River Medway – Above Leigh Barrier

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The Medway above the Barrier provides a scenic stretch with a wide variety of depth and features. The upstream length “Ensfield Bridge” is popular with chub specialists; the Society’s chub cup is regularly won from this section. The Six Arches (Railway Bridge) area can be frustrating and anglers have been known to blank, but the rewards can be spectacular. The roach tend to shoal up especially late in the season, nets of 40 to 50 lb are recorded.The areas with a gravel bottom tend to be the most productive. Specimen Chub wp0_wp3818877dcan be found from the Barrier all the way up to Ensfield Bridge, with fish well in excess of 5.lb being recorded from all sections. Bream, good roach, pike and a few carp are also present, and small barbel up to 8lb have been caught, but these are rare fish. All methods work at times: bread, cheese, meat and pellet will produce chub, and perhaps a barbel, swim feeder or waggler with maggot or worm will tempt most fish. A method that has produced multiple chub in a session, is an open ended feeder stuffed with mashed bread and a large lump of flake on the hook. This is a water that rewards persistence, and tends to fish better as colour drops out after high water. Don’t fish with light tackle as many quality fish are lost on line that is too light for the large fish present.

 

IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Access to the river is from either the footpath over the barrier from the car parks on Lower Haysden Lane adjacent to the A21 Flyover (Car parking charges apply) or from Ensfield Bridge. There is no access across the ditch on North bank near Leigh footbridge.

Dawn to Dusk fishing only – NO NIGHT FISHING unless you hold a current Gold or Platinum card.

This is a members only water, A short section adjacent to Haysden Lake, from Six Arches Bridge upstream to the Bailey bridge is available for day tickets

Day tickets obtainable on the bank from bailiffs.

DO NOT FISH UNDER THE POWER CABLES AT ENSFIELD BRIDGE

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