District Angling Society
Available only to BDAS members. The guest must be accompanied at all times; requests need administrator confirmation, payment and seven-day processing.
Covers: River Medway near Tunbridge Wells
Day ticket
Maidstone Victory Angling Society
Available in advance for Medway stretches, subject to the club’s stated exception.
Covers: East Farleigh Cruising Club stretch, River Medway
Club membership
Maidstone Victory Angling Society
Members may fish the river at night without a separate night-fishing permit.
Covers: East Farleigh Cruising Club stretch, River Medway
Species
We only tag a stretch with a fish when the club names it. Some clubs name fish across all their water rather than stretch by stretch — those are flagged on the card.
| Stretch | Carp | Tench | Bream | Roach | Pike | Perch | Barbel | Trout | Rudd | Chub | Crucian carp | Eel | Zander |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| River Medway: Barming Upstream | ● | ● | ● | ● | |||||||||
| Teston Picnic Park | ● | ● | |||||||||||
| Yalding to Wateringbury | |||||||||||||
| Ashurst stretch of the River Medway | ● | ● | ● | ● | |||||||||
| Chafford Park stretch of the River Medway | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ||||||||
| River Medway Fordcombe | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ||||||
| River Medway Barming Downstream | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ||||||||
| River Medway Sportsground, Tonbridge | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | |||
| River Medway Above Leigh Barrier — Haysden Country Park to Bailey Bridge | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | |||||||
| River Medway at Leigh | |||||||||||||
| River Medway near Tunbridge Wells | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● |
| East Farleigh Cruising Club stretch, River Medway | ● | ● |
● named by the club for this stretch · ●* named across the club's waters · blank = not named (not "absent").
Rules — who runs what
Maidstone Victory Angling and Medway Preservation Society
Buy the Barming day ticket in advance through MVAS. It must be purchased before fishing and isn’t available on the bank.
Club pageMaidstone Victory Angling Society
Day tickets must be purchased in advance and are not available on the bank. They can also be obtained from Maidstone Angling in Sandling Road, Maidstone.
Club pageRoyal Tunbridge Wells Angling Society
The stretch is run by Royal Tunbridge Wells Angling Society. Ordinary public day tickets aren’t advertised; membership is currently full and closed to new applicants, with a waiting list available. Guest tickets are restricted as above.
Club pageApply to join Rookery Angling Club. Applications are subject to committee consideration, membership is strictly controlled and a waiting list may apply.
Club pageTonbridge & District Angling & Fish Preservation Society
Day tickets are obtainable on the bank from society bailiffs. The standard river and lake day ticket costs £10 for one or two rods.
Club pageBromley (Kent) & District Angling Society
This is BDAS members’ water. BDAS members can request guest tickets, but the guest must stay accompanied, the request needs administrator confirmation, payment is required and processing is stated as seven days. Non-member requests are rejected.
Club pageFished the river recently?
Pick the stretch you fished and add a 20-second update there — one stretch at a time keeps it useful.
Each stretch page lists its own key rules. You'll need an Environment Agency rod licence on all of them.
River levels
Measured readings straight from the Environment Agency. These are the nearest gauges we've matched — not readings from the stretches themselves.
Measured — Environment Agency
East Farleigh Gate Upstream gauge
Nearest EA gauge we've matched — it isn't on this stretch, so levels on your peg will differ.
Loading latest reading…
We don't publish an "ideal level" — nobody can promise one. Flood water is dangerous: if it's up and coloured, stay well back from the edge. Open River Ready
Measured — Environment Agency
Teston gauge
Nearest EA gauge we've matched — it isn't on this stretch, so levels on your peg will differ.
Loading latest reading…
We don't publish an "ideal level" — nobody can promise one. Flood water is dangerous: if it's up and coloured, stay well back from the edge. Open River Ready
Measured — Environment Agency
Yalding Hampstead Lock gauge
Nearest EA gauge we've matched — it isn't on this stretch, so levels on your peg will differ.
Loading latest reading…
We don't publish an "ideal level" — nobody can promise one. Flood water is dangerous: if it's up and coloured, stay well back from the edge. Open River Ready
Tips & reports
Our take (editorial, not club advice): on any decent-sized river, a lead that holds bottom without dragging is half the battle — go up in weight before you go up in bait. A bit of extra colour after rain often brings barbel and bream closer in, but a fast-rising, debris-filled river is dangerous; if in doubt, don't. Weather tools built for still lakes don't translate neatly to rivers, so we haven't bolted a lake-style weather score on here.
No angler reports on these stretches yet — we'll only show real ones once our moderated river reports are live.
Where this comes from · checked 9 Oct 2026
- GOV.UK — Freshwater rod fishing rules: when and where you can fish
- Maidstone Victory Angling and Medway Preservation Society — home (maidstonevictoryanglingsociety.com)
- Maidstone Victory Angling Society — home (maidstonevictoryanglingsociety.com)
- Royal Tunbridge Wells Angling Society — home (rtwas.co.uk)
- Rookery Angling Club — home (rookeryanglingclub.org)
- Tonbridge & District Angling & Fish Preservation Society — medway the sportsground (tonbridge-angling.co.uk)
- Bromley (Kent) & District Angling Society — home (bdaskent.co.uk)
Rules, prices and ticket availability change — the rights holder's own page always wins.