Bewl Water

Fancy a bit more water in front of you than the usual pond? Bewl Water near Lamberhurst is advertised as 800 acres, so this is proper reservoir fishing rather than a tucked-away commercial peg. There’s one reservoir here, with bank fly-fishing and fishing boats available. Head for Bewlbridge Lane, Kent, TN3 8JH, and be careful with map pins: the supplied coordinates mark the fishing-boat area, not the entrance.

• 1 lake: Bewl Water
• Fish: trout, pike, perch, bream, roach, tench, eel
• Tickets from: Bank fly-fishing catch-and-release — £27.50
• Find it: Lamberhurst · TN3 8JH

Based on how each lake is set up — not a ranking.

Fancy a bit more water in front of you than the usual pond? Bewl Water near Lamberhurst is advertised as 800 acres, so this is proper reservoir fishing rather than a tucked-away commercial peg. There’s one reservoir here, with bank fly-fishing and fishing boats available. Head for Bewlbridge Lane, Kent, TN3 8JH, and be careful with map pins: the supplied coordinates mark the fishing-boat area, not the entrance.

Trout are the main draw, with rainbow trout regularly stocked and brown trout also advertised. The published trout season runs from 18 March 2026 to 14 February 2027. Bank fishing is fly-only, which makes the choice fairly straightforward if you’re bringing a fly rod and keeping your feet on dry land. If you want any-method trout fishing instead, you’ll need a boat rather than a spot on the bank.

There’s more swimming about than trout, mind. Pike and perch are advertised, while bream, roach, ruffe, tench and eels are also present. That’s an interesting mix, but don’t read the species list as permission to turn up with any approach you fancy. Predator fishing is generally advertised for October to February, with exact dates to confirm when booking. Sort that first, particularly if the whole trip revolves around pike.

The ticket choice needs a little attention before you chuck the kit in the car. Bank options cover catch-and-release, two trout retained followed by release, and an eight-trout ticket. Boat fly-fishing permits and boat hire are separate charges, whereas the any-method boat packages include hire, permits and parking, with eight trout per angler. The trout page and visitor FAQ differ on boat catch-and-release permit prices, so the booking-system total is the one to check.

Timing matters here too. Bank sessions are sunrise to sunset, fishing boats are available from 9am, and the return deadline is shown on the jetty clock. The visitor FAQ separately lists an 8am site opening and 8pm gate closure. Don’t muddle those gate times with permission to fish later: the published bank sessions are daylight-only. There’s no overnight or night-fishing ticket listed, so this isn’t one to plan around a midnight bite.

A Bewl fishing permit and a separately purchased Environment Agency rod licence are required. Boats take a maximum of three anglers, and under-18s must accompany an adult and cannot operate one. For pike, have the handling kit sorted before setting off: an unhooking mat, wire cutters or long-nosed pliers, wire traces and line of at least 10lb breaking strain. All pike must go straight back, carefully. A bit of preparation now saves a proper faff later.

Good background reading. Most of it is a few years old, so treat it as a starting point and ask on the day.

Videos linked by the fishery

• Our read

  Checked Sept '26 — “Bewl Water is a proper big-water option near Lamberhurst: an 800-acre reservoir with regularly stocked rainbow trout, bank fly-fishing and boat fishing. Pike and perch add a seasonal predator angle, but check dates and the boat booking total before committing.”

This is our own summary of recurring public feedback and the venue details we checked, not a copied customer review or a promise you’ll catch. Feedback changes, so we keep it separate from the Tackle Index score.