Plucks Gutter

River level

The lowdown

• This is a lowland marsh river setting, with the confluence at Plucks Gutter giving the place a bit of extra character. The Great Stour and Little Stour meet here, so it’s a cracking spot to explore in summer.
• CDAA describes Plucks Gutter as a popular summer venue. Expect a tidal-influenced-looking river rather than a tiny, intimate stream, with the flow and levels worth keeping an eye on.
• The stretch itself runs downstream on the north bank as far as the second dyke. The wider CDAA river fishery covers about nine miles from Fordwich to Plucks Gutter.
• Access is mainly via the roadside and car-park approaches. Parking is available opposite the Dog and Duck, with extra roadside parking also mentioned by CDAA.
• Most CDAA car parks are gated and normally locked, so a cheeky bit of planning is needed before heading down. A car-park key is available to members for £20.
• This is association-members water, not a published public day-ticket stretch. The 2026/27 adult two-rod subscription is £184, while juniors pay £50 for two rods.
• The wider River Stour waters hold bream, roach, rudd, carp, pike, tench, chub, barbel, gudgeon, dace and eels. CDAA also reports bream over 7 lb, specimen fish and historic bags exceeding 100 lb across the wider water.
• There’s an annual run of sea trout on the wider river fishery too. That’s a useful bit of seasonal interest, although the checked details don’t set out a specific Plucks Gutter sea-trout rule.
• No specific peg count, swim map, night-fishing policy or exact stretch length is published in the checked details. Give the CDAA rules and byelaws a proper read before tackling up.

Methods: The checked details don’t prescribe a particular approach. The river setting points towards keeping an eye on the flow, the crease and any quieter water around the confluence, but CDAA’s published stretch information doesn’t specify methods.

Access & tickets

Plucks Gutter is CDAA association-members water rather than a published public day-ticket stretch. For 2026/27, the adult two-rod subscription is £184 plus a £75 first-year entrance fee for new adult members; juniors pay £50 plus a £10 first-year entrance fee.

Fish the club names

bream, roach, rudd, carp, pike, tench, chub, barbel, eel

Named by Canterbury and District Angling Association across its waters, not for this stretch on its own.

Key rules

• Members, including juniors over 12, must hold a valid Environment Agency rod-fishing licence.
• CDAA publishes separate rules and byelaws that anglers must read before fishing.
• The river upstream from Fordwich Bridge is reserved for CDAA Fly Section members and may have a waiting list.
• The Fordwich-to-Bailey-Bridge fly section is open to all members from 3 April until the end of October.
• The Fordwich-to-Bailey-Bridge section opens for coarse fishing from 1 July.
• The official Plucks Gutter page does not state a night-fishing policy for this stretch.

Where it is