Venue guides · Kent
Fishing Lakes Near Kent
Thirteen day-ticket and club waters within 30 km, ranked by the anglers who fish them, with the honest notes I would want before booking a day on any of them.
I have not fished every water on this list. The ratings come from anglers who have; the advice on choosing between them is mine.
Carp fishing in Kent
Kent is a big carp county with a long tradition. The Medway, Stour and Darent valleys are lined with gravel pits, the Weald to the south is full of estate lakes and old hammer ponds, and the county has some of the best-known commercial fisheries in the south-east. The chalk of the North Downs keeps a lot of the water clear and rich.
The valley pits and the big estate lakes are where the specimens live, and many are syndicate waters with waiting lists. The day-ticket lakes are plentiful, well run and, on the whole, generously stocked. The M20, M2 and M25 put almost all of it within an hour of London.
The map below plots the fisheries anglers rate most highly within roughly 30 km, so you can shortlist a water, get directions and check the reviews in one place. Treat the ratings as a filter rather than a verdict, and read the notes on choosing a venue before you ring ahead.
At a glance
The fisheries, mapped
Every venue below is plotted from its real address. Tap a pin on the map or the button on any card for directions.
🎣 Found 13 fisheries near Kent, sorted by angler rating. Click any pin on the map or card for directions.
📋 Fishery Cards
1 Coombewood Fishery ⭐ Top Rated
📍 Redbrook St, High Halden, Ashford TN26 3JH, UK
2 Greenacres Farm Fishery
📍 Sissinghurst Rd, Biddenden, Ashford TN27 8FL, UK
3 Elphicks Fishery
📍 Spelmonden Rd, Horsmonden, Tonbridge TN12 8EL, UK
4 Chequertree Fishery
📍 Bethersden, Ashford, Bethersden, Kent TN26 3JR, UK
5 Hartley Lands Fishery
📍 Swattenden Ln, Hartley, Swattenden, Cranbrook TN17 3PS, UK
6 Mid Kent Fisheries
📍 Conningbrook Manor, Willesborough, Ashford TN24 0LS, UK
7 Cackle Hill Lakes
📍 Headcorn Rd, Biddenden, Ashford TN27 8JW, UK
8 RKB Leisure Martello Lakes
📍 Dymchurch Rd, Hythe CT21 4ND, UK
9 Chart Hill Lakes
📍 Chart Hill Lakes, Chart Hill Rd, Maidstone ME17 3EZ, UK
10 Lavender Farm Lasher's Lake
📍 Lavender Farm, Hernhill, Faversham ME13 9JH, UK
11 Claygate Lakes
📍 Claygate, Marden TN12 9PL, UK
12 Monk Lakes
📍 Staplehurst Rd, Tonbridge TN12 9BS, UK
13 Stour Valley Fishing Complex
📍 Bobbin Lodge Hill, Chartham, Canterbury CT4 7RB, UK
📊 Full Fishery Table
| # | Fishery Name | Address | Rating | Reviews | Directions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Coombewood Fishery | Redbrook St, High Halden, Ashford TN26 3JH, UK | ★★★★☆ | 61 | 📍 Map |
| 2 | Greenacres Farm Fishery | Sissinghurst Rd, Biddenden, Ashford TN27 8FL, UK | ★★★★☆ | 88 | 📍 Map |
| 3 | Elphicks Fishery | Spelmonden Rd, Horsmonden, Tonbridge TN12 8EL, UK | ★★★★☆ | 143 | 📍 Map |
| 4 | Chequertree Fishery | Bethersden, Ashford, Bethersden, Kent TN26 3JR, UK | ★★★★☆ | 302 | 📍 Map |
| 5 | Hartley Lands Fishery | Swattenden Ln, Hartley, Swattenden, Cranbrook TN17 3PS, UK | ★★★★☆ | 166 | 📍 Map |
| 6 | Mid Kent Fisheries | Conningbrook Manor, Willesborough, Ashford TN24 0LS, UK | ★★★★☆ | 29 | 📍 Map |
| 7 | Cackle Hill Lakes | Headcorn Rd, Biddenden, Ashford TN27 8JW, UK | ★★★★☆ | 158 | 📍 Map |
| 8 | RKB Leisure Martello Lakes | Dymchurch Rd, Hythe CT21 4ND, UK | ★★★★☆ | 18 | 📍 Map |
| 9 | Chart Hill Lakes | Chart Hill Lakes, Chart Hill Rd, Maidstone ME17 3EZ, UK | ★★★★☆ | 27 | 📍 Map |
| 10 | Lavender Farm Lasher's Lake | Lavender Farm, Hernhill, Faversham ME13 9JH, UK | ★★★★☆ | 76 | 📍 Map |
| 11 | Claygate Lakes | Claygate, Marden TN12 9PL, UK | ★★★★☆ | 129 | 📍 Map |
| 12 | Monk Lakes | Staplehurst Rd, Tonbridge TN12 9BS, UK | ★★★★☆ | 261 | 📍 Map |
| 13 | Stour Valley Fishing Complex | Bobbin Lodge Hill, Chartham, Canterbury CT4 7RB, UK | ★★★★☆ | 93 | 📍 Map |
How to choose a venue from this list
A five-star water with a dozen reviews and a 4.8 with three hundred are not the same weight of evidence. Weigh the rating against the review count, read the most recent few for current stock reports, and then check these four things before you commit a day to a water.
Day ticket or syndicate?
Most waters here are day-ticket commercials, but some are club or syndicate lakes that need membership arranged in advance. Confirm how you get on the bank before you travel.
Night fishing and bivvies
Plenty of day-ticket waters are daytime only. If you want an overnighter, check the venue allows night fishing and bivvies rather than assuming it does.
Tackle and bait rules
Barbless hooks, unhooking-mat requirements, banned baits and boilie or particle limits vary from water to water. Read the fishery’s own rules, not a general guide.
Match the water to your session
Larger pits and reservoirs reward longer sessions and distance work; smaller lakes and canal stretches suit a short evening after work. Pick the water that fits the time you have.
What to expect from the water
Most of the accessible carp fishing here falls into three kinds of water, and each fishes differently. Knowing which you are turning up to changes what you pack and how long you plan to stay.
Gravel pits
The river valley pits
The pits along the Medway, Stour and Darent are the county’s specimen waters: deep, mature and holding very big fish. Most are club or syndicate. Where there is a day ticket, fish it as a full session and expect to work for a bite.
Estate lakes
The Weald lakes and hammer ponds
Shallow, silty and tree-lined, the old estate and hammer ponds of the Weald hold carp that are rarely caught and often big. They fish best in the warmer months with a light, mobile approach in the margins.
Commercials
The day-ticket lakes
Kent has a huge number of commercial fisheries, from small farm lakes to large complexes with lodges and facilities. Well stocked and well run, they are the right first choice for a new angler or a quick day.
Before you set off
A valid Environment Agency rod licence
Anyone aged 13 or over fishing with rod and line for coarse fish in England needs one. It is separate from the fishery’s day ticket and takes two minutes to buy online.
The fishery’s own rules
Booking method, opening hours, night-fishing policy, barbless-only, banned baits and mat requirements all vary. A look at the venue’s page or a quick call saves a wasted trip.
Mat, forceps, antiseptic and a sling
The minimum for handling carp safely, and many waters will send you home without them.
A phone call in peak season
Popular day-ticket lakes fill up at weekends and through the summer. Confirm there is space, and ask how it has been fishing while you are on.
A note on ratings
The star ratings and review counts on this page are pulled from public angler reviews, not written by me. They are good at telling you whether a venue is well run and welcoming; they are less good at telling you what is in the water or how it is fishing this month.
For that, read the most recent handful of reviews, and ring the fishery. Owners will usually tell you straight.
Willing to travel a little further?
Neighbouring guides, each with its own map, ratings and notes.
Last Updated on September 9, 2026 by Shane Stanford
Shane Stanford has fished for carp for over twenty years, in the UK and in France, and currently fishes a private syndicate water in West Sussex. He writes Fishing Again to put the things he learned the hard way into plain language: location and watercraft first, then bait, rigs and gear. He is straight about which kit he has actually fished and which he has assessed on specification, and says so on the page.